Garment tags for intelligent laundering alerts

• US 9,928,722 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Glasgow, Dane, Ramadge, David, Selhorst, Bria, Sherman, Corinne Elizabeth, MacLaurin, Matthew Bret, Carlson, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US15/442,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20170162027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 3405391, 3405721, 3405724, 3405728, 340 51, 237375
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 93/00 Counting, sorting, or marking arrangements specially adapted for laundry purposes
• CPC Class Codes: D06F 93/005 Marking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/027 the material being suitable for use as a textile, e.g. woven-based RFID-like labels designed for attachment to laundry items markings attached to laundry items in general D06F93/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure involve an apparatus, systems, and methods for providing intelligent laundering alerts. Example embodiments involve an intelligent garment tag that may be affixed to garments, and may store and provide information about the garment to which it is affixed. The information stored thereon describes various aspects of the garment including color, fabric, and laundering information. The intelligent garment tags further include an alert component for providing laundering alerts (e.g., a flashing or colored light, a warning noise, or a vibration) based on, for example, laundering device (e.g., washing machine or clothes dryer) compatibility.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller comprising;

a reader configured to obtain garment attribute data of a garment, the reader to obtain the garment attribute data from a garment tag associated with the garment;

a detector module configured to determine the garment is incompatible with a laundering device based on the garment attribute data; and

a transmitter configured to transmit control data to the garment tag associated with the garment, the control data causing the garment tag to provide a human-detectable sensory alert in response to the determining the garment is incompatible with the laundering device.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising the garment tag, the garment tag comprising:

a machine-readable memory storing the garment attribute data of the garment;

a receiver configured to receive the control data from the transmitter; and

an alert component configured to provide the human-detectable sensory alert upon receiving the control data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is configured to obtain the garment attribute data by performing operations comprising:

transmitting a request to the garment tag for the garment attribute data of the garment; and

receiving a response from the garment tag, the response comprising the garment attribute data of the garment.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the reader is configured to be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, and wherein the garment tag is configured to be an RFID device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector module is configured to determine the garment is incompatible with the laundering device upon determining the garment is proximate to a laundering device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the determining the garment is proximate to the laundering device is based on signal strength of the garment tag.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the control data to an additional garment tag corresponding an additional garment, the control data causing the garment tag and the additional garment tag to provide an identical human-detectable sensory alert.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the laundering device is selected from at least one of a washing machine, a clothes dryer, an iron, or a steamer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the garment attribute data includes at least one of fabric type, a color, a washing machine attribute, a bleaching attribute, a clothes dryer attribute, an ironing attribute, or a dry-cleaning attribute.

10. A method comprising:

obtaining garment attribute data of a garment from a garment tag associated with the garment;

determining the garment is incompatible with a laundering device based on the garment attribute data; and

transmitting control data to the garment tag associated with the garment, the control data causing the garment tag to provide a human-detectable sensory alert in response to the determining the garment is incompatible with the laundering device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the obtaining of the garment attribute data comprises:

transmitting a request to the garment tag for the garment attribute data of the garment; and

receiving, at a reader coupled to the laundering device, a response from the garment tag, the response comprising the garment attribute data of the garment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reader is configured to be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader, and wherein the garment tag is configured to be an RFID device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining the garment is proximate to the laundering device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the garment is proximate to the laundering device is based on signal strength of the garment tag.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the laundering device is selected from at least one of a washing machine, a clothes dryer, an iron, or a steamer.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the garment attribute data includes at least one of fabric type, a color, a washing machine attribute, a bleaching attribute, a clothes dryer attribute, an ironing attribute, or a dry-cleaning attribute.

17. A garment tag comprising:

a machine-readable memory storing garment attribute data of a garment;

a receiver configured to receive control data from a controller of a laundering device, the control data to cause the garment tag to provide a human-detectable sensory alert based on a detected incompatible with the laundering device; and

an alert component configured to provide the human-detectable sensory alert based on the detected incompatible with the laundering device.

18. The garment tag of claim 17, wherein the alert component comprises a light emitting component, and wherein the human-detectable sensory alert is a luminescent alert.

19. The garment tag of claim 17, wherein the alert component comprises a speaker, and wherein the human-detectable sensory alert is an auditory alert.

20. The garment tag of claim 17, wherein the alert component comprises a haptic actuator,

and wherein the human-detectable sensory alert is a haptic alert.