FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10, rule 13)
/. Title of the invention'.
RADIATION TRACKING COMMUNICATION DEVICE
2, Appliednt(s)
NAME NATIONALITY ADDRESS

TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES Nirmal Building, 9th Floor, Nariman Point,
Indian
LIMITED Mumbai-400021, Maharashtra, India
3. Preamble to the description
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it
is to be performed.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates, in general, to tracking non-ionizing radiations
and, in particular, to a radiation tracking communication device.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Recent studies have indicated that long term exposure to radiations, such as radio
frequency radiations or microwave radiations, may cause potential damage to human tissues. Sources of such radiations include cell phones, cell phone towers, FM/TV transmitters, and microwave ovens. Further, there exist systems for computing the radiations absorbed by the human tissue at a particular location and at neighboring locations: however, the radiations at the neighboring locations are usually estimated based on predefined mathematical relationships. Such estimations are usually based on various variables and may, therefore, inaccurate. Additionally, the computed radiation is generally stored on a central repository but retrieving data from the central repository adds latency to the overall process.
SUMMARY
[0003] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a method and a
system for tracking radiation and performing one or more actions, which is further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0004] In one implementation, the method includes receiving current peer radiation data
from one or more peer communication devices through a peer-to-peer channel, determining whether past peer radiation data is different from the current peer radiation data, and

performing one or more actions based on the determining, wherein the actions comprise generating at least one of an alert, a violation report, a route, and a navigation map to a user-defined location through a low radiation zone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
(0006] Fig. J illustrates a network environment implementing an exemplary radiation
tracking communication device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0007] Fig. 2 depicts an exemplary method to track radiation and perform one or more
actions, in accordance with an implementation of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] Research shows that several devices, such as cellular phones, cellular phone
towers, FM/TV transmitters, and microwave devices emit radiations, such as radio frequency/microwave radiations, which may cause illnesses in humans. The embodiments described herein provide for systems and methods to accurately track radiation from such devices. In one implementation, a radiation tracking communication (RTC) device, such as a handheld phone, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), is configured to receive a list of peer communication devices associated with the RTC device. The peer

communication device is defined as a device which shares some common characteristics or a set of characteristics with the RTC device, enabling initiation and communication with each other.
[0009] In one implementation, the peer communication devices provide radiation data
at their respective locations at a certain instant. The radiation data is hereinafter referred to as current peer radiation data. Further, the RTC device has a memory having stored thereon radiation data recorded at an earlier time, which is hereinafter referred to as past peer radiation data. In one implementation, the past peer radiation data is compared with the current peer radiation data and accordingly, one or more actions are performed. The actions may include replacing the past peer radiation data with the current peer radiation data in the memory of the RTC device.
[00010] Additionally, the RTC device measures the radiation data at a location of the
user operating the RTC device. Such measured radiation data may be compared with a first threshold value defined by, say the World Health Organization (WHO). If the measured radiation data exceeds the first threshold value, the measured radiation data may be stored within the RTC device with a time stamp. Further, a route and/or a navigation map from the user location to one of the safe neighbouring locations may be suggested based on the current peer radiation data and the measured radiation data. Such routes may take the user from an area of high radiation to an area of low radiation. Also, the routes may be associated with the current peer radiation data and the peer communication device and stored within a database. The routes can then be directly used by other users if the current peer radiation data does not change over time.

