Sensory and control system for local area networks
DCFirst Claim
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1. An object location and tracking system for tracking infrared transmitters that transmit identifying codes, comprising:
- a computer network for passing messages;
a computer connected to said network, said computer including means for sending and receiving messages over said computer network in a variable-based protocol that implements object identifier variables;
a plurality of infrared sensors for receiving transmitted identifying codes from the infrared transmitters, said plurality of infrared sensors providing signals containing the transmitted identifying codes; and
interface circuitry coupling said plurality of infrared sensors to said computer network, said interface circuitry including means for providing to said computer network object identifier variables in the variable-based protocol corresponding to the transmitted identifying codes received from said signals from said plurality of infrared sensors.
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Abstract
An object location, control, and tracking system is implemented using an object identifier variable-based protocol such as SNMP. Infrared sensors, touch memory ports, passive infrared sensors, and external device controllers are all accessed using object identifier variables and in this way stimuli events are reported to a computer on the network, and the external devices are controlled responsive to the stimuli.
238 Citations
19 Claims
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1. An object location and tracking system for tracking infrared transmitters that transmit identifying codes, comprising:
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a computer network for passing messages; a computer connected to said network, said computer including means for sending and receiving messages over said computer network in a variable-based protocol that implements object identifier variables; a plurality of infrared sensors for receiving transmitted identifying codes from the infrared transmitters, said plurality of infrared sensors providing signals containing the transmitted identifying codes; and interface circuitry coupling said plurality of infrared sensors to said computer network, said interface circuitry including means for providing to said computer network object identifier variables in the variable-based protocol corresponding to the transmitted identifying codes received from said signals from said plurality of infrared sensors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 19)
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13. A method for tracking and locating objects in a system with a computer network, a computer connected to the computer network, infrared sensors, and interface circuitry connecting the computer network to the infrared sensors, the infrared sensors being adapted to receive unique identifying codes from infrared transmitters, comprising the steps of:
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providing object identifier variables in the interface circuitry, said object identifier variables adapted for being communicated over the computer network in a variable based protocol; receiving in one of the infrared sensors a transmission from one of the infrared transmitters containing a unique identifying code; sending the received unique identifying code from the infrared sensor to the interface circuitry; providing the unique identifying code in the interface circuitry to the computer network in association with an object identifier variable; and receiving in the computer the unique identifying code from the network by accessing its associated object identifier variable. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for tracking and locating objects in a system with a computer network, a computer connected to the computer network, infrared sensors, and interface circuitry connecting the computer network to the infrared sensors, the infrared sensors being adapted to receive unique identifying codes from infrared transmitters, also for providing physical responses and the system also having an external device controller, comprising the steps of:
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receiving in one of the infrared sensors a transmission from one of the infrared transmitters containing a unique identifying code; sending the received unique identifying code from the infrared sensor to the interface circuitry; providing the unique identifying code in the interface circuitry to the computer network; receiving in the computer the unique identifying code from the network; sending a message from the computer to the external device controller, the message containing an identification of a channel of the external device controller instructing the external device controller to activate the channel, said message sent in response to said unique identifying code provided by the interface circuitry to the computer network; and activating in the external device controller the channel identified in said sending a message step in response to receiving said message sent by the computer.
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Specification