Device and method for monitoring the presence of items and issuing an alert if an item is not detected
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
- generating and storing historical context data, at each of a plurality of instances, comprising;
determining one or more contexts of a monitoring device at the instance;
searching for and receiving presence signals from a plurality of items physically located near the monitoring device, the presence signals receivable by the monitoring device; and
generating and storing a data entry for the instance comprising;
(a) data indicating the one or more context signals determined and (b) data that either identifies each item from which a presence signal was received, or indicates that no presence signals were receivable by the monitoring device at the instance;
determining a current context for the monitoring device;
retrieving the historical context data;
selecting, from among multiple proximity frameworks, a particular proximity framework between the monitoring device and two or more items from the plurality of items using the historical context data, based on the determined current context, wherein each proximity framework indicates (a) two or more different proximity requirements, each proximity requirement indicating a required proximity between the monitoring device and at least one of the two or more items and (b) a different notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement, and wherein, for a particular item, two different proximity frameworks indicate a different proximity requirement or a different notification process;
monitoring a proximity of each of the two or more items relative to the monitoring device, based on a presence signal from each of the two or more items, in order to determine when one of the proximity requirements of the particular proximity framework is not met; and
responsive to determining that one of the proximity requirements is not met, initiating the corresponding notification process.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein are methods and systems that involve monitoring presence of items based on context. An exemplary method involves: (i) determining a context for a given user; (ii) determining a proximity framework between a monitoring device and one or more items, based on the determined context, wherein the proximity framework comprises (a) one or more proximity requirements, each proximity requirement indicating a required proximity between the monitoring device and at least one of the items and (b) a notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement; (iii) monitoring proximity of each of the items relative to the monitoring device, based on a presence signal from each of the items, in order to determine when one of the proximity requirements is not met; and (iv) responsive to determining that one of the proximity requirements is not met, initiating the corresponding notification process.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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generating and storing historical context data, at each of a plurality of instances, comprising; determining one or more contexts of a monitoring device at the instance; searching for and receiving presence signals from a plurality of items physically located near the monitoring device, the presence signals receivable by the monitoring device; and generating and storing a data entry for the instance comprising;
(a) data indicating the one or more context signals determined and (b) data that either identifies each item from which a presence signal was received, or indicates that no presence signals were receivable by the monitoring device at the instance;determining a current context for the monitoring device; retrieving the historical context data; selecting, from among multiple proximity frameworks, a particular proximity framework between the monitoring device and two or more items from the plurality of items using the historical context data, based on the determined current context, wherein each proximity framework indicates (a) two or more different proximity requirements, each proximity requirement indicating a required proximity between the monitoring device and at least one of the two or more items and (b) a different notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement, and wherein, for a particular item, two different proximity frameworks indicate a different proximity requirement or a different notification process; monitoring a proximity of each of the two or more items relative to the monitoring device, based on a presence signal from each of the two or more items, in order to determine when one of the proximity requirements of the particular proximity framework is not met; and responsive to determining that one of the proximity requirements is not met, initiating the corresponding notification process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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(i) monitoring, for each of a plurality of items and over at least a predetermined period of time, (a) contexts of a monitoring device when the monitoring device detects the respective item, and (b) proximities of the respective item relative to the monitoring device; (ii) generating historical context data that indicates which contexts of the monitoring device and which items from the plurality of items were detected at substantially the same instant during the predetermined period of time; (iii) based at least in part on the historical context data, learning a certain context in which a particular proximity framework should be applied to a group of two or more items from the plurality of items; (iv) determining that a current context of the monitoring device comprises the certain context; (v) determining that the group of two or more items is associated with the current context using the historical context data; (vi) selecting, from among multiple proximity frameworks, the particular proximity framework for the group of two or more items based at least in part on the current context, wherein each proximity framework indicates (a) two or more different proximity requirements and (b) at least one notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement, at least two of the notification processes for different proximity requirements being different from each other, and wherein each proximity requirement indicates a required proximity between the monitoring device and at least two of the items from the group of two or more items, and, for a particular item, two different proximity frameworks indicate a different proximity requirement or a different notification process; (vii) monitoring a proximity of each item from the group of two or more items relative to the monitoring device, based on a presence signal from each item from the group of two or more items and receivable by the monitoring device, in order to detect when any one of the proximity requirements of the particular proximity framework is not met; and (viii) responsive to detecting that one of the proximity requirements is not met, initiating the corresponding notification process. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A monitoring device comprising:
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a wireless interface configured to wirelessly detect presence signals transmitted from nearby items; a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to; determine a context of the monitoring device; use the determined context as a basis to select, from among multiple proximity frameworks, a particular proximity framework between the monitoring device and two or more items, wherein a presence signal is received from each item, wherein each proximity framework indicates (a) two or more different proximity requirements, each proximity requirement indicating a required proximity between the monitoring device and one of the items, and (b) a different notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement, and wherein, for a particular item, two different proximity frameworks indicate a different proximity requirement or a different notification process; cause a transmitter of the monitoring device to transmit a presence signal comprising an identifier of the monitoring device, wherein the presence signal is usable by at least one of the two or more items to monitor the proximity of the item relative to the monitoring device; monitor, via the presence signals detected at the wireless interface, a proximity of each of the items relative to the monitoring device in order to determine when one of the proximity requirements of the particular proximity framework is not met; and responsive to a determination that one of the proximity requirements is not met, cause the monitoring device to initiate the notification process corresponding to the proximity requirement that is not met. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. A computer-implemented method comprising:
generating and storing historical context data, at each of a plurality of instances, comprising; determining one or more contexts of a monitoring device at the instance; searching for and receiving presence signals from a plurality of items physically located near the monitoring device, the presence signals receivable by the monitoring device at the instance; and generating and storing a data entry for the instance comprising;
(a) data indicating the one or more contexts and (b) data that either identifies each item from which a presence signal was received, or indicates that no presence signals were receivable by the monitoring device;determining a current context for the monitoring device; comparing the current context to the historical context data; selecting, from among multiple proximity frameworks, a particular proximity framework between the monitoring device and two or more items from the plurality of items, based on the comparison between the current context and the historical context data, wherein each proximity framework indicates (a) two or more different proximity requirements, each proximity requirement indicating a required proximity between the monitoring device and at least one of the two or more items and (b) a different notification process corresponding to each proximity requirement, and wherein, for a particular item, two different proximity frameworks indicate a different proximity requirement or a different notification process; monitoring a proximity of each of the two or more items relative to the monitoring device, based on a presence signal from each of the two or more items, in order to determine when one of the proximity requirements of the particular proximity framework is not met; and responsive to determining that one of the proximity requirements is not met, initiating the corresponding notification process. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
Specification