Remote Monitoring and Control over Wireless Nodes in a Wirelessly Connected Environment

• US 20180288721A1
• Filed: 06/06/2018
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mobile Tech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mobile Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Blaser, Robert Logan, Wylie, Hunter, Collier, Jacob Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,728,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0025 synchronizing potentially movable access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a number of example embodiments where wireless nodes are arranged in a wirelessly connected environment to support a variety of remote management operations, including location tracking, status monitoring, and remote control. In an example embodiment, the wireless nodes can be deployed in a retail store and provide remote management and control over any combination of product display assemblies, locks, power strips, display shelves, display hooks, and other node types.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes arranged as a wireless network, wherein each of a plurality of the wireless nodes includes a wireless transceiver for wireless communication over the wireless network; and

a computer system configured for wireless communication with the wireless network;

wherein each of a plurality of the wireless nodes is configured to (1) log data representative of a plurality of events, and (2) wirelessly transmit the event log data to the computer system via the wireless network; and

wherein the computer system is further configured to (1) receive the wirelessly transmitted event log data via the wireless network, (2) create a data structure based on the received event log data that tracks the logged events for a plurality of the wireless nodes, (3) generate a plurality of commands corresponding to a plurality of the wireless nodes in response to input, and (4) wirelessly transmit the commands to the corresponding wireless nodes via the wireless network; and

wherein the wireless nodes are further configured to be controllable in response to the wirelessly transmitted commands corresponding thereto.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless network comprises a wireless mesh network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of product display assemblies.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the commands comprise commands to disarm a security function of the product display assemblies.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the commands comprise commands to arm a security function of the product display assemblies.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the event log data for a product display assembly comprises a log of users who have armed and/or disarmed the security function of that product display assembly.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the event log data includes data that identifies a product connected to the product display assembly when the events occurred.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of locks.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the commands comprise commands to unlock the locks.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the commands comprise commands to lock the locks.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the event log data for a lock comprises a log of users who have locked and/or unlocked that lock.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the event log data includes data that identifies a product within an enclosure protected by the lock when the events occurred.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of power strips.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the commands comprise commands to disarm a security function of the power strips.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the commands comprise commands to arm a security function of the power strips.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the event log data for a power strip comprises a log of users who have armed and/or disarmed the security function of that power strip.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the event log data includes data that identifies an electrical appliance connected to the power strip when the events occurred.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of display shelves.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of display hooks.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of power outlets.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the wireless nodes comprise a plurality of docking stations.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer system comprises a gateway computer.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the computer system further comprises a server for network communication with the gateway computer, wherein the server is further configured to communicate over a network with a plurality of the gateway computers and a plurality of the wireless networks that are dispersed across a plurality of geographic locations, the server configured to aggregate the created data structures from the different wireless networks.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer system comprises a server.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless nodes are located in a retail store.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the retail store comprises a plurality of retail stores.

27. A method comprising:

arranging a plurality of wireless nodes as a wireless network, wherein each of a plurality of the wireless nodes includes a wireless transceiver for wireless communication over the wireless network; and

each of a plurality of the wireless nodes (1) logging data representative of a plurality of events, and (2) wirelessly transmitting the event log data to a computer system via the wireless network; and

the computer system (1) receiving the wirelessly transmitted event log data via the wireless network, (2) creating a data structure based on the received event log data that tracks the logged events for a plurality of the wireless nodes, (3) generating a plurality of commands corresponding to a plurality of the wireless nodes in response to input, and (4) wirelessly transmitting the commands to the corresponding wireless nodes via the wireless network; and

controlling the wireless nodes corresponding to the wirelessly transmitted commands in response to the wirelessly transmitted commands.

28. A system comprising:

a plurality of wireless nodes, wherein each of a plurality of the wireless nodes includes a wireless transceiver for wireless communication over the wireless network; and

a plurality of processor-executable instructions that are resident on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions configured for execution by a processor to cause the processor to communicate with the wireless transceivers of the wireless nodes over a wireless network;

wherein each of a plurality of the wireless nodes is configured to (1) log data representative of a plurality of events, and (2) wirelessly transmit the event log data via the wireless network; and

wherein the instructions are further configured for execution to cause the processor to (1) receive the wirelessly transmitted event log data via the wireless network, (2) create a data structure based on the received event log data that tracks the logged events for a plurality of the wireless nodes, (3) generate a plurality of commands corresponding to a plurality of the wireless nodes in response to input, and (4) wirelessly transmit the commands to the corresponding wireless nodes via the wireless network; and

wherein the wireless nodes are further configured to be controllable in response to the wirelessly transmitted commands corresponding thereto.