Direction signage system

• US 7,375,634 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Sprague, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US11/198,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20070030152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/932.2, 340/935
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/1424 Electronic display devices
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0096 Identification of the cart or merchandise, e.g. by barcodes or radio frequency identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

An electronic signage for directing persons to desired locations.

Claims

1. A direction finding system comprising:

at least one electronically-readable tag;

a plurality of mobile controllers, each mobile controller comprising;

a mobile visual directional display, an electronic input device, and an electronic interrogator operatively configured to detect the electronically-readable tag;

said direction finding system further comprising stationary electronic signage operatively coupled to the electronic interrogator, the electronic signage comprising a stationary display and being operatively configured to alter a directional indication upon said stationary display in response to changes of relative location of the tag in relation to the electronic interrogator,

wherein the stationary display is configured to display multiple directional indications for at least two mobile controllers simultaneously.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the electronically-readable tag is an RFID tag.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the stationary display is an emissive or non-emissive display.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the directional indication is at least in part graphical.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the directional indication is at least in part in written language.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiple directional indications for the at least two mobile controllers are different.

6. A visual directional electronic system comprising

at least one object marker associated with an object, the object marker being operatively configured to store information indicative of an identity of the object;

a plurality of location markers each positioned at one of a plurality of locations and operatively configured to store information associable with the location of the location marker;

electronic signage comprising a display operatively configured to visually display directional information;

a plurality of a mobile interrogators, each mobile interrogator having comprising detection circuitry capable of detecting location markers;

a processor operatively connected to the interrogator and the electronic signage, the processor being operatively configured to receive input as to the identity of at least one object marker, and to receive input from the interrogator to determine a spatial relationship between at least one detected location marker and at least one object, and to cause change in directional information displayed on the display of the electronic signage based on such spatial relationship,

wherein the display is configured to display multiple directional information for at least two mobile interrogators simultaneously.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the object marker is an RFID tag.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the electronic signage comprises an emissive or non-emissive display.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the directional information display is at least in part graphical.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the directional information displayed is at least in part in written language.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein at least one of the location markers is an RFID tag.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the location markers are positioned along a path.

23. The system of claim 6, wherein the multiple direction information for the at least two mobile interrogators are different.

13. An electronic directional system capable of locating one or more items of a plurality of items stored in a facility, the system comprising

an object marker associated with an object, the object marker being operatively configured to store information indicative of an identity of the object;

a plurality of location markers each positioned at one of a plurality of locations and operatively configured to store information associable with the location of the location marker;

electronic signage comprising a display operatively configured to display directional information;

a plurality of a mobile interrogators, each mobile interrogator comprising detection circuitry capable of detecting location markers;

an input operatively configured to obtain information pertaining to one or more items in the facility which are desired to be obtained from the facility;

a processor operatively connected to the interrogator, the electronic signage, and the input, the processor being operatively configured to receive information as to the identity of an object from the object marker, to determine a spatial relationship between at least one location marker and the object, and to cause change in directional information displayed on the display of the electronic signage based on such spatial relationship and the input information,

wherein the display is configured to display multiple directional information for at least two mobile interrogators simultaneously.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the object marker is an RFID tag.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the electronic signage comprises an emissive or non-emissive display.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the directional information display is at least in part graphical.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the directional information displayed is at least in part in written language.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the location markers is an RFID tag.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein the multiple direction information for the at least two mobile interrogators are different.

19. A system for navigating to a desired location comprising:

a plurality of mobile controllers, each mobile controller comprising an information processor and a communication transceiver;

a plurality of routing tags providing information associable with a location of said routing tags to the processor upon receipt of a transmission from the communication transceiver;

electronic signage comprising a display operatively configured to display directional information and operatively connected to the information processor;

wherein said information processor is operatively configured to use information pertaining to said routing tags responsive to a transmission from the communication transceiver and information pertaining to the desired location to determine the appropriate directional information to be displayed on the display of the electronic signage to permit navigation of the mobile controllers to the desired location,

wherein the display is configured to display multiple directional information for at least two mobile controllers simultaneously.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein at least one of the routing tags is an RFID tag.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the electronic signage comprises an emissive or non-emissive display.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the multiple direction information for the at least two mobile controllers are different.