Magnetic location device

• US 20060042107A1
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Viatcheslav Ligai
• Original Assignee: Viatcheslav Ligai
• Inventors: Ligai, Viatcheslav
• Application Number:
  US10/928,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20060042107A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/352
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/04 with north-seeking magnetic elements, e.g. needles

Abstract

A magnetic location device comprising a housing having a distal end, a rotatable first visual element contained within said housing, a magnetic second visual element contained within said housing, said first visual element and said second visual element being capable of at least one matching position and yielding a suggested direction of travel.

Claims

1. A magnetic location device comprising:

A housing having a distal end,

a rotatable first visual element contained within said housing, a magnetic second visual element contained within said housing, said first visual element and said second visual element being capable of at least one matching position and yielding a suggested direction of travel.

2. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said direction of travel is aligned with said distal end.

3. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said second magnetic visual element is disc shaped and supported by a pin attached to said housing.

4. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said first visual element is round and mounted on a cylinder, said cylinder being mounted on a thumbwheel, said thumbwheel being contained within said housing and being rotatable to a desired orientation by a user, and said cylinder is hollow and suited to surround said second magnetic visual element.

5. A magnetic location device as in claim 4 wherein said cylinder is liquid filled and said cylinder contains said second magnetic visual element.

6. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said housing also comprises a keyless entry device.

7. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said housing also comprises attachment means for attachment to a ring.

8. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said first visual element and said second visual element comprise portions of an image and alignment of said first visual element and said second visual element completes said image.

9. A magnetic location device as in claim 8 wherein said image is a logo of a brand of vehicle.

17. A magnetic location device as in claim 1 wherein said magnetic second visual element comprises an electronic compass and an electronic display;

said electronic compass senses the magnetic field of the earth and generates an image on said electronic display corresponding to the orientation of the housing relative to the earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

10. A magnetic location device comprising:

A housing, an electronic compass, a battery, a processor capable of sensing a first heading signal of said electronic compass relative to said housing and storing said first heading signal;

said processor upon request capable of sensing a second heading signal of said electronic compass relative to said housing, calculating a difference between said first heading signal and said second heading signal, and producing an output signal relative to said difference.

11. A magnetic location device as in claim 10 further comprising an actuation button that when activated by a user causes said processor to store said first heading signal.

12. A magnetic location device as in claim 10 further comprising an electronic display capable of displaying a suggested direction indicator based on said output signal.

13. A magnetic location device as in claim 12 wherein said electronic display is a liquid crystal display.

14. A magnetic location device as in claim 11 wherein said actuation button when activated by a user causes said processor to store said first heading signal, and when activated by a user a second time causes said processor to produce said output signal.

15. A magnetic location device as in claim 14 further comprising a plurality of LEDs disposed about a distal end of said housing, and said processor illuminating one of said plurality of LEDs based on the output signal of said processor where rotating the housing in the direction of the illuminated LED causes a decrease in said difference between said first orientation and said second orientation;

said processor updating said output signal for a desired finite duration.

16. A magnetic location device as in claim 14 further comprising an electronic display wherein said processor produces a suggested direction of return travel on said electronic display in the form of an arrow pointing in said suggested direction of return travel;

said suggested direction of travel being calculated as a direction that produces a heading signal approximately opposite said first heading signal.