SECURITY-ENHANCED RADIO FREQUENCY OBJECT LOCATOR SYSTEM, METHOD AND PROGRAM STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20130181838A1
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ouellette, Michael R., Swanke, Karl V., Ventrone, Sebastian T., Luke, Shawn M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,823,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

Disclosed are an object locator system, a method and a program storage device. In the embodiments, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are on objects within a defined area and each RFID tag can be activated by an RF activation signal. When a request (e.g., a verbal or keyed-in request) to locate a specific object is received from a specific user, the required permission to locate the object is verified and, optionally, the identity of the specific user is authenticated. Once the required permission is verified and the identity of the specific user is authenticated, one of three RFID readers transmits an RF activation signal. RF response signals received back at the three RFID readers from the specific object'"'"'s RFID tag are used to triangulate the position of the specific object. Once determined, the position is communicated (e.g., by map display, verbal message, or text message) to the specific user.

Claims

1. A system for locating objects within a defined area, said system comprising:

radio frequency identification tags on said objects;

a memory storing a database of said objects, said database associating said objects with corresponding users having permission locate said objects;

a user interface device receiving, from a specific user, a request to locate a specific object;

a computer accessing said database in response to said request and verifying that said specific user has permission to locate said specific object; and

at least three radio frequency identification readers within said defined area,

said computer, upon verification that said specific user has said permission to locate said specific object, causing one of said radio frequency identification readers to transmit a radio frequency activation signal,

said radio frequency identification tag on said specific object automatically transmitting a radio frequency response signal in response to said radio frequency activation signal,

each of said radio frequency identification readers receiving said radio frequency response signal, and

said computer triangulating a position of said specific object based on differences in said radio frequency response signal as received by each of said radio frequency identification readers and further communicating said position of said specific object to said specific user through said user interface device.

2. The system of claim 1, said user interface device comprising a handheld user interface device communicating wirelessly with said computer.

3. The system of claim 1, said computer communicating said position of said specific object by displaying a map of said defined area with an indicator marking said position of said specific object.

4. The system of claim 1, said computer communicating said position of said specific object by any one of displaying a text message and a playing a voice message.

5. The system of claim 2, said computer communicating said position of said specific object relative to a position of a stationary object in said defined area,

6. The system of claim 5, said position of said stationary object being previously established using said handheld user interface device, being previously tagged with a descriptive tag using said handheld user interface device, being stored in said database and further being associated with said descriptive tag in said database.

7. The system of claim 2, said computer communicating said position of said specific object relative to a position of said handheld user interface device.

8. The system of claim 1,

said database further associating unique voiceprints with said corresponding users,

said user interface device comprising a microphone,

said request being a verbal request from said specific user received through said microphone, and

said computer authenticating said specific user by comparing said verbal request to a unique voiceprint associated in said database with said specific user.

9. The system of claim 1,

said database further associating unique biometric identifiers with said corresponding users,

said user interface device further comprising a biometric sensor receiving biometric input from said specific user, and

said computer authenticating said specific user by comparing said biometric input to a unique biometric identifier associated in said database with said specific user.

10. A computer-implemented method for locating objects within a defined area, said objects having radio frequency identification tags and said method comprising:

storing, in memory, a database of said objects, said database associating said objects with corresponding users having permission to locate said objects;

receiving, by a computer through a user interface device, a request from a specific user to locate a specific object;

accessing, by said computer in response to said request, said database and verifying that said specific user has permission to locate said specific object;

after said verifying, causing, by said computer, one of at least three radio frequency identification readers within said defined area to transmit a radio frequency activation signal,

said radio frequency identification tag on said specific object automatically transmitting a radio frequency response signal in response to said radio frequency activation signal, and

said radio frequency identification readers receiving said radio frequency response signal;

triangulating, by said computer, a position of said specific object based on differences in said radio frequency response signal as received by each of said radio frequency identification readers; and

communicating, by said computer through said user interface device, said position of said specific object to said specific user.

11. The method of claim 10, said user interface device comprising a handheld user interface device communicating wirelessly with said computer.

12. The method of claim 10, said communicating of said position of said specific object comprising displaying a map of said defined area with an indicator marking said position of said specific object.

13. The method of claim 10, said communicating of said position of said specific object comprising any one of displaying a text message and a playing a voice message.

14. The method of claim 10, said communicating of said position of said specific object comprising communicating said position of said specific object relative to a position of a stationary object in said defined area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, before said receiving of said request, establishing said position of said stationary object using said handheld user interface device, tagging said position of said stationary object with a descriptive tag using said handheld user interface device, storing said position of said stationary object in said database and further associating said stationary object with said descriptive tag in said database.

16. The method of claim 10, said communicating of said position of said specific object comprising communicating said position of said specific object relative to a position of said handheld user interface device.

17. The method of claim 10,

said receiving of said request comprising receiving a verbal request through a microphone of said user interface device,

said database further associating unique voiceprints with said corresponding users;

and

said method further comprising authenticating, by said computer, said specific user by comparing said verbal request to a unique voiceprint associated in said database with said specific user.

18. The method of claim 10, said database further associated storing unique biometric identifiers with said corresponding users, and said method further comprising:

receiving biometric input from said specific user through a biometric sensor on said user interface device; and

authenticating, by said computer, said specific user by comparing said biometric input to a unique biometric identifier associated in said database with said specific user.

19. A non-transitory program storage device readable by a computer and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method for locating objects within a defined area, said objects having radio frequency identification tags and said method comprising:

storing, in memory, a database of said objects, said database associating said objects with corresponding users having permission to locate said objects;

receiving, through a user interface device, a request from a specific user to locate a specific object;

accessing said database and verifying that said specific user has permission to locate said specific object;

after said verifying, causing one of at least three radio frequency identification readers within said defined area to transmit a radio frequency activation signal,

said radio frequency identification tag on said specific object automatically transmitting a radio frequency response signal in response to said radio frequency activation signal, and

said radio frequency identification readers receiving said radio frequency response signal;

triangulating a position of said specific object based on differences in said radio frequency response signal as received at each of said radio frequency identification readers; and

communicating said position of said specific object to said specific user through said user interface device.

20. The program storage device of claim 19, said communicating of said position of said specific object comprising any of the following:

displaying a map of said defined area with an indicator marking said position of said specific object;

displaying a text message; and

a playing a voice message.