Caching sticker profiles within a sticker communication system

Abstract

A sticker attachable to an item of goods, including a processor, a storage communicatively coupled with the processor, storing a unique address for the sticker, storing operation code for the processor, and storing a plurality of data messages, wherein data messages include an address of a source sticker, an address of a destination computer and data relating to current properties of the source sticker, a wireless communicator for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data messages, and a power source supplying power to the processor, the storage and the wireless communicator, wherein the operation code includes instructions causing the processor to transmit data messages stored in the storage via the wireless communicator to currently nearby stickers that are within range of the wireless communicator, to receive data messages from the nearby stickers, and to store the received data messages in the storage.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sticker attachable to an item of goods, comprising:
 a processor;   a storage communicatively coupled with said processor, storing a unique address for the sticker, storing operation code for said processor, and storing a plurality of data messages, wherein data messages include an address of a source sticker, an address of a destination computer and data relating to current properties of the source sticker;   a wireless communicator communicatively coupled with said processor, wirelessly transmitting and receiving data messages; and   a power source supplying power to said processor, said storage and said wireless communicator;   
       wherein the operation code includes instructions causing said processor to transmit data messages stored in said storage via said wireless communicator to currently nearby stickers that are within range of said wireless communicator, to receive data messages from the nearby stickers, and to store the received data messages in said storage. 
     
     
         2 . The sticker of  claim 1  further comprising an internal clock providing a current time, and wherein data messages further includes the current time. 
     
     
         3 . The sticker of  claim 1  further comprising a location identifier providing a current location of the sticker, and wherein a data messages further include the current location of the sticker. 
     
     
         4 . The sticker of  claim 1  wherein the operation code further includes instructions causing said processor to transmit data messages stored in said storage to a network, for forwarding to their respective designated destination computers, when an access point for the network is currently within range of said wireless communicator, and to receive control messages, originating from respective computers, via the network when an access point for the network is currently within range of said wireless communicator, wherein a control message includes an address of a source computer, an address of a destination sticker, and an instruction or an acknowledgement for the destination sticker. 
     
     
         5 . The sticker of  claim 4 , further comprising a display responding to instructions within control messages addressed to the sticker that are received by the sticker. 
     
     
         6 . The sticker of  claim 4 , further comprising an interface to a driver that controls a display via instructions within control messages addressed to the sticker that are received by the sticker. 
     
     
         7 . The sticker of  claim 4  wherein the access point for the network currently within range of said wireless communicator comprises at least one of a router, a gateway, a proxy and a smartphone currently within range of said wireless communicator. 
     
     
         8 . The sticker of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more interfaces to sensors that sense properties of the sticker. 
     
     
         9 . The sticker of  claim 8  wherein the sensors comprise at least one of: a motion detector, an accelerometer, a timing sensor, a gaseous sensor, a barometer, an altimeter, a thermometer, an air humidity sensor, an air density sensor, an x-ray sensor, an ultra-violet sensor, an infra-red sensor, a smoke detector, a scale for measuring weight, and a custom sensor. 
     
     
         10 . The sticker of  claim 8  wherein the properties of the sticker include at least one of: location of the sticker, velocity of the sticker, acceleration of the sticker, altitude of the sticker, temperature at the sticker's location, air humidity at the sticker's location, air density at the sticker's location, vibrations of the sticker, battery status of the sticker, light intensity at the sticker's location, acoustic level at the sticker's location, presence of smoke at the sticker's location, version of the sticker's operation code, weight of the item of goods to which the sticker is attached, an indicator of whether or not the item of goods was opened, and data generated by a custom sensor. 
     
     
         11 . The sticker of  claim 1  wherein said wireless communicator comprises one or more of: a Wi-Fi communicator, a cellular communicator, an infra-red communicator, a Bluetooth communicator, a Zigbee communicator, a Z-wave communicator, a wireless USB communicator, a radio frequency communicator, an infra-red communicator, a near-field communicator, a low power wide area network (LPWAN) communicator, a LoRaWAN communicator, a highway addressable remote transducer (HART) communicator, an EnOcean communicator, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communicator and a cellular communicator. 
     
     
         12 . The sticker of  claim 1  wherein said power source comprises one or more of: a solar power source, an RF power source, a magnetic power source and a battery. 
     
     
         13 . A communication system for stickers, comprising a plurality of stickers, each sticker comprising:
 a processor;   an internal clock providing a current time;   a location identifier providing a current location;   a storage communicatively coupled with said processor, storing a unique address for the sticker, storing operation code for said processor, and storing a plurality of data messages, wherein a data message includes an address of a source sticker, an address of a destination computer, a current time, a current location, and data relating to current properties of the source sticker;   a wireless communicator for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data messages; and   a power source supplying power to said processor, said storage and said wireless communicator,   
       wherein the operation codes of the stickers cause the processors of the stickers:
 to transmit data messages stored within the stickers' storages to other stickers that are currently nearby, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators; 
 to receive data messages stored within storages of other stickers that are currently nearby to the stickers, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators; 
 to store data messages received from nearby stickers within the stickers' storages; and 
 to further transmit, by a subset of the stickers, data messages stored in the stickers' storages to the data messages' respective designated destination computers via a network, when there are access points to the network currently nearby the stickers, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  wherein the operation codes of the stickers further cause the processor of the stickers:
 to receive, by the subset of the stickers, control messages from respective computers via the network, when there are access points for the network currently nearby the stickers, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators, wherein an control message includes an address of a source computer, an address of a destination sticker, and an instruction or an acknowledgement for the destination sticker; 
 to transmit control messages stored within the stickers' storages that are not addressed to the stickers, to other stickers that are currently nearby to the stickers, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators; 
 to receive control messages stored within storages of other stickers that are currently nearby to the stickers, within range of the stickers' wireless communicators; 
 to store received control messages within the stickers' storages, when the received control messages are not addressed to the sticker; and 
 to perform the instructions within received control messages, when the received control messages are addressed to the sticker. 
 
     
     
         15 . A method of communication among a plurality of stickers, comprising:
 for each one of a plurality of uniquely addressable stickers, each sticker including a storage storing messages and including a wireless communicator transmitting and receiving messages, transmitting messages stored within the sticker's storage to other stickers that are currently nearby to the sticker, within range of the sticker's wireless communicator, wherein a message includes a source address, a destination address, and data;   receiving, by each sticker, messages stored within storages of other stickers that are currently nearby to the sticker, within range of the sticker's wireless communicator;   determining, by each sticker, if a received message is addressed to the sticker;
 if said determining is affirmative, then performing, by the sticker, instructions based on data in the received message; and 
 otherwise, storing, by the sticker, the received message within the sticker's storage; 
   further transmitting, by each one of a subset of the stickers, messages stored in the sticker's storage to the messages' respective destination addresses via a network, when there is an access point for the network currently nearby the sticker, within range of the sticker's wireless communicator; and   further receiving, by each one of the subset of the stickers, messages from a computer via the network, when there is an access point for the network currently nearby the sticker, within range of the sticker's wireless communicator.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the data within a message comprises a current time, a current location and data relating to current properties of the source sticker. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the data within a message comprises an instruction for activating a display coupled with the destination sticker designated in the message. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising deleting, by the stickers, messages stored in the sticker's storage upon receiving acknowledgements that the messages successfully reached their destination addresses. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising causing, by each sticker, a receiver of the sticker's wireless communicator to enter a sleep mode for a first designated period of time after successful completion of said transmitting. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising causing, by each sticker, a transmitter of the sticker's wireless communicator to enter a sleep mode for a second designated period of time after successful completion of said receiving.