Unmanned device interaction methods and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9061102-B2
Application number	US-201213601082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2012
Priority date	Jul 17, 2012
Publication date	Jun 23, 2015
Grant date	Jun 23, 2015

Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for configuring an unmanned aerial device to participate in the performance of tasks, for using data resulting from such a configuration or performance, or for facilitating other interactions with such devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:
one or more propellers;
circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;
circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;
circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and
circuitry for transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a delivery of a package to a device associated with a recipient of the package, the wireless signal indicating at least one of the second unmanned aerial device or the package or a sender of the package.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

6. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:
one or more propellers;
circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;
circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;
circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and
circuitry for causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the second unmanned aerial device.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal comprises:
a proximity sensor configured to detect whether the first unmanned aerial device is within the vicinity of the portal, the vicinity being a detection range of the proximity sensor.

8. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for presenting navigation guidance via a display aboard the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

9. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

10. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the second unmanned aerial device.

11. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task.

12. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for identifying an operating mode of the second unmanned aerial device audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

13. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:
one or more propellers;
circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;
circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;
circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and
circuitry for causing a third unmanned aerial device to capture delivery data relating to the second unmanned aerial device.

14. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to an indication of the second unmanned aerial device becoming within a proximity of the first unmanned aerial device.

15. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

16. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

17. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

18. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:
the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the second unmanned aerial device and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the second unmanned aerial device.

19. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:
one or more propellers;
circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;
circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the fi

Assignees

• Levien Royce A
• Lord Richard T
• Lord Robert W
• Malamud Mark A
• Rinaldo Jr John D
• Wood Jr Lowell L
• Elwha Llc

Inventors

• Levien Royce A
• Lord Richard T
• Lord Robert W
• Malamud Mark A
• Rinaldo Jr John D
• Wood Jr Lowell L

Classifications

• G05B19/00

  Program-control systems · CPC title

• A61M5/002

  Packages specially adapted therefor, e.g. for syringes or needles, kits for diabetics (needle protection, e.g. caps, A61M5/3202; for sharps A61B50/3001) · CPC title

• A61M5/20 Primary

  Automatic syringes, e.g. with automatically actuated piston rod, with automatic needle injection, filling automatically (A61M5/142 {, A61M5/46} take precedence; {hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54}) · CPC title

• G06Q10/08

  Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management · CPC title

• A63H27/12

  Helicopters (A63H27/04 takes precedence); Flying tops · CPC title