US 12,245,121 B2
Item tracking system that switches between short-range and long-range location services
Gary Leung, San Jose, CA (US); Venu Gutlapalli, San Diego, CA (US); and Joseph Reddy, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to Ferret Systems Inc., La Jolla, CA (US)
Filed by Ferret Systems Inc., La Jolla, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/068,966.
Application 18/068,966 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2022/035605, filed on Jun. 29, 2022.
Application PCT/US2022/035605 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/507,767, filed on Oct. 21, 2021, granted, now 11,392,885, issued on Jul. 19, 2022.
Application 17/507,767 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/362,840, filed on Jun. 29, 2021, granted, now 11,232,390, issued on Jan. 25, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0128550 A1, Apr. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 4/80 (2018.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); G06Q 10/087 (2023.01)
CPC H04W 4/80 (2018.02) [H04W 4/029 (2018.02); G06Q 10/087 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An item tracking system that switches between a short-range communication interface and a long-range communication interface, comprising:
a multiplicity of tracking labels, each tracking label of said multiplicity of tracking labels comprising
a unique identifier;
a long-range wireless communication interface configured to receive navigation signals from a plurality of long-range transmitters;
a short-range wireless communication interface configured to receive localization signals from one or more short-range communication devices located in a local area;
a controller coupled to said short-range wireless communication interface and to said long-range wireless communication interface;
wherein said controller is configured to
when said short-range wireless communication interface establishes communication with said one or more short-range communication devices, disable said long-range wireless communication interface;
when said short-range wireless communication interface loses communication with said one or more short-range communication devices, enable said long-range wireless communication interface;
calculate a location of said each tracking label from either or both of said navigation signals and said localization signals at a sequence of times; and,
transmit tracking label update messages over either or both of said short-range wireless communication interface and said long-range wireless communication interface, wherein each tracking label update message of said tracking label update messages comprises said unique identifier of said each tracking label;
a time; and,
said location of said each tracking label at said time;
a database comprising a tracking history associated with each tracking label of said multiplicity of tracking labels;
a server coupled to said database, wherein said server is configured to
receive one or more tracking label update messages associated with said each tracking label; and, add contents of said each tracking label update message to said tracking history associated with said each tracking label.