Method and System for Calculating Directional Information Including Estimated Distance to Recently Moved or Newly Tagged Objects to a Moving, Wireless Enabled Device

Abstract

A method is disclosed for calculating a distance to objects or a nearest object to a wireless enabled device. The method includes the steps of broadcasting a signal by the wireless enabled device to data tags, receiving by the data tags the signal by the wireless enabled device, and obtaining by each of the data tags a signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device based on the signal from the wireless enabled device. Each of the data tags in a range transmits a signal to the wireless enabled device including the signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device. Each signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device is communicated to a positioning and communication system.

We claim: 
     
         1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for calculating an estimated distance to recently moved or newly tagged objects as a wireless enabled device moves around an environment, the method comprising:
 receiving by each of the data tags of the recently moved or recently tagged objects a signal including a signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device based on movements of the wireless enabled device around the environment and in accordance with how long the wireless enabled device stood in front of a certain object or at least one reference point or an access point in the environment;   transmitting by each of the data tags associated with the moved or recently tagged objects a signal to the wireless enabled device including the signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device;   communicating each signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device to a positioning and communication system;   calculating the estimating distance responsive to each signal strength indicator by the positioning and communication system; and   communicating by the positioning and communication system to the wireless enabled device a list of items, objects, or locations including whether the recently moved or newly tagged objects are to a left, right, in front, back, above or below the wireless enabled device.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the signal by the wireless enabled device includes a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the signal strength indicator is computed from the UDP by each of the data tags of the moved or recently tagged objects. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein communicating each signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device includes each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects communicate with a dynamic wireless network each signal strength indicator that indicates which of the recently moved or newly tagged objects are included within a dynamic wireless network. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein communicating each signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device includes the wireless enabled device communicates with a dynamic wireless network each signal strength indicator that indicates which data tags or tagged objects that are part of the dynamic wireless network. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising broadcasting a signal by the wireless enabled device to data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects, the broadcasting using an AdHoc network for sending messages between device locations systems, the positioning and communications system, and the wireless enabled device. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein communicating each signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device to a positioning and communication system includes communicating each signal strength indicator to a Wi-Fi network to communicate location based on relative signal strength within an information repository which objects a device location system and the positioning and communications system are associated. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising broadcasting a signal a Wi-Fi scanning signal by the wireless enabled device to the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising attenuating the signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device to control range within which transmitting by each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects a signal to the wireless enabled device including the signal strength indicator of the wireless enabled device. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising transmitting a beacon signal by the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects and the wireless enabled device performs a Wi-Fi scan to obtain the beacon signal and the wireless enabled device calculates the Signal Strength Indicator in response to the received beacon signal. 
     
     
         30 . A system for measuring relative signal strength of an wireless enabled device as moving around an environment of recently moved or newly tagged objects, the system comprising:
 data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged obtain a signal strength indicator from a signal transmitted from each of at least one wireless enabled device responsive to movements of the wireless enabled device around the environment and in accordance with how long the wireless enabled device stood in front of a certain object or at least one reference point or an access point in the environment; and in response, each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects transmit a signal to the wireless enabled device including the signal strength indicator of each of the at least one wireless enabled device; and   a positioning and communication system configured to communicate with each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects and receive at least one signal strength indicator of each of the at least one wireless enabled device and communicate with each of the at least one wireless enabled device a list of items, objects, or locations including whether the recently moved or newly tagged objects are to a left, right, in front, back, or above or below, wherein the list of items, objects, or locations being responsive to an estimated distance calculated based on the relative signal strength of the wireless enabled device movements around the environment.   
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein the signal transmitted by the at least one wireless enabled device includes a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the signal strength indicator is computed from the UDP by each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects of each of the at least one wireless enabled device. 
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 30 , wherein each signal strength indicator of the at least one wireless enabled device includes each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects communicates with a dynamic wireless network each signal strength indicator to obtain which data tags or tagged objects are part of a dynamic wireless network. 
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 30 , further comprising an Adhoc network configured to send messages between device locations systems, the positioning and communications system, and the at least one wireless enabled device. 
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 30 , further comprising a relative location system that communicate with the positioning and communication system communicating each signal strength indicator of the at least one wireless enabled device to a positioning and communication system includes the relative location system that communicates each signal strength indicator to a Wi-Fi network to communicate location based on relative signal strength within an information repository from which objects a device location system and the positioning and communications system are associated. 
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 30 , further comprising each of the data tags of the newly moved or newly tagged objects being configured to attenuate the signal strength indicator of the at least one wireless enabled device to control range within which by each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects transmit a signal to the at least one wireless enabled device including the signal strength indicator of the at least one wireless enabled device. 
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 30 , further comprising each of the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects transmits a beacon signal by the data tags of the recently moved or newly tagged objects and the at least one wireless enabled device performs a Wi-Fi scan to obtain the beacon signal and calculates the Signal Strength Indicator in response to a received beacon signal.