System of two-way communication in an adjustable bed with memory

• US 8,869,328 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Martin B. Rawls-Meehan
• Original Assignee: Martin B. Rawls-Meehan
• Inventors: Rawls-Meehan, Martin B
• Primary Examiner(s): POLITO, NICHOLAS F
• Application Number:
  US11/855,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20080104757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,601 Days
• Field of Search: 560/0, 561/6
• US Class Current: 5/616
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 19/12 Folding bedsteads travelling or camp beds A47C17/64
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/041 by electric motors
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 20/08 with means for adjusting two or more rests simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/003 Lighting, radio, telephone or the like connected to the bedstead
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/006 Oscillating, balancing or vibrating mechanisms connected to the bedstead for children's beds A47D9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/04 Devices for ventilating, cooling or heating
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/081 of pneumatic type
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 27/082 with non-manual inflation, e.g. with electric pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/008 Use of remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/12 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/34 for pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/015 divided into different adjustable sections, e.g. for Gatch position
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/018 Control or drive mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 7/05769 with inflatable chambers
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0138 incorporated in furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0142 Beds
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0149 Seat or chair
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/50 Control means thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2203/0443 substantially horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 : electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

This disclosure concerns a two-way wireless communication system adapted to communicate between a handheld remote control and an adjustable bed controller wherein the handheld remote control includes a memory position user interface adapted to initiate a transmission of a position recall command from the handheld remote control. The adjustable bed controller indicates to the remote control that it has responded to the position recall command.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a two-way wireless communication system adapted to communicate between a handheld remote control and an adjustable bed controller;

the handheld remote control having a user interface adapted to initiate a transmission of a preset recall command from the handheld remote control to the adjustable bed controller using the two-way wireless communication system to return to a preset recall position;

an actuator coupled to the adjustable bed controller, adapted to move to an actuator position upon receiving a control signal from the adjustable bed controller thereby adjusting a position of a bed segment, and adapted to provide its actuator position;

the adjustable bed controller adapted to provide the control signal to the actuator to adjust, following receipt of the position recall command, the actuator position to a preset actuator position within a predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions stored in memory to place the bed segment in a position corresponding to the preset recall position, wherein the predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions stored in memory comprises a plurality of actuator positions stored in memory, the stored plurality of actuator positions defining a range of available discrete actuator positions and comprising a plurality of intermediate actuator positions spanning the range of available discrete actuator positions, and the preset actuator position stored in memory is stored as an indication corresponding to one of the available discrete actuator positions in the range, wherein the predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions and the indication are each represented in a table stored in memory; and

the adjustable bed controller further adapted to initiate a communication from the adjustable bed controller to the handheld remote control to indicate that the adjustable bed controller has responded to the position recall command.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein:

the handheld remote is further adapted to send an activation time for execution of the preset recall command; and

the adjustable bed controller is further adapted to adjust, at the activation time, the bed segment in the position corresponding to the preset recall position within the predetermined range of acceptable positions stored in memory.

3. The control system of claim 1 wherein the preset actuator position is stored with other increment values in a table in memory.

4. The control system of claim 3 wherein the increment values comprise:

at least one vibration frequency of a vibration motor.

5. The control system of claim 1 wherein the actuator position is selected from the group consisting of:

linear extension of at least one actuator and number of rotations of at least one actuator.

6. The control system of claim 1 wherein the preset recall position is a position that had been previously set as a preferred position.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control is a cell phone or a smart phone.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the handheld remote control comprises a touch screen input device.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the stored plurality of actuator positions defines a range of available discrete actuator positions and comprises all available intermediate actuator positions spanning the range of available discrete actuator positions.

10. The control system of claim 9, wherein the range of available discrete actuator positions corresponds to the entire available range for the position of the bed segment.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the preset actuator position stored in memory is stored as a positive indication corresponding to one of the available discrete actuator positions in the range.

12. The control system of claim 1, wherein the preset actuator position stored in memory is stored as a null indication corresponding to one of the available discrete actuator positions in the range.

13. A control system comprising:

a two-way wireless communication system adapted to communicate between a handheld remote control and an adjustable bed controller;

the handheld remote control having a user interface adapted to initiate a transmission of a preset recall command from the handheld remote control to the adjustable bed controller using the two-way wireless communication system to return to a preset recall position;

an actuator coupled to the adjustable bed controller, adapted to move to an actuator position upon receiving a control signal from the adjustable bed controller thereby adjusting a position of a bed segment, and adapted to provide its actuator position;

the adjustable bed controller adapted to provide the control signal to the actuator to adjust, following receipt of the position recall command, the actuator position to a preset actuator position within a predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions stored in memory to place the bed segment in a position corresponding to the preset recall position, wherein the predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions stored in memory comprises a plurality of actuator positions stored in memory, the stored plurality of actuator positions defining a range of available discrete actuator positions and comprising a plurality of intermediate actuator positions spanning the range of available discrete actuator positions;

the adjustable bed controller further adapted to initiate a communication from the adjustable bed controller to the handheld remote control to indicate that the adjustable bed controller has responded to the position recall command; and

the adjustable bed controller further adapted to adjust a vibration setting of a vibration motor coupled to the adjustable bed controller to a preset vibration setting within a predetermined range of acceptable vibration settings stored in memory to activate the vibration motor according to the preset vibration setting, wherein the predetermined range of acceptable actuator positions and the predetermined range of acceptable vibration settings are each represented in a table stored in memory.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the vibration setting is selected from the group consisting of vibration frequency and vibration amplitude.

15. The control system of claim 13 wherein the actuator position is selected from the group consisting of:

linear extension of at least one actuator and number of rotations of at least one actuator.

16. The control system of claim 13 wherein the preset recall position is a position that had been previously set as a preferred position.

17. The control system of claim 13, wherein the handheld remote control is a cell phone or a smart phone.

18. The control system of claim 13, wherein the handheld remote control comprises a touch screen input device.

19. The control system of claim 13, wherein the stored plurality of actuator positions defines a range of available discrete actuator positions and comprises all available intermediate actuator positions spanning the range of available discrete actuator positions.

20. The control system of claim 19, wherein the range of available discrete actuator positions corresponds to the entire available range for the position of the bed segment.