AUTOMATED NOTIFICATION DEVICE
First Claim
1. An automated item notification device configured to be secured within a drop box, the automated item notification device comprising:
- a communication module configured to communicate with a remote resourcea deposit sensor configured to sense deposit of an object and provide a wake-up signal in response thereto;
a camera configured to capture an image of an interior of the drop box in response to the wake-up signal, anda processor configured to;
compare the captured image with a previously acquired reference image stored in memory to determine if the object has been received in the drop box;
in response to detection that the objected has been received in the drop box, transmit a message to the remote resource that the drop box needs to be serviced, and enter an extended sleep mode; and
in response to detection that the objected has not been received in the drop box, enter a sleep mode.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An automated item notification device is described. The automatic notification device is configured to be secured within a drop box and comprises a communication module, a deposit sensor, a camera and processor. The communication module communicates with a remote resource. The deposit sensor senses deposit of an object and provides a wake-up signal in response thereto. The camera captures an image of an interior of the drop box in response to the wake-up signal. The processor is configured to compare the captured image with a previously acquired reference image stored in memory to determine if the object has been received in the drop box. In response to detection that the objected has been received in the drop box, a message is transmitted to the remote resource that the drop box needs to be serviced, and the processor enters an extended sleep mode. In response to detection that the objected has not been received in the drop box, the processor enters a sleep mode. A method for operating the automatic item notification is also described.
-
Citations
36 Claims
-
1. An automated item notification device configured to be secured within a drop box, the automated item notification device comprising:
-
a communication module configured to communicate with a remote resource a deposit sensor configured to sense deposit of an object and provide a wake-up signal in response thereto; a camera configured to capture an image of an interior of the drop box in response to the wake-up signal, and a processor configured to; compare the captured image with a previously acquired reference image stored in memory to determine if the object has been received in the drop box; in response to detection that the objected has been received in the drop box, transmit a message to the remote resource that the drop box needs to be serviced, and enter an extended sleep mode; and in response to detection that the objected has not been received in the drop box, enter a sleep mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method for automatically notifying a local service provider to service a drop box, the method comprising the steps of:
-
sensing deposit of an object by a deposit sensor; providing a wake-up signal in response to the sensed deposit; capturing an image of an interior of the drop box in response to the wake-up signal; comparing the captured image with a previously acquired reference image stored in memory to determine if the object has been received in the drop box; in response to detection that the objected has been received in the drop box, transmitting a message to a remote source and entering an extended sleep mode; and in response to detection that the objected has not been received in the drop box, entering a sleep mode. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
Specification