Free-forming one-way network

• US 6,289,222 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1997
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Turning Technologies LLC (Echo 360, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Cue, Nelson, Tam, Wing Yim, Lee, Che Kin
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Stella
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US08/895,043
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 455/2, 455/415, 455/426, 455/458, 455/466, 455/500, 370/312, 370/413, 370/349, 434/319, 434/334, 434/336, 434/350, 434/351, 434/362
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot

Abstract

A one-way or single-channel communication network utilizing electromagnetic radiation signals of a fixed single or narrow-band frequency in free air space consists of a plurality of transmitters and a central receiver in which each message is encoded in a wave train and is tagged with a sender identity (ID). The central receiver, which can be a single unit or a plurality of units connected in cascade, detects the messages in the free air space and send them along to a central processing unit (CPU) for message handling. Possible additional features of the system are: an option of a small display panel on the individual transmitter to show the message to be sent plus the number of attempts a message was sent within a preset time; a separate feedback segment, such as a colour change of a characteristic symbol on a central display screen visible to the sender, providing a confirmation that the message has been received; each symbol on the display screen showing the number of times a message was received from the corresponding transmitter within a present time; and a built-in option to either retain or black out the ID tag on the messages to be processed by the CPU. The free forming aspect of the system stems from the portability of the ID-encoded transmitters which enables any combination of transmitters to form a communication network, and a plurality of such combinations to form a plurality of networks.

Claims

1. A free-forming one-way network, comprising:

a plurality of wireless transmitters for the network participants, each said transmitter being adapted to transmit a short message, in the form of a short burst of coded radiation signals at a single or narrow-band frequency in free open air, in response to a prompt;

a central unit having a wireless receiver for detecting the messages sent by the transmitters, said central unit being incapable of transmitting messages to the plurality of wireless transmitters;

means for decoding and digitizing these messages;

central processing means for receiving, storing and analyzing the decoded and digitized messages; and

means for acknowledging to the sender the receipt of the message he or she sent.

2. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wireless receiver comprises a plurality of individual receivers connected in cascade.

3. A network as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a central display screen and wherein said acknowledging means comprises means for showing each transmitter in symbolic form on said display screen and means for indicating receipt of a message by a change in said symbolic form.

4. A network as claimed in claim 3 wherein said change in said symbolic form comprises a colour change.

5. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said transmitter comprises display means for displaying the message to be sent.

6. A network as claimed in claim 5 wherein said display means further comprises means for displaying the number of attempts made to send a said message.

7. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein each said transmitter is provided with means for attaching an identification signal unique to a participant to a message to be transmitted.

8. A network as claimed in claim 7 wherein each said transmitter comprises a memory unit in which a said identification signal may be entered or changed only by means of a password.

9. A network as claimed in claim 7 wherein said central processing means includes means for removing said identification signals.

10. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said wireless receiver detects the short burst signals from a plurality of transmitters one signal at a time.

11. A network as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a central display screen.

12. A network as claimed in claim 11, wherein said central display screen is adapted to indicate the number of times a message was received from each of the plurality of transmitters within a preset time period.

13. A network as claimed in claim 1, wherein said network comprises a plurality of said network as sub-networks operating in parallel at a plurality of frequencies.

14. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prompt is an action.

15. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prompt is a question.

16. A network as claimed in claim 1 wherein said prompt is a stimulus.

17. A free forming one-way network for providing responses by a group of participants to a central location, comprising:

a plurality of wireless transmitters, for use by respective participants to transmit a short message, in the form of a short burst of coded radiation signals at a single or narrow-band frequency in free open air, in response to a prompt;

a wireless receiver at said central location for detecting the messages sent by the transmitters;

a processor for storing and analyzing the detected messages; and

a display device at said central location which is visible to said participants operable to display an acknowledgment of the receipt of the messages sent by each of the transmitters.

18. The network of claim 17, wherein the wireless receiver comprises a plurality of individual receivers connected in cascade.

19. The network of claim 18, wherein the individual receivers connected in cascade are connected in such a manner that an are of coverage, within which the receivers connected in cascade are operative to receive transmissions from the wireless transmitters, is larger than coverage of any individual receiver.

20. The network of claim 17, wherein the display device is configured to display each transmitter in symbolic form, and indicate receipt of a message from each transmitter by a change in the symbolic form of the corresponding transmitter on the display device.

21. The network of claim 20, wherein the change in the symbolic form comprises a color change.

22. The network of claim 17, wherein each transmitter comprises a local display device for displaying the message to be sent.

23. The network of claim 22, wherein the local display device is further operative to display the number of attempts made to send the message.

24. The network of claim 17, wherein each transmitter is operative to attach an identification signal to a message to be transmitted, the identification signal being unique to a participant.

25. The network of claim 17, wherein the wireless receiver detects the short burst signals from a plurality of transmitters one signal at a time.

26. The network of claim 17, wherein the display device is adapted to indicate the number of times a message was received from each of the plurality of transmitters within a preset time period.

27. The network of claim 17, wherein the network is a plurality of sub-networks operating in parallel at a plurality of frequencies, each sub-network comprising all of the features of the network of claim 17.

28. A method for prompting and responding using a plurality of remote, wireless transmitters, comprising the steps of:

prompting a group of participants for a response;

receiving a plurality of responses at a central location from the participants via remote wireless transmitters;

detecting each response received individually;

storing and analyzing the received and detected responses individually; and

acknowledging the receipt of the response to a participant who sent the response by displaying an acknowledgement at said central location which is visible to the participant who sent the response.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of detecting each response received individually further comprises receiving an identification signal unique to each participant.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of storing and analyzing the received and detected responses further comprises removing the identification signal.