[00011] Additionally, in one implementation, alerts and violation reports may be
generated on the RTC devices to warn an individual entering an area of high or excessive radiations. The alerts and violation reports may be generated in various video and audio forms, or a combination thereof, and may be communicated to other computing devices or a master communication device, such as a communication device of a parent monitoring a child's RTC device.
[00012] Conventionally, the radiation data obtained at a particular location is stored on
a central repository or dedicated server, which in turn contributes to significant latency. Latency is defined as the time elapsed between sending a request from a communication device for accessing data stored in the central repository or server and receiving a response from the server. However, the present subject matter describes storing the current peer radiation data and the measured radiation data is stored in the RTC device itself, due to which the latency is significantly reduced. Since the data can be quickly accessed, therefore, the time required for subsequent processing of such data is also reduced. Additionally, values of current peer radiation data are received in real time from the peer communication devices, thereby making the navigation maps accurate and updated.
[00013] While aspects of described radiation tracking communication device and
method of radiation tracking can be implemented in any number of different computing systems, environments, and/or configurations, the embodiments are described in the context of the following exemplary system(s). Although the present subject matter has been described in detail with reference to cellular phones as radiation tracking communication devices;

however, it will be understood that the description may be extended to other types of devices,
such as handheld phone, a portable computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA).
[00014] Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment 100 implementing a
radiation tracking communication (RTC) device 102, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. In said embodiment, the RTC device 102 communicates with one or more peer communication device(s) 104 over a peer-to-peer channel 106. In one example, the peer communication devices 104 are listed in a predefined table within the RTC device 102. In another example, a list of the peer communication devices 104 is obtained by the RTC device 102 by polling for available communication devices in a zone defined by the RTC device 102. For example, the RTC device 102 may define that all the communication devices in a periphery of 30 kilometers are to be selected as the peer communication devices 104. Additionally and alternatively, the RTC device 102 may be configured to interact with master communication device(s) 108 and/or other computing device(s) 110 over a network 112. Examples of the RTC device 102, the peer communication device 104, and the master communication device 108 may include cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), hand-held devices, portable computers, etc. Examples of computing devices 110 include, but are not limited to, desktop computers, portable computers, servers, mainframes, for facilitating various operations, such as displaying the data generated by the RTC device 102.
[00015] The network 112 may be a wireless network, wired network or a combination
thereof. The network 112 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and such. The network 112 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an

association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP, to communicate with each other. It will be appreciated that even though the peer-to-peer channel 106 is shown as a separate communication channel; the peer-to-peer channel 106 may be implemented using the network 112.
[00016] In one implementation, the RTC device 102 includes a processor(s) 114, input-
output (I/O) interface(s) 116. and a memory 118. The processor(s) 114 are coupled to the memory 118. The processor(s) 114 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor(s) 114 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 118.
[00017] The I/O interface(s) 116 may include a variety of software and hardware
interfaces, for example, an interface allowing the RTC device 102 to interact with the peer communication devices 104 via the peer-to-peer channel 106. Further, the I/O interface(s) 116 may enable the RTC device 102 to communicate with the master communication devices 108 and other computing devices, such as the computing devices 110, and external repositories (not shown in the figure). The I/O interface(s) 116 can facilitate multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocol types, including wired networks, for example LAN, cable, etc., and wireless networks such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The I/O interface(s) 116 may include one or more ports for connecting a number of devices to each other or to another server.

[00018] The memory 118 can include any computer-readable medium known in the art
including, for example, volatile memory (e.g., RAM), and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., EPROM, flash memory, etc.). In one embodiment, the memory 118 includes program module(s) 120. The program module(s) 120 further include a radiation measurement module 124, a determination module 126, an alert generation module 128, a map generation module 130, and other module(s) 132. It will be appreciated that such modules may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules. Additionally, the memory 118 further includes program data 122 that serves, amongst other things, as a repository for storing data fetched, processed, received and generated by one or more of the program module(s) 120. The program data 122 includes, for example, measured radiation data 134, current peer radiation data 136, and other data 138. In one embodiment, the measured radiation data 134, the current peer radiation data 136, and the other data 138 may be stored in the memory 118 in the form of data structures or values. Alternatively, the aforementioned data can be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data model.
[00019] In one implementation, the radiation measurement module 124 is configured to
measure the radiation level at a location of the user operating the RTC device 102. For this, the radiation measurement module 124 determines a location of the user, or user location, through one or more techniques known to a person skilled in the art, such as through a global positioning system (not shown in the figure). The radiation measurement module 124 then scans field strengths of the radiations at the user location. It will be appreciated that the user location may experience radiations from various sources, such as microwave devices in the vicinity and cell phone towers.

