PRODUCT ASSEMBLY ASSISTANCE EMPLOYING TAGGED COMPONENTS

• US 20160104386A1
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Kruglick, Ezekiel
• Application Number:
  US14/894,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20160104386A1
• 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: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/04 with audible presentation of the material to be studied sound recording or reproducing G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for providing instructional media for assembly of a product from multiple components. In some examples, a standalone or web-based application for assisting with assembly of items may be informed of the state of the ongoing unpacking and/or assembly through optically, wirelessly, or comparably readable tags associated with the individual components of a disassembled item. Based on received data on state of assembly and which parts a user is accessing, the application may select appropriate instructional media, including detection of when assembly has gone wrong in order to coach the user through the assembly process and/or corrections.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing instructional media for assembly of a product from a plurality of components, the method comprising:

receiving data that is effective to identify a state of a component among the plurality of components;

identifying the state of the component based on the received data;

selecting instructional media based on the state of the component; and

providing the selected instructional media associated with an assembly of the product based at least in part on the identification of the state of the component to a user-identified client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving data comprises:

receiving data from a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag, a Quick Response (QR) tag or a barcode associated with the component.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a stage of assembly of the product based on the received data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting instructional media comprises:

selecting instructional media based at least in part on the identification of the stage of assembly of the product.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the state of the component comprises:

identifying the state of the component as one of a standalone state, an intermediate assembly state, a final assembly state, or a faulty assembly state.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting instructional media comprises:

selecting instructional media for a corrective step of assembly of the product, when the state of the component is identified as the faulty assembly state.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein providing instructional media comprises providing one or more of an instruction video, an instruction audio, an instruction graphic, and or an instruction text.

3-4. -4. (canceled)

7-8. -8. (canceled)

10-12. -12. (canceled)

14-15. -15. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. A computing device configured to provide interactive instructional media for assembling components of a product, the computing device comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute an application for providing interactive product assembly instructions in conjunction with the instructions stored in the memory, wherein the application is configured to;

receive data that is effective to identify a state of a component among the plurality of components;

identify the state of the component based on the received data;

select instructional media based on the state of the component; and

provide the selected instructional media associated with an assembly of the product based at least in part on the identification of the state of the component to a user-identified client device.

21. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the application is further configured to:

receive data that is effective to identify a stage of assembly of the product.

29. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the application is further configured to:

select instructional media for a next step of assembly of the product, when the state of the component is identified as the standalone state or the intermediate assembly state.

31. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the computing device is a server.

32. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the computing device is a user-identified client device, and the instructional media associated with the assembly of the product is provided through an output device associated with the computing device.

33. The computing device of claim 32, wherein the output device associated with the computing device includes one or more of:

a display, a speaker, a printer, and a peripheral device.

19-20. -20. (canceled)

22-28. -28. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

35. A computer readable memory device with instructions stored thereon for providing interactive instructional media for assembling components of a product, the instructions comprising:

receiving data that is effective to identify a stage of assembly of the product;

identifying the stage of assembly of the product based on the received data;

selecting instructional media based on stage of assembly of the product; and

providing the selected instructional media associated with an assembly of the product based at least in part on the identification of the stage of assembly of the product to a user-identified client device.

41. The computer readable memory device of claim 35, wherein receiving data further comprises receiving data that is effective to identify a state of the component.

45. The computer readable memory device of claim 41, wherein providing instructional media comprises:

selecting instructional media based on the state of the component; and

providing the selected instructional media for a step of assembly of the product associated with the component.

48. The computer readable memory device of claim 45, wherein selecting instructional media comprises:

selecting instructional media for a next component identification step of assembly of the product, when the state of the component is identified as the final assembly state.

51. The computer readable memory device of claim 35, wherein the user-identified client device includes one or more of:

a smart phone, a tablet, and wherein the assembly instructions are provided by an application locally installed on the user-identified client device.

52. The computer readable memory device of claim 35, wherein the computer readable memory device is a remote server configured to receive assembly data and to provide the assembly instructions through a web-based application.

53. The computer readable memory device of claim 52, wherein the remote server is configured to receive assembly data and to provide the assembly instructions to a customer service representative, and wherein the customer service representative provides the assembly instructions to the user.

36-40. -40. (canceled)

42-44. -44. (canceled)

46-47. -47. (canceled)

49-50. -50. (canceled)

54-70. -70. (canceled)