Method and apparatus for receiving product recall notices using broadcast channel

• US 20070213997A1
• Filed: 12/04/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Addison Jones, J'Maev, Jack, Tzvetelin Petrov
• Original Assignee: Addison Jones, J'Maev, Jack, Tzvetelin Petrov
• Inventors: Jones, Addison, Petrov, Tzvetelin, J'maev, Jack
• Application Number:
  US11/633,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213997A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/303
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/014 Providing recall services for goods or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and various embodiments thereof for receiving a recall signal by determining a recall signaling frequency; receiving a recall signal on the determined recall signaling frequency; capturing a recall message from the recall signal when the recall message is targeted to at least one of a simple product, a product that is an assembly or a component in a product that is an assembly; notifying a user when a recall message is captured; storing a notice identifier included in the recall message in a substantially permanent manner, wherein the notice identifier is associated with a description of a specific recall campaign, said description being stored remotely from the product or itself being a textual description, a numeric description and alphanumeric description or an audible description.

Claims

1. A method for receiving product recall notices in a product using broadcast channels comprising:

determining a recall signaling frequency;

receiving a recall signal on the determined recall signaling frequency;

capturing a recall message from the recall signal when the recall message is targeted to at least one of a simple product, a product that is an assembly or a component in a product that is an assembly;

notifying a user when a recall message is captured;

storing a notice identifier included in the recall message in a substantially permanent manner, wherein the notice identifier is associated with a description of a specific recall campaign, said description being stored remotely from the product or itself comprises a textual description, a numeric description and alphanumeric description or an audible description.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a recall signaling frequency comprises:

searching for a carrier signal within a pre-established frequency band;

determining if the carrier signal is carrying a recall signal;

noting a frequency for the carrier signal when the carrier signal is carrying a recall signal; and

searching for a different carrier signal when the carrier signal is not carrying a recall signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a recall signaling frequency comprises:

selecting a frequency according to a list of recall signaling frequencies;

determining if a carrier signal at the selected frequency is carrying a recall signal;

noting a frequency for the carrier signal when the carrier signal is carrying a recall signal; and

selecting a different carrier signal frequency from the list of recall signaling frequencies when a carrier signal at the selected frequency is not carrying a recall signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a recall signal on the determined recall signaling frequency comprises:

receiving a plurality of digitally modulated carriers within a prescribed band defined by the determined recall signaling frequency; and

demodulating each digitally modulated carrier into a data sub-stream.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a recall signal on the determined recall signaling frequency comprises:

receiving a modulated sub-carrier of a frequency modulated signal; and

demodulating the modulated sub-carrier into a data stream.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a recall signal on the determined recall signaling frequency comprises:

receiving an amplitude modulated carrier that is also frequency and/or phase modulated; and

demodulating the frequency and/or phase modulation of the carrier into a data stream.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying a user comprises:

determining when a user is present;

providing an indication to the user; and

storing the date on which the indication is provided to the user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the date when a recall message is captured.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user acknowledgement in response to the notification; and

storing the date when the user acknowledgement is received.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

extracting a system time from the recall signal; and

updating a clock according to the extracted system time, wherein the system time includes at least one of a time, a date, and an offset from an epoch.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accepting a station selection from a user;

receiving a media content according to the station selection; and

presenting the media content to the user.

12. A product notice receiver comprising:

frequency determination unit that generates a frequency indicator;

detector for receiving a product recall notice signal according to the frequency indicator;

one or more product identification registers that stores one or more product identifiers;

comparator that generates a capture signal when a target address included in the product recall notice signal matches at least one of the product identifiers stored in the one or more receiver identification registers;

notice register that captures a notice type identifier included in the product recall notice signal when it receives a capture signal and wherein the notice type identifier corresponds to a description of a recall campaign that is stored distally from the product notice receiver or comprises at least one of a textual description, a numeric description, an alphanumeric description or an audible description; and

notification unit that provides an indication when the capture signal is active.

13. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the frequency determination unit comprises:

frequency slider that generates a succession of frequency indicators within a given frequency band until it receives a stop signal; and

recall signal identification unit that generates a stop signal to the frequency slider when a signal received from the detector is carrying a recall signal.

14. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the frequency determination unit comprises:

frequency table that stores one or more frequency indicators;

selection unit that successively selects a different location in the frequency table until it receives a stop signal; and

recall signal identification unit that generates a stop signal to the selection unit when a signal received from the detector is carrying a recall signal.

15. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the detector comprises:

a plurality of demodulators set to a plurality of frequencies within a prescribed band identified by the frequency indicator that generate a corresponding plurality of data sub-streams according to the individual carries they process; and

data stream combiner that combines the plurality of sub-streams into a data stream.

16. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the detector comprises:

Sub-carrier demodulator that demodulates a sub-carrier into one or more digital data streams.

17. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the detector comprises:

Frequency-phase demodulator that receives an amplitude modulated signal wherein the signal is also modulated in phase and/or frequency and generates a data stream according to the phase and/or frequency modulation.

18. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the detector comprises:

Minimum shift keying demodulator that receives an amplitude modulated signal wherein the signal is also modulated using MSK and generates a data stream by demodulating the MSK component of the amplitude modulated signal.

19. The product notice receiver of claim 12 further comprising:

in-use input that receives an in-use indication and wherein the notification unit provides an indication to a user when the in-use indication is received.

20. The product notice receiver of claim 12 further comprising:

message captured time register that records at least one of a date, a time, a system time and an offset from an epoch when the message register captures a recall message from a data stream received from the detector.

21. The product notice receiver of claim 12 further comprising:

user acknowledgement input; and

user acknowledgement time register that records at least one of a date, a time, a system time and an offset from an epoch when the user acknowledgement input senses an input signal.

22. The product notice receiver of claim 12 further comprising a time clock that maintains a time value including at least one of a time, a date, a system time and an offset from an epoch and wherein the message register provides a time value to the time clock as a means of setting the time value to be maintained.

23. The product notice receiver of claim 12 further comprising program receiver that accepts a station selection from a user, receives a program according to the station selection and presents the received program to the user.