1. Field
This invention relates generally to the field of electronic monitoring, and more specifically to the transmission of Global Positioning System (GPS) data, or other location data, over a closed network using a portable electronic device.
2. Related Art
Current systems that track the geographical location of portable electronic devices make extensive use of cellular networks. These networks often include Global Systems of Mobile communication (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) networks and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks.
However, there are many limitations to the extent of tracking that these networks can execute. For example, cellular networks can only operate within range of cell towers, and can encounter “dead zones” in which a signal fails to transmit. In such cases, the monitoring party may not receive important tracking data unless, and until, the individual being tracked reenters an area with an available cellular network. This lack of tracking data is extremely problematic with regard to monitoring the location of individuals within the criminal justice system and can pose substantial risks to public safety. For example, data often cannot be transmitted about the location of individuals assigned a body-worn transmitter as a result of not being in an area with an available cellular network or not being near an external transmitting device.
The technology disclosed herein can be used to implement machines, methods and articles of manufacture which can address one or more of deficiencies in the technology currently used in the art. For example, aspects of the technology disclosed herein can be used to implement a system comprising a housing holding a set of components, wherein the set of components may comprise a location data collector, a plurality of radio transceivers, a storage device, a processor a power supply and a set of memory locations. In such a system, the plurality of radio transceivers may comprise a cellular transceiver and a satellite transceiver. The power supply may be configured to supply power to the location data collector, the plurality of radio transceivers and the processor. The set of memory locations could store data operable to configure the processor to perform a set of tasks. Such a set of tasks could comprise automatically switching between communicating with a remote device via the cellular transceiver and the satellite transceiver based on availability of a cellular network via the cellular transceiver and availability of a satellite network via the satellite transceiver. The set of tasks could also comprise sending location data collected by the location data collector to the remote device.
Other embodiments of the disclosed technology are also possible, will be immediately apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, and could be made and used by those of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation in light of the disclosure set forth herein. Accordingly, the discussion of systems which could be implemented using aspects of the disclosed technology should be understood as being illustrative only, and should not be treated as limiting on the protection accorded by this document or any related document.
a-4b depict an exemplary high-level algorithm which can be performed in some systems implementing aspects of the inventor's technology.
The inventor's technology can be used to enable Global Positioning System (GPS) data to be sent to a remote central database regardless of cellular network availability. As a result, the inventor's technology can be used to allow for more complete and continuous location tracking coverage than would otherwise be available. This location tracking can be performed using an adaptable, physical electronic apparatus equipped with a GPS receiver, a cellular network transceiver, a satellite RF transceiver and a Bluetooth™ (hereinafter “Bluetooth”) transceiver. Embodiments of the present invention may also contain a mechanism that allows for additional technologies, i.e. GPS data transmitting technologies beyond the aforementioned networks, to be incorporated as the field advances.
As described herein, various embodiments of the invention use a cellular network and a satellite RF network, alternately, to transmit GPS data back to a central database. Those skilled in the art will recognize that when transmitting via a cellular network there may be physical restrictions as to the extent of coverage. In such an occurrence (e.g. a cellular network is unavailable), systems implemented using the disclosed technology may detect the lack of an available cellular network and automatically switch over to use a satellite RF network to transmit GPS data in lieu of a cellular network. Satellite RF networks can be used to provide availability beyond what is provided by cellular networks because satellite RF networks are not limited to physical towers, and instead operate from space, providing availability in cases where cellular networks may not be accessible. Embodiments of the invention can utilize networks according to circumstance, and execute tools and techniques to determine which network is appropriate to maximize GPS data transmission (coverage) and minimize cost.
The embodiments described within this specification are to be understood as illustrative and exemplary of potential steps, structures, features, and aspects which could be included in embodiments of the disclosed technology and should not be treated as limiting the scope of the invention.
In addition to, or as an alternative to, providing notification when two devices come close enough to establish a connection, it is also possible that implementations following
It is also possible that devices such as shown in
Alternative implementations which operate with only a single device [10] are also possible. For example, in an implementation following
Turning to
Turning to
The invention having been described in the foregoing, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations and/or changes can be made therein without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention, and all such changes and/or variations are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. For example, while the above discussion of
When used in the claims, the phrase “GPS data” should be understood to refer to an identifiable unit of information received from a Global Position System satellite orbiting the earth.
When used in the claims, a statement that something is “based on” something else should be understood to mean that something is determined at least in part by the thing that it is indicated as being “based on.” When something is completely determined by a thing, it will be described as being “based EXCLUSIVELY on” the thing.
When used in the claims, or within any part of this document, the phrase “central database” should be understood to refer to a physical or virtual location to store data either in a physical or virtual data storage device that can be accessed via devices on a network to either add to, or retrieve from, data for a specific purpose.
When used in the claims, or within any part of this document, the term “processor” should be understood to refer to a device or group of devices capable of performing one or more logical and/or physical operations on data to produce a result. A processor may include, for example, a single-core or multi-core microcontroller or microcomputer, configured as an embedded processor or as a part of a portable electronic device.
