COMPACT COMMUNICATION DEVICE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device and a system using a wireless communication device. More particularly but not exclusively the present invention relates to a compact mains-powered wireless communication device.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Presently, most electrical devices that operate from mains (line) power are connected to the mains power socket (outlet) via a power lead (cable) which couples to the socket with a power plug. If a lower voltage is required, such as for modern electronic equipment, the electrical device will also include a transformer. Some devices have a transformer built-in to the power plug to save weight and space in the device, while other devices have a power lead from the plug leading to a transformer that has yet another lead providing power to a separate device.

As wall power sockets are placed at various heights and locations in a typical home or office, electrical devices are used with power leads of various lengths to connect the power sockets and, if necessary, the separate transformers, so that the device may be used in the required location. In some circumstances the power leads used for powering the devices can create a hazard, or in the least be a nuisance or unsightly. Accidents can be caused by people, including children, or animals tripping on the leads or becoming entangled. It is particularly hazardous if animals, such as household pets, chew or play with power leads. Accordingly, a reduction in power leads results in less hazardous situations and potentially less accidents around the home or workplace, and reduces physical and visual clutter.

The principle of reducing power leads to avoid clutter and for greater safety applies particularly to wireless communication devices, which by their nature already avoid cables for the communication means. Using power leads to connect such devices to the power socket partly diminishes the benefits of the communication being wireless. A networking device that is used in a home or workplace that is used as any type of node such as a router, switch or repeater, wherein the device is intended to be used in a fixed location, ideally should be as compact and unobtrusive as possible.

The US patent document US2006133465 discloses a home repeater system for satellite radio, comprising a repeater having a unibody construction that plugs directly into a power point. The repeater receives the digital radio signals from the satellite transmission and re-transmits a subsequent signal either as a RF signal, or as a signal through the connected power line. The repeater unit is self-contained having all necessary components including an aerial.

The Japanese patent document JP2000106536 discloses another indoor repeater that is a unibody construction and plugs directly into a power point. The repeater comprises a receiver, preferably an infrared receiver for collecting data from apparatus used for physiological measurements such as blood pressure and urinary sugar levels, and a transmitter is designed to relay the data to external equipment using radio waves.

The Japanese patent document JP11136191 similarly discloses an indoor home repeater that has a unibody construction and relays health information received by optical communication means, with a radio transmitter to a receiver on a processing system elsewhere in the home.

The documents JP2006148860, AT501136, US2004253924 and GB2289381 disclose devices that comprise a combination of a plug for a power point and a plug for communication line, such as a phone line.

The US2004253924 discloses a system for wireless communication where a number of agents around the home or office wirelessly communicate amongst each

other. The wireless agents are disclosed as being mounted upon a wall and plugging directly into an AC power socket. However there is no description of the construction of the wireless agents, nor is there any indication that the use of power leads from the power socket has been avoided.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a compact communication device for wireless communication that does not require power leads, and/or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As used herein, the term 'full-duplex' refers to an electronic communication system that allows communication in both directions simultaneously. This term is used in the broadest sense and includes time division duplex (TDD) and frequency division duplex (FDD).

As used herein, the term 'half-duplex' refers to an electronic communication system that allows communication in both directions, but in only one direction at a time.

As used herein, the term 'Bluetooth' refers to the electronic communication protocol developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, and is defined by IEEE 802.15.1.

As used herein, the term 'WiMAX' refers to the electronic communication protocol defined by IEEE 802.16.

As used herein, the term 'Wi-Fi ¹ refers to the electronic communications protocol defined by IEEE 802.11.

The present invention deals with a compact wireless communication device, in the general form of a wall plug that contains communication means. The device does away with the cables associated with connecting the individual modules that usually make up a communication device when plugged into a mains wall socket commonly found in home and/or workplace.

By combining all the required elements of the communication means in one unit to be plugged into a wall socket, the requirement of leads emanating from the wall plug transformer to the power requiring devices are removed. The absence of leads and the convergence to a single wall socket type plug simplifies the operation of transferring data from and between sources, data collectors and data analysers.

