Bidirectional Communication between an Infant Receiving System and a Remote Device

• US 20150038072A1
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Huntsberger, Kurt J., Taylor, John W., Cordier, Bruce Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,510,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/39
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 1/00 Children's chairs
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 13/06 Children's play- pens
• CPC Class Codes: A47D 15/00 Accessories for children's furniture, e.g. safety belts or baby-bottle holders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0208 Combination with audio or video communication, e.g. combination with "baby phone" function
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0461 integrated or attached to an item closely associated with the person but not worn by the person, e.g. chair, walking stick, bed sensor

Abstract

An infant device, such as in infant swing, establishes a wireless connection with a parent'"'"'s existing portable electronic device, such as a smartphone. The portable electronic device sends messages to control any of the functions associated with the infant device. The portable electronic device also sends video and voice to be output at the infant device, allowing the child to remotely see and hear the parent'"'"'s face and voice. The infant device sends messages with status information on the system enabling the portable electronic device to remotely monitor the system. The infant device also sends messages to the parent'"'"'s existing portable electronic device containing audio and/or video information recorded from the child, allowing the parent to remotely see and hear the child in the system.

Claims

1. A method for providing bidirectional communication between an infant device and a hand-held portable electronic device, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between the infant device and the hand-held portable electronic device;

monitoring for at least one message from the hand-held portable electronic device across the wireless connection;

receiving the at least one message from the hand-held portable electronic device;

processing the at least one message from the hand-held portable electronic device;

monitoring for at least one message from the infant device directed toward the hand-held portable electronic device; and

sending the at least one message from the infant device to the portable electronic device across the wireless connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message received from the hand-held portable electronic device comprises at least one of commands to the infant device for initiating actions, audio data, and video data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one message directed toward the hand-held portable electronic device from the infant device comprises at least one of status information, audio data, video data, and data regarding an environment of an infant in proximity to the infant device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

monitoring the environment of the infant for at least one of a sound and a movement; and

creating a message directed toward the hand-held portable electronic device upon detection of the at least one sound or movement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the at least one message from the hand-held portable electronic device in memory.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

associating the stored message from the hand-held portable electronic device with at least one of;

a condition present in the environment of the infant at the time the message is received by the infant device; and

a message directed toward the hand-held portable electronic device that the stored message was received in response to.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the hand-held portable electronic device is a smartphone, the at least one message from the hand-held portable electronic device being generated via an application stored on the smartphone.

8. A bidirectional wireless communication system for an infant device comprising:

a hand-held portable electronic device comprising a first wireless communication module, and an I/O interface;

an infant receiving device comprising a second wireless communication module, a control module, and at least one module selected from the group of an effect module and a sensor module;

wherein the first wireless communications module establishes a wireless connection with the second wireless communications module, and

wherein the portable electronic device sends and receives messages over the wireless connection.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second wireless communication module is formed within the control module of the infant receiving device.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the second wireless communication module is a user-installed accessory item added to the infant receiving device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the hand-held portable electronic device sends and receives messages to and from the second wireless communication module via an application included on the smartphone.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor module is configured to monitor an infant environment of an infant in the infant receiving device for at least one of sounds and movement, wherein messages sent to the hand-held portable electronic device include messages relating to detected sounds and/or movement.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the sensor module is configured to monitor activity of the infant receiving device and messages sent to the hand-held portable electronic device include messages relating to feedback of detected activity.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the messages sent from the hand-held portable electronic device to the infant receiving device include at least one of a video transmission, an audio transmission, and control instructions.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the infant receiving device is a first infant receiving device and the system further comprises:

a second infant receiving device, the second infant receiving device comprising a third wireless communication module and a control module;

wherein the first wireless communication module is configured to establish a first wireless connection with the second wireless communication module and a second wireless connection with the third wireless communication module.

17. A method for remotely controlling an infant device, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection between the infant device and a hand-held portable electronic device;

receiving at the hand-held portable electronic device at least one parameter from the infant device;

storing the at least one parameter; and

sending a plurality of commands to the infant device from the hand-held portable electronic device in response to receiving the at least one parameter.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the infant device further comprises a sensor module and the plurality of commands are preprogrammed in response to particular input from sensor module.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein sending a plurality of commands to the infant device in response to receiving the at least one parameter further comprises:

manually inputting commands into the hand-held portable electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the hand-held portable electronic device is a smartphone and the commands are manually input through a software application loaded on the smartphone.