Transactions and business processes executed through wireless geolocation system infrastructure

• US 6,577,275 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2001
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wherenet Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Turner, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULL, FRED H
• Application Number:
  US09/801,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20010024174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 342/463, 342/465, 705/28, 235/385
• US Class Current: 342/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A tool for augmenting and customizing business transaction processes uses the communication capability and functionality of a geolocation system to embed information associated with a transaction of a tagged object within the spread spectrum signals used to geolocate the object. This enables an ancillary transaction controller, separate from the geolocation system, to focus or target one or more transactions with respect to the tagged object, which may be an individual, such as a customer, patient, client, or the like of an institution in which the geolocation system is installed.

Claims

1. A method of operating a portable computing device that is operative to execute an application program stored therein and to wirelessly communicate with data terminal equipment at a remote site with respect to execution of said application program, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling said portable computing device as an auxiliary data input to a wireless emission tag that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said portable computing device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating transaction data generated by said portable computing device in association with its execution of said application program into said wireless emissions from said wireless emission tag; and

(c) coupling said transaction data from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

2. A method of operating an encoded information scanning device, that is operative to read encoded information and to wirelessly communicate data associated with the scanned encoded information with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling said scanning device as an auxiliary data input to a wireless emission tag that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said scanning device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating said data associated with the scanned encoded information scanned by said scanning device into said wireless emissions from said wireless emission tag; and

(c) coupling said data associated with the scanned encoded information from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said encode information representative data is associated with a sales transaction processed by said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

4. A method of operating a digital camera, that is operative to capture an image of a subject and to wirelessly communicate data associated with the captured image with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling said digital camera as an auxiliary data input to a wireless emission tag that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said camera by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating said data associated with the operation of said digital camera into said wireless emissions from said wireless emission tag; and

(c) coupling said data associated with the operation of said digital camera from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

5. A method of operating a paging system of a facility comprising the steps of:

(a) providing individuals who may be paged by said paging system comprising a plurality of individually addressable paging cells, each of which contains one or more paging speaker units interfaced as an auxiliary data input with wireless emission tags that are operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system installed at said facility, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tags and thereby said individuals by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions; and

(b) causing a page to be delivered to a paging speaker unit of an individual from a limited portion of said paging system in which said individual has been geolocated in step (a).

6. A method of operating one or more information presentation devices of an electronic messaging system of a facility in which an individual may conduct a transaction using a wireless scanning device, the electronic messaging system having a customer associated database, including a purchasing profile of a customer comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling a wireless scanning device as an auxiliary data input to a wireless emission tag that is operative to generate spread spectrum wireless emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system installed at said facility, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and wireless scanning device and thereby said individual by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) controllably operating an information presentation device of said electronic messaging system that is proximate to an area of said facility in which said individual has been geolocated in step (a) to display information based on the customer associated database; and

(c) scanning data into the wireless scanning device for customer identification such that the wireless emission tag is identified with a customer and incorporating transaction data generated by scanning items with the wireless scanning device into the wireless emissions for completing customer transaction in the facility.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said facility comprises a sales establishment and said wireless emission tag is installed on a shopping cart of said sales establishment.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said facility comprises a sales establishment, and step (a) includes coupling said wireless emission tag with an encoded information scanning device that is operative to read encoded information associated with the purchase of an item, and to wirelessly communicate data associated with the scanned encoded information with sales transaction terminal equipment coupled to said geolocation system.

9. A communication system for use with a portable computing device, that is adapted to execute an application program stored therein, and being operative to enable said portable computing device to wirelessly communicate data associated with execution of said application program with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said communication system comprising:

a wireless emission tag coupled to said portable computing device to receive data from the portable computing device as an auxiliary data input and being operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions that contain transaction data generated by said portable computing device in association with its execution of said application program; and

a geolocation system containing a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers that monitor said wireless emissions, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said portable computing device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions, and wherein said transaction data contained in said wireless emissions as monitored by said geolocation system is coupled to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

10. A communication system for use with an encoded information scanning device that is adapted to read encoded information, and being operative to enable said encoded information scanning device to wirelessly communicate data associated with the scanned encoded information with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said communication system comprising:

a wireless emission tag coupled to said encoded information scanning device to receive data from the portable computing device as an auxiliary data input and being operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions that contain data generated by said encoded information scanning device; and

a geolocation system containing a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers that monitor said wireless emissions, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said encoded information scanning device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions, and wherein said data contained in said wireless emissions as monitored by said geolocation system is coupled to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

11. The communication system according to claim 10, wherein said encoded information representative data is associated with a sales transaction processed by said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

12. A method of operating a portable computing device that is operative to execute an application program stored therein and to wirelessly communicate with data terminal equipment at a remote site with respect to execution of said application program, said method comprising:

(a) providing said portable computing device as an auxiliary data input to a wireless emission tag function that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said portable computing device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating transaction data generated by said portable computing device in association with its execution of said application program into said wireless emissions; and

(c) coupling said transaction data from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

13. A method of operating an encoded information scanning device, that is operative to read encoded information and to wirelessly communicate data associated with the scanned encoded information with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said method comprising:

(a) providing said scanning device with a wireless emission tag function to receive data from the scanning device as an auxiliary data input and that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said scanning device by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating said data associated with the scanned encoded information scanned by said scanning device into said wireless emissions; and

(c) coupling said data associated with the scanned encoded information from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said encoded information representative data is associated with a sales transaction processed at said data terminal equipment at said remote site.

15. A method of operating a digital camera, that is operative to capture an image of a subject and to wirelessly communicate data associated with the captured image with data terminal equipment at a remote site, said method comprising:

(a) providing said digital camera with a wireless emission tag to receive data from the digital camera as an auxiliary data input that is operative to generate wireless spread spectrum emissions monitored at a plurality of spaced apart tag emission readers of a geolocation system, outputs of said tag emission readers being processed to geolocate said tag and thereby said camera by detecting first-to-arrive spread spectrum emissions and performing time-of-arrival differentiation of the detected first-to-arrive emissions;

(b) incorporating said data associated with the operation of said digital camera into said wireless emissions; and

(c) coupling said data associated with the operation of said digital camera from said geolocation system to said data terminal equipment at said remote site.