Apparatus and method using a sensor to detect improper orientation of an object
First Claim
1. Sensor apparatus for use in detecting an improper orientation of an object with respect to a substantially horizontal surface, said apparatus comprising:
- a structure having sides in spaced apart relationship to define an enclosed space;
selected material attached to said structure to shield a specified region of said enclosed space from RF signals, said shielded region being located in the lowest portion of said enclosed space when said structure is in a reference orientation with respect to said horizontal surface;
an RF sensor device positioned in said enclosed space, said RF sensor device being sized to move freely within said space; and
a guide element mounted in said space to guide said RF sensor device in moving between said shielded region and an unshielded region of said space, when said structure is correspondingly moved between said reference orientation and an improper orientation corresponding to an improper orientation of said object.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and method is provided for using low cost, passive RF sensor technology such as RFID tags, to determine whether containers or other objects are in a right-side-up orientation. A useful embodiment of the invention is directed to sensor apparatus for use in detecting an improper orientation of a conventional box or container with respect to a substantially horizontal surface. The apparatus includes a structure having two sides formed of plastic in spaced apart relationship, to define an enclosed space within the structure. Selected shielding material attached to the structure shields a specified region of the enclosed space against RF signals, the shielded region being located in the lowest portion of the enclosed space when the structure is in a reference orientation with respect to the horizontal surface. An RFID tag embedded in a disk is positioned in the enclosed space, the disk being sized to move freely within the space. A guide element guides the disk in moving between the shielded region and an unshielded region, when the structure is correspondingly moved between its reference orientation and an improper orientation corresponding to an improper orientation of the container. This allows a signal to be received from the RFID tag when it becomes unshielded, to indicate improper container orientation.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. Sensor apparatus for use in detecting an improper orientation of an object with respect to a substantially horizontal surface, said apparatus comprising:
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a structure having sides in spaced apart relationship to define an enclosed space; selected material attached to said structure to shield a specified region of said enclosed space from RF signals, said shielded region being located in the lowest portion of said enclosed space when said structure is in a reference orientation with respect to said horizontal surface; an RF sensor device positioned in said enclosed space, said RF sensor device being sized to move freely within said space; and a guide element mounted in said space to guide said RF sensor device in moving between said shielded region and an unshielded region of said space, when said structure is correspondingly moved between said reference orientation and an improper orientation corresponding to an improper orientation of said object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Sensor apparatus for detecting an improper orientation of a container having sides in orthogonal relationship with one another, wherein every orientation of said container is improper except for a pre-specified right-side-up orientation, said apparatus comprising:
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layers of specified material joined together to form a structure having an enclosed space; shielding material attached to said structure to shield a specified region of said enclosed space from RF signals, while leaving the remainder of said enclosed space as an unshielded region; an RF sensor device positioned in said enclosed space, said RF sensor device being sized to move freely within said space; means for attaching said structure to a selected side of said container, so that said shielded region of said enclosed space will be below said unshielded region when said container is in its right-side-up orientation; and a guide element mounted in said space to urge said RF sensor device to move between said shielded region and said unshielded region, when said container is correspondingly moved between said right-side-up orientation and an improper orientation. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for detecting an improper orientation of a container having sides in orthogonal relationship with one another, wherein every orientation of said container is improper except for a pre-specified right-side-up orientation, said method comprising the steps of:
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attaching shielding material to a structure having an enclosed space to shield a specified region of said enclosed space from RF signals, while leaving the remainder of said enclosed space as an unshielded region; positioning an RF sensor device in said enclosed space, said RF sensor device being sized to move freely within said space; attaching said structure to a selected side of said container, so that said shielded region of said enclosed space will be below said unshielded region when said container is in its right side up orientation; and guiding said RF sensor device to move between said shielded region and said unshielded region, when said container is correspondingly moved between said right-side-up orientation and an improper orientation. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification