Electromagnetic state sensing devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11210478-B2
Application number	US-202117212106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2021
Priority date	Aug 9, 2018
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A container includes a surface and an electromagnetic state sensing device including one or more resonance portions printed on the surface of the container. Each resonance portion may include an assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures that convey information of a stored item by resonating at a predetermined frequency in response to an electromagnetic radiation ping received from a user device. The resonance portions may include at least a first resonance portion configured to convey product identification information of the stored item and a second resonance portion configured to convey product state information of the stored item. The first resonance portion conveys product identification information of the stored item in response to a first electromagnetic radiation ping having a first frequency, and the second resonance portion conveys product state information of the stored item in response to a second electromagnetic radiation ping having a second frequency different than the first frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A container configured to store an item, comprising:
a surface encapsulating the container; and
an electromagnetic state sensing device including one or more resonance portions printed on the surface of the container, each resonance portion comprising an assembly of three-dimensional (3D) carbon-containing structures printed on a corresponding portion of the surface of the container and configured to convey information of the stored item by resonating at a predetermined frequency in response to an electromagnetic radiation ping received from a user device located a distance from the container.

2. The container of claim 1 , wherein the one or more resonance portions includes at least a first resonance portion configured to convey product identification information of the stored item and a second resonance portion configured to convey product state information of the stored item.

3. The container of claim 2 , wherein the first resonance portion is configured to convey the product identification information of the stored item in response to a first electromagnetic radiation ping having a first ping frequency, and the second resonance portion is configured to convey the product state information of the stored item in response to a second electromagnetic radiation ping having a second ping frequency that is different than the first ping frequency.

4. The container of claim 3 , wherein the first resonance portion is configured to refrain from conveying the product identification information of the stored item in response to the second electromagnetic radiation ping, and the second resonance portion is configured to refrain from conveying the product state information of the stored item in response to the first electromagnetic radiation ping.

5. The container of claim 2 , wherein the first resonance portion is printed on a first area of the container surface, and the second resonance portion is printed on a second area of the container surface that is different than the first area of the container surface.

6. The container of claim 5 , wherein the first and second areas have different physical geometries.

7. The container of claim 5 , wherein the first resonance portion comprises a first carbon-containing ink printed on the first area of the container surface and has a first molecular structure, and the second resonance portion comprises a second carbon-containing ink printed on the second area of the container surface and has a second molecular structure that is different than the first molecular structure.

8. The container of claim 2 , wherein the first resonance portion includes a first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures printed on a first area of the container surface, and the second resonance portion includes a second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures printed on a second area of the container surface, the first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures having a different resonant frequency than the second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures.

9. The container of claim 8 , wherein the first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures is configured to resonate in response to a first electromagnetic radiation ping having a first ping frequency, and the second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures is configured to resonate in response to a second electromagnetic radiation ping having a second ping frequency that is different than the first ping frequency.

10. The container of claim 9 , wherein the first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures is configured to generate a first electromagnetic radiation return signal in response to the first electromagnetic radiation ping.

11. The container of claim 10 , wherein the first electromagnetic radiation return signal is based on a modulation of the first electromagnetic radiation ping by the first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures.

12. The container of claim 9 , wherein the second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures is configured to generate a second electromagnetic radiation return signal in response to the second electromagnetic radiation ping.

13. The container of claim 12 , wherein the second electromagnetic radiation return signal is based on a modulation of the second electromagnetic radiation ping by the second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures.

14. The container of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic state sensing device is configured to convey the information of the stored item to the user device via electromagnetic radiation.

15. The container of claim 1 , wherein the information includes a quantity of the stored item, a potency of the stored item, a staleness of the stored item, or any combination thereof.

16. A container configured to store one or more items, comprising:
a surface encapsulating the container; and
an electromagnetic state sensing device printed on the surface of the container and including:
a first resonance portion printed on a first area of the container surface and configured to indicate product identification information of the one or more stored items in response to a first electromagnetic radiation ping having a first ping frequency; and
a second resonance portion printed on a second area of the container surface and configured to indicate product state information of the one or more stored items in response to a second electromagnetic radiation ping having a second ping frequency that is different than the first ping frequency, wherein the second area of the container surface that is different than the first area of the container surface.

17. The container of claim 16 , wherein:
the first resonance portion includes a first assembly of three-dimensional (3D) carbon-containing structures configured to resonate at a first resonant frequency in response to the first electromagnetic radiation ping; and
the second resonance portion includes a second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures configured to resonate at a second resonant frequency in response to the second electromagnetic radiation ping, wherein the second resonant frequency is different than the first resonant frequency.

18. The container of claim 16 , wherein:
the indication of the product identification information comprises modulation of the first electromagnetic radiation ping by the first assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures; and
the indication of the product state information comprises modulation of the second electromagnetic radiation ping by the second assembly of 3D carbon-containing structures.

19. The container of claim 16 , wherein:
the first resonance portion is configured to refrain from indicating the product identification information in response to the second electromagnetic radiation ping; and
the second resonance portion is configured to refrain from indicating the product state information in response to the first electromagnetic radiation ping.

20. The container of claim 16 , wherein the first and second electromagnetic radiation pings are received from a user device within a distance of the container.

Assignees

• Lyten Inc

Inventors

• Stowell Michael W
• Lanning Bruce

Classifications

• G01F23/263

  by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors · CPC title

• G06K19/07758

  arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag · CPC title

• G06K7/10297 Primary

  arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 (cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00) · CPC title

• B65D25/20

  External fittings (of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44) · CPC title

• G06Q10/087

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title