In one aspect the invention broadly consists in a compact communication device comprising:

a housing;

wireless communication means; and

on the exterior of said housing, electrical connectors suitable for connection to a power-socket.

Preferably the electrical connectors are prongs and/or tabs.

In one embodiment a power-plug incorporating the electrical connectors, suitable for coupling to a power-socket, is formed integrally to the housing.

In another embodiment a power-plug incorporating the electrical connectors, suitable for coupling to a power-socket, is a separate detachable component to the housing.

Preferably the wireless communication means is capable of bidirectional communication with at least two wireless devices.

Preferably the wireless communication means is capable of half-duplex communication with at least two wireless devices.

More preferably the wireless communication means is capable of full-duplex communication with at least two wireless devices.

Preferably the wireless communication means is capable of communicating with a local area network.

Preferably the wireless communication means is capable of communicating with a wide area network.

Preferably the wireless communication means is capable of communicating with a mobile phone network.

Preferably the wireless communication means includes Wi-Fi functionality.

Preferably the wireless communication means includes WiMAX functionality.

Preferably the wireless communication means includes Bluetooth functionality.

Preferably a secondary power supply is included.

Preferably the secondary power supply is a rechargeable battery.

Preferably the compact communication device comprises a visual display means.

Preferably the visual display means is a LCD display.

Preferably the compact communication device comprises an aural alert means.

Preferably the communication means is capable of communicating with a data logger, and relaying data from said data logger to a data receiving device.

Preferably the data logger is attached to an animal.

Another aspect of the invention broadly consists in a communication system comprising:

a data logger comprising wireless communication means that collects data pertaining to an animal;

a wireless communication device that relays information from the data logger to a central location; and

a central location comprising a data network for receiving the collected data, processing the data and storing the data, and one or more web servers hosting a web site that displays the processed data.

Preferably the wireless communication device is the compact communication device described above.

In another aspect the invention broadly consists of a compact communication device comprising:

a housing;

wireless communication means;

on the exterior of said housing, electrical connectors suitable for connection to a power-socket;

a display means for displaying information.

Preferably the display means is a LCD display.

In another aspect the invention broadly consists in a compact communication device comprising:

a housing;

a wireless communication means that is capable of communicating with a mobile phone network and a RF device;

on the exterior of said housing, electrical connectors suitable for connection to a power-socket.

In another aspect the invention broadly consists in a compact communication device comprising:

a housing;

a wireless communication means that is capable of bidirectional communication with at least two wireless devices;

on the exterior of said housing, electrical connectors suitable for connection to a power-socket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Preferred forms of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a view of a preferred wall-unit inserted in a power socket;

Figure 2 shows a view of an alternative preferred wall unit inserted in a power socket;

Figure 3 shows a view of interchangeable back-plates and wall unit with the back plates

Figure 4 shows the mechanism of the back-plates and a wall unit using a back-plate;

Figure 5 shows a diagrammatic view of the communications system;

Figure 6 shows a collar comprising a data logger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In reference to the figures, the preferred embodiments of the invention will be illustrated by way of non-limiting example.

Wall Unit:

As illustrated in Figure 1 , in general terms the compact communication device 101 of the invention is a wall unit that contains in one housing the wireless communication circuits, memory, logic circuitry, power regulators and pins and/or tabs that are insertable into a mains power socket 102. The wall unit is plugged into the mains power socket within the wireless communication range of the external devices that the wall unit is to communicate with. The wall unit shown in Figure 1 is plugged into a Type I (Australian/New Zealand) 240 V socket.

A power regulator is used to obtain a lower voltage from the main voltage for the electronic components. This can be a linear transformer that is country specific, but preferably a switched-mode power supply (SMPS) is used. Preferably the SMPS unit has a universal input, such that it can accept power from most mains supplies throughout the world, with frequencies from 50 Hz to 60 Hz and voltages from 100 V to 240 V. This can be configured by using a manual voltage "range" switch, however preferably the SMPS automatically adjusts to the input voltage.

