Personal articles tracking

• US 7,271,715 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Issued: 09/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aupperle, Bryan Eric, Mathewson, James Merwin II
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope; Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US10/663,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20050068168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.15, 340/539.21, 340/539.23, 340/539.32, 340/568.1, 340/568.5, 340/568.6, 340/568.7, 340/571, 340/572.1, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID

Abstract

A personal articles tracking system, method and apparatus. In the system of the invention, a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader can be coupled to a tracking processor. A data store further can be configured to store tag data from corresponding RFID tags. Finally, an alert can be programmed to activate when the tracking processor no longer can sense within range of the RFID reader an RFID tag having corresponding tag data stored in the data store.

Claims

1. A personal articles tracking system comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader coupled to a tracking processor;

a data store configured to store tag data from corresponding RFID tags; and

,

an alert programmed to activate when said tracking processor no longer can sense within range of said RFID reader an RFID tag having corresponding tag data stored in said data store, wherein

the tracking processor provides for the selection of a sub-set of registered RFID tags,

the alert is programmed to activate upon not all of said selected sub-set of said registered RFID tags having been sensed,

said tracking processor, RFID reader and alert are disposed in a pervasive device, and

said alert having a communicative linkage to an audiovisual presentation layer provided by said pervasive device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said alert further comprises programming to activate when said tracking processor no longer can sense within range of said RFID reader a specific RFID tag.

3. A method for tracking personal articles comprising the steps of:

registering a plurality RFID tags in an inventory or tracked personal articles;

sensing a plurality of proximate RFID tags;

comparing said sensed proximate RFID tags to said registered RFID tags; and

,

producing an alert where not all of said registered RFID tags have been sensed, wherein said producing step includes the steps of

selecting a sub-set of said registered RFID tags,

producing an alert wherein not all of said selected sub-set of said registered RFID tags have been sensed,

accessing a communications layer in a pervasive device, and,

generating a cellular telephone call through said communications layer to a pre-determined third-party to notify said third party that not all of said registered RFID tags have been sensed.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said selecting step comprises the steps of:

establishing a set of profiles, each profile in said set comprising at least one identifier for a corresponding RFID tag;

selecting a profile from among said established set of profiles; and

,

including in said sub-set all RFID tags established within said selected profile.

5. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for tracking personal articles, the computer program comprising a routine set of instructions for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

registering a plurality RFID tags in an inventory or tracked personal articles;

sensing a plurality of proximate RFID tags;

comparing said sensed proximate RFID tags to said registered RFID tags; and

,

producing an alert where not all of said registered RFID tags have been sensed, wherein said producing step includes the steps of

selecting a sub-set of said registered RFID tags,

producing an alert wherein not all of said selected sub-set of said registered RFID tags have been sensed,

accessing a communications layer in a pervasive device, and,

generating a cellular telephone call through said communications layer to a pre-determined third-party to notify said third party that not all of said registered RFID tags have been sensed.

6. The machine readable storage of claim 5, wherein said selecting step comprises the steps of:

establishing a set of profiles, each profile in said set comprising at least one identifier for a corresponding RFID tag;

selecting a profile from among said established set of profiles; and

,

including in said sub-set all RFID tags established within said selected profile.