US 7,321,984 B2 | ||
Automatic storage unit in smart home | ||
Zhen Fu, Raleigh, N.C. (US) | ||
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US) | ||
Filed on Jul. 02, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/884,452. | ||
Prior Publication US 2006/0005071 A1, Jan. 05, 2006 | ||
Int. Cl. G06F 11/00 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 714—5 | 29 Claims |
1. An automatic storage unit comprising:
a storage area having assigned locations for a plurality of stored items;
a manipulator traveling on a manipulator track, said manipulator connected to carry ones of the plurality of stored items
between said assigned locations and a presentation area;
a processor connected to control said manipulator; and
a program running on said processor to receive input from a user regarding placement and retrieval of items in said storage
area;
a computer storage device for storing a textual description and a plurality of digital photographs of each one of said plurality
of stored items;
wherein said program provides a first mode in which a particular photograph of a first one of said stored items and a particular
photograph of a second one of said stored items are combined to produce a composite photograph of said first one and said
second one of said stored items that is displayed on a screen prior to selecting said first and said second one of said stored
items together for retrieval and a second mode in which ones of said stored items are selected for retrieval without combining
photographs of said ones of said stored items.
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