Object identification through electromagnetic tag signature

• US 9,836,628 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mannan, Rosanna S., Wurth, Dennis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q
• Application Number:
  US15/163,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20170344769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 560 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/086 sensing passive circuit, e.g. resonant circuit transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

In an approach for identifying an object using an electromagnetic tag, an electromagnetic signal is received by a sensor, wherein the electromagnetic signal originates from an electromagnetic tag affixed to an object, and wherein the electromagnetic signal passes through a physical propagation channel. A processor searches a database for an electromagnetic signature corresponding to the electromagnetic signal, wherein the database comprises, at least, object information associated with the electromagnetic signature. A processor determines the electromagnetic signal corresponds to the electromagnetic signature. A processor presents the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

Claims

1. A method for identifying an object using an electromagnetic tag, the method comprising:

receiving, by a sensor of a device, an electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal originates from an electromagnetic tag affixed to an object, the electromagnetic signal is transmitted from the electromagnetic tag to the sensor through a physical propagation channel, and the physical propagation channel is a person;

determining within a database of the device, by one or more processors, an electromagnetic signature corresponding to the electromagnetic signal, wherein the database comprises, at least, object information associated with the electromagnetic signature, and the object is a prescription bottle and the object information comprises one or more of an identification of the prescription, a number of times the user has touched the prescription bottle during a predefined time period, what time the user last touched the prescription bottle, when the user is supposed to take a next dose, possible side effects of the prescription, how to take the prescription, and how many doses are remaining in the prescription bottle; and

presenting, by one or more processors, the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature comprises audibly presenting the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signal has a frequency between ultra-high frequency and extremely high frequency, or 300 MHz to 300 GHz.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a wearable device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a smartwatch.

6. A computer program product for identifying an object using an electromagnetic tag, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive an electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal originates from an electromagnetic tag affixed to an object, the electromagnetic signal is transmitted from the electromagnetic tag to the sensor through a physical propagation channel, and the physical propagation channel is a person;

program instructions to determine within a database of the device an electromagnetic signature corresponding to the electromagnetic signal, wherein the database comprises, at least, object information associated with the electromagnetic signature, and the object is a prescription bottle and the object information comprises one or more of an identification of the prescription, a number of times the user has touched the prescription bottle during a predefined time period, what time the user last touched the prescription bottle, when the user is supposed to take a next dose, possible side effects of the prescription, how to take the prescription, and how many doses are remaining in the prescription bottle; and

program instructions to present the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the program instructions to present the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature comprise audibly presenting the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the electromagnetic signal has a frequency between ultra-high frequency and extremely high frequency, or 300 MHz to 300 GHz.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the device is a wearable device.

10. The computing program product of claim 6, wherein the device is a smartwatch.

11. A computer system for identifying an object using an electromagnetic tag, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive an electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal originates from an electromagnetic tag affixed to an object, the electromagnetic signal is transmitted from the electromagnetic tag to the sensor through a physical propagation channel, and the physical propagation channel is a person;

program instructions to determine within a database of the device an electromagnetic signature corresponding to the electromagnetic signal, wherein the database comprises, at least, object information associated with the electromagnetic signature, and the object is a prescription bottle and the object information comprises one or more of an identification of the prescription, a number of times the user has touched the prescription bottle during a predefined time period, what time the user last touched the prescription bottle, when the user is supposed to take a next dose, possible side effects of the prescription, how to take the prescription, and how many doses are remaining in the prescription bottle; and

program instructions to present the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the program instructions to present the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature comprise audibly presenting the object information associated with the electromagnetic signature.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the electromagnetic signal has a frequency between ultra-high frequency and extremely high frequency, or 300 MHz to 300 GHz.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the device is a wearable device.