WIRELESS LOW POWER FLEXIBLE AND REMOVABLY ATTACHABLE TAG AND CORRESPONDING LOCATING DEVICE, SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF USE

• US 20180239999A1
• Filed: 12/21/2017
• Published: 08/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karen Gayton
• Original Assignee: Karen Gayton
• Inventors: Gayton, Karen
• Granted Patent: US 10,740,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/025 the material being flexible or adapted for folding, e.g. paper or paper-like materials used in luggage labels, identification tags, forms or identification documents carrying RFIDs methods for testing the genuineness of valuable papers, e.g. banknotes or passports G07D7/00; constructional features of booklets and the like B42D
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0704 the battery being rechargeable, e.g. solar batteries
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07713 the interface, upon reception of an interrogation signal, being capable of signaling to indicate its position to a user or a detection device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10099 the directional field being used for pinpointing the location of the record carrier, e.g. for finding or locating an RFID tag amongst a plurality of RFID tags, each RFID tag being associated with an object, e.g. for physically locating the RFID tagged object in a warehouse
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

The present invention and method relates to a wireless low power flexible and removably attachable tag, a attaching device, and a wireless locating tracking initiator assembly, system and device which can be used to locate objects.

Claims

1. A wireless low power flexible and removeably attachable tag and corresponding locating system comprising of the following:

A) at least one tracking initiator assembly comprising;

at least one stand-alone Smart Device, or

at least one Smart Device removeably attachable to at least one Docking Station, said Docking Station comprising of;

a mechanical cradle to accept said at least one Smart Device;

at least one Smart Device connector;

at least one transmitter or at least one transceiver, said at least one transceiver comprising at least one transceiver transmitter and at least one transceiver receiver;

at least one docking power source, said at least one docking power source derives from at least one of said at least one Smart Device, at least one non-rechargeable battery, at least one rechargeable battery, at least one capacitor, at least one solar cell and/or solar panel, at least one coil and/or transformer and/or resonant circuit, at least one voltage regulator and/or voltage converter, an external source derived from a wall current powered power supply and/or an external DC source;

docking electronics or microprocessor;

said at least one transmitter is capable of transmitting at least one transmitter emitting signal capable of modulating information and/or not modulating information, wherein said information is at least one code and/or address;

or

said at least one transceiver transmitter is capable of transmitting at least one transceiver transmitter emitting signal capable of modulating information and/or not modulating information, wherein said information is said at least one code and/or address; and

said at least one transceiver receiver is capable of receiving at least one frequency and/or receiving at least one frequency with modulated information and/or at least one tag active transceiver transmitter transmission;

B) a wireless low power removeable attachable Tag placed on or near an object and/or Surface to be tracked comprising;

at least one housing with at least one attaching device and/or attachment area;

a passive receiver requiring no power that produces an initiating signal as a result of receiving said transmitter emitting signal or said transceiver transmitter emitting signal;

at least one tag power source, said at least one tag power source is at least one of at least one non-rechargeable battery, at least one rechargeable battery, at least one capacitor, at least one solar cell and/or solar panel, at least one coil and/or transformer and/or resonant circuit, at least one voltage regulator and/or voltage converter;

tag electronics and/or microprocessor capable of being connected to and disconnected from said at least one tag power source;

at least one tag active receiver or at least one tag active transceiver capable of being connected to and disconnected from said at least one tag power source, said at least one tag active transceiver comprising at least one tag active transceiver receiver and at least one tag active transceiver transmitter;

at least one physical output component capable of being controlled by said tag electronics and/or microprocessor, said at least one physical output component comprising at least one of at least one light, at least one sound producing element, at least one vibrator and/or vibrating element;

at least one stored code and/or address stored within said tag electronics and/or microprocessor;

said at least one tag active receiver capable of receiving said transmitter emitting signal, or said at least one tag active transceiver receiver capable of receiving at least one said transceiver transmitter emitting signal and said at least one tag active transceiver transmitter capable of transmitting at least one tag active transceiver transmitter transmission;

said tag electronics and/or microprocessor is activated by said initiating signal;

said tag electronics and/or microprocessor capable of generating at least one power on signal capable of causing power be applied to and removed from said tag electronics and/or microprocessor;

said at least one power on signal capable of causing power to be applied to and removed from said at least one tag active receiver or said at least one tag active transceiver;

