1. A magnetic motor axle for a skateboard, comprising:
a truck for mounting on a step board;
an elongated rotor assembly rotatably carried by said truck;
a plurality of rotor magnets carried by said rotor assembly, wherein said rotor magnets are not electro-magnets;
a plurality of truck magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of rotor magnets, respectively;
wherein said truck magnets are not electro-magnets;
at least one drive wheel drivingly engaged by said rotor assembly; and
at least one magnetic disk assembly having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of disk magnets, respectively, wherein said disk magnets and stationary magnets are non-electro-magnets.
2. The magnetic motor axle of claim 1 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a pair of magnetic disk assemblies.
3. The magnetic motor axle of claim 1 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a disk carried by said rotor assembly and wherein said plurality of disk magnets is carried by said disk.
4. The magnetic motor axle of claim 1 further comprising a free wheel carried by said rotor assembly.
5. The magnetic motor axle of claim 4 further comprising at least one magnetic disk assembly having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of stationary magnets, respectively.
6. The magnetic motor axle of claim 5 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a pair of magnetic disk assemblies.
7. The magnetic motor axle of claim 6 wherein said pair of magnetic disk assemblies each comprises a disk carried by said rotor assembly and wherein said plurality of disk magnets is carried by said disk.
8. A magnetic motor axle for a skateboard, comprising:
a truck for mounting on a step board;
an elongated rotor assembly rotatably carried by said truck;
a plurality of rotor magnets carried by said rotor assembly, wherein said rotor magnets are non electro-magnets;
a first set of truck magnets carried by said truck on a first side of said rotor assembly and a second set of truck magnets carried by said truck on a second side of said rotor assembly for magnetically repelling said plurality of rotor magnets, respectively, wherein said truck magnets are non electro-magnets;
at least one drive wheel drivingly engaged by said rotor assembly; and
at least one magnetic disk assembly having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of disk magnets, respectively, wherein said disk magnets and stationary magnets are non-electro-magnets.
9. The magnetic motor axle of claim 8 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a pair of magnetic disk assemblies.
10. The magnetic motor axle of claim 9 wherein said pair of magnetic disk assemblies each comprises a disk carried by said rotor assembly and wherein said plurality of disk magnets is carried by said disk.
11. The magnetic motor axle of claim 8 further comprising a free wheel carried by said rotor assembly.
12. The magnetic motor axle of claim 11 further comprising at least one magnetic disk assembly having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of stationary magnets, respectively.
13. The magnetic motor axle of claim 12 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a pair of magnetic disk assemblies.
14. The magnetic motor axle of claim 13 wherein said pair of magnetic disk assemblies each comprises a disk carried by said rotor assembly and wherein said plurality of disk magnets is carried by said disk.
15. A magnetic motor axle for a skateboard, comprising:
a truck for mounting on a step board;
an elongated, generally cylindrical rotor assembly rotatably carried by said truck;
a plurality of spaced-apart rotor magnets carried by said rotor assembly, said rotor magnets arranged in a generally staggered relationship to each other around a circumference of said rotor assembly, wherein said rotor magnets are non electro-magnets;
a plurality of truck magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of rotor magnets, respectively, wherein said truck magnets are non electro-magnets;
at least one drive wheel drivingly engaged by said rotor assembly; and
at least one magnetic disk assembly having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of disk magnets, respectively, wherein said disk magnets and stationary magnets are non electro-magnets.
16. The magnetic motor axle of claim 15 wherein said at least one magnetic disk assembly comprises a pair of magnetic disk assemblies.
17. The magnetic motor axle of claim 16 further comprising a free wheel carried by said rotor assembly.
18. The magnetic motor axle of claim 17 wherein said rotor assembly comprises an elongated central segment, a pair of disk mount segments extending from said central segment and a pair of axle segments extending from said pair of disk mount segments, respectively; and wherein said plurality of rotor magnets is carried by said central segment, said pair of magnetic disk assemblies is carried by said pair of disk mount segments, respectively, and said at least one drive wheel and said free wheel are carried by said pair of axle segments, respectively.
19. The magnetic motor axle of claim 15 wherein said plurality of truck magnets comprises a first set of truck magnets carried by said truck on a first side of said rotor assembly and a second set of truck magnets carried by said truck on a second side of said rotor assembly.
20. The magnetic motor axle of claim 19 further comprising a pair of magnetic disk assemblies each having a plurality of disk magnets carried by said rotor assembly and a plurality of stationary magnets carried by said truck for magnetically repelling said plurality of disk magnets, respectively.