[00020] Subsequent to scanning, the radiation measurement module 124 processes the
obtained field strengths to determine a cumulative radiation level at the user location. The cumulative radiation level is the summation of the radiations from the various sources at the user location. Such a cumulative radiation level is hereinafter referred to as the measured radiation data 134.
[00021] In one implementation, the determination module 126 compares the measured
radiation data 134 with a first threshold value stored in the other data 138. In one example, the first threshold value may be an acceptable radiation value defined by say, the WHO, and may vary based on physical characteristics of the user, such as age, height, and weight of the user. The first threshold value can be manually set by the user. The determination module 126 is also capable of automatically identifying the first threshold value based on the physical characteristics of the user. If the determination module 126 determines that the measured radiation data 134 exceeds the first threshold value, the alert generation module 128 generates an alert on the RTC device 102 indicating that the location of the user and the region surrounding the user location may be within a high radiation zone. The alert may also be sent to a master communication device 108, for example a parent's cellular phone, in case the child's RTC device 102 indicates that the child is in a high radiation zone.
[00022] Additionally and alternatively, the alert generation module 128 compares the
measured radiation data 134 with a second threshold value. The second threshold value may either be equal to or different from the first threshold value. In an example, the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. If the measured radiation data 134 is greater than the second threshold value, the alert generation module 128 generates a violation

report notifying a third party, such as a central authority, with details of the user location. In another implementation, the RTC device 102 may also communicate the measured radiation data 134 to a computing device 110 for various purposes, such as interacting with experts on electromagnetic shielding of buildings, phones, etc.
[00023] Additionally, in one implementation, the RTC device 102 is configured to
guide the user to another user-defined location, through a low radiation zone. Alternatively, in absence of the user-defined location, the RTC device 102 may guide the user to a safer location lying within the low radiation zone. The low radiation zone, as mentioned earlier, is defined as a region in which the measured radiation data 134 is below the first threshold value. To this end, the radiation measurement module 124 polls the peer communication devices 104 through a peer-to-peer channel 106 at pre-defined time intervals, say every 30 seconds.
[00024] As defined earlier, the peer communication devices 104 may be either pre-
defined or selected based on the specifications of the radiation measurement module 124. On polling, the radiation measurement module 124 receives the current peer radiation data 136 from the peer communication devices 104. In an implementation, the current peer communication data 136 indicates the radiation levels at the location, for example, a nearby or neighboring location, where the peer communication device 104 is currently in operation. In this manner, the radiation measurement module 124 receives the radiation data at the neighboring locations, in real time, and stores such data as the current peer radiation data 136 in the RTC device 102 instead of a central server or repository. This increases the speed and reduces the latency in accessing and further processing of the current peer radiation data 136.

[00025] It will be appreciated that the RTC device 102 has stored thereon radiation data
with older timestamps. Such data is referred to as the past peer radiation data. In one implementation, the RTC device 102 updates the past peer radiation data as and when current peer radiation data 136 is received from the peer communication devices 104 or whenever a discrepancy is observed between the current peer radiation data 136 and the past peer radiation data.
[00026] Based on the measured radiation data 134 of the zone, in which the user of the
RTC device 102 is Currently located, and on the current peer radiation data 136, the map generation module 130 may provide a route to the user and guide the user through the route to say, the user-defined location through a low radiation zone. As mentioned before, the low radiation zone has radiations below the first threshold value. In one implementation, the map generation module 130 may also generate navigation maps to the user-defined location or a safe neighboring location using navigation applications known in the art, thereby guiding the user to the low radiatjon zone away from the user location.
[00027] If a low threshold zone cannot be determined based on the first threshold
value; in other words if no zone in the vicinity of the user location can 6e determind as the low threshold zone, the map generation module 130 may reduce the first threshold value and generate navigation maps or routes in conformance with the lower first threshold value. On the other hand, if multiple low radiation zones are detected, an input may be taken from the user to choose a particular low radiation zone.
[00028] Further, to provide guidance to the user, the map generation module 130 may
present additional attributes to the user. Such additional attributes can include identity of the