The outer housing of the wall unit is manufactured preferably in two main halves 103 and 104 from a rigid plastic or rubber material, each half being the same or different material. An antennae housing is provided on the exterior of the main housing enclosing one or more antennae. Alternatively an antennae housing may not be necessary if the antennae are completely internal to the main housing.

Preferably the power-plug portion is formed integrally to the housing to reduce the number of parts and simplify the design and construction. The electrical connector components can be inserted into the power-plug portion of the housing similarly as known for conventional power-plugs. The design of the electrical connectors varies

widely depending on the particular country in which the wall unit is to be used. However the different designs using different types and configurations of prongs (otherwise known as pins) and/or tabs is well known. Providing wall units for sockets of different countries is inconvenient but not technically challenging.

The wall unit contains wireless communication means, preferably a combination of different types of wireless bidirectional communication means. Preferably a cellular modem is included, such as a GPRS or CDMA module depending on the preferred and/or available cellular network of the user. Other wireless communication functionality includes but is not limited to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and WiMAX.

Preferably the cellular modem is mounted on a circuit board that includes memory (non-volatile memory), a RF transceiver module, and RF antenna, a modem antenna plug and an antenna. The circuit board has mounting holes for mounting inside the enclosure/housing. The antenna plug protrudes beyond the end of the board to engage an opening in the housing wall when mounted inside the housing. The location of the antennae is preferably external to the housing where transmission and reception is more effective, however alternatively any of the antennae may be internal. Preferably a SIM connector (or cellular-network equivalent) is provided in the wall unit, whereby a user may choose or change their preferred SIM card.

The preferred use of the wall-unit embodiments is for communicating with logger- units that are attached or worn by animals, including pets. Information about the animal is sent by the logger-unit on the animal to the wall unit. The wall unit can then transmit the received information to another device, such as directly to a computer using wireless communication or a data-server or computer network. Or the information can be sent over the internet by communicating directly with an ISP through a wireless link, or indirectly by communicating wirelessly with a modem or a computer network.

Alternatively the information can be sent other a mobile phone network to another device, such as a mobile phone, PDA or any other device capable of connecting to a mobile phone network, preferably a web-server. The information can be

processed and displayed to a user, either directly on a computer, including a PDA or other handheld, or other processing means. Preferably the information is processed and displayed on a website for viewing by the user or any other appropriate person, such as a veterinarian. Alternatively the wall unit itself can process the information with an onboard processor and which may then be communicated to another device, stored within memory in the wall unit or used by the wall unit to indicate an alert. Accordingly, alert means may also be included in the wall unit, such as a LED and/or piezo sound generator to signify its operational status or alert pre-determined events. The alert means could indicate that the wall unit is operational, is transmitting or receiving data or that a logger unit is in or out of wireless range. An LCD screen 106 may be included on the main housing, such as shown in Figure 2. The LCD screen can be used in conjunction with a processor within the wall-unit to provide information directly to a user. Information received by the wall unit can be analysed by the onboard processor and appropriate information can be displayed on the LCD screen independently of whether or not the information is sent and/or processed by an external device. This provides simple functionality for stand-alone use of the wall unit and logger-unit, without requiring other equipment, such as a computer and/or internet access. Also this functionality is suitable for travelling, in situations where it is more convenient to only take the wall unit, rather than a portable computer, or if internet access or other communications normally used by the wall unit may not be available.

In an alternative embodiment as shown in Figure 3 the wall unit comprises an interchangeable back plate 107 that contains the electrical connectors specific to the country where it will be used, which is particularly useful when travelling. The back plate has the exterior electrical connectors for the power-socket on one face and socket connectors for receiving complementary prongs from the main housing on the other face. The wall unit can be provided with the back plate incorporating the appropriate electrical connectors for the intended country of use, and different back plates can be obtained if the wall unit is to be used in another country. Examples include but are not limited to a New Zealand/Australian plug 108 and a British plug 109.

