Methods, systems, and products for tracking objects

• US 8,896,422 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett, Koch, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US12/202,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20090111484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,275 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/539.13, 340/825.49, 340/691.6, 340/10.1, 340/5.92, 340/825, 340/10.5, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/10.31, 340/10.4, 340/10.42, 235/375, 235/385, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for tracking an object. An identification signal is received that identifies an identification tag associated with the object to be tracked. The identification signal is stored in memory of a cellular phone. When an incoming call is received at the cellular phone, then the information associated with the identification signal is uploaded to a network database. When an outgoing call is placed from the cellular phone, then the information associated with the identification signal may also be uploaded to the network database.

Claims

1. A method for tracking an object, comprising:

transmitting a search signal from a mobile device;

receiving an identification signal transmitted from a passive tag in response to the search signal, the identification signal comprising an identifier associated with the passive tag;

storing the identifier in memory of the mobile device;

determining a location associated with the mobile device receiving the identification signal;

responsive to an outgoing call being placed from the mobile device, then uploading the identifier and the location over a cellular communications network during the call to a network accessible database, the network accessible database storing a centralized repository for current locations reported for different tags detected in the cellular communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a phone, a computer, or a camera.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an instruction to search for the passive tag.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an instruction sent over a cellular network to search for the passive tag.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the identifier to an object.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising retrieving a name of an owner of the object.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising retrieving a description of the object.

8. A system for tracking an object, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a search request sent from a server over a cellular communications network, the search request comprising an instruction to search for passive tags;

transmitting a search signal in response to the search request;

receiving identifiers of the passive tags that respond to the search signal;

determining a current location at which the identifiers are received;

storing the identifiers of the passive tags in the memory; and

responsive to an outgoing call being placed, then uploading the identifiers of the passive tags and the current location over the cellular communications network to a network accessible database during the call, the network accessible database storing a centralized repository for the current location reported for each one of the passive tags detected in the cellular communications network.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise contacting a peer device in a peer-to-peer network.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise associating an address of a mobile telephone switching office to the identifiers of the passive tags.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise sending times when the identifiers of the passive tags are received.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise querying the network accessible database for one of the identifiers.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise associating a profile to the each one of the passive tags detected in the cellular communications network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the profile associated with one of the identifiers.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise storing in the network accessible database a description of an object associated with one of the identifiers.

16. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise storing in the network accessible database a name of an owner associated with one of the identifiers.

17. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise storing in the network accessible database a name of a merchant associated with one of the identifiers.

18. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a search query specifying one of the identifiers.

19. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise executing a rule that determines one of the passive tags is lost in response to a failure to receive its corresponding identifier.

20. A memory storing executable instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a search request sent from a server over a cellular communications network and instructing a cellular device to search for tags;

transmitting a search signal from the cellular device in response to the search request;

receiving, at the cellular device, an identifier transmitted from one of the tags associated with an object;

storing the identifier in memory of the cellular device;

responsive to the cellular device placing an outgoing call, then uploading the identifier of the one of the tags over the cellular communications network to a network accessible database during the outgoing call;

receiving an address of a mobile telephone switching office in the cellular communications network; and

associating the identifier of the one of the tags to the address of the mobile telephone switching office in the network accessible database, the network accessible database storing associations between different identifiers of the tags and locations for the tags,

wherein the network accessible database provides a centralized repository for the locations of the tags detected in the cellular communications network.