Personal items network, and associated methods
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsCurtis A. Vock, Burl W. Amsbury, Paul Jonjak, Adrian F. Larkin, Perry Youngs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A personal items network, comprising a plurality of items, each item having a wireless communications port for coupling in network with every other item, each item having a processor for determining if any other item in the network is no longer linked to the item, each item having an indicator for informing a user that an item has left the network, wherein a user may locate lost items. A method for locating lost personal items, comprising: linking at least two personal items together on a network; and depositing one or both of time and location information in an unlost item when one of the items is lost out of network.
Claims17
1-11. (canceled)
A method for locating lost personal items, comprising:
- linking at least two personal items together on a network;
- and
- depositing one or both of time and location information in an unlost item when one of the items is lost out of network.
17-20. (canceled)
A personal item in communication with a plurality of other personal items, comprising:
- a receiver operative to receive broadcast communications from at least one of the plurality of other personal items;
- and
- a processor operative to:
- determine that a communication is no longer received from the at least one of the plurality of other personal items at a particular time;
- determine the current location of the personal item;
- and
- retain the determined current location and the particular time.
The personal item of claim 20, wherein the dedicated positioning circuitry comprises at least one of:
- GPS circuitry;
- and
- circuitry for identifying a cell phone tower, the location of which is known.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.