Apparatus and method for locating a tagged item
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for determining the location of an item, from among a plurality of like items, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
- (a) a paging device adapted to be located on or near said item, said paging device having a unique paging device identification code and including;
(1) an RF receiver for receiving and detecting RF transmissions from a commercial paging service, said RF transmissions including a paging device identification code for a particular paging device and a paging message associated therewith;
(2) a comparator, connected to said RF receiver, for determining when the paging device identification code received from the commercial paging service equals the paging device identification code for the respective paging device;
(3) a decoder, connected to the RF receiver and the comparator, for decoding the paging message when enabled by said comparator, one of said paging messages including a command to emit a locator signal;
(b) a locator transmitter, adapted to be co-located with said item and said paging device and being connected to said paging device, said locator transmitter producing a locator signal in response to a command from said paging device; and
(c) a locator device, within range to receive said locator signal, for determining the location of said locator transmitter;
(d) a transponder tag, adapted to be co-located on or near said item with said paging device, said tag having means for emitting an RF signal in response to an RF interrogation, said RF signal containing a unique tag identification code;
(e) a transponder reader for producing an RF interrogation for a transponder tag, for receiving an RF signal from a tag in response to such interrogation and for decoding the tag identification code from said RF signal; and
(f) a computer coupled to the transponder reader and having stored therein, in association with each other, both the paging device identification code and the tag identification code.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for determining the location of an item from a plurality of like items, using matching paging devices and passive transponder tags on each item. The unique code number (IC) of the tag is programmed into its matching paging device. The paging device operates remote control location functions. The tags are preferably passive acoustic wave transponders.
41 Citations
19 Claims
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1. Apparatus for determining the location of an item, from among a plurality of like items, said apparatus comprising, in combination:
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(a) a paging device adapted to be located on or near said item, said paging device having a unique paging device identification code and including; (1) an RF receiver for receiving and detecting RF transmissions from a commercial paging service, said RF transmissions including a paging device identification code for a particular paging device and a paging message associated therewith; (2) a comparator, connected to said RF receiver, for determining when the paging device identification code received from the commercial paging service equals the paging device identification code for the respective paging device; (3) a decoder, connected to the RF receiver and the comparator, for decoding the paging message when enabled by said comparator, one of said paging messages including a command to emit a locator signal; (b) a locator transmitter, adapted to be co-located with said item and said paging device and being connected to said paging device, said locator transmitter producing a locator signal in response to a command from said paging device; and (c) a locator device, within range to receive said locator signal, for determining the location of said locator transmitter; (d) a transponder tag, adapted to be co-located on or near said item with said paging device, said tag having means for emitting an RF signal in response to an RF interrogation, said RF signal containing a unique tag identification code; (e) a transponder reader for producing an RF interrogation for a transponder tag, for receiving an RF signal from a tag in response to such interrogation and for decoding the tag identification code from said RF signal; and (f) a computer coupled to the transponder reader and having stored therein, in association with each other, both the paging device identification code and the tag identification code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for locating a tagged item, comprising:
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a paging device attached or in close proximity to an item to be located, said paging device identified by a paging device address and having an RF receiver configured to receive paging signals from a paging system; a transponder tag containing a unique code identifying said item, said transponder tag attached or in close proximity to said item; and a transponder tag reader operable to receive an RF signal from said transponder tag and extract a tag identification code contained in said RF signal; and a computer configured to store said paging device address and said tag identification code. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for determining the location of an item, comprising:
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a plurality of pagers associated with a plurality of items, each pager having a long range radio frequency communications module configured to communicate with a pager communications network, and a short range transmit module; a plurality of dispersed short range receiver modules configured to receive a location signal from the short range transmit module of one of said plurality of pagers; a plurality of transponder tags co-located and associated with said plurality of pagers; and a transponder tag reader configured to interrogate one or more of said plurality of transponder tags and receive interrogation response signals interrogation response signals from the interrogated transponder tags. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification