SCREENING TRANSMISSIONS FOR POWER LEVEL AND OBJECT IDENTIFIER IN ASSET MONITORING AND TRACKING SYSTEMS

• US 20100219939A1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: TWITCHELL, Robert W. JR.
• Application Number:
  US12/772,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20100219939A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/20 using a distributed architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for communicating to a recipient transceiver from a plurality of transceivers located within the broadcast range of the recipient transceiver includes: transmitting a communication at a first power level such that only a first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, the communication including a command causing each of the first group of transceivers not to respond to a subsequent broadcast; and subsequent thereto, transmitting a communication at a second power level greater than the first power level such that a second group of transceivers greater than and including the first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, but such that only a limited number of transceivers of the second group respond to the broadcast, the limited number of transceivers excluding the first group of transceivers. Each of the plurality of transceivers is associated with a respective sensor for acquiring data and transmitting the data to the recipient transceiver.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. An asset-tracking method, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communication device a signal from a communication device associated with an object;

storing in memory of the mobile communication device an identification of the communication device associated with the object, which identification is conveyed in the signal; and

when the mobile communication device has registered with a network, then sending information associated with the signal, including the identification of the communication device associated with the object, to a server over the network.

3. A method of communicating in a distributed, hierarchical database comprised of mobile wireless data communication devices, comprising the steps of:

receiving, at one of the mobile wireless data communication devices, an identification signal from a communication device associated with an object;

storing data representative of the identification signal in memory of the particular one of the mobile wireless data communication devices; and

when the particular one of the mobile wireless data communication devices accesses a network, then communicating information associated with the identification signal to a server over the network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the communication device from which the identification signal is sent comprises an RFID tag that is associated with the object.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the identification signal is sent in response to a database query originating from the server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein accessing the network by the particular one of the mobile wireless data communication devices comprises the step of registering with the network by the particular one of the mobile wireless data communication devices.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the distributed, hierarchical database comprises a plurality of logically distinct, class-based networks.

8. A method for tracking an object, comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, a first identification signal associated with a first object, the first identification signal having been sent in response to a first broadcast at a first power level from the mobile device;

storing data representative of the first identification signal in memory of the mobile device; and

receiving, at the mobile device, a second identification signal associated with a second object, the second identification signal having been sent in response to a second broadcast at a second power level from the mobile device, which second power level is greater than the first power level; and

when the mobile device accesses a network, then communicating information associated with the first and second identification signals to a server over the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first identification signal associated with the first object is sent from an RFID tag that is associated with the first object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein accessing the network by the mobile device comprises the step of registering with the network by the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of registering with the network by the mobile device comprises registering with a gateway as a top level node of an ad hoc, hierarchical class-based wireless network.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein the first identification signal associated with the second object is sent from an RFID tag that is associated with the second object.

11. A method for tracking an object, comprising:

receiving an identification signal associated with the object;

storing data from the identification signal in memory of a mobile device; and

when the mobile device accesses a network, then communicating information associated with the identification signal to a server over the network;

wherein the data from the identification signal comprises a class identifier associated with the object and another identifier associated with the object.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the other identifier associated with the object comprises a unique identification of a wireless tag that is associated with the object.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the other identifier associated with the object comprises a unique identification of a wireless reader tag that is associated with the object.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the other identifier associated with the object comprises a unique identification of a transceiver that is associated with the object.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein accessing the network by the mobile device comprises the step of registering with the network by the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of registering with the network by the mobile device comprises registering with a gateway as a top level node of an ad hoc, hierarchical class-based wireless network.

17. A method for forming an ad hoc network, comprising:

receiving an identification signal associated with the object;

storing data from the identification signal in memory of a mobile device;

when the mobile device accesses a network, then communicating information associated with the identification signal to a server over the network;

receiving a profile from the server in response to said communicating of the information associated with the identification signal, wherein the profile comprises network formation information for forming an ad hoc network used for tracking the object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein accessing the network by the mobile device comprises the step of registering with the network by the mobile device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of registering with the network by the mobile device comprises registering with a gateway as a top level node of an ad hoc, hierarchical class-based wireless network.