Patent Application
20120150758
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/928,638, entitled LIFECYCLE IMPACT INDICATORS, naming Mark Aggar, Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed 14 Dec. 2010, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/135,674 having an entitled EFFICIENCY-OF-USE TECHNIQUES, naming Mark Aggar, Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Jul. 12, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/135,683 entitled USER AS PART OF A SUPPLY CHAIN, naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Jul. 12, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/199,475, entitled EFFICIENCY OF USE OF A SHARED PRODUCT naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Aug. 31, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/199,476, entitled ECOLOGICAL IMPACT QUANTIFICATION IDENTIFIERS naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Aug. 31, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/199,995, entitled MONITORING EFFICIENCY AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH A USE OF A PRODUCT naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Sep. 14, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/200,809, entitled PUBLICATION OF EFFICIENCY AND ECOLOGICAL IMPACT DATA TO A SOCIAL MEDIA INTERFACE naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Sep. 30, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/200,807, entitled DISPOSAL MODE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT MONITORING naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Sep. 30, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of the United States patent application having attorney docket number 0109-003-021-000000, entitled ECOLOGICAL IMPACT COMPLIANCE naming Christian Belady, Rob Bernard, Angel Calvo, Larry Cochrane, Jason Garms, Roderick A. Hyde, Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, Jennifer Pollard, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene, Rene Vega, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., and Feng Zhao, as inventors, filed Oct. 26, 2011, which is currently co-pending or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.
The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is a continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parent application. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The present Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) has provided above a specific reference to the application(s) from which priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language and does not require either a serial number or any characterization, such as “continuation” or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S. patent applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry requirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of a relationship between the present application and its parent application(s) as set forth above, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or not the present application contains any new matter in addition to the matter of its parent application(s).
Systems, methods, computer-readable storage mediums including computer-readable instructions and/or circuitry for determining efficiency-of-use scores related to uses of a product by two or more users may implement operations including, but not limited to: computing an efficiency-of-use score associated with a use of a first physical product of a set of products by a first user and an efficiency-of-use score associated with a use of a second physical product of the set of products by a second user; comparing the efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the first physical product by the first user to the efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the second physical product by the second user; and providing a notification according to the comparison of an efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the first product by the first user to an efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the second product by the second user.
In one or more various aspects, related systems include but are not limited to circuitry and/or programming for effecting the herein referenced aspects; the circuitry and/or programming can be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects depending upon the design choices of the system designer.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here.
The consumption of rare materials and the ecological impact caused by human behavior are both becoming serious problems for the Earth. For example, some experts estimate that our use of the ecosystem to obtain food, timber, energy, exceeds the planet's ability to provide. As if the scarcity of resources was not enough of a problem, human behavior is also causing increasing amounts of greenhouse gasses to be emitted into the atmosphere. Certain greenhouse gasses, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and nitrogen oxides, are generated by manufacturing, using, and disposing of products and the general consensus is that these greenhouse gases cause harm to the environment. For example, according to the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), greenhouse gases have caused the global surface temperature increased 0.74±0.18 C (1.33±0.32 F) during the 20th century. Climate models project that the temperature will increase another 1.1 to 6.4 C (2.0 to 11.5 F) during the 21st century. It is likely that this increase in temperature is a significant problem for living creatures. For example, the living planet index, which is an indicator of the state of global biological diversity, shows that between the period of 1970 and 2003 biodiversity fell 30 percent.
While the demand for products is causing significant damage to the environment, most people are complacent. People generally indicate that they care about the environment; however, people typically do not act in an environment friendly way because they are not aware of how their actions truly affect the environment. On reason for this may be that impact is too abstract to appreciate. For example, a person may recognize that driving a car causes harm to the environment; however, the person may not appreciate how much harm it causes because the person is not penalized nor does the person have to perceive any link between their behavior and the damage caused.
Accordingly, robust methods, systems, and computer program products are provided to, among other things; bring about an operational system wherein users can perceive how consumption behavior affects the environment in relation to their use of a shared product. In an exemplary embodiment, multiple users' use of a shared product can be quantified and a score can be calculated that reflects how efficiently a given user is using or has used the product, perhaps in comparison to other users of the same shared product. For example, use data can be mapped to a discrete set of numbers (−99 to 99), or mapped to an abstract scale, e.g., “awful,” “bad,” “neutral,” “good,” and “exceptional” to express how efficiently each user of a shared product is using that product.
Referring now to
As an aside, each location within
A product 101 can be resold to product retailer 103 (or another product retailer), donated (not shown), or sold to another user (not shown). Eventually, product 101 will be fully consumed, i.e., used up, broken, etc., and can be disposed of. A product 101 can be transported to a product disposal facility 105, e.g., landfill, recycling facility, incineration facility, etc., where it can be disposed of.
