MANAGING A CONDITION OF A SELECTION OF CLOTHING ITEMS

• US 20170000277A1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: JOHNSON, MICHAEL C., LONGENBACH, TRAVIS, PIZZUTI, NICOLAS E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,717,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 25/1407 with identification means identification in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A monitoring system including one or more processors communicatively connected with a memory, one or more output interfaces, one or more connectivity interfaces and one or more sensors, is attached to a clothing frame. The one or more sensors sense one or more indicators of a status of a clothing item attached to the clothing frame, the one or more sensors attached to the clothing frame and connected to one or more processors, one or more output interfaces, and one or more connectivity interfaces. The monitoring system determines the status information for the clothing item based on the one or more indicators. The monitoring system selectively adjusts an output interface to display the status information. The monitoring system communicates the status information to one or more additional clothing frames via the one or more connectivity interfaces.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more processors communicatively connected with a memory, one or more output interfaces, one or more connectivity interfaces and one or more sensors attached to a clothing frame;

the one or more sensors operative to sense one or more indicators of a status of a clothing item attached to the clothing frame;

the one or more processors operative to determine status information for the clothing item based on the one or more indicators;

the one or more processors operative to selectively adjust an output interface to display the status information; and

the one or more processors operative to communicate the status information to one or more additional clothing frames via the one or more connectivity interfaces.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more output interfaces comprise a plurality of light emitting diodes configured in a position of the clothing frame that is visible when the clothing item is attached to the clothing frame, each of the light emitting diodes configured to emit one or more selected colors when triggered.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more power sources for providing power to the one or more output interfaces, the one or more connectivity interfaces, the one or more sensors, and the one or more processors; and

the one or more power sources comprising a conductive arm of the clothing frame connected to a battery, the conductive arm connectively affixable to a conductive bar for holding the clothing frame.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more power sources for providing power to the one or more output interfaces, the one or more connectivity interfaces, the one or more sensors, and the one or more processors;

the one or more power sources comprising a receiving for receiving and providing wireless energy.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further comprise a radio frequency identifier reader for reading an identifier for the clothing item from a radio frequency identifier chip on the clothing item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further comprise an odor sensor for sensing one or more gaseous compounds indicative of a selection of one or more contamination odor conditions and wherein the one or more processors trigger an output to the one or more output interfaces to indicate the one or more contamination odor conditions.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further comprise a weight sensor comprising a plurality of spring based measuring devices for measuring a weight of the clothing item and wherein the one or more processors compare the weight with a database of weight measurements each associated with a clothing item identifier to identify a particular clothing item identifier associated with the weight in the database.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further comprise an optical sensor for sensing one or more of a transparency and a color of the clothing item.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the one or more processors operative, in response to detecting from the one or more indicators from the one or more sensors that the clothing item is attached to the clothing frame, to track an amount of time the clothing item is attached to the clothing frame;

the one or more processors operative to compare the amount of time the clothing item is attached to the clothing frame with one or more thresholds; and

the one or more processors operative, in response to the amount of time the clothing is attached to the clothing frame reaching a particular threshold of the one or more thresholds, to adjust an output in the one or more output interfaces to indicate the particular threshold is met.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the one or more connectivity interfaces operative to receive other status information from the one or more additional clothing frames indicating that another clothing item has been removed from one of the one or more additional clothing frames;

the one or more processors operative to determine whether the clothing item on the clothing frame is associated with the another clothing item; and

the one or more processors operative to, in response to determining the clothing item on the clothing frame is associated with the another clothing item, to adjust an output to the one or more output interfaces to indicate the clothing item is associated with the another clothing item.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the one or more connectivity interfaces operative to receive other status information from the one or more additional clothing frames about one or more other clothing items;

the one or more processors operative to accumulate the status information and the other status information into accumulated status information; and

the one or more processors operative to transmit the accumulated status information to a wardrobe management system at a network location.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more connectivity interfaces further comprise one or more of a short range wireless broadcast controller and remote transmission controller.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more second processors connected with one or more second output interfaces, one or more second connectivity interfaces and one or more second sensors attached to a second clothing frame;

the one or more second sensors operative to sense one or more second indicators of a second status of a second clothing item attached to the second clothing frame;

the one or more second processors operative to determine second status information for the second clothing item based on the one or more second indicators;

the one or more second processors operative to communicate the second status information to the clothing frame via a short range wireless broadcast from the second one or more connectivity interfaces;

the one or more connectivity interfaces of the clothing frame operative to receive the second status information from the short range wireless broadcast; and

the one or more processors operative to adjust an output via the one or more output interfaces based on the second status information.

14. A method, comprising:

attaching a monitoring system comprising one or more processors communicatively connected with a memory, one or more output interfaces, one or more connectivity interfaces and one or more sensors, to a clothing frame;

sensing, by one or more sensors, one or more indicators of a status of a clothing item attached to the clothing frame, the one or more sensors attached to the clothing frame and connected to one or more processors, one or more output interfaces, and one or more connectivity interfaces;

determining, by the one or more processors, status information for the clothing item based on the one or more indicators;

selectively adjusting, by the one or more processors, an output interface to display the status information; and

communicating, by the one or more processors, the status information to one or more additional clothing frames via the one or more connectivity interfaces.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

reading, by the one or more sensors, an identifier from a radio frequency identifier chip attached to the clothing item; and

identifying, by the one or more processors, the clothing item from the identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing, by the one or more sensors, one or more gaseous compounds indicative of a selection of one or more contamination odor conditions; and

controlling, by the one or more processors, an output to the one or more output interfaces to indicate the one or more contamination odor conditions.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing, by the one or more sensors, from a plurality of spring based measuring devices, a weight of the clothing item;

identifying, by the one or more processors, the clothing item by comparing the weight with a database of weight measurements each associated with a clothing item identifier to identify a particular clothing item identifier associated with the weight in the database.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, by the one or more connectivity interfaces, other status information from the one or more additional clothing frames indicating that another clothing item has been removed from one of the one or more additional clothing frames;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether the clothing item on the clothing frame is associated with the another clothing item; and

in response to determining the clothing item on the clothing frame is associated with the another clothing item, adjusting, by the one or more processors, an output to the one or more output interfaces to indicate the clothing item is associated with the another clothing item.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

attaching a second monitoring system comprising one or more second processors connected with one or more second output interfaces, one or more second connectivity interfaces and one or more second sensors, to a second clothing frame;

sensing, by the one or more second sensors, one or more second indicators of a second status of a second clothing item attached to the second clothing frame;

determining, by the one or more second processors, second status information for the second clothing item based on the one or more second indicators;

communicating, by the one or more second processors, the second status information to the clothing frame via a short range wireless broadcast from the second one or more connectivity interfaces;

receiving, by the one or more connectivity interfaces, the second status information from the short range wireless broadcast; and

adjusting, by the one or more processors, an output via the one or more output interfaces based on the second status information.

20. A method, comprising:

attaching a monitoring system to a clothing frame, the monitoring system comprising one or more processors, one or more output interfaces, one or more connectivity interfaces, and one or more sensors to sense status information about a clothing item temporarily attached to the clothing frame and control outputs of the sensed status information through the one or more output interfaces;

communicating, by the monitoring system, through short range wireless broadcasting with one or more additional monitoring systems each attached to a separate clothing frame from among one or more additional clothing frames and sensing additional status information about one or more additional clothing items temporarily attached to each of the one or more additional clothing frames and to control outputs of the additional status information through each of the one or more additional output interfaces; and

adjusting, by the monitoring system, the outputs to the one or more output interfaces based on additional status information, to manage a plurality of clothing items comprising the clothing item and the one or more additional clothing items.