APPLYING MESH NETWORK TO LUGGAGE

• US 20160021491A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Milne, James R., Carlsson, Gregory Peter, Zustak, Frederick J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Mesh node modules are associated with pieces of luggage, or packages, etc. and companion luggage or packages can dynamically form a mesh network which uploads location information of the nodes and in some cases additional information, e.g., shock signals, to a network. The information may be downloaded to an owner'"'"'s CE device.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a luggage body defining an enclosure openable to load and unload clothing into the enclosure and closable to maintain clothing securely within the enclosure;

at least one handle attached to the luggage body to facilitate gripping by a human hand;

at least one location sensor engaged with the luggage body;

at least one wireless transmitter supported by the luggage body;

at least one computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by a processor; and

at least one processor supported by the luggage body and configured to receive signals from the location sensor, the processor also being configured for accessing the computer readable storage medium to execute the instructions to configure the processor to;

upload to a network, via the wireless transmitter, location signals according to signals received from the location sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one shock sensor supported by the luggage body and configured to send signals to the processor, the instructions when executed by the processor configuring the processor to upload signals to the network via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage body as indicated by the signals from the shock sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the shock sensor includes an accelerometer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the shock sensor includes a gyroscope.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

determine, using information from the transmitter, whether communication with the network through at least one network access point is available; and

responsive to a determination that communication with the network through at least one network access point is available, automatically send at least one of the location signals to the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to, responsive to a determination that communication with the network through at least one network access point is available, automatically send a sequence of locations signals to the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

determine whether a signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold;

responsive to a determination that at least one signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, upload at least one signal to the network via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage body; and

responsive to a determination that no signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, not upload a signal to the network via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage body.

8. Consumer electronics (CE) device, comprising:

at least one display;

at least one wireless transceiver;

at least one computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by a processor; and

at least one processor configured for accessing the computer readable storage medium to execute the instructions to configure the processor to;

receive location information through the transceiver from at least one luggage or package; and

present the location information on the display.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to present on the display a first message indicating a current location of the luggage or package by indicating the generic term for the current location.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to present on the display a second message indicating a past location of the luggage or package.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

receive shock information through the transceiver from the luggage or package; and

present on the display a message derived from the shock information.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the message derived from the shock information is presented only responsive to a determination that the shock information indicates a shock satisfying a threshold.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

present on the display a map indicating a boundary of a building in which the CE device is located, indicating a location of the CE device within the building.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the map indicates a currently reported location of the luggage.

15. Mesh network, comprising:

plural computerized node modules associated with respective pieces of luggage and dynamically forming a mesh network which uploads location information of the node modules to a receiving network for downloading of the location information to a consumer electronics (CE) device.

16. The mesh network of claim 15, wherein at least one node module of the mesh network uploads to the receiving network shock signals from at least one node module.

17. The mesh network of claim 15, wherein each node module includes:

at least one location sensor engaged with the respective piece of luggage;

at least one wireless transmitter supported by the respective piece of luggage;

at least one computer readable storage medium bearing instructions executable by a processor; and

at least one processor supported by the respective piece of luggage and configured to receive signals from the location sensor, the processor also being configured for accessing the computer readable storage medium to execute the instructions to configure the processor to;

upload to the receiving network, via the wireless transmitter, location signals according to signals received from the location sensor.

18. The mesh network of claim 17, wherein at least one node module further comprises:

at least one shock sensor supported by the respective piece of luggage and configured to send signals to the processor, the instructions when executed by the processor configuring the processor to upload signals to the receiving network via the transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage as indicated by the signals from the shock sensor.

19. The mesh network of claim 17, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

determine, using information from the transmitter, whether communication with the receiving network through at least one network access point is available; and

responsive to a determination that communication with the receiving network through at least one network access point is available, automatically send at least one of the location signals to the receiving network.

20. The mesh network of claim 18, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

determine whether a signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold;

responsive to a determination that at least one signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, upload at least one signal to the receiving network via the transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage; and

responsive to a determination that no signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, not upload a signal to the receiving network via the transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage.