Collective objects management system with improved object data base management

• US 9,614,811 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imicrodata Corporation
• Original Assignee: Imicrodata Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Shengbo, Huang, Su Shiong
• Primary Examiner(s): SYED, NABIL H
• Application Number:
  US14/756,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

A collective objects data base management system for objects such as documents contained in file folders in drawers of file cabinets. Each file folder has an electrical circuit with a visible indicator mounted on the file folder. Each folder circuit has an object receptacle microcontroller with a unique system address which enables generation of a response signal whenever an incoming address from a source is a match and activation of the visible indicator. An object container microcontroller periodically polls the object receptacle microcontrollers in the cabinet and stores an updated version of the cabinet object data base. The cabinet object data base contents are sent to a host computer, which maintains the system data base.

Claims

1. A system for managing objects distributed in an object location space, said system comprising:

a container having a plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths;

a container microcontroller coupled to said plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths for supplying address and control signals to said paths, said container microcontroller having terminals for receiving information signals from a host computer and for supplying information signals to the host computer;

a plurality of object receptacles positioned in said container, each of said plurality of object receptacles having

(a) a plurality of electrically conductive members, each of said plurality of electrically conductive members of each of said plurality of object receptacles being electrically coupled to a different one of said plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths, one of said electrically conductive paths being provided to receive address signals supplied by said container microcontroller, another one of said electrically conductive paths being provided to send response signals from said plurality of object microcontrollers to said container microcontroller;

(b) an object receptacle microcontroller associated to said object, said object receptacle microcontroller having a unique system address, said object receptacle microcontroller further having two electrically conductive terminals each in electrical contact with a different one of said plurality of electrically conductive members;

(c) an indicator coupled to said object receptacle microcontroller for activation whenever said object receptacle microcontroller detects an address signal supplied by said container microcontroller present on said one of said plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of said unique system address;

said object receptacle microcontroller being configured to respond to a polling signal from said container microcontroller by generating a signal including said unique system address on one of said plurality of electrically conductive members,

said container microcontroller including a memory device for storing information signals identifying all object receptacle microcontrollers in the container and the location in the container of such object receptacle microcontrollers,

said container microcontroller being configured to supply said address signals via said one of said electrically conductive paths to said object receptacle microcontrollers, to periodically generate said polling signal, and to receive said signal including said unique system address generated by said object receptacle microcontroller in response to said polling signal,

said container microcontroller being further configured to compare each information signal received in response to the generation of said polling signal with said information signals stored in said memory device, and to store in said memory device any received information signal not present in said memory device,

said container microcontroller being further configured to delete from said memory device any stored information signal not included in those information signals received in response to the generation of said polling signal,

said container microcontroller being further configured to respond to a data base update request signal from the host computer by sending said information signals stored in said memory device to the host computer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said indicator is a visible indicator.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said visible indicator is an LED.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said container comprises a file folder drawer;

and wherein said plurality of object receptacles each comprises a file folder having at least one support brace, said at least one support brace containing said plurality of electrically conductive members; and

wherein said object receptacle microcontroller and said indicator of each of said plurality of object receptacles are carried by said at least one support brace.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein each said file folder has an upper margin;

and wherein each said indicator is mounted to the corresponding file folder in a position extending above said upper margin so that a given indicator is visible when the file folder drawer is in an opened position.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein said file folder drawer has a front panel having an additional indicator mounted thereon;

and wherein said system further includes circuitry for operating said additional indicator whenever an object receptacle microcontroller located in said file folder drawer detects an address signal present on said one of said plurality of electrically conductive members and representative of the unique system address of that object receptacle microcontroller.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said container includes an audible indicator coupled to said cabinet microcontroller via at least one of said plurality of mutually electrically isolated electrically conductive paths;

and wherein said cabinet microcontroller is configured to activate said audible indicator when a received information signal is stored in said memory device.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said container microcontroller is configured to send to the host computer the identity of an information signal deleted from said memory device.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said container microcontroller is configured to respond to the receipt of an object identification signal from the host computer by generating said address signals.