Wireless tracking system for personal items

• US 7,187,936 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: J3 Keeper LLC
• Original Assignee: J3 Keeper LLC
• Inventors: Miller, John D., Allyn, James F., Chu, Sheng-Hui J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu; Meless
• Application Number:
  US11/025,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20060135178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 4553431-3435, 455/150.1, 455/151.2, 455/181.1, 4554561-4566, 455/557, 455/418, 455566-567, 455410-411, 455/414.1, 455/414.4, 455420-421, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/95, 455/457, 455/517, 455/550, 455 411- 413, 455100-101, 455/263, 455/574, 455/3.03, 455 68- 71, 455/183.2, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 455227-129, 455230-231, 455350-355, 340/568.1, 340/571, 340/571.1, 340/572.2, 340/572.3, 340/572.4, 340/573.1, 340/7.32, 340/309.16, 370310-311, 713320-321
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions

Abstract

A radio frequency transmission device including electronic circuitry. A digital logic circuit is alternate-able from a sleep mode to an active mode after a pre-determined time period, and back to the sleep mode immediately after transmission of a digital signal. The digital signal includes a unique and pre-determined sequence of fixed length pulses routed to a transmission circuit to transmit a radio signal in a specific frequency range. An output display signal from the output circuitry is displayed with an LED. An input circuitry is manually activated. A radio frequency signal is received with a receiver circuitry, sensed to determine if the received signal has a compatible characteristic of an expected signal. The radio frequency signal is converted into a digital form and sent to the microprocessor. Every associated transmitter device is tracked with a counter maintained by a microprocessor. Personnel, belongings and pets can be tracked with this device.

Claims

1. A radio frequency receiving device comprising:

an electronic circuitry including a microprocessor, a memory unit, a button, an LED, a speaker device, and a radio frequency receiver circuitry;

the memory unit comprised of a DRAM, the DRAM for storing an instruction to direct an action of the microprocessor;

the button depressible to manually activate an input circuitry, the input circuitry for sending input signals to the microprocessor;

the microprocessor having an output circuitry;

the LED for displaying an output display signal from the output circuitry;

the electronic circuitry having an internal state, the internal state including a sleep mode, an active mode and an alarm mode;

the radio frequency receiver circuitry for receiving a radio frequency signal from a radio frequency transmitter;

the radio frequency receiver circuitry for sensing and determining if the radio frequency signal has a compatible characteristic of an expected signal;

the radio frequency receiver circuitry for converting the radio frequency signal into a digital form;

the radio frequency receiver circuitry for sending the digital form to the microprocessor

a counter maintained by the microprocessor, the counter for tracking a cumulative number of the digital form of the radio frequency signals received by the radio frequency receiver circuitry;

an incremental advancement of the counter by the microprocessor;

a check by the microprocessor of the counter to determine if the counter is above an upper count limit of the counter, the upper count limit fixed and pre-determined for the radio frequency receiving device; and

the alarm mode entered into by the microprocessor, if the microprocessor determines in the check of the counter that the counter above the upper count limit.

2. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 1, wherein:

the microprocessor is wake-able from the sleep mode after a fixed, pre-determined period of time, to check the input circuitry and so determine if a reset button has been depressed, the microprocessor able to zero the counter and store into the DRAM; and

the microprocessor returnable into the sleep mode.

3. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 1, wherein:

said counter is a multiple of counters and said radio frequency transmitter tracked by the microprocessor is a multiple of radio frequency transmitters, and the incremental advancement of each counter by said microprocessor is individually maintained for each of the multiple of radio frequency transmitters.

4. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 3, wherein:

the check by the microprocessor of the counter for each of the multiple of radio frequency transmitters that it keeps track to determine if any of the multiple of counters is above the upper count limit of the counter, the upper count limit fixed and pre-determined for the radio frequency receiving device.

5. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 4, wherein:

the alarm mode is entered into by the microprocessor if the microprocessor determines in the check of the counter for each of the tracked multiple of radio frequency transmitters, that the counter of one of the tracked multiple of radio frequency transmitters is above the upper count limit.

6. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 1, wherein:

said microprocessor sends digital data to its output circuitry to turn the LED'"'"'s on and off based on the internal state of the radio frequency receiving device as determined by the microprocessor.

7. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 1, wherein:

the microprocessor sends a data signal to the speaker to make a sounding alarm to a user of the device if the microprocessor is in the alarm mode.

8. The radio frequency receiving device of claim 1, wherein:

the microprocessor sets the electronic circuitry into the sleep mode immediately after the microprocessor has finished all processing tasks.

9. A method of a radio frequency receiving device comprising the steps of:

a) providing an electronic circuitry, the electronic circuitry including a microprocessor having an output circuitry, a memory unit comprised of a DRAM, a button, an LED, a speaker device, and a radio frequency receiver circuitry;

b) powering the electronic circuitry by a battery, the electronic circuitry having a sleep mode and an active mode;

c) displaying an output display signal from the output circuitry with the LED;

d) manually activating an input circuitry with the button;

e) sending an input signal to the microprocessor with the input circuitry;

f) receiving a radio frequency signal with the radio frequency receiver circuitry;

g) sensing and determining with the radio frequency receiver circuitry if the radio frequency signal has a compatible characteristic of an expected signal;

h) converting the radio frequency signal into a digital form with the radio frequency receiver circuitry;

i) sending the digital form to the microprocessor of the radio frequency receiver circuitry;

j) tracking each of a plurality of radio frequency transmitter devices with a counter, the counter maintained by the microprocessor unit of the radio frequency receiving device;

k) advancing incrementally a counter by the microprocessor;

1) checking with the microprocessor to determine if the counter is above an upper count limit of the counter, the upper count limit fixed and pre-determined for the radio frequency receiving device; and

m) entering an alarm state by the microprocessors, if the microprocessor determines in the check of the counter that the counter of one of the plurality of the radio frequency transmitter devices is above the upper count limit.

10. The method of the radio frequency receiving device of claim 9, with the additional steps of:

n) determining an appropriate further action with a series of instructions stored in the DRAM; and

o) executing a series of instructions with the microprocessor.

11. The method of the radio frequency receiving device of claim 9, with the additional steps of:

n) waking the microprocessor from the sleep mode after a fixed, pre-determined period of time;

o) checking the input circuitry to determine if the button has been depressed;

p) setting the microprocessor into a setup mode;

q) resetting a microprocessor internal state and the counters of each of the plurality of the radio frequency transmitter devices;

r) storing the data received by the microprocessor from the radio frequency receiver circuitry into the DRAM.

12. The method of the radio frequency receiving device of claim 9, with the additional steps of:

n) sending a digital data from said microprocessor to its output circuitry

o) selectively activating or deactivating said LED'"'"'s, based on an internal state of the radio frequency receiving device as determined by the microprocessor.

13. The method of the radio frequency receiving device of claim 9, with the additional steps of:

n) sending a digital data to the speaker device to activate a sounding alarm.

14. The method of the radio frequency receiving device of claim 9, with the additional steps of:

n) setting the electronic circuitry into the sleep mode immediately after the microprocessor has finished all processing tasks.