Apparatus and method to assess contents of wearable items

• US 10,157,298 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2018
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vorbeck Materials
• Original Assignee: Vorbeck Materials
• Inventors: Brooks, Louise, Manivannan, Sriram, Brent, James, Yaprak, Can Gun
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US15/886,823
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 34053911, 34053913, 3405721, 340 57, 340 102
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/001 Accessories
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/02 Interior fittings; Means, e.g. inserts, for holding and packing articles
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 13/04 Frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1628 Carrying enclosures containing additional elements, e.g. case for a laptop and a printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10376 the interrogation device being adapted for being moveable
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/44 using equipment having another main function to serve additionally as an antenna , e.g. means for giving an antenna an aesthetic aspectH01Q1/27 - H01Q1/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/08 the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path waveguide fed H01Q21/0037
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In some embodiments, frames and methods are provided herein useful to assess the contents of wearable items (personal wearable item). In some embodiments, the frame includes a substrate and a system positioned on a section of the frame'"'"'s substrate. The substrate includes sections positioned adjacent relative to each other and each distinguished by a demarcation; and coupling elements each configured to affix the substrate to a surface(s) of the wearable item. The system includes one or more control circuits, sensors, and I/O devices. The control circuit(s) can receive wireless signals transmitted by computing device; use the received signals to determine the present of the computing devices; and present the status of the presence of the wireless signal.

Claims

1. A frame for assessing contents of a wearable item, comprising:

a substrate comprising;

a plurality of sections positioned adjacent relative to each other and each distinguished by a demarcation;

a coupling element configured to affix the substrate to a surface of the wearable item;

a system positioned on a section included in the plurality of sections comprising;

a control circuit;

a sensor communicatively coupled to the control circuit;

an I/O device communicatively coupled to the control circuit;

the control circuit configured to;

receive, via the sensor, a wireless signal transmitted by a first computing device positioned proximate to a surface of an object positioned within the wearable item, and thereby determine a presence of the first computing device within a threshold distance relative to the sensor; and

present, via the I/O device, a status when a triggering event is generated, the triggering event consisting of receiving the wireless signal or not receiving the wireless signal, the status selected from a group consisting of;

a first status when the wireless signal is received and a second status when the wireless signal is not received; and

wherein

the wearable item is a personal item;

the demarcation comprises one or more of a folding line, a crease, an incision line, and a fastener; and

the substrate comprises an orientation configured to be modified according to the demarcation.

2. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections comprise a first section and a second section that are demountable relative to each other.

3. The frame of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections comprise a first section and a second section, the first section rotatably mounted to the second section.

4. The frame of claim 1, further comprising:

a conductive element positioned on a section included in the plurality of sections, each communicatively coupled to the control circuit and configured to transmit and/or intercept electromagnetic energy; and

wherein

the conductive element comprises a conductive composition; and

the conductive composition comprising a polymeric material and a three-dimensional network of fully exfoliated single sheets of graphene positioned therein.

5. The frame of claim 4, wherein the fully exfoliated single sheets of graphene comprise a surface area of 2630 m²/g.

6. The frame of claim 1 in the form of a kit comprising assembly instructions that direct a user to modify the substrate via the demarcation of a section of the plurality of sections.

7. The frame of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to perform one or more of a following:

establish a wireless local area network with a second computing device; and

establish a communications link with a cell site.

8. A wearable item comprising the frame of claim 1 affixed to a surface thereof.

9. A method of forming a frame for assessing the contents of a wearable item, comprising:

forming a substrate comprising a plurality of sections and a coupling element, the plurality of sections positioned adjacent relative to each other and each distinguished by a demarcation, the coupling element configured to affix the substrate to a surface of the wearable item, the wearable item is a personal item, the demarcation comprising one or more of a folding line, a crease, an incision line, a fastener, the substrate comprising an orientation configured to be modified according to the demarcation;

affixing a system on to a section included in the plurality of sections, the system comprising a control circuit and an I/O device communicatively coupled to the control circuit;

receiving, via a sensor communicatively coupled to the control circuit, a wireless signal transmitted by a device positioned proximate to a surface of an object positioned within the wearable item;

determining, using the sensor data, a presence of the device within a threshold distance relative to the frame; and

presenting, via an I/O device communicatively coupled to the control circuit, a first status when the wireless signal is received and a second status when the wireless signal is not received.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the substrate comprises forming a first section of the plurality of sections to be demountable relative to a second section of the plurality of sections.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the substrate comprises forming a first section of the plurality of sections in a manner to be rotatably mounted to a second section of the plurality of sections.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising one or more of transmitting, via a conductive element communicatively coupled to the control circuit, electromagnetic energy, the conductive element comprising a conductive composition;

the conductive composition comprising a polymeric material and a three-dimensional network of fully exfoliated single sheets of graphene positioned therein; and

the fully exfoliated single sheets of graphene comprise a surface area of 2630 m²/g.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising establishing, via the control circuit, a wireless local area network with a second computing device.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising establishing, via the control circuit, a communications link with a cell site.