users who have taken specific route segments and an average travel time for the recommended routes shown in the navigation maps. In one implementation, the map generation module 130 also tags each of the navigation maps with the current peer radiation data 136 and the measured radiation data 134. For example, a route on which the user is currently located may be tagged or associated with the measured radiation data 134, while the navigation map suggested to a user for moving towards a low radiation zone may be tagged with the current peer radiation data 136. The map generation module 130 stores such navigation maps and attributes within the other data 138 for other users in case the current peer radiation data 136 does not vary with time. In another implementation, instead of the current peer radiation data 134 alone, the RTC device 102 may also receive, via peer-to-peer channel 106, the maps generated on the peer communication devices 104 and tagged with their respective peer radiation data 136.
[00029] Further, in an implementation, alerts, routes, navigation maps, and violation
reports, may be represented in one of various visual and/or audible forms, such as in the form of dashboards, graphical charts, tabular charts, text messages, and multimedia messages. Visual charts may also be generated to display the measured radiation data 134 versus current peer radiation data 136 statistics over a predefined period of time. Further, the alerts and violation reports may be generated in a language selected by the user. Along with alerts, environmental factors, such as wind direction, moisture level, etc., in and around the user location may also be conveyed to the user.
[00030] It will be understood that the measured radiation data 134, determined with
respect to the user location, may change as and when the user location changes. Accordingly,

the navigation maps, the peer communication devices 104, and their respective current peer radiation data 136 may also change.
[00031] Fig. 2 illustrates a method 200 for tracking radiation at a user location and
performing one or more actions, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. The exemplary method may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, functions, and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The method may also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where functions are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, computer executable instructions may be located in both local and remote computer storage media, including memory storage devices.
[00032] The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a
limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method, or alternate methods. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. The method described herein is with reference to the RTC device 102 in the network environment 100; however, the method can be implemented in other similar systems albeit with a few variations as will be understood by a person skilled in the art.

[00033] At block 202, current peer radiation data is received from one or more peer
communication devices 104 through a peer-to-peer channel 106. In one implementation, the radiation measurement module 124 receives the current peer radiation data 136 from one or more peer communication devices 104 at pre-defined intervals. In one example, the peer communication devices 104 are identified from a predetermined list. In another example, the radiation measurement module 124 sends requests to various peer communication devices 104 present in a predetermined region, for example, in the vicinity of the RTC device 102. Further, the current peer radiation data 136 is received from the peer communication device 104, which accepts the request. The current peer radiation data 136 is time-stamped to indicate the time at which the peer radiation data is received. Thus, the most recent peer radiation data is stored as the current peer radiation data 136.
[00034] At block 204, it is determined whether the past peer radiation data is different
from the current peer radiation data. In one implementation, the RTC device 102 has stored thereon the peer radiation data with a time-stamp, which may have an older time-stamp than the current peer radiation data 136 obtained at block 202. Therefore, the current peer radiation data 136 is compared with the past peer radiation data, which is stored in the RTC device 102. Based on the comparison, it is determined whether or not the current peer radiation data 136 is different from the stored past peer radiation data.
(00035] At block 206, one or more actions are performed based on the determination.
For example, if it is determined that the current peer radiation data 136 is different from the stored past peer radiation data, say in terms of data content and the time-stamp, one or more actions are triggered. Examples of actions include updating the memory of the RTC device

