SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING AN INDICATION OF THE PROXIMITY OF A MOVEABLE DEVICE

• US 20100231405A1
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Noble, Gary Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/686.600
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A system for providing an indication of the proximity of a moveable device. The system comprises at least a first moveable device having a transmitting means for transmitting data comprising an identification of the first device and a second device having a receiving means for receiving data from the first device and a transmitting means for transmitting data including the identification of the first device together with an indication of the proximity of the identified device. A further device with a receiving means for receiving the data transmitted by the second device can be used in order to obtain an indication of the proximity of the first device. The indication of the proximity of the first device is a scale value which degrades as the first device moves away from the second device.

Claims

1. A system for providing an indication of the proximity of a device, said system comprising:

a first moveable device;

a second device; and

a third moveable device,

said first moveable device, said second device, and said third moveable device configured to collectively perform a method, said method comprising;

said first moveable device transmitting an identification of the first moveable device to the second device;

said second device receiving the transmission of the first moveable device and retransmitting data including the identification of the first moveable device together with an indication of the proximity of the first moveable device from the second device;

said third moveable device receiving the data retransmitted by the second device in order to obtain an indication of the proximity of the first moveable device;

said first moveable device moving out of a receiving range of the second device; and

said second device measuring an amount of time elapsed since the first moveable device has moved out of the receiving range of the second device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the amount of time elapsed is denoted as a scale value which decreases once the first moveable device moves out of the receiving range of the second device, and wherein the method further comprises:

retransmitting the identification of the first moveable device by the third device such that the scale value is decreased via said retransmitting by the third device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

said first moveable device receiving and retransmitting the identifications of other devices together with an indication of the proximity of the other devices.

4. A system for providing an indication of the proximity of a device, said system comprising:

a first moveable device; and

a second device; and

a third device,

said first moveable device, said second device, and said third device configured to collectively perform a method, said method comprising;

said first moveable device transmitting an identification of the first moveable to the second device;

said second device receiving the transmission of the first moveable device and retransmitting data including the identification of the first moveable device together with an indication of the proximity of the first moveable device from the second device;

said third device receiving the data retransmitted by the second device in order to obtain an indication of the proximity of the first moveable device; and

transmitting one or more packets of data from the first moveable device and the second device, each packet of data including an identification of another device and an indication of the proximity of the another device, wherein each packet of data of the one or more packets of data includes a total number of times said each packet of data has been transmitted.

5. A system for providing an indication of the proximity of a device, said system comprising a second device, said second device configured to perform a method, said method comprising:

said second device receiving first data from a first moveable device that is within a receiving range of the second device, wherein the receiving range is a spatial distance from the second device over which the second device is configured to receive data from devices, wherein the first data comprises an identification of a moveable device of interest, a first value whose magnitude is a function of a proximity of the moveable device of interest from the second device, and a degradation formula specifying how the first value decreases as a function of a time duration over which the first moveable device is outside the receiving range after having been within the receiving range, and wherein the first value does not exceed a specified 100% value; and

said second device transmitting second data to a third device, wherein the second data comprises the identification of the moveable device of interest, a second value that is a function of the first value and does not exceed the first value, and the degradation formula.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the degradation formula specifies that the magnitude of the first value is a linearly decreasing function of the time duration.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the degradation formula specifies that the magnitude of the first value decreases in accordance with an indicated half life such that the first value is halved at each elapse of the half life.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein first value is less than the 100% value.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein first value reflects a first reduction from the 100% value due to the first moveable device differing from the moveable device of interest.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein first value reflects a second reduction from the 100% value due to the first moveable device being N hops removed from the moveable device of interest, wherein N is at least 2, and wherein the second reduction is an increasing function N.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the second value is equal to the first value.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

after said transmitting second data, said second device ascertaining that the first moveable device has moved outside the receiving range; and

after said ascertaining, said second device transmitting third data to a fourth device that differs from the first moveable device, the second device, and the third device, wherein the third data comprises the identification of the moveable device of interest, a third value, and the degradation formula, and wherein the third value is less than the first value in accordance with the degradation formula.