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
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A personal items network, including several items, each item having a wireless communications port for coupling in network with every other item is provided. Each item has a processor for determining if any other item in the network is no longer linked to the item, and 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 is also provided. The method includes 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.
Claims14
A personal items network, comprising a plurality of items, each item having:
- a wireless communications port for communicating with at least one other item in the personal items network;
- a processor for:
- determining if the item in the personal items network is no longer communicating with the at least one other item, and
- storing at least one of time and location information for the item in memory in response to determining that the item is no longer communicating with the at least one other item;
- and
- an indicator embedded within the item for providing an output informing a user that the item is no longer communicating with the at least one other item based on the time and location information stored in memory, wherein a user may locate the at least one other item from the output provided by the indicator on the item.
A personal item that networks with other personal items to annotate time or location when lost, comprising:
- a transceiver associated with the personal item, to wirelessly communicate with other personal items;
- a processor associated with the personal item, for:
- determining if one of the other personal items initially networked with the personal item is no longer wirelessly communicating with the personal item, and
- storing at least one of time and location information of the personal item in memory in response to determining that the personal item is no longer communicating with the one of the other personal items;
- and
- an indicator embedded within the personal item for providing an output informing a user, based on the time and location information stored in memory, that the one of the other personal items is no longer wirelessly communicating with the personal item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.