A media distribution center 106 is also illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment, ecological service provider 107 can be used generate potential-ecological impact quantifications and communicate them (or information based on them) to users at different points in the lifecycle of product 101, which is described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/928,638, entitled LIFECYCLE IMPACT INDICATORS.
In the same, or other embodiments system 108, which can include one or more computer systems having processors, memory, operating system software, network adaptors, etc., can be used to compute efficiency-of-use scores for users based on how they use products. For example, system 108 could be maintained by any number of individuals or organizations that wish to compute how efficiently users use products. In a specific example, system 108 could be maintained by the government. In this exemplary embodiment, the government can monitor how users use products (their own products) and compute efficiency-of-use scores. In another exemplary embodiment, system 108 can be controlled by a Green Organization, e.g., an entity that stands for reducing the impact humans have on the environment. In this example, enrollment with system 108 can be voluntary. In yet another exemplary embodiment, system 108 can be controlled by the owner of product 101, which could be a user or a company. In this case, the owner may require potential users to register with the system in order to use product 101. For example, if product is a rental car, system 108 could be controlled by the rental car company. In another specific example, system 108 could be controlled by a neighborhood or condo association that has communal assets that can be used by various members of the association. In this case, each person that lives in the neighborhood or is a member of the condo association may register with system 108 in order to use product 101. The system 108 may include a network module 109 configured to transceive signals between the ecological service provider 107 and one or more of the product manufacturer 102, product retailer 103, product usage location 104 and or product disposal facility 105 in order to obtain ecological impact and/or efficiency of use data associated with the product 101.
Referring now to
The user account database 203 can be maintained by the entity that controls or uses system 108. For example, suppose system 108 is setup by a rental company. In this example, user account database 203 may include user accounts for users that contract with the rental company to rent a product. In another example, suppose system 108 is setup by an energy provider utility. In this example, user account database 203 may include user accounts for users that receive energy from the utility company.
Each user account 204, can optionally include a product list 205, which can contain a listing of products associated with user account 204, i.e., products rented, borrowed, or products that the user owns. Each product in the list can be associated with information that describes its status, e.g., owned, borrowed, or disposed of, the disposal method selected to dispose of the product, how long the product has been associated with the user account, a unique serial number for the product (which can be used to associate specific instances of a product with a specific user), etc.
In another embodiment, the user account 204 can be associated with one or more efficiency-of-use scores that reflect how efficiently the user has used or is using a product 101. In an exemplary embodiment, these scores can be stored in efficiency-of-use table 206. In the same, or another embodiment, a cumulative efficiency-of-use score can be generated and stored in efficiency-of-use table 206. Briefly, the cumulative efficiency-of-use score can be a combination of efficiency-of-use scores for different products. Similar to the potential-ecological-impact quantification described briefly above, an efficiency-of-use score can be a numerical value, e.g., a value from 0 to 10, −100 to 100, etc. In a specific example, higher efficiency-of-use scores could reflect more inefficient use. Thus, a score of 0 in a specific embodiment where the score runs from 0 to 10 would reflect an extremely efficient use whereas a score of 10 would reflect an incredibly inefficient use of a product. In other exemplary embodiments, the efficiency-of-use score could be an abstract indicator such as “bad” or “good.”
As described in more detail in the following paragraphs, one or more efficiency-of-use scores can be calculated and used in a variety of ways. For example, in a specific exemplary embodiment, reward/penalty module 207 can be configured to reward or penalize the user based on his or her efficiency-of-use score. After a user finishes using a product or while the user is using the product, an efficiency-of-use score can be computed and routed to reward/penalty module 207. The reward/penalty module 207 can process the efficiency-of-use score and determine whether to reward or penalize the user based on the score. If the user is penalized or rewarded, information can be stored in reward/penalty module 207. For example, a reward stored in reward/penalty information table 208 could include an icon indicative of a trophy created by an organization committed to acting in an environmentally friendly way. In another embodiment, reward/penalty information table 208 could include a graphic indicative of a coupon, a gift certificate, information indicating free or reduced services given to user 300, etc. Similarly, reward/penalty information table 208 can include penalties associated with user account 204 based on product use behavior. For example, a penalty could be a fee charged to user 300, a trophy with a negative association, etc. In another specific example, efficiency-of-use scores can be used to charge users based on inefficient use of products. For example, accounting module 209 can be configured to charge user accounts fees based on their efficiency-of-use score or scores.
Continuing with the brief overview of certain elements depicted within
In a specific example, each category of data used to compute a score can be associated with a use profile, which can be stored in product profile database 210. Each profile can indicate a standard that reflects efficient use for a category of data. For example, the light bulb referred to above could be associated with a use profile that defines an efficient amount of energy that a light bulb should use over a 24 hour period. In this example, the amount of energy actually used and the amount of energy that defines efficient use can be used to compute the efficiency-of-use score.