C) a tracking initiator assembly software application running in said tracking initiator assembly and tag software running in said tag, said tracking initiator assembly software application and said tag software interacting in a manner permitting communication between said tracking initiator assembly and said tag and to cause at least one output response in said tag comprising the following;

selection of said object and/or Surface and/or said tag using said at least one stand-alone Smart Device or said at least one Smart Device, said selection causing the emission and/or transmission of at least one said transmitter emitting signal or at least one said transceiver transmitter emitting signal with or without modulation;

reception of said at least one said transmitter emitting signal or at least one said transceiver transmitter emitting signal by said passive receiver;

said passive receiver generates said initiating signal;

said initiating signal causes said tag electronics and/or microprocessor to generate said at least one power on signal;

said tag electronics and/or microprocessor initiates at least one timer producing at least one time out time;

said at least one time out time capable of causing at least one power on signal to switch from at least one state to at least one other state, thus causing said power to be disconnected from said tag electronics and/or microprocessor and/or said at least one tag active receiver or at least one tag active transceiver;

said tag active receiver or tag active transceiver receiver capable of demodulating said information and producing at least one receiver output;

said receiver output being received by said tag electronics and/or microprocessor,

said tag electronics and/or microprocessor decoding said at least one code and/or address and comparing to said at least one stored code and/or address, and if said at least one code and/or address is identical to said at least one stored code and/or address, producing at least one valid positive ID output;

said at least one valid positive ID output triggering at least one of the following;

at least one output sequence for at least one period of tag identification calling time, switching said at least one power on signal to a power off state.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said at least one output sequence is at least one of at least one light sequence, or at least one audio sequence.

3. The invention of claim 1, further comprising the transmission from transmitter or transceiver transmitter at least one object found code to be received by said tag active receiver or tag active transceiver receiver, said at least one object found code causing said tag electronics and/or microprocessor and said tag active receiver to power down, said at least one object found code causing said tag electronics and/or microprocessor and said tag active transceiver to power down.

4. The Invention of claim 1, whereby the said at least one smart device display can display any number of potentially missing objects able to be searched for and can display and search for an ever-expanding menu of icons and/or names of searchable things.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein the tracking initiator assembly can receive and/or transmit at least one of the following signals:

GPS, Wi-Fi, RFID, radio wave, Bluetooth, radio-frequency, sonar, sonic, audio, vibration, light, solar energy, sound, and/or infrared.

6. The invention of claim 1, wherein the tag can receive and/or transmit at least one of the following signals:

GPS, Wi-Fi, RFID, radio wave, Bluetooth, radio-frequency, sonar, sonic, audio, vibration, light, solar energy, sound, and/or infrared.

7. The invention of claim 1, wherein said tracking initiator assembly further comprises at least one power source.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein the at least one power source further is comprised of at least one of:

at least one battery, at least one battery compartment, and/or at least one battery compartment door, at least one coil for harvesting electromagnetically coupled energy, a rectifier, at least one storage component, and/or voltage regulator, power management processor and/or system.

9. The invention of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is or contains at least one remote control.

10. The invention of claim 9, wherein said at least one remote control further comprises at least one button and/or switch or other controller capable of producing a signal corresponding to at least one said tag that, when depressed or initiated or activated, causes a query signal to be sent from said tracking initiator assembly and/or said remote control to said at least one said tag.

11. The invention of claim 1, wherein said wireless low power removeably attachable Tag further comprises at least one of the following:

a speaker, an audio or sound producing device, a lighting system, a light source, and/or a vibrating device.

12. The invention of claim 11, wherein the at least one control device can send at least one signal from the at least one communication transmitter device or communication transmitter/receiver device located in the control device to the at least one communication receiver device or communication transmitter/receiver device located in/on/as tracking apparatus that results in the at least one speaker and/or audio device, if present, emitting a sound, the lighting system and/or light system, if present, illuminating, the vibrating device, if present, vibrating, and/or the at least one communication receiver device or communication transmitter/receiver device transmitting sending at least one signal to the at least one communication transmitter device or communication transmitter/receiver device.

16. The wireless locating device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

at least one LED light;

at least one switch and/or at least one sensor and/or at least one connector;

circuitry to control at least one LED light; and

/or

a transparent and/or translucent flexible exterior material permitting the transmission of light.