This document is a continuation from patent cooperation treaty application PCT/US12/71513, filed on Dec. 21, 2012, which application claimed the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/579,092, filed on Dec. 22, 2011. Both of those applications have the same title and inventors as the present document, and the disclosures of both of those applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5043736 | Darnell et al. | Aug 1991 | A |
5266944 | Carroll et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
5298884 | Gilmore et al. | Mar 1994 | A |
5369699 | Page et al. | Nov 1994 | A |
5396227 | Carroll et al. | Mar 1995 | A |
5461390 | Hoshen | Oct 1995 | A |
5537102 | Pinnow | Jul 1996 | A |
5661458 | Page et al. | Aug 1997 | A |
5731757 | Layson, Jr. | Mar 1998 | A |
5867103 | Taylor, Jr. | Feb 1999 | A |
5892447 | Wilkenson | Apr 1999 | A |
5959533 | Layson, Jr. | Sep 1999 | A |
5982281 | Layson, Jr. | Nov 1999 | A |
6014080 | Layson, Jr. | Jan 2000 | A |
6044257 | Boling et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
6072396 | Gaukel | Jun 2000 | A |
6100806 | Gaukel | Aug 2000 | A |
6130620 | Pinnow et al. | Oct 2000 | A |
6160481 | Taylor, Jr. | Dec 2000 | A |
D440954 | Boling et al. | Apr 2001 | S |
6226510 | Boling et al. | May 2001 | B1 |
6285867 | Boling et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6337665 | Gaukel | Jan 2002 | B1 |
6366538 | Anderson et al. | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6405213 | Layson et al. | Jun 2002 | B1 |
6606304 | Grinter et al. | Aug 2003 | B1 |
6636732 | Boling et al. | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6639516 | Copley | Oct 2003 | B1 |
6646617 | Gaukel | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6703936 | Hill et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
6774797 | Freathy et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6774799 | Defant et al. | Aug 2004 | B2 |
6844816 | Melton et al. | Jan 2005 | B1 |
6853304 | Reisman et al. | Feb 2005 | B2 |
6972684 | Copley | Dec 2005 | B2 |
6992581 | Reisman et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6992582 | Hill et al. | Jan 2006 | B2 |
6998985 | Reisman et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7015817 | Copley et al. | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7064670 | Galperin et al. | Jun 2006 | B2 |
7072668 | Chou | Jul 2006 | B2 |
7092695 | Boling et al. | Aug 2006 | B1 |
7098795 | Adamczyk et al. | Aug 2006 | B2 |
7119695 | Defant et al. | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7123141 | Contestabile | Oct 2006 | B2 |
7205890 | Defant et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
7251471 | Boling et al. | Jul 2007 | B2 |
RE39909 | Taylor, Jr. | Nov 2007 | E |
7317377 | Galperin et al. | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7330122 | Derrick et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7382268 | Hartman | Jun 2008 | B2 |
D578918 | Aninye | Oct 2008 | S |
7446656 | Blakeway | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7456355 | Blakeway | Nov 2008 | B2 |
7489249 | Better et al. | Feb 2009 | B2 |
7518500 | Aninye et al. | Apr 2009 | B2 |
7545318 | Derrick et al. | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7619513 | Hill et al. | Nov 2009 | B2 |
7630724 | Beyer, Jr. et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
7636047 | Sempek | Dec 2009 | B1 |
7701171 | Defant et al. | Apr 2010 | B2 |
7737841 | Derrick et al. | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7804412 | Derrick et al. | Sep 2010 | B2 |
7864047 | Aninye et al. | Jan 2011 | B2 |
7930927 | Cooper et al. | Apr 2011 | B2 |
7936262 | Derrick et al. | May 2011 | B2 |
7961092 | Freathy et al. | Jun 2011 | B2 |
7984540 | Blakeway | Jul 2011 | B2 |
8009036 | Freathy et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
8013736 | Derrick et al. | Sep 2011 | B2 |
8031077 | Derrick et al. | Oct 2011 | B2 |
8232876 | Derrick et al. | Jul 2012 | B2 |
8395513 | Moran et al. | Mar 2013 | B2 |
20060199612 | Beyer et al. | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20070038338 | Larschan et al. | Feb 2007 | A1 |
20070139207 | Agapi et al. | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20080012760 | Derrick et al. | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080088438 | Aninye et al. | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20080096521 | Boling et al. | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20080108370 | Aninye | May 2008 | A1 |
20080316022 | Buck et al. | Dec 2008 | A1 |
20100066545 | Ghazarian | Mar 2010 | A1 |
20100090825 | Freathy | Apr 2010 | A1 |
20100090827 | Gehrke et al. | Apr 2010 | A1 |
20100123589 | Buck et al. | May 2010 | A1 |
20100240969 | Rompa et al. | Sep 2010 | A1 |
20110133928 | Buck et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20110133937 | Buck et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20110195722 | Walter et al. | Aug 2011 | A1 |
20110234397 | Fetzer et al. | Sep 2011 | A1 |
20110248853 | Roper et al. | Oct 2011 | A1 |
20120056744 | Gemer | Mar 2012 | A1 |
20120127980 | Quinn | May 2012 | A1 |
20130006066 | Melton | Jan 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
WO 2008143379 | Nov 2008 | WO |
Entry |
---|
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Apr. 5, 2013 for Application No. PCT/US2012/071513. |
Screenshot, 3M Electronic Monitoring, Domestic Violence Proximity Notification System, 2011. Accessed May 22, 2013 http://solutions.3m.com/3MContentRetrievalAPI/BlobServlet?lmd=1316545433000&locale=en—WW&assetType=MMM—Image&assetId=1273695271401&blobAttribute=ImageFile. |
Screenshot, Oakland County Michigan, Community Corrections, Electronic Monitoring Devices, 2012. Accessed May 22, 2013 http://www.oakgov.com/commcorr/Pages/program—service/electronic—monitor.aspx. |
Utterback's Utterings, Satellite Tracking of People LLC, Stalker Alert, Feb. 1, 2011. Accessed May 22, 2013 http://www.utterbacksutterings.com/category/domestic-violence/. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20130210465 A1 | Aug 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61579092 | Dec 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/US2012/071513 | Dec 2012 | US |
Child | 13766345 | US |