Event-recording devices with identification codes
First Claim
1. A system for reporting a physical or chemical state or event, the system comprising:
- (a) a device having at least two device states, one of the two device states corresponding corresponding to the physical or chemical state or event, the device comprising;
a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor, a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor and recording the device state such that the device state changes upon occurrence of the physical or chemical event or a change in the physical or chemical state, and a transponder configured to transmit a signal indicating the device state when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal; and
(b) an interrogator for externally probing the state of the device to determine whether the device state has changed, wherein the interrogator is designed or configured to (i) read the device state by providing the wireless interrogation signal to the transponder, (ii) compare the device state that it has read against a stored device state to determine whether the device state has changed and thereby indicate the physical or chemical event or the change in the physical or chemical state, and (iii) update the stored device state with the device state that it has just read.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A recording device allows wireless interrogation to determine its identity and its state. The state indicates whether one or more physical or chemical events have taken place. In effect, the one or more physical or chemical events are recorded by the device. The identity of the device allows it to be distinguished from a number of similar devices. The recording device may be used in an array of devices that allows wireless probing by an interrogation unit. When probed, each device tells the interrogator who it is and what state it is in. The devices allow multiple use and the interrogator may use a logical reset to determine the state of each device. The interrogator can thus easily identify particular items in an array that have reached a particular condition. The device may record the status of each device in a database to maintain a history for each.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A system for reporting a physical or chemical state or event, the system comprising:
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(a) a device having at least two device states, one of the two device states corresponding corresponding to the physical or chemical state or event, the device comprising;
a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor, a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor and recording the device state such that the device state changes upon occurrence of the physical or chemical event or a change in the physical or chemical state, and a transponder configured to transmit a signal indicating the device state when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal; and
(b) an interrogator for externally probing the state of the device to determine whether the device state has changed, wherein the interrogator is designed or configured to (i) read the device state by providing the wireless interrogation signal to the transponder, (ii) compare the device state that it has read against a stored device state to determine whether the device state has changed and thereby indicate the physical or chemical event or the change in the physical or chemical state, and (iii) update the stored device state with the device state that it has just read. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for reporting a physical or chemical state or event by using a device that changes a device state when exposed to the physical or chemical state or event, the method comprising:
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exposing the device to a first environment wherein the device comprises;
a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor, a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor and recording the device state such that the device state changes upon occurrence of the physical or chemical event or a change in the physical or chemical state, and a transponder configured to transmit a signal indicating the device state when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal;
probing the device with an interrogator to determine its current device state and thereby determine whether the first environment provided the physical or chemical state or event;
saving the current device state as a saved device state;
without physically resetting the device state, exposing the device to a second environment which potentially could provide the physical or chemical state or event to cause the device state to change; and
probing the device with the interrogator to determine if its current device state is different from the saved device state and thereby determine whether the second environment provided the physical or chemical state or event. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A device for reporting a physical or chemical state or event, the device comprising:
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a sensor for detecting the physical or chemical state or event without using a power source wherein the sensor includes a first portion for latching onto one of a plurality of stops during an expansion of the sensor;
a recording mechanism coupled to the sensor for recording that the physical or chemical state or event has occurred, wherein the recording mechanism allows recording of multiple physical or chemical events or state changes, each associated with a distinct device state;
a tag that contains identification information that can distinguish said device from a plurality of similar devices; and
a transponder, coupled to the recording mechanism and the tag, configured to transmit a signal indicating (i) the device state and thereby indicating the physical or chemical state or event and (ii) the identification information when triggered by a wireless interrogation signal. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification