WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR WELDING-TYPE DEVICES
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a welding-type device;
a data storage unit associated with the welding-type device and having identification information of the welding-type device and location information of the welding-type device within a network stored thereon; and
a wireless communication unit operationally attached to the data storage unit, the wireless communication unit configured to emit a signal carrying the identification information and the location information from the data storage unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A welding-type device has wireless communications to transmit wireless signals comprising at least identification information or location information. The information may be transmitted either automatically or in response to request signals. Such a welding-type device may be configured to communicate with other welding-type devices, a monitoring device, or both. A wireless communication system has at least one welding-type device, at least one wireless communication assembly, and at least one monitoring device and is capable of assisting a user in locating particular welding-type devices, preventing theft of welding-type devices, and scheduling preventive maintenance.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a welding-type device;
a data storage unit associated with the welding-type device and having identification information of the welding-type device and location information of the welding-type device within a network stored thereon; and
a wireless communication unit operationally attached to the data storage unit, the wireless communication unit configured to emit a signal carrying the identification information and the location information from the data storage unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A wireless communication system for welding-type devices comprising:
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at least one welding-type device;
at least one RF transmitter connected to the at least one welding-type device and configured to emit signals containing device-specific location information of the at least one welding-type device therefrom; and
at least one remote monitoring device configured to receive the signals from the at least one RF transmitter. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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18. (canceled)
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24. A wireless communication kit for a welding-type device comprising:
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a data storage unit configured to store device-specific location information of a welding-type device therein;
a processing unit operably connected to the data storage unit;
a wireless transmitter connected to the processing unit and configured to transmit the welding-type device-specific location information from the data storage unit; and
wherein the data storage unit, processing unit, and wireless transmitter are each associated with a specific welding-type device. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A monitor to supervise a remote welding-type device, the monitoring having a controller configured to:
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wirelessly receive a signal encoded with location information of a remote welding-type device; and
determine a real-time location of the remote welding-type device from the location information encoded in the signal. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. A method of manufacturing a welding-type wireless communication system comprising:
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configuring a plurality of welding-type devices to transmit wireless data signals containing at least a device-specific identifier; and
providing a monitoring device to receive the wireless data signals and determine location information for the plurality of welding-type devices therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (35, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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36. (canceled)
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43. A welding-type network comprising:
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a first processor configured to transmit a wireless data signal from a first node associated with a first welding-type device; and
a second processor configured to;
(A) receive the wireless data signal at a second node associated with a second welding-type device or a monitoring apparatus;
(B) determine an intended recipient identifier from the wireless data signal; and
(C) if the intended recipient identifier matches an identifier of the second node, process the wireless data signal, otherwise relay the wireless data signal. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. -56. (canceled)
Specification