US6259991B1 — Environmental location system

Claim 1

Independent Claim 115 words

A transportable localization system for use in an environment, comprising: (a) a plurality of information devices, each information device having an information code, passively communicating said information code, and being placed at a predetermined location; (b) a receiver, for receiving a communication of said information code; (c) a first memory, storing a plurality of communicated information codes; (d) a second memory, storing a map relating, for the plurality of information devices, a location of an information device with said information code of the information device; (e) an analyzer, for determining, based on the information in said first memory and said information in said second memory, a path of locations of said receiver through the environment.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 115 words

A transportable localization system for use in an environment, comprising: (a) a plurality of information devices, each information device having an information code, passively communicating said information code, and being placed at a predetermined location; (b) a receiver, for receiving a communication of said information code; (c) a first memory, storing a plurality of communicated information codes; (d) a second memory, storing a map relating, for the plurality of information devices, a location of an information device with said information code of the information device; (e) an analyzer, for determining, based on the information in said first memory and said information in said second memory, a path of locations of said receiver through the environment.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 19 words

The localization system according to claim 1 , wherein said information devices each comprise a radio frequency identification transponder.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 18 words

The localization system according to claim 2 , wherein said radio frequency identification transponders comprise passive backscatter transponders.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 21 words

The localization system according to claim 3 , wherein said passive backscatter radio frequency identification transponders comprise surface acoustic wave devices.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 22 words

The localization system according to claim 1 , wherein at least two information devices within the environment have the same information code.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 59 words

The localization system according to claim 1 , wherein said analyzer provides an error tolerant algorithm for determining a location of the receiver in the event that one or more errors of the following types occur: said predetermined location is altered, said receiver receives an erroneous information code, said receiver misreceives said information code, and said map is erroneous.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 37 words

The localization system according to claim 1 , wherein said search engine computes a correlation of sets of the stored mapping information and the sets of proximate information codes to determine consistent locations in fault tolerant manner.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 93 words

A localization system, comprising: (a) a receiver, adapted for receiving information content signals from nearby devices having predetermined locations, the information signal from any device having an information content insufficient to uniquely identify that device, said devices being distributed in a non-sequential fashion with respect to a relation between respective information content signals and device position; and (b) an analyzer, for analyzing a plurality of information content signals received in temporal proximity, with respect to stored representations of locations and respective corresponding device information content, and outputting a probable location of said receiver.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 93 words

A localization system, comprising: (a) a receiver, adapted for receiving information content signals from nearby devices having predetermined locations, the information signal from any device having an information content insufficient to uniquely identify that device, said devices being distributed in a non-sequential fashion with respect to a relation between respective information content signals and device position; and (b) an analyzer, for analyzing a plurality of information content signals received in temporal proximity, with respect to stored representations of locations and respective corresponding device information content, and outputting a probable location of said receiver.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 19 words

The localization system according to claim 8 , wherein said information devices each comprise a radio frequency identification transponder.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 18 words

The localization system according to claim 9 , wherein said radio frequency identification transponders comprise passive backscatter transponders.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 21 words

The localization system according to claim 10 , wherein said passive backscatter radio frequency identification transponders comprise surface acoustic wave devices.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 22 words

The localization system according to claim 8 , wherein at least two information devices within the environment have the same information code.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 49 words

A localization system comprising: an information device reader; a memory for storing mapping information; a memory for storing sets of proximate information device codes received by the reader; and a search engine, for searching the stored mapping information for map regions consistent with the sets of proximate information codes.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 49 words

A localization system comprising: an information device reader; a memory for storing mapping information; a memory for storing sets of proximate information device codes received by the reader; and a search engine, for searching the stored mapping information for map regions consistent with the sets of proximate information codes.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 20 words

The localization system according to claim 13 , wherein said information device reader comprises a radio frequency backscatter interrogation system.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 22 words

The localization system according to claim 13 , wherein at least two information devices within the environment have the same information code.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 61 words

An environmental location system, comprising: a distributed set of information devices, each device having a non-unique code, said devices having said codes being distributed having a pseudorandom or random relation of device code and respective device location in the environment space; and a medium, storing position information for the distributed set of information devices in conjunction with a respective non-unique code.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 61 words

