System as well as method for protecting an item to be secured

• US 8,576,077 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Pitchers, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US12/063,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253522A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,654 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5729, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/10.42, 340/10.6, 340/539.1, 340/568.1, 340/571, 340/691.5, 340/693.5, 235/375, 235/380, 235/384, 235/385, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/572.4
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0222 Message structure or message content, e.g. message protocol
• 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 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive

Abstract

In order to further develop a system (100) as well as a method for protecting at least one item to be secured, for example at least one piece of luggage, the system comprising at least one transponder device (50), in particular at least one electronic tag, being assigned to the item, and at least one monitor device (10, 20), in particular being based on short range radio frequency communication, with at least one transmitting unit (18, 28) for transmitting and/or for broadcasting and/or for multicasting, in particular periodically, at least one request (40, 42) to the transponder device (50), in such way that the monitor device (10, 20) can be carried with him by at least one user and that at the same time it can be discovered whether the item remains nearby the respective monitor device (10, 20), it is proposed that the transponder device (50) comprises at least one processing unit (52) for determining the number (N) of monitor devices (10, 20) being arranged within the range, in particular within the receiving and/or transmitting range, of the transponder device (50), and˜having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request (40, 42) to the transponder device (50), within a certain time interval, and that the transponder device (50) is designed for transmitting and/or for broadcasting and/or for multicasting at least one response (60, 62) comprising the determined number (N) of monitor devices (10, 20) to the respective monitor device (10, 20) having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request (40, 42) to the transponder device (50).

Claims

1. A system for protecting at least one item to be secured, the system comprising:

at least one transponder device including at least one electronic tag, being assigned to the item, and

at least one monitoring device being based on short range radio frequency communication, with at least one transmitting unit for transmitting and/or for broadcasting and/or for multicasting at least one request to the transponder device,

wherein the transponder device comprises at least one processing unit for determining the number of monitoring devices and;

being arranged within the receiving and/or transmitting range of the transponder device, and

having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request to the transponder device, within a certain time interval, and

wherein the transponder device is configured for transmitting and/or for broadcasting and/or for multicasting at least one response comprising the determined number of monitoring devices to the respective monitoring device having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request to the transponder device.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein each monitoring device comprises at least one alarm unit for triggering at least one of:

a visual and/or acoustical and/or haptic and/or tactile alarm signal;

in case the determined number of monitoring devices falls below a predetermined threshold, and/or

in case the monitoring devices and,

being arranged within the receiving and/or transmitting range, of the transponder device, and

having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request to the transponder device, do(es) not receive any response from the transponder device within the certain time interval.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each monitoring device comprises:

at least one timer unit for determining if the respective monitoring device receives the response from the transponder device within the certain time interval, the timer unit being configured;

for triggering the transmission and/or the broadcast and/or the multicast of the request, and/or

for counting the number of responses of the respective transponder device, and/or

for decrementing the counted number of responses for the respective transponder device in case the certain time interval expires, and/or

at least one warning unit for triggering at least one of;

a visual and/or acoustical and/or haptic and/or tactile warning signal in case the determined number of monitoring devices falls below a predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit:

takes for determining the number of monitoring devices only the number of monitoring devices being assigned to the respective transponder device into account, and/or

is configured for counting the number of requests of the respective monitoring device, up to a predetermined maximum value, and/or

comprises at least one timer unit for decrementing the counted number of requests or the respective monitoring device in case the certain time interval expires, and/or

is configured for determining the recent number of monitoring devices;

by summing up all monitoring devices for which the counted number of requests is at least one or

by summing up all monitoring devices for which the counted number of requests is at least equal to and/or is above at least one predetermined threshold.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transponder device:

is configured to transmit and/or to broadcast and/or to multicast the response only to monitoring devices being assigned to the respective transponder device, and/or

comprises at least one alarm unit for triggering at least one of;

a visual and/or acoustical and/or haptic and/or tactile, alarm signal in case the transponder device does not receive any request from the monitoring device within the certain time interval, and/or

is configured for broadcasting and/or for multicasting at least one alarm message;

to at least one of the monitoring devices, and/or

to at least one further monitoring device being not assigned to the transponder device,

said monitoring device being arranged within the receiving and/or transmitting range, of the transponder device and said alarm message being configured for indicating the monitoring device to trigger at least one of;

a visual and/or acoustical and/or haptic and/or tactile warning signal.

6. Use of at least one system of claim 1:

for monitoring a single item to be secured, selected from one of;

for supervising one valuable item, and/or

for supervising an item where responsibility for looking after the item is shared by more than one person or other entity, and/or

for monitoring a number of items to be secured selected from one or more of;

for preventing loss of personal items of older people, and/or

for supervising the tools of craftsmen, and/or

for supervising at least one group of young children, and/or

for supervising pieces of luggage of travelers.

7. A method for protecting at least one item to be secured, wherein for monitoring the item:

at least one transponder device, is assigned to the item, and

at least one monitoring device, transmits and/or broadcasts and/or multicasts, at least one request to the transponder device,

wherein the transponder device determines the number of monitoring devices;

being arranged within the receiving and/or transmitting range, of the transponder device, and

having transmitted and/or having broadcasted and/or having multicasted its respective request to the transponder device within a certain time interval, and

wherein the transponder device transmits and/or broadcasts and/or multicasts at least one response comprising the determined number of monitoring devices to the respective monitoring device having transmitted and/or broadcasted and/or multicasted its respective request to the transponder device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of a visual and/or acoustical and/or haptic and/or tactile, alarm signal is triggered:

in case the determined number of monitoring devices falls below a predetermined threshold, and/or

in case the monitoring devices,

being arranged within the receiving and/or transmitting range of the transponder device, and

having transmitted and/or broadcasted and/or multicasted its respective request to the transponder device, do(es) not receive any response from the transponder device within a certain time interval.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of determining if the respective monitoring device receives the response from the transponder device within the certain time interval, comprises:

counting the number of responses of the respective transponder device, and/or

decrementing the counted number of responses for the respective transponder device in case the certain time interval expires.

10. The method of claim 7, characterized in that the step of determining the number of monitoring devices being assigned to the respective transponder device, comprises the steps of:

counting the number of requests of the respective monitoring device, and/or

decrementing the counted number of requests for the respective monitoring device in case the certain time interval expires, and/or

determining the recent number of monitoring devices;

by summing up all monitoring devices for which the counted number of requests is at least one, or

by summing up all monitoring devices for which the counted number of requests is at least equal to and/or is above at least one predetermined threshold.