IP Library Granted Patent US 9,061,102
Granted Patent B2
US 9,061,102 · App. 13/601,082 · Granted Jun 23, 2015

Unmanned device interaction methods and systems

Inventors: Royce A. Levien (Lexington, MA); Richard T. Lord (Tacoma, WA); Robert W. Lord (Seattle, WA); Mark A. Malamud (Seattle, WA); John D. Rinaldo, Jr. (Bellevue, WA); Lowell L. Wood, Jr. (Bellevue, WA)
Assignee: Elwha LLC
A61M5/20G05B19/00G05D1/0011G05D1/0027G05D1/005G05D1/0202A63H27/12G05D1/102A61M5/002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,061,102
App. No.
13/601,082
Granted
Jun 23, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Structures and protocols are presented for configuring an unmanned aerial device to participate in the performance of tasks, for using data resulting from such a configuration or performance, or for facilitating other interactions with such devices.

Claims (78)

1. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a delivery of a package to a device associated with a recipient of the package, the wireless signal indicating at least one of the second unmanned aerial device or the package or a sender of the package.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject.

3. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

6. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a modular observation unit to be lifted and activated within at most about an hour of the modular observation unit becoming part of the second unmanned aerial device.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal comprises:

a proximity sensor configured to detect whether the first unmanned aerial device is within the vicinity of the portal, the vicinity being a detection range of the proximity sensor.

8. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for presenting navigation guidance via a display aboard the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

9. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

10. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the second unmanned aerial device.

11. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task.

12. The system of claim 6 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for identifying an operating mode of the second unmanned aerial device audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

13. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a third unmanned aerial device to capture delivery data relating to the second unmanned aerial device.

14. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to an indication of the second unmanned aerial device becoming within a proximity of the first unmanned aerial device.

15. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for transmitting navigation guidance via a speaker of the second unmanned aerial device while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

16. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to configure the second unmanned aerial device to continue observing a first person responsive to a prior observation of the first person.

17. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for overriding a first task being performed by the second unmanned aerial device by transmitting a wireless signal indicative of a second task to the second unmanned aerial device.

18. The system of claim 13 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the second unmanned aerial device and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the second unmanned aerial device.

19. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing a data handling device aboard the second unmanned aerial device to contain a task schedule indicating a first future delivery of a first object to a first destination and a second future delivery of a second object to a second destination.

20. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for identifying an operating mode of the second unmanned aerial device audibly or visibly while a primary motor of the second unmanned aerial device is not moving the second unmanned aerial device.

21. The system of claim 19 in which the circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal comprises:

a proximity sensor configured to detect whether the first unmanned aerial device is within the vicinity of the portal, the vicinity being a detection range of the proximity sensor.

22. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to capture normalcy-indicative data relating to a human subject.

23. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to an indication of the second unmanned aerial device becoming within a proximity of the first unmanned aerial device.

24. The system of claim 19 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to fly toward a home station in response to an indication of a specific person moving at least a threshold distance away from the second unmanned aerial device.

25. A system including one or more articles of manufacture that relate to a first unmanned aerial device, the one or more articles of manufacture including a second unmanned aerial device that comprises:

one or more propellers;

circuitry for detecting a first unmanned aerial device being within a vicinity of a portal;

circuitry for obtaining an indication of an identity of the first unmanned aerial device;

circuitry for signaling a decision whether or not to allow an actuator to obstruct the portal partly based on the indication of the identity of the first unmanned aerial device and partly based on the first unmanned aerial device being within the vicinity of the portal; and

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to execute a delivery of a particular object to a human recipient contemporaneously with an image capture of a portion of the human recipient.

26. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for causing the second unmanned aerial device to undertake a performance observation task of a job that includes a performance task and the performance observation task.

27. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to release any light sensors.

28. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

the second unmanned aerial device including circuitry for responding to a determination of whether or not a received signal expresses a first name of the second unmanned aerial device and whether or not the received signal expresses a second name of the second unmanned aerial device.

29. The system of claim 25 in which the one or more articles of manufacture comprise:

circuitry for configuring the second unmanned aerial device to transmit a wireless signal indicative of having performed a particular task and not to store any indication of having performed the particular task.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2013
From: LEVIEN, ROYCE A.; LORD, RICHARD T.; LORD, ROBERT W.; MALAMUD, MARK A.; RINALDO, JOHN D., JR.; WOOD, LOWELL L., JR.
To: ELWHA LLC
Reel/Frame 029833/0799 →
Continuity (12)
Continuation In Part 13551266 · Jul 17, 2012
Continuation In Part 13551287 · Jul 17, 2012
Continuation In Part 13551301 · Jul 17, 2012
Continuation In Part 13551320 · Jul 17, 2012
Continuation In Part 13551334 · Jul 17, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601060 · Aug 31, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601096 · Aug 31, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601112 · Aug 31, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601140 · Aug 31, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601169 · Aug 31, 2012
Continuation In Part 13601195 · Aug 31, 2012
Related Publication 20140022055A1 · Jan 23, 2014