US 2026/0287756 A1 · METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENABLING LOCATION FINDING AND MESSAGE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF DIGITAL COMPASS DEVICES

Abstract

A digital compass device is provided that is capable of communicating with other digital compass devices without requiring use of cellular or Wi-Fi networks. The digital compass device gathers location data via GPS signals and uses radio signals to create a mesh network which is capable of relaying information across all nodes in the mesh network. The digital compass device can be held in a user's hand, attached to clothing or personal items, and/or worn as an accessory. The front face of the digital compass device displays LED lights, which are capable of showing a user the location of other users, displaying text messages, alerts, notifications, light effects and/or animations. The digital compass device is able to pair with an external application, such as a mobile device application, which provides access to a number of additional features.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A device comprising:

an outer shell, wherein the outer shell houses one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs), and further wherein the one or more PCBs are communicatively coupled with:
one or more navigational assistance assemblies;
one or more communications assemblies;
a visual display mechanism;
and
a microcontroller, including at least one processor and at least one memory, the microcontroller configured to:
obtain, using the one or more navigational assistance assemblies, positional data indicating a location of the device;
transmit, using the one or more communications assemblies, the positional data indicating the location of the device to one or more additional devices;
receive, using the one or more communications assemblies, positional data associated with one or more of the additional devices;
and
display, using the visual display mechanism, a visual representation of the positional data associated with one or more of the additional devices.

8 more elements

A method for implementing a redundancy layer for enhancing reliability of location finding and message communication between a plurality of digital compass devices comprising:

providing two or more digital compass devices to two or more users, wherein the two or more digital compass devices form an associated group of compass devices;
pairing each digital compass device in the group of compass devices with each of the other digital compass devices in the group of compass devices;
for at least one of the paired digital compass devices in the group of compass devices:
additionally pairing the digital compass device with a mobile phone associated with a user of the digital compass device, wherein the mobile phone has stored thereon an internet-connected application capable of facilitating communication with one or more of the digital compass devices in the group of compass devices;
for each paired digital compass device in the group of compass devices:
obtaining positional data representing a location of the digital compass device;
transmitting the positional data representing the location of the digital compass device to one or more of the other paired digital compass devices in the group of compass devices;
receiving positional data associated with one or more of the other paired digital compass devices in the group of compass devices;
generating a visual representation of the positional data associated with one or more of the other paired digital compass devices in the group of compass devices;
and
displaying the visual representation of the positional data to the user of the digital compass device.

8 more elements

A system for enabling proximity detection between navigational devices comprising:

a first navigational device, including:
one or more radio assemblies;
a visual display mechanism;
and
a microcontroller, including at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the microcontroller is configured to:
continually broadcast a hot/cold packet including an ID of the first navigational device to one or more other navigational devices distinct from the first navigational device, wherein the one or more other navigational devices includes a second navigational device;
receive a first hot/cold packet from the second navigational device;
upon receipt of the first hot/cold packet, measure and record the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the first hot/cold packet;
receive a second hot/cold packet from the second navigational device;
upon receipt of the second hot/cold packet, measure and record the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the second hot/cold packet;
measure a difference between the RSSI of the first hot/cold packet and the RSSI of the second hot/cold packet;
based on the difference between the RSSI of the first hot/cold packet and the RSSI of the second hot/cold packet, determine a relative distance between the first navigational device and the second navigational device;
generate proximity data based on the determination of relative distance between the first navigational device and the second navigational device;
generate a visual representation of the proximity data;
and
display, using the visual display mechanism, the visual representation of the proximity data to a user of the navigational device.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for enabling location finding and message communication between a plurality of digital compass devices

Life of this patent

Method and system for enabling location finding and message communication between a plurality of digital compass devices

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22