Obviousness

Here's an analysis of the obviousness of US Patent 7,623,033 under 35 U.S.C. § 103, considering the prior art described within the patent and relevant external references.

The patent US7623033 focuses on tracking items using a "context-based sensor web," where environmental sensor data from a beacon device (representing an area) is leveraged for multiple item tracking devices within its range. The patent's background section explicitly discusses existing tracking technologies, including:

• Bar codes: Requiring manual scanning, providing basic tracking.
• Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags: An improvement over bar codes, not requiring manual scanning, but typically only allowing for basic tracking without providing environmental information.
• Sensor-based tracking systems: Known to provide more information than RFID, but can be "expensive" and provide "extraneous and redundant item information."

The core of the invention, as stated in the overview, is "Leveraging the surrounding environment (e.g., using sensor data from one sensor to describe the environment of multiple items) removes duplication of capture and drives the cost down for each instance of data acquisition."

A person having ordinary skill in the art (POSITA) in the field of item tracking and logistics, at the time of the invention (priority date 2006-06-16), would have been familiar with these technologies and their respective advantages and limitations.

Let's analyze the independent claims, specifically Claim 1 (method) and Claim 15 (system), to identify combinations of prior art that would render them obvious.

Analysis of Claim 1 (Method)

Claim 1 recites a method for tracking items, comprising:

1. Storing, in memory, first association data reflecting an association between an item tracking device and a beacon device when the item tracking device is within a predetermined range of the beacon device, wherein the item tracking device corresponds to a first item, and the beacon device corresponds to an area that contains multiple items including the first item;
2. Detecting sensor data about an environment of the beacon device;
3. Associating the sensor data with a group of items, of the multiple items, that are within the predetermined range of the beacon device; and
4. Periodically transmitting the associated sensor data from the beacon device to a database.

Prior Art Combination for Claim 1

A POSITA would have been motivated to combine known RFID tracking systems with environmental sensing capabilities to overcome the limitations of existing systems, particularly the lack of environmental context in basic RFID and the cost/redundancy of fully sensor-equipped items.

Reference 1: An RFID-based Asset Tracking System
A suitable prior art reference would disclose an RFID system for tracking items (assets). Such a system would inherently include:

• Item tracking devices: RFID tags attached to items.
• Beacon devices: RFID readers positioned at various points (e.g., entry/exit points, within vehicles or storage areas).
• Storing association data: The RFID reader detecting an RFID tag within its range and recording this event, thereby associating the item (via its tag) with the reader's location or identifier. This "association data" would be stored in memory.
• Area containing multiple items: A single RFID reader would typically cover an area, and multiple RFID-tagged items could be present within its read range, meaning the "beacon device corresponds to an area that contains multiple items including the first item."
• Periodically transmitting data to a database: RFID readers commonly transmit collected tag identification data (and associated timestamps/reader IDs) to a central database for tracking purposes.

Numerous patents and publications prior to 2006 would describe such RFID systems. For example, systems for warehouse management or supply chain logistics extensively used RFID for automatic identification and tracking of inventory.

Reference 2: An Environmental Monitoring System with Integrated Sensors
A second suitable prior art reference would disclose environmental monitoring systems, perhaps specifically those integrated with or co-located with asset tracking. This reference would demonstrate:

• Detecting sensor data about an environment: A sensor (e.g., temperature, humidity, location via GPS) detecting environmental conditions in a specific area. It would be obvious to place such a sensor where assets are being tracked, such as within a storage facility or a transport vehicle.
• Integration of sensors with a data collection point: The sensor data being collected and transmitted, possibly wirelessly, to a central system.

Many sensor network patents and commercial systems existed prior to 2006 that detailed environmental monitoring (temperature, humidity, light, motion) and reporting. Some might even integrate these sensors with mobile platforms or fixed locations relevant to logistics.

Motivation to Combine:
A POSITA, faced with the shortcomings of existing RFID systems (lack of environmental context) and sensor-based tracking systems (expense and redundancy of individual item-level sensors), would have a clear motivation to combine these two areas of technology.

