Mobile wireless device tracking and notification system

• US 10,390,175 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Traxcell Technologies II LLC
• Original Assignee: Traxcell Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Reed, Mark Jefferson, Palik, Stephen Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US15/880,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20180167777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks

Abstract

A mobile wireless network and a method of operation provide tracking of mobile devices either in a passive mode or an active mode. In the passive mode, fault detection triggers generation of a case file associated with the device experiencing the fault. In the active mode, a user of the system can specify tracking mobile devices by sector or one or more mobile devices by identifier. Notifications can be generated in response to detection of a fault, or when a device enters a predetermined geographic region.

Claims

1. A system including:

at least one radio-frequency transceiver and an associated at least one antenna to which the at least one radio-frequency transceiver is coupled, wherein the at least one radio-frequency transceiver is configured for radio-frequency communication with at least one mobile wireless communications device; and

a system of computers coupled to the at least one radio-frequency transceiver programmed to locate the at least one mobile wireless communications device and acquire an indication of a location of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, wherein the system of computers further receives and stores performance data of connections between the at least one mobile wireless communications device and the at least one radio frequency transceiver along with the indication of the location, wherein the system of computers, responsive to a first user input specifying a selection between operating in an active mode or a passive mode, wherein the system of computers, responsive to selection of the active mode, receives a second user input specifying the at least one mobile wireless communications device to track and a time period to track the at least one mobile wireless communications device and generates a case file containing locations of the at least one mobile wireless communications device over the specified time period, and wherein the system of computers, responsive to selection of the passive mode, receives a third user input specifying at least one sector and an error criteria to use in conjunction with generating the case file.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the active mode, receives a fourth user input further specifying another selection between tracking a single one of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, tracking multiple mobile wireless communications devices or a sector in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the passive mode, and responsive to the system detecting a fault according to the error criteria, generates the case file containing the location and identifier of the at least one mobile wireless communications device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the passive mode, receives a fifth user input further selecting between an auto-correct mode and a non-autocorrect mode, and wherein in response to the system detecting the fault, includes corrections in the case file.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second user input specifies a single mobile wireless communications device to track.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second user input specifies a list of mobile wireless communications devices to track.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second user input further specifies one or more sectors in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system of computers determines when the at least one mobile wireless communications device is within a predetermined geographic region, wherein the at least one computer receives contact information in the first user input, and wherein the at least one computer sends a notification to a target device specified by the contact information.

9. A system including:

at least one radio-frequency transceiver and an associated at least one antenna to which the at least one radio-frequency transceiver is coupled, wherein the at least one radio-frequency transceiver is configured for radio-frequency communication with at least one mobile wireless communication device; and

system of computers coupled to the at least one radio-frequency transceiver programmed to acquire an indication of a location of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, wherein the at least one computer further receives and stores performance data of connections between the at least one mobile wireless communications device and the at least one radio frequency transceiver, wherein the system of computers, responsive to a first user input specifying the at least one mobile wireless communications device to track and a time period to track the at least one mobile wireless communications device, generates a case file containing locations of the at least one mobile wireless communications device over the specified time period, wherein the system of computers further receives a second user input specifying a selection between operating in an active mode or a passive mode, wherein if the active mode is selected, the system of computers receives the user input specifying the at least one mobile wireless communications device to track and the time period to track the at least one mobile wireless communications device and generate the case file containing locations of the at least one mobile wireless communications device over the specified time period, and wherein if the passive mode is selected, the system of computers receives a third user input specifying at least one sector and an error criteria to use in conjunction with generating the case file, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the active mode, receives a fourth user input further specifying another selection between tracking a single one of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, tracking multiple mobile wireless communications devices or a sector in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the passive mode, and, responsive to the system detecting a fault according to the error criteria, generates the case file containing the location and identifier of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, wherein system of computers, in response to selection of the passive mode, receives a fifth user input further selecting between an auto-correct mode and a non-autocorrect mode, and wherein responsive to the system detecting the fault, includes corrections in the case file.

10. A method of tracking at least one mobile wireless communications device within a network comprising:

communicating via radio-frequency with the at least one mobile wireless communications device from at least one radio-frequency transceiver and an associated at least one antenna to which the at least one radio-frequency transceiver is coupled;

communicating with the at least one radio-frequency transceiver with system of computers coupled to the at least one radio-frequency transceiver and programmed to acquire an indication of a location of the at least one mobile wireless communications device;

the system of computers receiving and storing performance data of connections between the at least one mobile wireless communications device and the at least one radio frequency transceiver;

the system of computers receiving a first user input specifying a selection between operating in an active mode or a passive mode;

the system of computers, responsive to selection of the active mode and further responsive to a second user input specifying the at least one mobile wireless communications device to track and a time period to track the at least one mobile wireless communications device, generating a case file containing locations of the at least one mobile wireless communications device over the specified time period; and

the system of computer, responsive to selection of the passive mode, receiving a third user input specifying at least one sector and an error criteria to use in conjunction with generating the case file.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the active mode, receives a fourth user input further specifying another selection between tracking a single one of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, tracking multiple mobile wireless communications devices or a sector in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein system of computers, in response to selection of the passive mode, and responsive to the network detecting a fault according to the error criteria, generates the case file containing the location and identifier of the at least one mobile wireless communications device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

the system of computers, responsive to selection of the passive mode, receives a fifth user input further selecting between an auto-correct mode and a non-autocorrect mode; and

responsive to the network detecting the fault, including corrections in the case file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the system of computers, in response to selection of the active mode, receives a fourth user input further specifying another selection between tracking a single one of the at least one mobile wireless communications device, tracking multiple mobile wireless communications devices or a sector in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the second user input further specifies a single mobile wireless communications device to track.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second user input further specifies a list of mobile wireless communications devices to track.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the second user input further specifies one or more sectors in which to track any mobile wireless communications devices.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

the system of computers determining when the at least one mobile wireless communications device is within a predetermined geographic region, wherein the system of computers receives contact information in the user input; and

the system of computers sending a notification to a target device specified by the contact information.