Wireless communication system

• US 20060183436A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Responsive Innovations LLC (Echo 360, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Responsive Innovations LLC (Echo 360, Inc.)
• Inventors: Adkins, Kevin G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers

Abstract

A wireless communication system is disclosed herein. The wireless communication system may include transmitter units and a receiver. In one embodiment, each transmitter has an address and logic programmed to perform the steps of receiving a user selection and, responsive to the receiving, repeatedly transmitting a wireless selection signal until a wireless acknowledgment signal is received. The wireless selection signal may include the address and the user selection. The receiver may include means to receive a wireless selection signal and logic programmed to transmit a wireless acknowledgment signal in response to the receipt of each wireless selection signal.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a plurality of handheld devices, each handheld device including;

a transmitter,

a computer-readable medium configured to store an address,

an input selection control, and

a processor configured to receive a user selection from the input selection control; and

, upon receipt of the user selection, communicate instructions to the transmitter to transmit an RF signal encoding the address and the user selection according to a defined RF profile; and

a receiver device including;

a transceiver,

a computer-readable medium, and

a processor configured to decode the RF signal into the address and the user selection following receipt by the transceiver, store the user selection in the computer-readable medium, generate an acknowledgment including a representation of the address, and communicate instructions to the transceiver to transmit the acknowledgement according to the defined RF profile.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined RF profile includes a transmission interval separating periodic retransmissions of the RF signal.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined RF profile comprises:

a distinct period of no RF transmission; and

a first period of RF transmission corresponding to transmission of the RF signal, where the first period of RF transmission occurs after the distinct period of no RF transmission and is responsive to receipt of the user selection at the handheld device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the defined RF profile further comprises:

a second period of RF transmission corresponding to transmission of the acknowledge signal, where the second period of RF transmission occurs after the start of the first period and is responsive to receipt of the RF signal.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first period of RF transmission has a duration of 100 microseconds to 8 seconds.

6. The RF profile as set forth in claim 4, wherein the second period has a duration of 100 microseconds.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the second period of RF transmission is followed by a distinct period of no RF transmission.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each handheld device further includes a power source configured to provide no more than 25 mA DC current.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the power source includes at least one battery.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the power source includes two 3.0 Volt batteries.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to draw a DC current of less than 15 mA when transmitting the RF signal and a DC current of less than 25 mA when receiving the acknowledgment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to draw a DC current of 10.5 mA when transmitting the RF signal and a DC current of 19 mA when receiving the acknowledgment.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver device is configured to draw a DC current less than 25 mA.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiver device is adapted to draw the DC current from a power source connectable to, but external from the receiver device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiver device is configured to draw a DC current of less than 25 mA when receiving the RF signal and a DC current of less than 15 mA when transmitting the acknowledgment.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the receiver device is configured to draw a DC current of 19 mA when receiving the RF signal and a DC current of 10.5 mA when transmitting the acknowledgment.

17. A battery-operated handheld device configured to receive a selection from a user and, responsive to the user selection, transmit an RF signal including a representation of the user selection, and receive an RF acknowledgment signal, the device comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input;

processing logic configured to identify the user input as at least one of an RF frequency selection and a user selection;

signal generating logic configured to generate an RF signal representation of the user selection;

an RF transceiver configured to draw less than 25 mA DC current while sending and receiving RF signals; and

a housing configured to house the processing logic, the signal generating logic, the RF transceiver, and at least one operably connected battery, wherein the housing has a length that is less than 5 times the diameter of the at least one battery, a width that is less than 3 times the diameter of the at least one battery, and a height that is less than 3 times the height of the at least one battery.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one battery is a coin cell lithium battery.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one battery has a diameter of less than 1.25 inches and a height of less than 0.25 inches.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one battery has a diameter of approximately 0.8 inches and a height of approximately 0.125 inches.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the housing has a length of less than 5 inches, a width of less than 4 inches, and a height of less than 0.75 inches.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the housing has a length of 3.3 inches, a width of 2.1 inches, and height of 0.3 inches.