• Cost Reduction and Efficiency: The patent itself highlights the problem: "Sensor-based tracking systems... can be expensive, and may provide extraneous and redundant item information." A POSITA would be motivated to find a more cost-effective way to provide environmental data without equipping every single item with its own expensive suite of sensors.
• Enhanced Information for Asset Management: RFID provides "basic tracking" but "do not provide a way to improve asset management using information about the environment." There is a strong motivation to enrich the tracking data with environmental context, especially for sensitive goods (e.g., perishables, electronics).
• Technical Feasibility: It would be technically straightforward for a POSITA to integrate an environmental sensor (Reference 2) into or alongside an existing RFID reader (beacon device from Reference 1). Both devices typically require power and a communication module, making their co-location and combined data transmission a routine engineering task.

The combination would naturally lead to:

• The RFID reader (beacon device) not only detecting item tags but also gathering environmental data from its integrated sensor.
• The environmental data collected by the beacon being inherently relevant to all items currently within that beacon's read range. Therefore, "Associating the sensor data with a group of items... within the predetermined range of the beacon device" would be an obvious logical step. This "leveraging" allows a single environmental sensor to provide context for multiple items, directly addressing the cost and redundancy issues.
• The combined data (item association and environmental data) being periodically transmitted from the beacon to a central database, similar to how RFID systems already transmit tag data.

Therefore, Claim 1 would be obvious as it represents a logical and motivated combination of known RFID tracking systems with readily available environmental sensing technology to address known problems in asset management.

Analysis of Claim 15 (System)

Claim 15 recites a system for tracking items, comprising:

1. At least one item tracking device, the at least one item tracking device corresponding to an item to be tracked;
2. At least one beacon device that corresponds to an area that contains multiple items including the item to be tracked, the beacon device comprising:
   • a sensor that detects sensor data about an environment of the beacon device;
   • memory that stores first association data reflecting an association between the at least one item tracking device and the at least one beacon device; and
   • a processor that associates the sensor data with a group of items, of the multiple items, which are within the predetermined range of the beacon device; and
3. A tracking center operable to periodically receive the associated sensor data from the at least one beacon device.

Prior Art Combination for Claim 15

Similar to Claim 1, the system of Claim 15 would be rendered obvious by combining known RFID hardware with environmental sensor technology and standard data processing components.

Reference 1: An RFID Asset Tracking System (Hardware components)
This reference would describe the physical components of an RFID system:

• Item tracking device: An RFID tag (e.g., passive or active) attached to an item.
• Beacon device: An RFID reader with an antenna. This reader would include:
  • Memory: To temporarily store detected RFID tag IDs and potentially their association with the reader.
  • Processor: To manage RFID communication, process detected IDs, and prepare data for transmission.
• Tracking center: A central server or computer system designed to receive data from multiple RFID readers, store it in a database, and provide tracking functionality.

Reference 2: A Smart Sensor Module or Environment Monitoring Device
This reference would describe:

• A sensor that detects sensor data about an environment: A hardware module containing environmental sensors (e.g., a thermometer, hygrometer, GPS module).
• Connectivity and data output: The sensor module would be capable of outputting its detected data, possibly through a standard interface.

Motivation to Combine:
The motivations for combining these hardware components are the same as for the method claim: cost reduction, efficiency, and enhancing asset tracking with critical environmental context. A POSITA would find it obvious to:

• Integrate the environmental sensor into the beacon device: Given the beacon device (RFID reader) is already a powered, communicating device, physically integrating or co-locating a sensor module (Reference 2) with it would be a straightforward design choice. Many commercial products prior to 2006 combined different functionalities into a single unit to save space, power, or improve data synchronization.
• Utilize the beacon's processor for association: Since the beacon's processor (Reference 1) is already handling the association data for items within its range, it would be a trivial programming task to also receive data from the co-located environmental sensor and logically "associate" this environmental data with all the items that the processor has identified as being within its range at that time. This avoids the need for each item to carry its own sensors, directly addressing the "expensive" and "redundant" problems cited in the patent's background.
• Transmit combined data to the tracking center: The tracking center (Reference 1) is already "operable to periodically receive" data from the beacon. Extending this capability to include the newly associated environmental data from the beacon would require routine software updates at both the beacon and the tracking center.

Therefore, Claim 15 describes a system that is an obvious architectural combination of known RFID tracking systems and environmental sensing technology, driven by clear motivations to reduce cost and improve information richness in asset tracking.

In conclusion, the core inventive concept of US7623033, which involves a beacon device with environmental sensors "leveraging" that sensor data for multiple associated item tracking devices, is an obvious combination of existing RFID asset tracking systems and environmental monitoring solutions, motivated by well-known desires for cost efficiency and enhanced data in logistics and supply chain management.