Containment mechanism manipulation responsive electrical circuit power usage apparatus and method

• US 20070090950A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Jie, Adewole, Hakeem, Gamota, Daniel, Mok, Swee, Gyorfi, Julius, Brazis, Paul, Toloo, Mansour, Szczech, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,538,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind

Abstract

An object (201) (such as a containment mechanism) supports both a functional electrical circuit (203) and an electrical circuit (202) to which the functional electrical circuit is responsive. In a preferred approach the functional electrical circuit has both a low power state of operation and a higher power state of operation. Upon detecting (104) that an area of connectivity of the electrical circuit has been severed (via, for example, corresponding manipulation of the object itself), the functional electrical circuit responsively operates (106) using the higher power state of operation.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an object;

a balanced electrical circuit supported by the object;

a functional electrical circuit that is operably coupled to the electrical circuit and that has a low power state of operation and a higher power state of operation;

an external event trigger supported by the object and serving, when triggered, to irreversibly sever a portion of the balanced electrical circuit and thereby automatically cause the functional electrical circuit to irreversibly operate using the higher power state of operation rather than the low power state of operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the object comprises a containment mechanism.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the balanced electrical circuit comprises a printed electrical circuit comprising at least one active circuit element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the functional electrical circuit comprises a printed functional electrical circuit comprising at least one active circuit element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the external event trigger is configured and arranged to respond to manipulation by a human hand, such that the manipulation by a human hand comprises the external event.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the external event trigger is configured and arranged to respond to a breaking of an area of electrical conductivity.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the object comprises a containment mechanism and wherein the external event trigger responds to an external event comprising accessing the a containment mechanism.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the functional electrical circuit comprises at least one of:

an alarm;

a display;

an advertisement;

an annunciator;

an indicator;

a radio frequency transceiver;

a sensor;

an amusement device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a containment mechanism;

a printed active electrical circuit operably responsive to the containment mechanism and being configured and arranged to irreversibly actuate a functional electrical circuit in response to detecting at least a predetermined manipulation of the containment mechanism.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the printed active electrical circuit comprises a balanced circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the predetermined manipulation of the containment mechanism comprises at least one of:

opening the containment mechanism;

severing a portion of the containment mechanism;

closing the containment mechanism;

altering a state of being of the containment mechanism.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the functional electrical circuit comprises a printed functional electrical circuit.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the functional electrical circuit comprises at least one of:

an alarm;

a display;

an advertisement;

an annunciator;

an indicator;

a radio frequency transceiver;

a sensor;

an amusement device.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the predetermined manipulation of the containment mechanism comprises a manipulation that causes a severing of an area of electrical connectivity of the printed active electrical circuit.

15. A method comprising:

providing an object;

providing an electrical circuit supported by the object;

providing a functional electrical circuit supported by the object and that is operably responsive to the electrical circuit and that has a low power state of operation and a higher power state of operation;

operating the functional electrical circuit in the low power state of operation;

detecting when an area of connectivity of the electrical circuit is severed and then responsively causing the functional electrical circuit to operate in the higher power state of operation.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein providing an electrical circuit comprises printing the electrical circuit.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein providing a functional electrical circuit comprises printing the functional electrical circuit.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein detecting when an area of connectivity of the electrical circuit is severed comprises detecting when a printed portion of the electrical circuit is severed.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein providing an electrical circuit comprises, at least in part, a power supply.