Method and apparatus for receiving product notices

• US 20040064333A1
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Readytrace Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Readytrace Incorporated
• Inventors: JʼMaev, Jack I.
• Application Number:
  US10/615,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20040064333A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/014 Providing recall services for goods or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks

Abstract

Product notices are received, a product user is notified and a record of the notice is stored within the receiver. The receiver is selectively enabled to conserve battery power. Notification occurs by way of visual and audible indications.

Claims

1. A method for receiving a product notice signal comprising:

receiving a signal;

notifying a user when the signal is addressed to the product; and

recording a signal event in a substantially permanently manner.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signal comprises:

monitoring a communications channel;

decoding a signal received from the communications channel; and

recognizing a message in the decoded signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein decoding a signal comprises at least one of demodulating a radio frequency signal, demodulating a plurality of radio frequency signals selected according to a numeric sequence, scanning wired-network activity for a predetermined network address, scanning wireless-network activity for a predetermined network address, demodulating a carrier received by way of a switched-network telephone connection, demodulating a carrier received by way of a cellular telephone connection, extracting digital data from a cellular data system signal.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein monitoring a communications channel comprises:

determining an anticipation window when a signal is anticipated; and

enabling communications channel monitoring during the anticipation window.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining when a signal is anticipated comprises:

comparing a digital identifier to a current time value; and

declaring an anticipation window when the digital identifier matches the current time value.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising capturing either a portion of the message or the entire message when a digital identifier in said message matches a local digital identifier and when the message is a signal message.

7. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

capturing a time value from the message when the message is a time-beacon; and

storing the time value in a time clock.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying a user comprises enabling a visual indicator when the signal is addressed to the product.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein notifying a user comprises:

extracting an alphanumeric message from a signal message when the signal is addressed to the product; and

displaying the alphanumeric message to a user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein recording a signal event comprises storing at least one of a Boolean message received indicator, a message type indicator, an alphanumeric message and a time indicator.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein recording a signal event comprises at least one of breaking a fusible link, electrically programming a memory and maintaining continuous power to a memory.

12. A product notice receiver comprising:

detector capable of receiving a signal;

notification unit capable of notifying a user when a signal addressed to the product is received; and

non-volatile memory capable of storing an indication when a signal addressed to the product is received.

13. The product notice receiver of claim 12 wherein the detector comprises a message decoder capable of converting a signal into a message.

14. The product notice receiver of claim 13 wherein the detector comprises at least one of radio frequency receiver, spread-spectrum receiver, wired network interface, wireless network interface, a telephone interface, a cellular telephone interface, a cellular data interface, a 2G interface and a 3G interface.

15. The product notice receiver of claim 13 further comprising a signal anticipation unit capable of generating an anticipation signal when a signal is anticipated and wherein the detector further comprises a disable input signal for either disabling the detector or causing it to operate in a low-power mode and wherein said disable input is driven by the anticipation signal.

16. The product notice receiver of claim 15 wherein the signal anticipation unit comprises:

time clock; and

comparator capable of generating an anticipation signal when a value provided by the time clock matches a digital identifier.

17. The product notice receiver of claim 13 further comprising a time clock that is capable of storing a new time value when the detector receives a time beacon.

18. The product notice receiver of claim 13 further comprising a message register capable of storing either a portion of the message or the entire message when a digital identifier in the message matches a local digital identifier.

19. The product notice receiver of claim 13 wherein the notification unit comprises a visual indicator that is capable is providing a visual indication to a user when a signal addressed to the product is received.

20. The product notice receiver of claim 13 further comprising alphanumeric memory capable of storing an alphanumeric message extracted from the signal message and wherein the notification unit comprises an alphanumeric display that is capable of presenting the alphanumeric message to a user.