102 with the current peer radiation data. In one implementation, the radiation level at a user location is measured and the measured radiation data 134 is also stored in the memory of the RTC device 102. The actions may include comparison of the measured radiation data 134 with a first threshold value. If the measured radiation data exceeds the first threshold value, in an implementation, one or more alerts are generated and provided to the user. Additionally, a second comparison of the measured radiation data with a second threshold value (which is equal to or greater than the first threshold value) may be performed. In said implementation, if the measured radiation data exceeds the second threshold value, a violation report may be sent to a third party.
[00036] In another implementation, based on the comparison between the measured
radiation data 134 at the user location and the first threshold value, routes and/or navigation maps may be suggested to the user. In said example, the navigation maps and routes guide the user from a high radiation zone to either a user-defined location through or a safe location within a low radiation zone. In one implementation, the routes to the low radiation zone are calculated based on the current peer radiation data 136. In one example, the navigation maps are tagged with the current peer radiation data 136 and may be re-used if the current peer radiation data 136 does not change over time.
[00037] Although embodiments for a radiation tracking communication device have
been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as exemplary embodiments for the radiation tracking communication device.

1/We claim:
1. A radiation tracking communication device (102) comprising: a processor (114);
a memory (118) coupled to the processor (114), wherein the memory (118) comprises,
a radiation measurement module (124) configured to receive current peer radiation data (136) from one or more peer communication devices (104) through a peer-to-peer channel (106);
a determination module (126) configured to compare past peer radiation data with the current peer radiation data (136); and
at least one of an alert generation module (128) and a map generation module (130) to perform at least one action based in part on the comparison of the current peer radiation data (136) and the past peer radiation data. 2. The device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alert generation module (128) is further configured to:
obtain measured radiation data (134) at a user location;
determine whether the measured radiation data (134) exceeds a first threshold value; and
if the measured radiation data (134) exceeds the first threshold value, generate an alert on at least one of a master communication device (108) and a computing device (110).

3. The device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alert generation module (128) is
further configured to:
obtain the measured radiation data (134) corresponding to a user location;
determine whether the measured radiation data (134) exceeds a second threshold value;
in response to the measured radiation data (134) exceeding the second threshold value, generate a violation report for a third party.
4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the map generation module (130) is further configured to generate at least one of a route and a navigation map indicating routes lying within a low radiation zone based in part on the current peer radiation data (136) and the measured radiation data (134).
5. A method for tracking radiation, the method comprising:
receiving current peer radiation data (136) from one or more peer communication devices (104) through a peer-to-peer channel (106);
determining whether past peer radiation data is different from the current peer radiation data (136); and
performing one or more actions based on the determining, wherein the actions comprise generating at least one of an alert, a violation report, and a navigation map indicating routes through a low radiation zone.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the performing comprises updating a
memory (118) of a radiation tracking communication device (102) with the current

peer radiation data (136), if the past peer radiation data is different from the current peer radiation data (136).
7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the performing comprises:
obtaining measured radiation data (134) at a user location;
determining whether the measured radiation data (134) exceeds a first threshold value; and
if the measured radiation data exceeds the first threshold value, generating the alert on at least one of a radiation tracking communication device, a master communication device, and a computing device.
8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the performing further comprises:
obtaining measured radiation data (134) corresponding to a user location;
determining whether the measured radiation data (134) exceeds a second threshold value;
in response to the measured radiation data (134) exceeding the second threshold value, generating the violation report for a third party.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the performing further comprises generating at least one of a route and a navigation map guiding a user from the user location to a user-defined location through the low radiation zone based in part on the current peer radiation data (136) and the measured radiation data (134).
10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the generating comprises tagging the navigation map with the current peer radiation data.

11. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method comprising:
receiving current peer radiation data (136) from one or more peer communication devices (104) through a peer-to-pee,. cnannel (106)
determining whether past peer radiation data. is different from the current peer radiation data (136); and
performing one or more actions based on the determinings wherein the actions comprise generating at least one of an alert, a violation report, and navigation map to a user-defined location through a low radiation zone.