As shown in
Alternatively, a user account 204 can be tied into a social network where users can blog, post pictures, send message to each other, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, system 108 can include or be associated with a social networking service maintained by, for example, web-server module 212. The web-server module 212 can be configured to generate one or more web-pages that can be downloaded to computing devices, e.g., desktop personal-computers, smart phones, etc., that include logic operable to allow users to interact with each other. For example, web-server module 212 can send web-pages to computing devices that allow users to blog, post pictures, etc.
The products 101 (e.g. e.g. product 101A, product 101B, product 101C) can be used by users 300 (e.g. user 300A, user 300B, user 300C) during their life. The use of product 101 by each user 300 can be monitored, for example by ecological service provider 107 (e.g. an agent of the owner of product 101 such as an employee of a rental car company, a product manufacturer 102, a product retailer 103, and/or a social media provider such as Facebook®, Twitter®, Google+®, etc.).
As shown by the
As shown by
In an exemplary embodiment, a potential-ecological-impact quantification can be attached to product 101 in attached potential-ecological-impact quantification(s) 304. In this example, a device 309 or the ecological service provider 107 may be able to obtain one or more potential-ecological-impact quantification(s) 304 from product 101. Similar to the aforementioned device-readable indicator 303, attached potential-ecological-impact quantification(s) 304 can be stored in memory, a barcode, an RFID tag, and/or etched onto product 101.
In yet another embodiment, product 101 may have one or more attached disposal-mode identifier(s) 305. The disposal-mode identifier(s) 305 can include instructions, e.g., text, audio, images, for disposing of product according to a disposal mode, e.g., incineration, recycling, landfilling, etc.
Referring to
The device 309 can further include sensor module 402, association module 403, reward/penalty module 404, efficiency-of-use module 405, user account database 406 and product profile database 407 that may operate similar to association module 201, efficiency-of-use module 202, reward/penalty module 207, user account database 203, and product profile database 210 as described above with respect to system 108 and/or product 101. Consequently, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the functionality described as being associated with association module 201, efficiency-of-use module 202, reward/penalty module 207, and product profile database 210 could be integrated within device 309. Thus, in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, efficiency-of-use scores may be computed by a device external to product 101 (e.g. device 309) using one or more use profiles that could be locally stored or stored by system 108. Accordingly, while certain operations described with respect to
The device 309 can obtain device-readable indicator 303 of the product 101 by communicating with product 101 and/or extracting it from product 101 using a barcode reader 408, RFID reader module 409, network adapter 410, or camera module 411. In other exemplary embodiments, product 101 may not have an attached device-readable indicator 303, instead device-readable indicator 303 can be looked up from an image of product 101, audio of a user speaking about product 101, or from user input received by user interface 401. The device 309 can obtain device location information using device location determination module 412 (e.g. a GPS module).
A user 300 can optionally use device 309 to obtain ecological information about product 101 such as potential-ecological-impact quantifications. For example, product 101 can include memory, e.g., a barcode, random access memory, read-only memory, etc., which can be used to store information that can be used by device 309 to obtain information based off potential-ecological-impact quantifications and/or the potential-ecological-impact quantifications themselves, among other things.
Further, in the following figures that depict various flow processes, various operations may be depicted in a box-within-a-box manner. Such depictions may indicate that an operation in an internal box may comprise an optional example embodiment of the operational step illustrated in one or more external boxes. However, it should be understood that internal box operations may be viewed as independent operations separate from any associated external boxes and may be performed in any sequence with respect to all other illustrated operations, or may be performed concurrently.
Operation 502 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score associated with a use of a first physical product of a set of products by a first user and an efficiency-of-use score associated with a use of a second physical product of the set of products by a second user. Turning again back to
In a specific example, suppose user 300A rents product 101A, which could be an automobile. In this example, an efficiency-of-use score could be computed each time user 300A drives car, at the end of each day, week, month, etc.
Similarly, an efficiency-of-use score can be computed, e.g., calculated, from information that described how product 101B was used during a period of time that a second user 300B has or had control of product 101B. For example, association module 201 can cause efficiency-of-use module 202 to compute an efficiency-of-use score for the use of product 101B. For example, network module 307 of system 108 can receive information that describes how product 101B was used during the period of time that the user had control of it; such as for example, information that describes the status of product 101B or a portion of product 101B, information that describes if product 101B was damaged, information that describes how much product 101B depleted, i.e., used-up, etc. This information can be routed to efficiency-of-use module 202, which can use it to compute an efficiency-of-use score, e.g., a numerical value such as 1 to 100 where lower numbers indicate a more efficient use or an abstract score such as “good,” “bad,” “average,” etc., from the information and an efficiency-of-use profile for product 101B stored in product profile database 210. For example, a profile for product 101B can be stored in product profile database 210 that can define the ideal-efficient use of product 101B. The information that describes how product 101B was used can be compared to the use profile and the score can be calculated. The use-profile for product 101B could then be updated to reflect its current status in the instance that product 101B is depleted (or partially depleted) during the use.