Figure 4 shows how the interchangeable back plate 107 attaches to the main housing of the wall unit. Protruding spring-loaded metal contact tabs 111 fit into complementary recesses in the contact face of the back-plate. To attach the back- plate it is pressed onto the flange 112 on the main housing, on to the contact tabs 111 and located by the complementary recesses in the back-plate, and slots 113 formed by protrusions on the inside of the flange 112. The back-plate is rotated to lock into the slots 113. The back-plate is secured by a biased tab 114, which prevents the back-plate from rotating back and releasing from the slots 113. The wall unit with a British 3 pin plug back-plate is shown as an example 109. To release the back-plate the biased tab 114 is depressed and the back-plate is rotated out of the slots 112 and pulled out from the flange. The spring-loaded metal contact tabs provide the electrical connection to the prongs pins or tabs 115 on the back plate appropriate for the intended power socket.

Communication System:

The preferred communication system is shown in diagrammatic form in Figure 5. The basic system comprises a data logger-unit 116 (logger-unit) that communicates wirelessly with a wall mounted compact wireless communication device (wall unit) 101. The wall unit 101 as shown is mounted in a power-socket ready for operation. Preferably the logger-unit 116 is a battery-powered host worn device that wirelessly communicates with the wall-unit. Preferably each wall-unit can communicate with more than one logger units. Preferably the logger-unit is designed to be worn by an animal, wherein the information collected by the logger unit is relevant to the health and wellbeing of the animal, such as information concerning the movement, behaviour and physiological state of the animal. To do so the logger-unit collects information from sensors including but not limited to sensors capable of detecting movement, vibration, tilt, location, sound, temperature, light level, humidity, heart rate, breathing rate, and odour. The logger-unit may also communicate with other nearby devices, such as a water or food bowl, or proximity detectors, such as near fences or other places of interest.

The wireless communications system comprises of logger units communicating with wall units using short range radio frequency (locally wirelessly radio-

communicating). Any embodiment of the wall-unit discussed herein is also intended for the communications system. Preferably the wall-unit has a radio transceiver plus logic, a GSM mobile modem and power supply that mounts upon a wall and plugs directly into an AC power socket. Preferably the wall unit communicates with a wide area network and uploads the data collected to an FPT site using the cellular network. In other words the wireless radio communication from the logger unit to the wall unit is further globally communicated by the gateway device to the external communications network.

The data obtained from the logger units is automatically transmitted by a modem in the wall unit to a central location. The central location includes a data network for receiving the collected data, processing and storing it in virtual files, and one or more web servers host a web site for displaying the collected data in its processed form. The information uploaded to the web is analyzed and displayed in format that is easily interpreted by a veterinarian and a determination or warning of the animal's wellbeing can be concluded. The activities of the animal or animals can be determined from the data, either by computer processing means or by human interpretation. Preferably computer means is used to automate the process. The activities that can be determined including but are not limited to walking, running, trotting, jumping, greeting, sniffing, hunting, digging, marking, urinating, basking, rolling, grooming, scratching, sleeping, eating, drinking. Also included are activities distinctive of particular health conditions or other biological conditions, including but not limited to scratching for fleas, limping, and whimpering. The information collected and processed can be passed on to a computer 117 or a mobile device such as a phone 118. The information can be communicated directly from the wall unit 101 , or via a central location such as a server connected to the internet.

The central location can also relay information back to the wall unit which can be relayed to the logger unit. Such data can include but is not restricted to time data to synchronise the logger unit time, data to determine the times and frequency that the logger unit transmits data to the wall unit. If the wall unit includes an alert means, the central location can activate the alert means to inform the user of a particular status, a condition of the animal or any other appropriate alert. The LCD screen

display is particularly useful for this purpose. An urgent alert can be sent directly to the wall unit, such as if an animal is in immediate need of medical attention or if otherwise distressed, such as needing food or water.

As illustrated in Figure 6, preferably the logger unit comprises a sensor array 119 worn on or as part of an animal's collar 120. The logger unit contains a power supply and the necessary communications circuits for communicating with the wall- unit and any other external devices.