Monitoring the location of an object using a mobile device

• US 8,502,674 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Cole, Joshua R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): OTT, FREDERICK R
• Application Number:
  US12/206,140
• Time in Patent Office: 1,793 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.1, 340/5.92, 34053911-53914
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0255 System arrangements wherein the parent unit emits, i.e. the parent unit incorporates the emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0266 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact distance between parent and child or surveyor and item
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for monitoring a location of an object using a mobile device, including emitting from the mobile device a radio frequency (RF) signal that activates a radio frequency identifier tag (“RFID tag”) located within a broadcast area (the RFID tag being affixed to the object); receiving at the mobile device an RF signal generated by the RFID tag; determining that the RFID tag is registered among a set of RFID tags that are to be tracked; determining that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area; and emitting by way of the mobile device an alert that indicates that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of monitoring a location of an object using a mobile device, the method comprising:

emitting from the mobile device a radio frequency (RF) signal that activates a radio frequency identifier tag (“

RFID tag”

) located within a broadcast area, wherein the RFID tag is affixed to the object;

receiving at the mobile device an RF signal generated by the RFID tag;

determining that the RFID tag is registered among a set of RFID tags that are to be tracked, wherein determining that the RFID tag is registered among a set of RFID tags that are to be tracked includes accessing stored data regarding the set of RFID tags, and wherein the data is able to be shared with one or more other mobile devices such that the one or more other mobile devices may monitor the location of one or more of the objects;

determining that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area; and

determining whether an alert has been defined for the RFID tag, wherein

(1) when the alert has been defined for the RFID tag, providing by way of the mobile device an alert that indicates that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area, wherein the alert is provided in accordance with the defined alert for the RFID tag, and

(2) when the alert has not been defined for the RFID tag, prompting a user to define the alert via the mobile device.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is one tag among a plurality of RFID tags.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the alert is defined by a user.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the alert is a default alert.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein determining that the RFID tag is registered among a set of RFID tags comprises:

deriving an RFID tag identifier from the RF signal generated by the RFID tag; and

referencing the RFID tag identifier against a set of RFID tag identifiers for the set of RFID tags that are to be tracked.

6. The media of claim 1, wherein the alert displays a message indicating the object'"'"'s location relative to the mobile device when prompted by a user.

7. The media of claim 1, wherein the alert actively informs a user as to the object'"'"'s location relative to the mobile device.

8. The media of claim 7, wherein the alert actively informs by at least one of the following:

emitting an audible noise, presenting a message, and vibrating the mobile device.

9. The media of claim 1, wherein determining that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area comprises:

compiling a set of RFID tags that are currently transmitting RF signals to the mobile device;

referencing the set of RFID tags that are currently transmitting RF signals against a set of RFID tags that are to be tracked; and

determining that the RFID tag is not among the set of RFID tags that are currently transmitting RF signals to the mobile device.

10. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the mobile device a second RF signal generated by a second RFID tag;

determining that the second RFID tag is not among the set of RFID tags that are to be tracked; and

ignoring the second RFID tag.

11. A system for monitoring a location of an object, the system comprising:

a radio frequency identifier (RFID) tag affixed to the object; and

a mobile device for emitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals, the mobile device comprising;

(1) an RF signal emitter that emits the RF signal, thereby defining a broadcast area, wherein the RF signal is capable of activating the RFID tag, which is located within the broadcast area;

(2) an RF signal receiver that receives a return signal from the RFID tag;

(3) one or more data-storage media that stores data regarding the RFID tag including an RFID tag identifier, at least one attribute of the object being tracked by the RFID tag, and a defined alert associated with the RFID tag, which is executed when the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area, wherein said data is able to be shared with one or more other mobile devices such that the one or more other mobile devices may monitor the location of one or more of the objects;

(4) a processor that determines if an RF signal received by the receiver originated from the RFID tag, determines that the RFID tag is not located in the broadcast area, determines that the RFID tag is associated with the defined alert, and executes the alert when the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area; and

(5) a display that presents a user interface that enables interaction with the alert behavior.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the broadcast area is an area within a predetermined proximity to the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the RFID tag is passive.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the RFID tag is active, and is capable of providing a warning when its power source drops below a threshold level, thereby preventing a false positive that it is not located within the broadcast area.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one of an object name and an object description.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of registering objects for tracking using a mobile device, the method comprising:

receiving a first passive radio frequency identifier tag (“

RFID tag”

) identifier and a second RFID tag, wherein the first RFID tag identifier uniquely identifies a first RFID tag that is affixed to a first object and the second RFID tag uniquely identifies a second RFID tag that is affixed to a second object;

receiving at least one attribute of the first object and at least one attribute of the second object;

receiving a first type of alert for the first RFID tag and a second type of alert for the second RFID type, wherein the first and second types of alerts indicates that the first and second objects are no longer within a threshold proximity of the mobile device;

storing the first and second RFID tag identifiers, the at least one attribute of the first and second objects, and the first and second types of alerts for the first and second RFID tags in a registry of objects that are to be tracked by the mobile device, wherein said registry of objects is accessible by multiple mobile devices for tracking one or more of the objects;

determining that one of the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag is not located within a broadcast area;

accessing the registry of objects to identify a type of alert to provide via the mobile device, wherein the first type of alert is identified when the first RFID tag is determined to be outside the broadcast area and the second type of alert is identified when the second RFID is determined to be outside the broadcast area; and

providing by way of the mobile device an alert that indicates that the RFID tag is not located within the broadcast area, wherein the alert is provided in accordance with the first type of alert for the first RFID tag or the second type of alert for the second RFID tag.

17. The media of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a security code for the first RFID tag; and

storing the security code in the registry of objects that are to be tracked by the mobile device.

18. The media of claim 16, wherein the at least one first attribute includes at least one of an object name and an object description.

19. The media of claim 16, wherein the first type of alert is a default alert.

20. The media of claim 16, wherein the first type of alert is defined by a user.