Operation 504 shows comparing the efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the first physical product by the first user to the efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the second physical product by the second user. As noted above with respect to operations 504 and 508, efficiency-of-use scores may be computed for use of a product 101 by at least two users 300. Suppose that a ecological service provider 107 (e.g. a rental car company) desired to provide motivation to the users 300 to use the product 101 in an efficient manner. To affect this efficient use, it may be desirable to provide a user 300 feedback regarding the efficiency of their use as compared to other users 300 of the product 101. As such, referring to
Operation 506 shows providing a notification according to the comparison of an efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the first product by the first user to an efficiency-of-use score associated with the use of the second product by the second user. As described above, the efficiency-of-use score of first user 300A may be compared to a prior or contemporaneous efficiency-of-use score for at least one second user (e.g. user 300B and/or user 300C) to determine whether the use by user 300A was more efficient or less efficient than the prior uses by user 300B and/or user 300C. In order to affect efficient use of the product 101, it may be desirable to notify a user 300 users 300 of the efficiency of their use of the product 101 relative to the efficiency of the use of product 101 by other users 300 so that the user 300 may track/modify their behavior relative to the other users 300. As such, following a comparison of the efficiency-of-use score for a user 300 to that of other users 300, a notification of that comparison may be provided to the user 300 so that the user 300 may be made aware of the relative efficiency of their use of the product 101. This notification may be provided in any number of ways.
Referring to
Operation 602 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information that defines an efficiency-of-use pattern for a physical product. Referring to
Suppose that product 101 is a washing machine located in a self-service laundry facility called a laundromat. In this example, a use-profile for the washing machine in the product profile database 210 could include an efficiency metric that indicates the efficient amount of clothing that should be washed in a single cycle in terms of weight. In this example, suppose the information that describes how the washing machine was used includes the weight of the clothing washed by user 300 in a wash cycle. In this example, efficiency-of-use module 202 could compare the weight of the clothing washed by user to a use-profile for the washing machine and calculate the percentage. The percentage could then be normalized and mapped to a numerical score or an abstract score. For example, the use-profile may indicate that the most efficient weight per wash cycle is 10 pounds and the weight of the clothing washed by user 300 was 8 pounds. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can calculate the percentage and determine that the wash was 20% inefficient (8/10=0.2). The efficiency-of-use module 202 can then map the calculated efficiency percentage to a score, e.g., a score of 1 in the instance that the scale is 0-5, i.e., 0.2*100/20=1 where 20 is a normalizing value.
In another specific example, suppose that the use-profile for the washing machine includes multiple efficiency metrics, e.g., weight and water used. In this example, the use-profile could indicate the efficient amount of weight and water used to wash clothing. In this example, suppose the information that describes how the washing machine was used indicates that 8 pounds of clothing were washed in 21 gallons of water. In this example, the use-profile may indicate that the most efficient weight per wash cycle is 10 pounds and the most efficient amount of water to use per wash is 15 gallons of water. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can calculate the difference and determine that the weight was 20% inefficient and amount of water used was 40% inefficient. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can then apply weights to the two scores, and calculate a score that takes both variables into consideration. For example, if both the weight category and the water category had the same weights (which are 1 in this example), then a score could be calculated to be 1.5, i.e., (((0.2*100)+(0.4*100))/(1+1))/20=1.5, where 20 is a normalizing value.
Operation 604 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score using information set by a service provider. For example, efficiency-of-use standards may be set by ecological service provider 107 for use in computation of an efficiency-of-use score. For example, ecological service provider 107, which could be an entity that controls system 108 such as a rental car company, a rent-to-own company, a neighborhood association, a product owner, etc., can set information, e.g., weights, variables, use-profiles for one or more categories, etc. to affect how efficiency-of-use module 202 computes efficiency-of-use scores. Thus, what it means to “use” product 101 efficiently could be defined by an ecological service provider 107. For example, the information could be used to change the weights used for different sub-scores when efficiency-of-use module 202 computes them. In another example, the information could be a use-profiles for categories of data. For example, product 101 could be a rental product 101 such as a car, a piece of heavy machinery, a TV, etc. In this example, ecological service provider 107 could create an efficiency-of-use profile that takes the interests of the owner into account. The ecological service provider 107 could emphasize certain categories of data over others based on the organization's interest in product 101. For example, in the instance that product 101 is a rental car, ecological service provider 107, e.g., the rental car company, could deemphasized a use profile associated with average miles per gallon of gasoline by using a use profile that defines efficient use more leniently. Exemplary service providers may include, but are not limited to: a rental service renting products 101 (e.g. an cameral rental company); a repair service providing repairs to products 101 (e.g. an appliance repair company); a leasing service leasing products 101 (e.g. an automobile leasing company); and the like.
Operation 606 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score using information set by a group of users. For example, information set by a group of users 300 who are each associable with a product 101 can be used to compute the efficiency-of-use score. For example, a group of users 300 such as a “Green group” can organize itself and create its own use profiles for a product 101. In this example, the users may hold themselves to different standard than a company or the government by setting information, e.g., weights, variables, use-profiles for one or more categories, etc. to affect how efficiency-of-use module 202 computes efficiency-of-use scores to compute scores based on how the use of products directly affect the environment. Here, the users may create a group and add information to product profile database 210 and/or a table of variables and weights that efficiency-of-use module 202 uses when computing scores. When efficiency-of-use module 202 computes scores for the members of the group, it can use the identifier for the user account 204 to locate the information instead of, or in addition to, the standard information, e.g., variables, weights, and/or use profiles. In this regard, a user 300 may receive a plurality of efficiency-of-use scores for his or her use of product 101: a standard score, a score calculated using the user group-defined use profiles, a score calculated from use profiles set by a service provider, etc.
Referring to
Operation 702 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with at least one use characteristic of a physical product of the set of physical products. In another exemplary embodiment, use characteristics of the product 101 can be used to generate a relative score for a use of product 101 by a user 300 based on how other users 300 have used product 101 or a similar product, e.g., another instance of product 101. In this example, efficiency data can be generated for uses of product 101 or a similar product and a use profile can be created over time. In this example, when efficiency-of-use module 202 computes an efficiency-of-use score for use of the product 101 by a current user 300, the user 300 will be judged based on how his or her peer users 300 have used the same or a similar product.
In a specific example, suppose product 101 is an automobile and the use profile is generated over time for miles per gallon of gasoline. In this example, suppose that the automobile, when running efficiently, obtains 33 miles per gallon of gasoline on the highway; however, the average users 300 that operate the vehicle and vehicles of the same make and model obtain 27 miles per gallon. In this example, efficiency-of-use module 202 can be configured to calculate efficiency-of-use scores that use the use profile that reflects that users 300 obtain 27 miles per gallon. Similar to that described above, efficiency-of-use module 202 could compute multiple efficiency-of-use scores for the same user 300: one based on how he or she compares to other users 300, one that is based on how he or she compares to an optimal use of product 101, etc.
Operation 704 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least temperature data generated by a temperature monitoring sensor over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of physical products. As shown in
In a specific example, suppose product 101 is a computing device such as a laptop computer system. In this example, suppose a user 300 uses the laptop computer in a way that causes it to generate large amounts of heat, e.g., the user overclocks the processor or leaves the laptop on instead of in sleep mode. In another specific example, suppose product 101 is an automobile. In this example, the temperature monitoring sensor could be used to determine the operating temperature of the car. In another example, product 101 could be a battery, e.g., a lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries have a lifespan that is affected by the temperature at which the battery is stored and the state-of-charge of the battery when it is stored. In this example, the temperature monitoring sensor can generate a signal that indicates the temperature of the battery and a message including the temperature can be sent to system 108 and used to generate an efficiency-of-use score.
Operation 706 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least pressure data generated by a pressure monitoring sensor over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of physical products. As shown in
In a specific example, suppose the pressure monitoring sensor is a MEMS sensor that can be placed within a tire, a liquid, e.g., water, oil, etc. In this example, as product 101 is being used, pressure data can e captured and routed to efficiency-of-use module 202. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can then use the data to compute an efficiency-of-use score. For example, suppose product 101 is a tire of a rental car. In this example, the pressure data could indicate that the tire and by extension the car is being stressed, which in turn could cause unreasonable wear-and-tear on one or more components of the vehicle.
Operation 708 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information obtained from at least one image over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. Referring again to
In another specific example, product 101 can include camera module 306, which can be configured to capture images of one or more subcomponents of product 101. For example, product 101 could be a chainsaw and the camera module 306 can be configured to capture images of the blades in the chainsaw before and after user 300 uses product 101. In this example, the difference between how one or more blades appear in the images can be computed by efficiency-of-use module 202 and quantified. The quantification can then be used by efficiency-of-use module 202 to calculate an efficiency-of-use score. For example, suppose user 300 uses the chainsaw to cut down a tree and in the process damages one or more teeth of the chainsaw. In this example, efficiency-of-use module 202 can determine from one or more images that one or more of the teeth were damaged and compute an efficiency-of-use score that reflects that the chainsaw was used inefficiently, i.e., the user caused great wear-and-tear on product 101.
In another specific example, suppose product 101 is a vehicle that includes camera module 306 configured to take images of a tire. In this example, the difference between how the tread of the tire appears in before and after images can be computed by efficiency-of-use module 202 and quantified. The quantification can then be used by efficiency-of-use module 202 to calculate an efficiency-of-use score. For example, suppose user 300 slams on the breaks of the vehicle and causes large portions of the tire to wear off. In this example, efficiency-of-use module 202 can determine an efficiency-of-use score that reflects that the vehicle was used inefficiently.
Referring to
Operation 802 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information obtained by a laser over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. Referring now to
In a specific example, suppose product 101 is a set of breaks within an automobile. In this example, the laser module may be installed within the automobile so that it can reflect a laser beam off the brake pads and determine thickness information. After a user 300 uses the automobile, the laser module can again gather information that indicates how thick the brake pads are and send the information to system 108, which could be located at a rental company, or store the information for extraction by an agent of the rental car company. The information can be routed to the efficiency-of-use module 202 and used to calculate an efficiency-of-use score that takes into account the amount of wear that was placed on the breaks relative to an amount that constitutes an efficient use of the breaks.
Operation 804 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least vibration information generated from a vibration monitoring sensor over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. Again turning to
For example, internal components vibrate differently when under different amounts of stress. For example, a refrigerator's internal cooling machinery may vibrate when cooling the refrigerator. A situation where the internal cooling machinery is operating for long periods of time can be indicative of inefficient use of the refrigerator, e.g., the temperature is set too low. In another example, the vibration monitoring sensor could be placed relative to an engine in a vehicle, e.g., automobile, boat, etc. In this example, a vibration profile could be created for the engine that reflects efficient operation of the engine. As the stress on the engine changes it may vibrate differently and the vibration sensor can generate an electrical signal indicative of how the engine is vibrating and send it to efficiency-of-use module 202, which can use the difference between the profile and how the engine is or was vibrating to calculate an efficiency-of-use score.
Operation 806 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least impact data generated by an impact sensor over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Operation 808 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least corrosion data generated by a corrosion sensor over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
In a specific example, suppose user 300 borrows a lawn mower and then leaves it outside overnight prior to returning it to his neighborhood association. In this example, suppose an agent of the neighborhood association checks the lawn mower back in and uses device 309, which could include a corrosion sensor, to scan the lawn mower. In this example, the agent could receive a signal indicative of how much corrosion occurred and use this along with a corrosion profile for the lawn mower to compute an efficiency-of-use score that takes corrosion that was caused by the inefficient use of product 101 in account.
Referring to
Operation 902 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least an output of a sensor configured to measure concentrations of metallic elements in a lubricant over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
In a specific example, suppose the product 101 is an automobile that a user 300 leases for an extended period of time, but fails to regularly change the oil. In this example, suppose the automobile includes a sensor (e.g. a capacitive concentration sensor) to monitor one or more lubricants and generates an electrical signal indicating that the oil is polluted, which causes the automobile to operate inefficiently. In this example, the sensor module 302 can generate a value based on the pollution within the lubricant and send a signal, which can eventually be routed to efficiency-of-use module 202. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can compute an efficiency-of-use score that is based at least in part on the inefficient use of the automobile.
Operation 904 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from information obtained by a diagnostic computing device associated with the physical product over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Operation 906 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least revolutions per minute data generated by a tachometer over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Referring to
Operation 1002 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least status information associated with a battery over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
In an exemplary embodiment where status information of the battery is used to calculate an efficiency-of-use score, the sensor can be operatively coupled to the battery and can track the number of charge cycles and/or the amount of charge that is discharged and either record it (within memory, e.g., RAM, ROM, etc.) or send it to system 108. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can receive the battery status data and compute an efficiency-of-use score for the use of product 101 that takes at least this category of data into account. For example, the if user 300 uses product 101, e.g., a laptop and discharges the battery to 20% prior to charging it, a message including information such as an identifier for the user account for user; the type of data stored in the message; and the battery charge percentage can be generated and sent to system 108. In this example, efficiency-of-use module 202 can use the information that indicates that the battery was discharged down to 20% prior to it was recharged and compute an efficiency-of-use score that reflects how efficiently user 300 used the laptop.
Operation 1004 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with processor utilization over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
In a specific example, suppose user 300 logs into a computer system located at a library and starts watching a high-definition movie. In this example, suppose the playing of the movie causes the central processing unit to operate at near maximum capacity and in turn causes it to consume large amounts of energy of a long period of time. In this example, a program running on the computer system can record the CPU utilization information while user 300 is playing the movie and cause a message to be sent to system 108, which in this example could be a computer system within the library that maintains user accounts for people who visit and use the services of the library. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can receive the message and any other messages associated with the user account, and compute an efficiency-of-use score that at least takes CPU utilization into account.
Operation 1006 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an amount of energy consumed over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Suppose product 101 is a high definition plasma TV. In this example, suppose the TV includes a sensor module that measures how much energy is consumed by the TV. For example, the sensor module could be placed within the circuit that interfaces the TV with an electrical outlet. In this example, the sensor module can record how much energy the TV consumes and send the information to system 108, which could be maintained by the government, a “Green organization,” or the user, i.e., system 108 could be a home computer system. Suppose in this example that user 300 has left the TV on for that past two days while he or she was away from home. In this example, at the end of each day the sensor module could send how much energy it has consumed to system 108. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can receive the information and compare it to a use profile that includes information that indicates normal use of the TV. The efficiency-of-use module 202 can use the profile and the information from sensor to compute an efficiency-of-use score that reflects that the user has inefficiently used the TV by leaving it on for two full days.
Referring to
Operation 1102 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an estimated amount of work per unit of fuel achieved by the physical product over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Similar to the foregoing examples, product 101 can be associated with fuel efficiency profile, which describes an efficient amount of work achieved per unit of fuel. In this example, a sensor can be incorporated into product 101, e.g., a module of executable instructions running on a cellular phone can compute the total amount of time it has been in operation since its last charge, which can compute the fuel efficiency of product 101 and send the information to system 108, e.g., a computer system controlled by user, the cellular phone company, the electric company, etc., and used to compute an efficiency-of-use score.
Operation 1104 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an estimated amount of miles per gallon of gasoline achieved by the physical product over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and turning to
Operation 1106 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with mileage driven over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again referring to
Referring to
Operation 1202 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least sound information for the physical product generated by a microphone over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. For example, and again turning to
Operation 1204 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an amount of light reflected by the physical product over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of the physical products. Referring now to
In a specific example, suppose product 101 is a blender located in product usage location 104, which could be a communal kitchen area of an apartment building or dormitory. In this example, suppose the laser module is installed within the blender so that it can reflect a laser beam off the blades of the blender. In this example, the laser module can determine how much light reflects off the blades and store the information. After user 300 uses the blender, the laser module can again gather information that indicates how much light is reflecting off the blades and send the information that reflects how much light reflected off the blades before and after the user used the blender to system 108. The information can be routed to the efficiency-of-use module 202; and used to calculate an efficiency-of-use score. Alternatively, instead of sending the before and after laser information, the blender may transmit the laser information gathered after the use; compare it to a use profile stored in product profile database 210; calculate an efficiency-of-use score; and update the profile for the blender to reflect the current state of it.
Operation 1206 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an amount of bandwidth used by the physical product over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of physical products. For example, and again referring to
Referring to
Operation 1302 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with an amount of physical damage to the physical product that occurred over the period of time that a user has control of a physical product of the set of physical products. Turning back to
Operation 1304 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score from at least information associated with a product control element. For example, and again turning to
Referring to
Operation 1402 shows computing at least one efficiency-of-use score with the physical product. Turning again back to
Operation 1404 shows computing an efficiency-of-use score with a device operably coupled to the physical product. Turning again back to
Operation 1406 shows computing at least one efficiency-of-use score with a device wirelessly coupled to a physical product of the set of physical products. Turning again back to
Referring to
Operation 1502 shows providing an e-mail notification to an e-mail account associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. For example, upon computing the comparison of the efficiency-of-use score of first user 300A to a efficiency-of-use score of at least one second user (e.g. user 300B and/or user 300C) by the efficiency-of-use module 202 of the product 101 and/or the efficiency-of-use module 405 of the device 309, the network module 307 of the product 101 and/or the network adapter 410 of the device 309 may transmit an e-mail message via network 100 to an e-mail server (not shown) maintaining an e-mail account associated (e.g. registered to) at least one user 300 according to any number of e-mail protocols (e.g. IMAP, POP3, SMTP and HTTP protocols). For example, an e-mail message may be sent to user 300A informing them of the relative efficiency of their most recent use of the product 101 as compared to the uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C. Further, an e-mail message may be sent to user 300B and/or user 300C informing them that user 300A has recently used the product and providing information regarding the relative efficiency of user 300A's recent use of the product 101 as compared to the prior uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C.
Operation 1504 shows providing a text messaging notification to a device associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. For example, upon computing the comparison of the efficiency-of-use score of first user 300A to a efficiency-of-use score of at least one second user (e.g. user 300B and/or user 300C) by the efficiency-of-use module 202 of the product 101 and/or the efficiency-of-use module 405 of the device 309, the network module 307 of the product 101 and/or the network adapter 410 of the device 309 may transmit a text message via network 100 to a device 309 associated with (e.g. owned by) at least one user 300 according to any number of text messaging protocols (e.g. SMS text message protocols). For example, a text message may be sent to device 309A associated with user 300A informing them of the relative efficiency of their most recent use of the product 101 as compared to the uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C. Further, a text message may be sent to device 309B associated with user 300B and/or device 309C associated with user 300C informing them that user 300A has recently used the product and providing information regarding the relative efficiency of user 300A's recent use of the product 101 as compared to the prior uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C.
Operation 1506 shows providing a notification to a social media database account associated with at least one of the first user and the second user. For example, upon computing the comparison of the efficiency-of-use score of first user 300A to a efficiency-of-use score of at least one second user (e.g. user 300B and/or user 300C) by the efficiency-of-use module 202 of the product 101 and/or the efficiency-of-use module 405 of the device 309, the network module 307 of the product 101 and/or the network adapter 410 of the device 309 may post a notification of the comparison to a social media database account (e.g. a Facebook®, Twitter®, Google+®, etc.) associated with (e.g. registered to) at least one user 300 via network 100 to a device 309. For example, a notification of the comparison may be automatically posted to the social media database account of user 300A describing the relative efficiency of their most recent use of the product 101 as compared to the uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C so that individuals having access to the media database account of user 300A may view the notification. Further, a notification of the comparison may be automatically posted to the social media database account of user 300B and user 300C describing the relative efficiency of user 300A's recent use of the product 101 as compared to the prior uses of the product 101 by user 300B and user 300C so that individuals having access to the media database account of user 300B and user 300B may view the notification.
Referring to
Further, it may be desirable to provide near-real-time notifications regarding the comparative efficiency of the use of the product 101 by a user 300 to the user 300 so that they may vary their usage accordingly. As such, the notifications regarding comparative efficiency of the use of the product 101 may be provided to users 300 in a manner such that the notification is received in proximity to the product 101.
Operation 1602 shows visually displaying the notification on the product. Referring to
Operation 1604 shows visually displaying the notification on a device operably coupled to the product. Referring to
Referring to
Operation 1702 illustrates associating a physical product of the set of products with a user in response to a signal indicating that the user has control of the physical product. For example, referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, each user 300 may have their own user account 204. However, in another embodiment, multiple users may share a user account 204 and/or the user account 204 could be associated with an entity such as a family unit or a corporation. For example, a user account 204 could be for the “Smith family.” In this example, when any member of the Smith family, e.g., Mr. Smith or Ms. Smith, takes control of product 101 a signal can be received by association module 201 and information can be stored that indicates that a member of the Smith family has taken control of product 101.
In a specific example, association module 201 can have access to and/or include a table that can store information that links products to users. For example, association module 201 can include a list of products and a list of user accounts. In response to receipt of a signal indicating a first user 300A has taken control of product 101A, association module 201 can be configured to link product 101A with user account 204 by storing information that uniquely identifies product 101 in, for example, product list 205.
Referring briefly to
In another specific example, user 300A may purchase product 101 from, for example, product retailer 103. In this example, an agent of the product retailer 103 and/or user 300A could link product 101A to the user account 204 associated with user 300A. For example, the agent could query the device-readable indicator 303 via the product 101A or device 309A to produce a signal that can be sent to system 108 that indicates that user 300A has taken control of product 101A.
Operation 1704 shows associating a physical product with a user in response to receiving a device-readable indicator associated with the physical product. For example, as shown in
Operation 1706 shows associating a physical product with a user in response to a user-input. For example, as shown in
Operation 1708 shows associating a physical product with a user in response to a signal indicative of a user. For example, as shown in
Operation 1710 shows associating a physical product with a user in response to a signal indicative of a presence of a user in proximity to the product. For example, as shown in
Referring to
Operation 1802 shows displaying at least one efficiency-of-use score on a physical product of the set of physical products. Referring to
Operation 1804 shows displaying at least one efficiency-of-use score on a device operably coupled to a physical product of the set of physical products. Referring to
Operation 1806 shows transmitting a device-readable indicator associated with a physical product of the set of physical products. For example, and referring to
Operation 1808 shows receiving a device-readable indicator associated with a physical product of the set of physical products. For example, and referring to
Operation 1810 shows transmitting at least one of an efficiency-of-use score to a secondary device via a device operably coupled to a physical product of the set of physical products. Referring to
Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.
The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).
In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof can be viewed as being composed of various types of “electrical circuitry.” Consequently, as used herein “electrical circuitry” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). Those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof.
Those having skill in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.
The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components.
While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims.
It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations.
In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.).
In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
The present application is related to and claims the benefit of the earliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listed application(s) (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 USC §119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Application(s)). All subject matter of the Related Applications and of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Applications, including any priority claims, is incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12928638 | Dec 2010 | US |
| Child | 13317726 | US | |
| Parent | 13135674 | Jul 2011 | US |
| Child | 12928638 | US | |
| Parent | 13135683 | Jul 2011 | US |
| Child | 13135674 | US | |
| Parent | 13199475 | Aug 2011 | US |
| Child | 13135683 | US | |
| Parent | 13199476 | Aug 2011 | US |
| Child | 13199475 | US | |
| Parent | 13199995 | Sep 2011 | US |
| Child | 13199476 | US | |
| Parent | 13200809 | Sep 2011 | US |
| Child | 13199995 | US | |
| Parent | 13200807 | Sep 2011 | US |
| Child | 13200809 | US | |
| Parent | 13317728 | Oct 2011 | US |
| Child | 13200807 | US |
