Apparatus and method for triggerable location reporting

• US 20020042280A1
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LunarEye, Inc. (Lunar Eye)
• Original Assignee: LunarEye, Inc. (Lunar Eye)
• Inventors: Allen, Alvin C. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 6,484,035 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A triggerable location-reporting apparatus is disclosed. A trigger signal from a page receiver triggers a GPS receiver to determine the location of the apparatus using GPS signals. The resulting GPS signal is transmitted by a telemetry transmitter, such as a cellular network telemetry transmitter.

Claims

1. A triggerable location-reporting apparatus comprising

a trigger signal;

a GPS processor coupled to the trigger signal;

a position signal carrying position information generated by the GPS processor in response to the trigger signal;

a telemetry transmitter coupled to the position signal;

a telemetry transmit signal transmitted by the telemetry transmitter, the telemetry transmit signal carrying the position information.

2. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising

a power supply connection;

a first switchable power signal coupled to the GPS processor and the power supply connection;

a second switchable power signal coupled to the telemetry transmitter and the power supply connection.

3. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 2 further comprising

a controller configured to switch on and off the first switchable power signal and the second switchable power signal.

4. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 2 further comprising

a power supply coupled to the power supply connection.

5. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 4 wherein

the power supply comprises a battery.

6. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 4 wherein

the power supply comprises a solar cell.

7. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 4 wherein the power supply comprises a vehicle battery.

8. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the page receiver, GPS processor and telemetry transmitter are housed in a housing.

9. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 8 wherein the housing is configured to be installed in a vehicle.

10. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 8 wherein the housing comprises at least a portion of an article of clothing.

11. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 8 wherein the housing is configured to be installed in an object to be tracked.

12. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the telemetry transmitter comprises a cellular telemetry transmitter.

13. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the telemetry transmitter comprises a satellite telemetry transmitter.

14. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the telemetry transmitter comprises a cellular telephone.

15. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein the telemetry transmitter comprises a radio-telephone.

16. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the trigger signal source comprises a page receiver;

the trigger signal activating when the page receiver receives a page.

17. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the trigger signal source comprises an alarm.

18. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 1 wherein

the trigger signal source comprises a remote control.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising

applying power to a GPS receiver and a cellular telemetry transmitter upon receipt of the page;

disconnecting power from the GPS receiver and the cellular telemetry transmitter upon transmission of the location of the object.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising

receiving the transmitted location at a gateway;

communicating the transmitted location to a service provider.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein transmitting comprises

transmitting the location of the object via cellular telemetry.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the location of the object via satellite telemetry.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising

determining if the object is moving;

and

continuing to transmit the location of the object while it is moving.

25. The method of claim 19 further comprising

storing the location of the object;

and

transmitting the stored location of the object if the ability to determine location ceases.

27. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein the location-signal generating device comprises

a GPS processor.

28. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 27 further comprising

a page receiver;

a page signal generated by the page receiver and coupled to the GPS processor.

29. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 28 wherein

the GPS processor generates the location signal in response to the page signal.

30. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 28 wherein

power is not applied to the GPS processor until the apparatus receives a page.

31. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein

power is not applied to the telemetry transmitter until the apparatus receives a page.

32. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein

the telemetry transmitter comprises a cellular telemetry transmitter.

33. The triggerable location-reporting apparatus of claim 26 wherein

the telemetry transmitter comprises a satellite telemetry transmitter.

19. A method for reporting a location for an object comprising

receiving a page;

determining, in response to the page, the location of the object using GPS signals;

transmitting the location of the object via telemetry.

26. A triggerable location-reporting apparatus comprising

a location-signal generating device;

a telemetry transmitter coupled to the location-signal generating device.