21. The magnetic motor axle of claim 20 further comprising a free wheel carried by said rotor assembly.
22. The magnetic motor axle of claim 21 wherein said rotor assembly comprises an elongated central segment, a pair of disk mount segments extending from said central segment and a pair of axle segments extending from said pair of disk mount segments, respectively; and wherein said plurality of rotor magnets is carried by said central segment, said pair of magnetic disk assemblies is carried by said pair of disk mount segments, respectively, and said at least one drive wheel and said free wheel are carried by said pair of axle segments, respectively.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for monitoring container activity, the apparatus comprising:
a housing that can be attached to a container;
a processing unit communicatively coupled to a memory device and embedded in the housing;
an actuator interface on the housing that is communicatively coupled to the processing unit;
an indicator on the housing that is communicatively coupled to the processing unit;
an accelerometer communicatively coupled to the processing unit and operative to provide signals to the processing unit when the container to which the housing is attached is moved;
the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device is operative to:
receive programming data identifying scheduled times at which the container should be accessed;
monitor activity based on signals received from the accelerometer; and
if activity is not detected proximate to a scheduled time, send an alert signal to the indicator.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is operative to receive programming data by:
receiving a first actuation of the actuator interface;
in response to the first actuation, entering a learning mode for a given period of time;
monitor signals from the accelerometer to identify container access activity;
for each container access activity, creating a scheduled time that corresponds to the activity time; and
exiting the learning mode after the given period of time expires.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is further operative to, if activity is detected that is not proximate to a scheduled time, sending an alert signal to the indicator.
4. A activity monitor that can be affixed to a medicine bottle, the disposable activity monitor comprising:
a housing including at least one button accessible on the exterior of the housing and at least one indicator;
an activity detector;
a processing unit coupled to the at least one button, the at least one indicator, a memory device and the activity detector; and
a schedule, stored within the memory device, that includes data which at least defines a time of the day at which medicine is supposed to be dispensed.
5. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the activity detector comprises an accelerometer.
6. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the activity detector comprises a sensor operable to detect when a cap has been removed from the medicine bottle.
7. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to enter a learning mode in which activity associated with the medicine bottle over a certain period of time is used to generate the schedule.
8. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to:
enter a learning mode in which activity associated with the medicine bottle over a certain period of time is used to generate the schedule; and
enter an operational mode in which activity associated with the medicine bottle in view of the schedule, causes the processing unit to:
send an alert signal to the indicator if scheduled activity does not occur; and
send an alert signal to the indicator if activity outside of the schedule occurs.
9. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to:
detect activity signals from the activity detector;
analyze the detected activity signals in view of the schedule;
if activity that does not correspond with the schedule is detected, generating a tamper alert signal; and
if activity does not occur in accordance with the schedule, generating an attention alert signal.
10. The activity monitor of claim 9, further comprising a transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the processing unit and, the processing unit is further operative to send the generated tamper alert signal or the attention alert signal over the transmitter.
11. The activity monitor of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further operative to send the generated alert signals to the indicator.
12. The activity monitor of claim 9, further comprising a transceiver and, wherein the processing unit is further operative to:
send the generated alert signals to a device over the transceiver; and
receive programming data for the schedule over the transceiver.
13. The activity monitor of claim 4, wherein the memory device includes multiple schedules, and the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to:
detect a first actuation of the at least one button;
identifying the actuation;
selecting a schedule from the multiple schedules based at least in part on the identity of the actuation.
14. The activity monitor of claim 13, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to:
detect activity signals from the activity detector;
analyze the detected activity signals in view of the schedule;
if activity that does not correspond with the schedule is detected, generating a tamper alert signal; and
if activity does not occur in accordance with the schedule, generating an attention alert signal.
15. The activity monitor of claim 14, further comprising a transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the processing unit and, the processing unit is further operative to send the generated tamper alert signal or the attention alert signal over the transmitter.
16. The activity monitor of claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further operative to send the generated alert signals to the indicator.
17. A tamper detector that can be attached to a container to monitor activity associated with the container, the tamper detector comprising:
a housing including at least one button accessible on the exterior of the housing and at least one indicator;
an activity detector;
a processing unit coupled to the at least one button, the at least one indicator, a memory device and the activity detector; and
a schedule, stored within the memory device, that includes data which defines at least one window of time during which activity associated with the container is permissible and at least one window of time during which activity associated with the container is not permissible.
18. The tamper detector of claim 17 wherein the activity detector is an accelerometer.
19. The tamper detector of claim 17, wherein the processing unit, in response to instructions read from the memory device, is operative to:
detect activity signals from the activity detector;
analyze the detected activity signals in view of the schedule; and
if activity occurs during a not permissible window, generating an alarm signal.
20. The activity monitor of claim 19, further comprising a wireless transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the processing unit and, the processing unit is further operative to send the generated alarm signal over the transmitter.