Applying mesh network to luggage

• US 9,426,610 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Milne, James R., Carlsson, Gregory Peter, Zustak, Frederick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): La, Anh V
• Application Number:
  US14/332,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20160021491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 3405721-5728, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/665, 340/8.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Mesh node modules are associated with pieces of luggage, or packages, etc. and companion luggage or packages can dynamically form a mesh network which uploads location information of the nodes and in some cases additional information, e.g., shock signals, to a network. The information may be downloaded to an owner'"'"'s CE device.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

associate the apparatus with a user'"'"'s consumer electronics (CE) device in an initial mesh network at least in part by;

exchanging information with the CE device including sending to the CE device an identifier representing respective luggage defining an enclosure openable to load and unload items into the enclosure and closable to maintain item securely within the enclosure;

the CE device, executing a luggage tracking application, uploading the identifier along with a network address of the CE device to an Internet server such that when the Internet server subsequently receives information pertaining to the identifier representing the respective luggage can, in response to the information pertaining to the identifier representing the respective luggage, download location information pertaining to the respective luggage to the CE device; and

upload to a network, via a wireless transmitter, location signals according to signals received from a location sensor of the luggage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one shock sensor, the instructions being executable to upload signals to the Internet via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage as indicated by the signals from the shock sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the shock sensor includes an accelerometer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the shock sensor includes a gyroscope.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a first apparatus associated with first luggage in a mesh network including at least a second luggage, and the instructions are executable to:

determine, using information from the transmitter, whether communication with the Internet through at least one network access point (AP) is available; and

responsive to a determination that communication with the Internet through at least one AP is available, automatically send to the Internet first location information pertaining to the first luggage and second location information pertaining to the second luggage and received through the mesh network.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the instructions are executable to, responsive to a determination that communication with the network through at least one network access point is available, automatically send a sequence of locations signals to the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor configure the processor to:

determine whether a signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold;

responsive to a determination that at least one signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, upload at least one signal to the network via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage body; and

responsive to a determination that no signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, not upload a signal to the network via the transmitter representing shock to the luggage body.

8. Mesh network, comprising:

plural computerized node modules associated with respective pieces of luggage and dynamically forming a mesh network which uploads location information of the node modules to a receiving network for downloading of the location information to a consumer electronics (CE) device, wherein at least first and second node modules in the plural computerized node modules include at least respective first and second computer memories that are not transitory signals, at least the first computer memory comprising instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive from at least the second node module second location information associated with a location of the respective piece of luggage associated with the second node module; and

responsive to a determination that communication with a wide area network (WAN) through an access point (AP) is available, automatically send at least the second location information through the AP to the WAN.

9. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable to:

responsive to a determination that communication with a wide area network (WAN) through an access point (AP) is available, query at least the second node module for the second location information.

10. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein each node module includes:

at least one location sensor engaged with the respective piece of luggage;

at least one wireless transmitter supported by the respective piece of luggage;

at least one processor, the instructions being executable to;

upload to the WAN, via the wireless transmitter, location signals according to signals received from the location sensor.

11. The mesh network of claim 10, wherein at least one node module further comprises:

at least one shock sensor supported by the respective piece of luggage and configured to send signals to the respective processor, the respective instructions being executable to upload signals to the WAN via the respective transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage as indicated by the signals from the respective shock sensor.

12. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein first and second instructions are accessible through the first and second memories and each of the first and second instructions is executable for:

associating the respective node module with a user'"'"'s consumer electronics (CE) device in an initial mesh at least in part by;

exchanging information with the CE device including sending to the CE device an identifier representing the respective luggage;

the CE device, executing a luggage tracking application, uploading the identifier along with a network address of the CE device to an Internet server such that when the Internet server subsequently receives information pertaining to the identifier representing the respective luggage can, in response to the information pertaining to the identifier representing the respective luggage, download location information pertaining to the respective luggage to the CE device.

13. The mesh network of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable to:

determine whether a signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold;

responsive to a determination that at least one signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, upload at least one signal to the WAN via the transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage; and

responsive to a determination that no signal from the shock signal indicates a shock satisfying a threshold, not upload a signal to the WAN via the transmitter representing shock to the respective piece of luggage.