17. The wireless locating device of claim 1, whereby at least one of the following:

said at least one switch and/or at least one sensor and/or at least one connector can be sensed by and/or connected to electronics;

said at least one switch and/or at least one sensor can be at least one of motion and/or acceleration and/or impact activated;

motion and/or said at least one sensor output can cause electronics to remain active for a minimum period of time;

if motion and/or said at least one sensor output has not caused activation for said minimum period of time, the electronics enters a low current sleep mode to conserve battery energy;

motion and/or said at least one sensor output can initiate wake up of electronics from a low current mode;

the wireless locating device further comprises electronics able to control the lighting of said at least one LED light in at least one sequence; and

/or

said at least one switch and/or at least one sensor activation can initiate at least one lighting sequence.

18. The wireless locating device of claim 17, whereby at least one:

lighting sequence is at least one of the following;

repetitive, and/or random;

lighting sequence can incorporate at least one of the following;

constant timing, variable timing, and/or a dimming function;

sensor can sense acoustic energy and/or audio from the environment and convert said acoustic energy and/or audio into a signal; and

/or

said at least one connector is a connector and/or jack for connecting to an audio source and/or power.

19. The wireless locating device of claim 18, whereby said signal can be resolved into frequency and/or amplitude and/or a combination thereof.

20. The wireless locating device of claim 19, whereby said frequency and/or amplitude and/or a combination thereof can control or affect the pattern and or intensity of LED lighting.

21. The invention of claim 1, whereby the housing is flexible and bendable and it has an attaching device or method which allows for attaching to Surfaces preferably adhesive.

13. A method of use for a wireless location device comprised of at least one of the following steps:

at least one of downloading, initiating, running, and/or operating the apparatus software application running in said apparatus;

placing at least one said tag possessing at least one address on or near at least one Surface and/or object that may need to be located at a future time;

turning on and/or activating said apparatus;

defining in said apparatus at least one Surface and/or object requiring location;

causing a query signal comprising said at least one address to be sent from said apparatus;

receiving said query signal by at least one tag;

tag self identification that it is or is not the tag possessing at least one address and the tag being addressed;

tag generating at least one output sequence for at least one period of time

14. The method of use for a wireless locating device of claim 13, further comprising at least one of the following steps:

hearing at least one sound emitted from the at least one speaker and/or sound system located in the at least one tag when the at least one control device sends information to, and retrieves information from the at least one tracking apparatus;

seeing at least one light emitted from the at least one light source and/or lighting system located in the at least one tracking apparatus when the at least one control device sends information to, and/or retrieves information from the at least one tracking apparatus;

feeling or listening for the vibration(s) of the at least one vibrating device located in the at least one tracking apparatus when the at least one control device sends information to, and retrieves information from the at least one tracking apparatus;

the information/data, or other signals or interaction, between the at least one control device and the at least one tracking apparatus includes distance information between the devices; and

/or

the distance information between the at least one control device and the at least one tracking apparatus can be updated and/or continuously updated as it changes.

15. The method of use for a invention of claim 14, further comprising the step of removing said tag from the at least one Surface.

22. A method for using a wireless low power flexible and removably attachable tag and corresponding locating device comprising of the following steps:

A wireless low power flexible and removably attachable tag placed on object to be tracked or located;

SOFTWARE is initiated to begin location process;

(Smart device display can display any number of potentially missing objects able to be searched for)

a docking station sends out wake-up signal the said docking station sends out code for missing object being searched for;

there is a continuous repeat while person walks around in search of missing object;

the tag with a passive receiver responds to initial wake-up signal, which generates sufficient voltage to wake up active transceiver which draws current from battery to run the active components which were formerly off and drew no current;

It determines;

Am I the address from step “

B”

you are looking for? (read binary code transmitted, compares to internal tag address)

* If No, (wait some number of No) compares, transceiver shuts off to save power

* If YES, transmit active signal with modulated unique address to hand-held initiator assembly hand-held initiator assembly receiver receives signal with modulated unique address and displays on screen of smart device that a reply has been received, and

displays a relative intensity and corresponding distance missing object is likely to be found at;

as the person(s) walks closer the return signal is correspondingly more powerful, which can be subjectively mapped into distance and/or to keep going in the same or different direction;

* as the person walks farther away the return signal is correspondingly weaker, which can be subjectively mapped into distance and/or to stop going in the same direction and change course;

* can generate in hand-held initiator assembly an audio or visual indication of getting positionally hotter or cooler;

(For instance, a series of beeps can get louder and/or more frequent as position distance encloses.)

* The tag can also emit an audio signal and/or blink lights. A lower power version can let the hand-held initiator assembly use all the power;

* when finding object shut off search mode to end search mode and enable tag to power down to conserve battery power;