Article storage system with closely-coupled, article-specific display

• US 8,604,908 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ThingM Corp.
• Original Assignee: ThingM Corp.
• Inventors: Kuniavsky, Michael, Kurt, Tod E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): OBINIYI, PAULSON IDOWU
• Application Number:
  US12/009,141
• Time in Patent Office: 2,156 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.92, 340 101- 106, 3405721-572935, 340375-385, 340/572.9, 235375-385
• US Class Current: 340/5.92
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems

Abstract

Logic is included in a piece of active storage furniture such that the active storage furniture integrates articles stored thereby into a representation of information about those articles. The logic includes (i) sensors to identify individual articles stored by the furniture and respective locations of the articles and (ii) display elements capable of incorporating selected individual ones of the articles as separate and individual components of a collective representation of information about the selected articles. In response to queries about the articles, the articles themselves are integrated into a representation of information about the articles. For example, a wine rack includes RFID and LEDs in each of a number of storage cells or cubbies and illuminates each cubby according to information about the wine stored in the cubby in response to a query for such information (e.g., show me all wine color-coded by region).

Claims

1. An apparatus for storing articles of a collection, the apparatus comprising:

a set of cubbies, each cubby in the set of cubbies configured to store an article of the collection;

a set of sensors, each sensor in the set of sensors adjacent a particular cubby in the set of cubbies and configured to wirelessly receive data from an article arranged in the particular cubby;

a collection database configured to store a characteristic of each of a set of characteristic types for each article in the collection;

a set of display elements, each display element in the set of display elements coupled to a particular cubby in the set of cubbies and operable within a set of modes to illuminate the particular cubby, each mode in the set of modes defining a visual representation corresponding to a particular characteristic of a particular article arranged in the particular cubby;

a user interface configured to receive queries from a user;

a control logic configured to identify cubby locations corresponding to articles of the collection by polling sensors in the set of sensors, configured to set a first combination of modes of the set of display elements in response to a first query specifying a first characteristic type of articles of the collection, and configured to set a second combination of modes of the set of display elements different than the first combination of modes in response to a second query specifying a second characteristic type of articles of the collection, the first combination of modes intersecting the second combination of modes at a subset of the set of display elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of cubbies define a wine rack, each cubby in the set of cubbies configured to store an article comprising a wine bottle of the collection that comprises a wine collection.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each sensor in the set of sensors is arranged proximal a rear section of a corresponding cubby and is configured to receive identification information from a radio-frequency identifier tag arranged proximal a punt of a wine bottle arranged in the corresponding cubby.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each display element in the set of display elements comprises a light source coupled to a radio-frequency identifier tag arranged on a respective bottle, the control logic configured to control each display element in the set of display elements through a wireless signal transmitted to a particular display element from a corresponding sensor in the set of sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each display element in the set of display elements is arranged in a particular cubby in the set of cubbies and is further configured to illuminate a particular article arranged in the particular cubby.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each sensor in the set of sensors comprises a radio-frequency identifier writer configured to write an identifier to a radio-frequency identifier tag arranged on an article arranged in a cubby in the set of cubbies, and wherein each sensor in the set of sensors is configured to wirelessly collect an identifier written to a radio-frequency identifier tag arranged on an article arranged in a corresponding cubby.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control logic is configured to assign a unique identifier to an article when entered into the apparatus and to control a particular sensor in the set of sensors to write the unique identifier to a radio-frequency identifier tag arranged on the article in response to insertion of the article into a cubby corresponding to the particular sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the user interface is further configured to receive, from a user, a characteristic of each characteristic type for the article, wherein the control logic is configured to associate the unique identifier with the characteristics, and wherein the collection database is configured to store the characteristics with a pointer to a unique identifier assigned to the corresponding article.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to receive an identifier of a particular article, and wherein the collection database is configured to download a characteristic of each characteristic type for the particular article from the Internet based on the identifier.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each display element in the set of display elements comprises a multi-color light source configured to illuminate a corresponding cubby, wherein the control logic is configured to control a light color output of each display element according to the query, each light color output corresponding to a characteristic of a particular characteristic type specified by the query.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each cubby in the set of cubbies is configured to store an article comprising a wine bottle, wherein the user interface is configured to receive the query specifying a characteristic type comprising one of a vintage, a price category, a varietal, a region, and a drinking quality, and wherein the control logic is configured to control a light color output of each display element in the set of display elements in response to the query, each light color output correlated with a characteristic comprising one of a distinct vintage, a distinct price category, a distinct varietal, region, and a distinct drinking quality according to the characteristic type specified by the query.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user interface is configured to receive the query specifying a plurality of characteristic types, and wherein the control logic is configured to control a light color output of each display element in the set of display elements according to the query, each light color output correlated with a combination of characteristics in the specified characteristic types.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a touch display.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each display element in the set of display elements comprises a light source, and wherein the control logic is configured to control a blinking function of a display element in the set of display elements based on the query.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control logic is configured to poll each sensor in the set of sensors sequentially.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising

a second set of cubbies, each cubby in the second set of cubbies configured to store an article of the collection,

a second set of sensors, each sensor in the second set of sensors coupled to a particular cubby in the second set of cubbies and configured to wirelessly receive data from an article arranged in the particular cubby,

a second set of display elements, each display element in the second set of display elements coupled to a particular cubby in the second set of cubbies and operable within a set of modes to illuminate the particular cubby in the second set of cubbies, each mode in the set of modes defining a visual representation corresponding to a particular characteristic of a particular article arranged in the particular cubby,

wherein the control logic is configured to sequentially poll each sensor in the second set of sensors and to simultaneously poll one sensor in the set of sensors and one sensor in the second set of sensors, and

wherein the control logic is further configured to set a first combination of modes of the second set of display elements in response to a first query specifying a first characteristic type of articles of the collection, and configured to set a second combination of modes of the second set of display elements different than the first combination of modes in response to a second query specifying a second characteristic type of articles of the collection, the first combination of modes intersecting the second combination of modes at a subset of the second set of display elements.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one sensor in the set of cubbies and the one sensor in the second set of cubbies are arranged at a distance greater than a wireless range of a sensor in the set of sensors.