Cart monitoring system supporting unicast and multicast command transmissions to wheel assemblies
First Claim
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1. A system capable of tracking shopping carts, comprising:
- a plurality of wheel assemblies, each configured for attachment to a respective shopping cart frame, each wheel assembly comprising a wheel, a wireless transceiver, and a programmed controller that controls the wireless transceiver, each wheel assembly configured to communicate bi-directionally on a wireless network and being uniquely addressable on the wireless network, each wheel assembly capable of switching between states; and
a plurality of access point devices that are configured to be mounted at fixed locations within a shopping cart monitoring area, each access point device comprising a wireless transceiver controlled by a programmed controller, and being capable of communicating bi-directionally with the plurality of wheel assemblies on the wireless network, each access point device being uniquely addressable on the wireless network;
wherein the access point devices and wheel assemblies are programmed to implement unicast addressing in which an access point device sends, on the wireless network, a command that is addressed to a single one of the wheel assemblies;
wherein the access point devices and wheel assemblies are additionally programmed to implement state-based multicast addressing in which an access point device sends, on the wireless network, a command that is addressed to all wheel assemblies that are in a specified state.
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Abstract
A system for monitoring shopping carts or other human-propelled carts includes wireless access points that communicate bi-directionally on a wireless network with wheel assemblies of the carts. The system supports both unicast and multicast command transmissions from the access points to the wheel assemblies, including multicast transmissions in which the target wheel assemblies are specified in terms of their states. For example, an access point can transmit a command that is addressed to all wheel assemblies that are locked, or to all wheel assemblies that are moving.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system capable of tracking shopping carts, comprising:
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a plurality of wheel assemblies, each configured for attachment to a respective shopping cart frame, each wheel assembly comprising a wheel, a wireless transceiver, and a programmed controller that controls the wireless transceiver, each wheel assembly configured to communicate bi-directionally on a wireless network and being uniquely addressable on the wireless network, each wheel assembly capable of switching between states; and a plurality of access point devices that are configured to be mounted at fixed locations within a shopping cart monitoring area, each access point device comprising a wireless transceiver controlled by a programmed controller, and being capable of communicating bi-directionally with the plurality of wheel assemblies on the wireless network, each access point device being uniquely addressable on the wireless network; wherein the access point devices and wheel assemblies are programmed to implement unicast addressing in which an access point device sends, on the wireless network, a command that is addressed to a single one of the wheel assemblies; wherein the access point devices and wheel assemblies are additionally programmed to implement state-based multicast addressing in which an access point device sends, on the wireless network, a command that is addressed to all wheel assemblies that are in a specified state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for monitoring a human propelled cart, comprising:
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a plurality of wheel assemblies, each configured for attachment to a respective cart frame of a human propelled cart, each wheel assembly comprising a wheel, a wireless transceiver, and a programmed controller that controls the wireless transceiver, each wheel assembly configured to communicate bi-directionally on a wireless network and being uniquely addressable on the wireless network, each wheel assembly capable of switching between a plurality of states; and a wireless access point device comprising a wireless transceiver controlled by a programmed controller, and being capable of communicating bi-directionally with the plurality of wheel assemblies on the wireless network, the wireless access point device configured to send, on the wireless network, a multi-cast transmission that specifies a command and a wheel assembly state of wheel assemblies that are to execute the command, the wheel assembly state being one of the plurality of states, the wireless access point additionally configured to send, on the wireless network, a unicast transmission that is uniquely addressed to a single one of the wheel assemblies. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method performed by a wheel assembly of a human propelled cart under control of program code executed by a processor of the wheel assembly, the wheel assembly comprising a wheel, the method comprising:
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receiving, on a wireless network, a multi-cast transmission that specifies a command and a wheel assembly state of wheel assemblies to which the command is directed, the multi-cast transmission not uniquely addressed to the wheel assembly; determining, in response to the multi-cast transmission, whether the wheel assembly is in the specified wheel assembly state; and in response to determining that the wheel assembly is in the specified wheel assembly state, executing the command, and transmitting a response to the multi-cast transmission on the wireless network. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification