Item Usage Sensor with Periodic Monitoring for Alert Generation

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Solution Overview

Problem

There is a lack of effective solutions for visually indicating when personal items have not been used for a threshold amount of time, which can lead to forgotten items in homes and inefficient inventory management in retail settings.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that utilizes sensors associated with items to monitor usage and generate visual, short message, or machine-readable indications when predefined criteria, such as non-use over a set period, are detected, allowing users to be alerted or analytics to be performed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If traditional manual tracking methods are used for personal items, then device complexity is reduced, but information accuracy about item usage deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveitem usage informationVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The personal item itself performs the monitoring function through an integrated sensor, eliminating the need for external tracking devices. The sensor automatically detects usage events (such as picking up or moving the item) and reports status without requiring manual input or external monitoring infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

A communication module serves as an intermediary between the sensor and the user, transmitting usage status information via messages or notifications. This intermediary handles the complexity of data transmission and presentation, keeping the core sensing mechanism simple while delivering comprehensive information to the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If no usage monitoring is implemented, then device complexity remains low, but productivity in inventory management deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinventory management efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides automatic feedback to users about item usage status through messages or notifications when predefined criteria are met (e.g., item not used for a certain period). This feedback loop enables proactive inventory management without requiring continuous manual checking, significantly improving productivity while maintaining simple sensor-based monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Loss of information

If continuous monitoring is implemented, then information accuracy about item usage is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveusage status accuracyVSAvoidsensor energy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous monitoring, the sensor operates periodically or event-driven, activating only when usage events occur (such as when the item is picked up or moved). This periodic operation maintains accurate usage information while dramatically reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS9659479B2System and method to indicate lack of usage for personal items

Publication Date: 2017.05.23 MAPLEBEAR INC

AI summary

A method, system and computer-usable medium for performing a usage monitoring operation on an item, comprising: defining a predefined criteria relating to usage of the item; monitoring usage of the item based upon input provided by a sensor associated with the item; and, generating an indication when the predefined criteria is detected.