Apparatus, method and process of influencing information gathered by a tethered item and computer-readable medium thereof

• US 9,152,986 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adflow Networks Inc. (Daktronics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Adflow Networks Inc. (Daktronics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Roscoe, David M., Abbott, Mike, Duczmal, Tomasz
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROCHE, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US13/313,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20130151730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• Field of Search: 710/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/64 in which the articles are individually suspended from stationary supports
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0081 the reader being a portable scanner or data reader G07G1/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• 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 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A tethered item is associated with an identifier that uniquely identifies the item, and one or more content processing devices execute obtaining an identifier of the item, and correlating the obtained item identifier with information related to the tethered item.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer implemented content controller;

an assembly including a holder attached to the apparatus to hold a device identifiable by an identifier (ID) that uniquely identifies the device, the device ID retrievable from the device through an application interface executing on the device and the holder of the device identifiable as physical location information in a geographic and/or area location for the device; and

wherein the content controller is configured to;

obtain the device ID by interfacing with the application interface executing on the device over a communication link between the device and the content controller and requesting the device to identify itself, responsive to an event detected in connection with presence of the device determined based upon the holder of the device,

retrieve information related to the device responsive to the presence event determined based upon the holder of the device, the retrieved information related to the device determined according to a combination of the device ID obtained from the device and the holder of the device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or area location for the device, thereby influencing by the device ID and the holder of the device the information retrieval triggered by the device presence according to the holder of the device; and

provide the information related to the device to an output interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information related to the device is output at the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holder includes a sensor to detect the event in connection with presence of the device, and

the content controller upon occurrence of the presence event, causes the content controller to obtain the device ID.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the presence event is one or more of lifting of the device, a person approaching the device, or receipt of a command signal from another device.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein subsequent to an initial obtainment of the device ID, the holder holding the device is configured to send the device ID to the content controller of the apparatus in response to a signal from the sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content controller retrieves the information correlated with the device ID from a central server in network communication with the content controller.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a computer readable storage medium, wherein the content controller retrieves, from the computer readable storage medium, the information related to the device responsive to the presence event.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication link is wired and/or wireless.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holder of the device is identifiable by a position ID to thereby serve as the physical location information in a geographic and/or area location for the device, and

the content controller is configured to generate a key which is a combination of the device ID, the position ID for the holder of the device, and information ID associated with the information related to the device, wherein the information retrieval related to the device is determined based upon the key to thereby retrieve the information related to the device according to the combination of the device ID obtained from the device and the holder of the device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or area location for the device which is influencing by the device ID and the holder of the device the information retrieval triggered by the device presence according to the holder of the device.

9. A method of providing information related to an identifiable device tethered to an apparatus, comprising:

executing by a computer to;

detect an event in connection with presence of the identifiable device in a tether identifiable as physical location information in a geographic and/or location area for the identifiable device,

interface, over a communication link to the identifiable device, with an application interface executing on the identifiable device and request the identifiable device to identify itself through the application interface, responsive to the presence event determined based upon the tether,

obtain an identifier (ID) of the identifiable device retrieved from the identifiable device through the application interface, and

retrieve, for output, information related to the identifiable device responsive to the presence event, the information related to the identifiable device determined according to a combination of the identifiable device ID obtained from the identifiable device and the tether of the identifiable device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or location area for the identifiable device, thereby influencing by the identifiable device ID and the tether of the identifiable device the information retrieval triggered by the identifiable device presence according to the tether of the identifiable device.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

configuring the tether for the identifiable device to obtain, from the identifiable device, the identifiable device ID through the application interface over the communication link to the identifiable device, and to transmit the obtained identifiable device ID to the computer for retrieving the information, responsive to the presence event.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the tether of the identifiable device is identifiable by a position ID to thereby serve as the physical location information in a geographic and/or area location for the identifiable device, and

the computer further executes to generate a key which is a combination of the identifiable device ID, the position ID for the tether, and information ID associated with the information related to the identifiable device, wherein the information retrieval related to the identifiable device is determined based upon the key to thereby retrieve the information related to the identifiable device according to the combination of the identifiable device ID obtained from the identifiable device and the tether of the device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or area location for the identifiable device which is influencing by the identifiable device ID and the tether of the identifiable device the information retrieval triggered by the identifiable device presence according to the tether of the identifiable device.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a content processing device; and

an assembly to tether a target device identifiable by an identifier (ID), the target device ID retrievable from the target device through an application interface executing on the target device and the assembly of the target device identifiable as physical location information in a geographic and/or location area for the target device,

wherein the content processing device is configured to;

in response to an event in connection with presence of the target device, obtain the target device ID by interfacing with the application interface executing on the target device over a communication link between the target device and the content processing device and requesting the target device to identify itself, and

retrieve, for output, information related to the target device in response to the presence event determined based upon the assembly of the target device, the information related to the target device determined according to a combination of the target device ID obtained from the target device and the assembly of the target device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or location area for the target device, thereby influencing by the target device ID and the assembly of the target device the information retrieval triggered by the target device presence according to the assembly of the target device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the event is a user profile based event and the information is related to the tethered target device and according to the user profile.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the assembly of the target device is identifiable by a position ID as the physical location information in a geographic and/or area location for the device, and

the content processing device is configured to generate a key which is a combination of the target device ID, the position ID for the assembly, and information ID associated with the information related to the target device, wherein the information retrieval related to the target device is determined based upon the key to thereby retrieve the information related to the target device according to the combination of the target device ID obtained from the target device and the assembly of the target device indicative of the physical location information in the geographic and/or area location for the target device which is influencing by the target device ID and the assembly of the target device the information retrieval triggered by the target device presence according to the assembly of the target device.