Systems and methods for scanning a user environment and evaluating data of interest

• US 9,170,656 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Lord, Richard T., Gerrity, Daniel A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Lord, Robert W., Holman, Paul, Rinaldo, Jr., John D., Gates, William, Malamud, Mark A., Hyde, Roderick A., Rosema, Keith D., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Tegreene, Clarence T., Jung, Edward K. Y., Weaver, Thomas A., Kare, Jordin T., Wood, JR., Lowell L., Levien, Royce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US13/410,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20130229261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,335 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0317 in co-operation with a patterned surface, e.g. absolute position or relative movement detection for an optical mouse or pen positioned with respect to a coded surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a mobile device continuously and/or automatically scans a user environment for tags containing non-human-readable data. The mobile device may continuously and/or automatically scan the environment for tags without being specifically directed at a particular tag. The mobile device may be adapted to scan for audio tags, radio frequency tags, and/or image tags. The mobile device may be configured to scan for and identify tags within the user environment that satisfy a user preference. The mobile device may perform an action in response to identifying a tag that satisfies a user preference. The mobile device may be configured to scan for a wide variety of tags, including tags in the form of quick response codes, steganographic content, audio watermarks, audio outside of a human audible range, radio frequency identification tags, long wavelength identification tags, near field communication tags, and/or a Memory Spot device.

Claims

1. A method for capturing and evaluating data of interest to a user, comprising:

automatically scanning a user environment by a mobile device for one or more radio frequency (RF) tags,

wherein at least some of the RF tags specify one or more actions to be performed by a computing device based on an authorization status;

identifying at least one RF tag within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences;

determining an authorization status of the mobile device relative to the at least one identified RF tag;

determining, via the mobile device, which of a plurality of actions associated with the identified RF tag is to be performed based on the determined authorization status with respect to the at least one identified RF tag; and

performing, via the computing device, the action specified by the at least one identified RF tag that satisfies the one or more user preferences based on the determined authorization status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically scanning the user environment comprises continuously scanning the user environment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference is specified by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one user preference is based at least in part on historical user input or actions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the action specified by the identified RF tag comprises using information provided by the identified tag to obtain a first set of supplemental content via a communication network associated with the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first set of supplemental content is obtained from an owner of the RF tag via the communication network.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining a second action based on the supplemental content obtained from the owner of the RF tag; and

performing the second action by a computing device.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises retrieving the first set of supplemental content from an external source using a link in the identified RF tag.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the action comprises aggregating the first set of supplemental content with other sets of supplemental content associated with previously scanned RF tags.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the action comprises comparing the first set of supplemental content with other sets of supplemental content associated with previously scanned tags.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises notifying the user about the identified RF tag in the user environment.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a second action to be performed following the notification of user; and

performing the second action by a computing device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second action is automatically performed by the computing device unless the user cancels the performance of the second action.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second action is only performed by the computing device if the user authorizes the performance of the second action.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically scanning the user environment comprises sweeping the RF device across a wide area.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying an RF tag within the user environment comprises enhancing a scanning parameter associated with the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein enhancing a scanning parameter associated with the mobile device comprises one of adjusting the aim of the mobile device, adjusting the sensitivity of the mobile device, adjusting the focus point of the mobile device, and applying a noise-reduction algorithm to an RF tag.

18. A system for capturing and evaluating data of interest to a user, comprising:

a mobile device to automatically scan a user environment for one or more radio frequency (RF) tags,

wherein at least some of the RF tags specify one or more actions to be performed by a computing device based on an authorization status;

an identification component to identify an RF tag within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences;

an authorization component to determine an authorization status of the mobile device relative to the identified RF tag; and

an action component to determine which of a plurality of actions associated with the identified RF tag is to be performed by the computing device based on the authorization status with respect to the identified RF tag.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user environment comprises an area within a detection range of the RF tag.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the user environment comprises a store display.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the user environment comprises print media.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified RF tag comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified RF tag comprises a long wavelength identification (LWID) tag.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified RF tag comprises a near field communication (NFC) device.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the identified RF tag comprises a Memory Spot device.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular telephone.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile device comprises a personal RF device including an RF reader.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the personal RF device comprises a wearable RF device.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code that, when executed, causes a system to perform operations comprising:

automatically scanning a user environment by a mobile device for one or more radio frequency (RF) tags,

wherein at least some of the RF tags specify one or more actions to be performed by a computing device based on an authorization status;

identifying an RF tag within the user environment that satisfies one or more user preferences;

determining an authorization status of the mobile device relative to the identified RF tag;

determining which of a plurality of actions associated with the identified RF tag is to be performed based on the determined authorization status with respect to the identified RF tag; and

performing, via the computing device, the action specified by the identified RF tag that satisfies the one or more user preferences based on the determined authorization status.