Patent ID: 7299068

Claim:
An apparatus including a wireless sensor network for monitoring one or more selected environmental characteristics, comprising: a plurality of wireless signal transceivers, each of which is disposed within a respective portion of a selected environment, responsive to one or more wireless beacon signals at least in part by selectively transmitting one or more respective wireless response signals, and includes at least one signal transducer to convert said one or more wireless beacon signals at least in part to one or more corresponding incoming electrical signals, and to convert one or more outgoing electrical signals at least in part to said one or more wireless response signals; processing and control circuitry coupled to said at least one signal transducer and responsive to said one or more incoming electrical signals by selectively processing at least a portion of said one or more incoming electrical signals and at least a selected portion of a plurality of data, providing a plurality of control signals, and providing said one or more outgoing electrical signals; memory circuitry coupled to at least said processing and control circuitry and responsive to at least a first portion of said plurality of control signals by storing at least a first portion of said plurality of data and providing at least a second portion of said plurality of data; and data collection circuitry coupled to at least said processing and control circuitry and responsive to at least a second portion of said plurality of control signals and at least one sensor signal corresponding to one or more characteristics of said respective portion of said selected environment by providing said first portion of said plurality of data; wherein said one or more outgoing electrical signals selectively correspond to at least one of said one or more characteristics; and wherein said processing and control circuitry compares said selected portion of said plurality of data with one or more reference values, when said selected portion of said plurality of data compares favorably with said one or more reference values, updates a data log with said selected portion of said plurality of data, and when said selected portion of said plurality of data compares unfavorably with said one or more reference values, compares said selected portion of said plurality of data with one or more values within said data log, and provides a notice signal as one of said one or more outgoing electrical signals when said selected portion of said plurality of data compares unfavorably with said one or more data log values.