Wireless item loss prevention system

• US 9,779,612 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tether Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tether Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Darval, Matthew D., Kirkwood, Keith W., Suryan, John D., Thielman, Scott C., Niederauer, George M., Brown, Keith M., Neely, III, Edgar R.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US14/487,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20160078746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2408 using ferromagnetic tags
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

An item loss prevention system for protecting from the loss of items from a user, and more specifically to an electronic device utilizing a wireless connection between a remote unit attached to an item, such as a set of one or more keys, and a host or belt unit attached to the user, to prevent the loss of the item. The system includes magnetic sensors between the item and the belt, which are Hall type magnetic sensors, coupled with an accelerometer. With the additional input from the accelerometer, an alarm activates when the item, such as a key, is separated at a distance from the belt or host unit. Additionally, the key unit can attach to an unpairing station to re-set the remote unite for re-pairing to another host unit.

Claims

1. An item loss prevention system comprising:

a host unit configured to receive a remote unit that is attachable to an item, and configured to be receivable onto a user; and

a remote magnetic sensor on the remote unit and a host magnetic sensor on the host unit, the host magnetic sensor and the remote magnetic sensor configured to monitor, independently, a presence or an absence of the remote unit from a direct contact with the host unit;

an accelerometer in the remote unit, the accelerometer configured to detect a triggering movement of the remote unit; and

the host magnetic sensor configured to initiate an alarm in the host magnetic unit in response to the host magnetic sensor detecting the absence of the remote unit, the remote magnetic sensor detecting the absence of the host unit, and the accelerometer detecting a triggering movement of the remote unit.

2. The item loss prevention system of claim 1, additionally including:

a received signal strength between a host antenna and a remote antenna, the host antenna included in the host unit and the remote antenna included in the remote unit, the received signal strength use with the accelerometer to determine if the item loss should enter into an alarm state.

3. The item loss prevention system of claim 1, wherein:

the host unit is digitally pairable to the remote unit, and the remote unit is configured to enter into an alarm mode in response to the accelerometer detecting motion without the remote unit being paired to a host unit.

4. The item loss prevention system of claim 3, additionally including:

an unpairing station configured to unpair the host unit from a remote unit, the unpairing station having a station magnetic sensor configured to monitor a presence or an absence of the remote unit from a direct contact with the unpairing station.

5. The item loss prevention system of claim 4, wherein the host unit magnetic sensor, the remote magnetic sensor, and the station magnetic sensor are Hall type sensors.

6. The item loss prevention system of claim 1, wherein the remote unit includes a key ring configured to receive a set of one or more keys.

7. The item loss prevention system of claim 1, wherein the host unit and the remote unit are configured to communicate with each other so that a multiple of pairs of the host units and the remote units can operate properly in proximity to each other.

8. The item loss prevention system of claim 1, wherein:

the host unit and the remote unit are configured to communicate wirelessly with one another, using a signal quality to judge a distance of separation, and the host unit is configured to notify the user with an alarm condition in response to a signal received from the remote unit by the host unit falling below a threshold of separation value, and the accelerometer detecting a triggering movement of the remote unit.

9. An item loss prevention system comprising:

a host unit configured to receive a remote unit that is attachable to an item, the host unit receivable onto a user; and

a remote magnetic sensor on the remote unit and a host magnetic sensor on the host unit, the host magnetic sensor and the remote magnetic sensor configured to monitor, independently, a presence or an absence of the remote unit from a direct contact with the host unit;

an accelerometer in the remote unit, the accelerometer configured to detect a triggering movement of the remote unit;

the host magnetic sensor configured to initiate an alarm in the host magnetic unit in response to the host magnetic sensor detecting the absence of the remote unit, the remote magnetic sensor detecting the absence of the host unit, and the accelerometer detecting a triggering movement of the remote unit; and

the host unit magnetic sensor and the remote magnetic sensor are Hall type sensors.

10. The item loss prevention system of claim 9, wherein the remote unit includes a key ring configured to receive a set of one or more keys.

11. The item loss prevention system of claim 9, wherein the host unit and the remote unit are configured to communicate with each other so that a multiple of pairs of the host units and the remote units can operate properly in proximity to each other.

12. The item loss prevention system of claim 9, wherein:

the host unit and the remote unit are configured to communicate wirelessly with one another, using a signal quality to judge a distance of separation, and the host unit is configured to notify the user with an alarm condition in response to a signal received from the remote unit by the host unit falling below a threshold of separation value and, the accelerometer detecting a triggering movement of the remote unit.

13. The item loss prevention system of claim 9, wherein:

the host unit is digitally pairable to the remote unit, and the remote unit is configured to enter into an alarm mode in response to the accelerometer detecting motion without the remote unit being paired to a host unit.

14. The item loss prevention system of claim 13, additionally including:

an unpairing station configured to unpair the host unit from a remote unit, the unpairing station having a station magnetic sensor configured to monitor a presence or an absence of the remote unit from a direct contact with the unpairing station.

15. The item loss prevention system of claim 14, wherein the host unit magnetic sensor and the station magnetic sensor are each a Hall type sensor.