SYSTEM FOR LOCATING REMOTE OBJECTS

• US 20170180934A1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David G. Brice
• Original Assignee: David G. Brice
• Inventors: Brice, David G., Carrender, Curtis L.
• Application Number:
  US15/325,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180934A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/025 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses absence of reply signal after an elapsed time
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• 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 21/0294 Display details on parent unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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

A system for locating remote objects and for directing users to remote objects, and for tracking remote objects such as eye glasses, watches, and the like, the system including an RFID transponder physically connected to the object, and RFID interrogator configured to interrogate the RFID transponder and receive a signal in response thereto, and a portable electronic device in electronic communication with the RFID interrogator and configured to process the received signal and determine a location of the object relative to the RFID interrogator and to provide information to a user regarding the location of the object.

Claims

1. A system for directing users to a remote object, the system comprising:

a first communication device physically connected to the object and capable of receiving radio frequency interrogation signals and sending a radio frequency response signal in response to the radio frequency interrogation signal;

a second communication device capable of sending the radio frequency interrogation signal and receiving the radio frequency response signal from the first communication device; and

a computing device electrically coupled to the second communication device and capable of processing the received radio frequency communication signal and determining a location of the first communication device and object relative to the second communication device and providing at least one of a visual or aural indicator of the location of the object to the user.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the computing device is configured to provide to the user directions to the location of the object.

3. A system for directing a user to a remote object, the system comprising:

a radio frequency transponder physically connected to the object and configured to receive an interrogation signal and to send a radio frequency response signal in response to the received radio frequency interrogation signal;

a radio frequency interrogator physically remote from the object and configured to transmit the interrogation signal and to receive the radio frequency response signal from the transponder; and

a portable electronic device electronically coupled to the radio frequency interrogator and configured to process the radio frequency response signal to determine a location of the object relative to the interrogator and to provide at least one of a visual, aural, and tactile indication to the user of the relative location of the object.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the computing device is configured to provide to the user directions to the location of the object.

5. A system for locating and tracking a personal object, such as glasses, and providing an indication to a user of the location and movement of the personal object, the system comprising:

a radio frequency transponder attached to the personal object and configured to receive a radio frequency interrogation signal and to send a responsive radio frequency response signal;

a radio frequency interrogator remote from the personal object and configured to transmit the radio frequency interrogation signal and to receive the radio frequency response signal from the transponder; and

a personal communication device that comprises one from among a cell phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, and a PDA, the personal communication device in electronic communication with the radio frequency interrogator and configured to process the radio frequency response signal and to determine a location of the object relative to the radio frequency interrogator and to provide an indication to the user of at least the location of the object, the indication comprising at least one from among a map showing the location of the object on the map, a visual display of the location as viewed from the radio frequency transponder, an aural indication of the location, and a tactile indication of the location.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the transponder is an active transponder that is powered by a rechargeable battery.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to provide a further indication to the user of at least one from among historical location information for the object up until a last point of contact, that the object is moving out of range or into range of the radio frequency interrogator interrogation signal, and that an item of interest belonging to someone other than the user is moving into range of the radio frequency interrogator interrogation signal.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to provide a further indication to the user of at least one from among historical location information for the object up until a last point of contact by uploading that information to a network which is available to the end user or those authorized by the end user.