An environmental location system, comprising: a distributed set of information devices, each device having a non-unique code, said devices having said codes being distributed having a pseudorandom or random relation of device code and respective device location in the environment space; and a medium, storing position information for the distributed set of information devices in conjunction with a respective non-unique code.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 54 words

The environmental location system according to claim 16 , further comprising a processor for calculating a potential ambiguity factor in a localization based on a predetermined computational criteria, and producing an indication of a dissallowed location of an information device having a particular information code in an event of said calculated potential ambiguity factor.

Claim 22

Independent Claim 73 words

A method for determining a location, comprising: dispersing through an environment space a set of encoded information devices, each having an ambiguous encoding, in a random or pseudorandom pattern; storing a mapping of codes for encoded information devices in conjunction with a location thereof in the environment space; receiving codes from a set of proximately disposed information devices; and searching the mapping to identify a location having consistent set of proximate information devices.

Claim 23

Independent Claim 73 words

A method for determining a location, comprising: dispersing through an environment space a set of encoded information devices, each having an ambiguous encoding, in a random or pseudorandom pattern; storing a mapping of codes for encoded information devices in conjunction with a location thereof in the environment space; receiving codes from a set of proximately disposed information devices; and searching the mapping to identify a location having consistent set of proximate information devices.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 65 words

The location determining method according to claim 18 , further comprising the steps of, before permanently dispersing one of said encoded information devices, calculating a potential mapping ambiguity of a position of that information device, based on a predetermined computational criteria, and producing an indication of a dissallowed location of an information device having a particular information code in an event of said potential ambiguity.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 23 words

The location determining method according to claim 18 , wherein said set of encoded information devices comprise passive backscatter radio frequency identification transponders.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 40 words

The location determining method according to claim 18 , further comprising the steps of determining a position using a secondary positioning system having characteristics differing from the set of encoded information devices; and processing the location and the position together.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 56 words

A localization system comprising: an transponder interrogator; a memory for storing mapping information, comprising a set of transponder codes and a respective corresponding predetermined location; a memory for storing sets of transponder codes of transponder encountered by said transponder interrogator; and an analyzer, for determining a corresponding map path for the stored set of transponder codes.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 56 words

A localization system comprising: an transponder interrogator; a memory for storing mapping information, comprising a set of transponder codes and a respective corresponding predetermined location; a memory for storing sets of transponder codes of transponder encountered by said transponder interrogator; and an analyzer, for determining a corresponding map path for the stored set of transponder codes.

Claim 29

Dependent Claim 30 words

The localization system according to claim 22 , wherein said transponder interrogator is adapted for mounting in a vehicle, and said transponder codes do not uniquely identify said predetermined location.

Claim 30

Independent Claim 72 words

A method for determining a path, comprising: dispersing a set of encoded information devices, each having an ambiguous encoding, in a random or pseudorandom pattern; storing a mapping of location and corresponding information codes for the encoded information devices; receiving a sequence of codes representing a path traveled through the dispersed set of encoded information devices; and identifying a mapping path consistent with the stored mapping locations based on the received sequence.

Claim 31

Independent Claim 72 words

A method for determining a path, comprising: dispersing a set of encoded information devices, each having an ambiguous encoding, in a random or pseudorandom pattern; storing a mapping of location and corresponding information codes for the encoded information devices; receiving a sequence of codes representing a path traveled through the dispersed set of encoded information devices; and identifying a mapping path consistent with the stored mapping locations based on the received sequence.

Claim 32

Dependent Claim 64 words

The path determining method according to claim 24 , further comprising the steps of, before dispersing one of said encoded information devices, calculating a potential mapping ambiguity of a position of that information device, based on a predetermined computational criteria, and producing an indication of a dissallowed location of an information device having a particular information code in an event of said potential ambiguity.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	2004-07-09	2005-01-08	2005-07-10	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	2008-07-09	2009-01-08	2009-07-10	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2012-07-09	2013-01-08	2013-07-10	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Environmental location system

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