The present disclosure relates to a system and method of using code-scannable tags to facilitate the return of lost electronic devices or other valuable personal items to their owner.
Some systems of returning lost electronic devices require the owner of the device to track down the device using “Find my phone” or other software. Such software only works while the electronic device has charge, or for a brief period after the electronic device runs out of charge. Other systems of returning lost electronic devices and other lost personal items require the finder of the item to return the device to a police station and for the owner of the device to contact the relevant police station. Many finders and owners may be reluctant to attend a police station, police stations are not always conveniently located, owners may not know which police station to contact or may contact the police station before the device is returned there. Other systems of returning lost electronic devices and other lost personal items require direct communication between the finder and the owner. People may be uncomfortable with such communication, it may not be desirable or safe to share the personal information required to facilitate return of the lost device with a stranger, and the finder may try to extort money from the owner in exchange for returning the device. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a system to facilitate efficient retrieval of lost electronic devices and other lost personal items by their owner which lessens the problems of conventional systems.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.
The present disclosure in a preferred aspect has a machine readable code that is affixed to an item, such that when the finder of the lost item takes the item to a repository for a business identified on that machine readable code, a machine of the business can read the code and associate it with the data of the person who purchased that machine readable code or other person nominated by them which is stored on a database of the business or a third party associated with the business, and the data of the person is used to return the lost item to the person who purchased that machine readable code or other person nominated by them. The machine readable code may be any one or more of the following: a barcode; QR code; hologram; special symbol etched, engraved or lasered into the device; or a microdot with RFID technology.
The present disclosure in one aspect sets forth a system to facilitate efficient retrieval of any type of lost item such as: a wallet; a diabetes or anaphylaxis kit, or any other medical device; a pair of sunglasses, a watch or any other jewellery. The present disclosure in another aspect sets forth a system to facilitate efficient retrieval of lost electronic devices, such as: a mobile phone, headphones, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer. In this embodiment, it is an advantage of the system that it is not dependent upon whether or not the electronic device has charge. For example, in a preferred embodiment, a code-scannable tag is applied to the electronic device, which can be scanned by a scanner that inputs the scanned code data into a database of owner names and addresses, and no functionality or participation is required of the electronic device itself. This advantageously eliminates the need for the device to have any charge.
The present disclosure in another aspect sets forth a system to facilitate efficient retrieval of lost electronic devices and other lost personal items via a trusted intermediary. In particular, in a preferred embodiment, the finder returns the lost items to the post office, where the code-scannable tag on the device is scanned by a scanner, and then the device is posted to the address associated with that code-scannable tag. This advantageously eliminates the need for finders and owners to have direct communication or share personal information with each other.
The present disclosure in a further aspect sets forth a system to facilitate efficient retrieval of lost electronic devices and other lost personal items irrespective of the location of the repository to which they are returned or the delay before the lost personal items are returned.
The present disclosure in yet a further aspect facilitates retrieval of lost electronic devices by the finder, by providing convenient repositories that exist in multiple, neutral locations, reducing the logistical, psychological and other barriers that might otherwise reduce the rate of finder return of lost electronic devices. Such repositories may include, for example, Post Office boxes and Post Offices, and parcel carrier locations.
The present disclosure in one optional aspect facilitates payment of the cost to return the lost item up-front at the time of purchase of the code scannable tag. The prepayment made at the time of purchase of the code-scannable tag covers shipping nation-wide, and the name and address data entered into the database at the time of purchase of application of the code-scannable tag means the owner has taken all necessary steps to facilitate retrieval prior to loss of the device. To the advantage of the operator of the system, this option better provides that the running costs of the system are covered in advance, and minimises the administrative burden (and associated running costs) of chasing owners for payment. To the owner's advantage, this option speeds up the retrieval process and may also fix the price of retrieval at a rate that is lower than market rate for retrieval at the time the electronic device is lost (however, in one embodiment, the system may allow for a top up payment to be requested if the pre-payment is not sufficient to cover market rate for retrieval at the time the electronic device is lost).
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. In the present specification and claims, the word “comprising” and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each of the stated integers, but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.
It will be appreciated that reference herein to “preferred” or “preferably” is intended as exemplary only. The claims as filed and attached with this specification are hereby incorporated by reference into the text of the present description.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
It will be appreciated that the steps described above may be performed in a different order, varied, or certain steps omitted entirely without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may be varied considerably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The number of QR codes used, placement of the QR codes, shape of the QR codes may be varied without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, two or more QR codes 106 may be used, each linking to a different database 130 holding different information and requiring a different type of scanner 126 for increased security. As another example of helping ensure return to a genuine owner of the item, the method may include determining the presence of a supplemental device associated with the owner, the presence being within a predetermined radius of where the lost item was found, the supplemental device including a GPS chip for location determination, the method further including alerting the supplemental device upon determination of a match, and upon determination that the supplemental device is within the predetermined radius. The supplemental device may be a communications device such as a smartphone and/or tablet, or even smart eyewear.
The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with the features of other embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure in a preferred form provides the advantages of easy delivery of lost electronic devices by the finder to repositories that exist in multiple locations, making it more likely that finders will return items, return those items in a timely fashion, protect the finder and owner privacy and safety by avoiding disclosure of finder or owner personal information to the other, reduce the risk of extortion by the finder, and render it immaterial whether the lost electronic device is charged or not.
Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of forms of the embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021900957 | Mar 2021 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/AU2022/050286 | 3/30/2022 | WO |