Zone-based command transmissions to cart wheel assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783218-B2
Application number	US-201313907351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2013
Priority date	Mar 18, 2005
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle tracking system includes a wheel assembly containing sensor circuitry capable of sensing various types of conditions, such as specific electromagnetic and/or magnetic signals indicative of particular wheel locations. The sensor circuitry is coupled to an RF transceiver, which may but need not be included within the wheel. The wheel may also include a brake mechanism. In one embodiment, the wheels are placed on shopping carts and are used to collect and monitor shopping cart status and location data via a wireless network. In some embodiments, the wheel assemblies detect that they have entered into particular zones by measuring received signal strengths of received command transmissions, and by comparing these measurements to thresholds that are used to define zone boundaries.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling usage of human-propelled carts, comprising:
a wheel assembly that attaches to a human-propelled cart, said wheel assembly comprising a wheel and communication circuitry; and
a device that transmits a command via radio frequency transmissions from an antenna, said device positioned at a fixed location to create a zone into which the cart can enter;
wherein the communication circuitry is responsive to receiving a radio frequency tr…

Assignees

• Gatekeeper Systems Inc

Inventors

• Hannah Stephen E
• Carter Scott J
• James Jesse M

Classifications

• B62B5/0423

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B62B5/048

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B62B3/1492

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G08B13/246

  Physics · mapped topic

• H02K7/1846

  Electricity · mapped topic