Method for reminding objects being away and communication device and computer readable medium using the same method

• US 8,704,657 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Hsiang-Tai
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/401,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20130214926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.21, 340/8.1, 340/573.3, 455/456.1, 701/517, 701/519
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A method for reminding objects being away, a communication device and a computer readable medium using the same method are proposed. The proposed method is adapted to the communication device, and includes the following steps. Location information of the communication device is recorded. A connection between the communication device and a specified object is established. A safety zone of the specified object is configured according to a user configuration signal. It is determined whether the specified object is away from the communication device, which is carried by the user. It is further determined whether the specified object is not in the safety zone. When the specified object is determined to be away from the communication device and is not in the safety zone, an alarm signal is provided to the user.

Claims

1. A method for reminding objects being away, adapted to a communication device, and the method for reminding objects being away comprising:

recording location information of the communication device;

establishing a connection between the communication device and a specified object;

configuring a safety zone of the specified object according to a user configuration signal;

determining whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user;

determining whether the specified object is not in the safety zone; and

providing an alarm signal to the user when it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone.

2. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the specified object is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device, it is continually determined whether the specified object is away from the communication device.

3. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

recording environmental parameters of the specified object into the communication device when it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device but is still in the safety zone.

4. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

setting an operation mode of the specified object to an alarm mode when it is determined that the specified object is not in the safety zone; and

setting the operation mode of the specified object to a mute mode when it is determined that the specified object is in the safety zone.

5. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 4, wherein after the step of setting the operation mode of the specified object to the alarm mode or the mute mode, the method further comprises:

determining whether the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device.

6. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

determining again whether the specified object is not in the safety zone when it is determined that the specified object is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device.

7. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether the operation mode of the specified object is the alarm mode when it is determined that the specified object is away from the communication device; and

immediately outputting the alarm signal to the user when it is determined that the operation mode of the specified object is the alarm mode.

8. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

setting the specified object to a discoverable mode when it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone; and

establishing a connection between the specified object and at least one nearby communication device, wherein the at least one nearby communication device records location information of the specified object, and the at least one nearby communication device transmits the location information of the specified object to a server.

9. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

sending, at the server, a query location information request to the at least one nearby communication device established with the connection to the specified object; and

obtaining, at the server, the updated location information of the specified object from one of the at least one nearby communication device.

10. The method for reminding objects being away as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specified object establishes a connection with the communication device or at least one nearby communication device through an embedded electronic device.

11. A communication device, adapted to remind objects being away, and comprising:

a positioning module, configured for obtaining a current location of the communication device;

a communication module, configured for establishing a connection with a specified object;

a control module, connected to the positioning module and the communication module, configured for recording the current location of the communication device, configuring a safety zone of the specified object according to a user configuration signal, determining whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user, and determining whether the specified object is not in the safety zone; and

an alarm module, connected to the control module, configured for providing an alarm signal to the user when the control module determines that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone.

12. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the control module determines that the specified object is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device, the control module continually determines whether the specified object is away from the communication device.

13. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the control module determines that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device but is still in the safety zone, the control module records environmental parameters of the specified object.

14. The communication device as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

when the control module determines that the specified object is not in the safety zone, the control module sets an operation mode of the specified object to an alarm mode; and

when the control module determines that the specified object is in the safety zone, the control module sets the operation mode of the specified object to a mute mode.

15. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, wherein after the control module sets the operation mode of the specified object, the control module determines whether the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device.

16. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, wherein when the control module determines that the specified object is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device, the control module determines again whether the specified object is not in the safety zone.

17. A computer readable medium, storing a computer executable program, wherein when the computer executable program is loaded to a communication device, the communication device executes at least following steps:

recording location information of the communication device;

establishing a connection between the communication device and a specified object;

configuring a safety zone of the specified object according to a user configuration signal;

determined whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user;

determined whether the specified object is not in the safety zone; and

providing an alarm signal to the user when it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone.