Method and apparatus for a wireless tether system

• US 20050062604A1
• Filed: 09/06/2003
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gordon D. Fong, Sullivan C. Bart, Tony Perez
• Inventors: Sullivan, C. Bart, Fong, Gordon D., Perez, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 7,061,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.230
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0236 Threshold setting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0263 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the direction in which child or item is located
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0266 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact distance between parent and child or surveyor and item
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0291 Housing and user interface of child unit

Abstract

Method and apparatus to provide a wireless tether system is described. In one embodiment, one or more wireless tether apparatuses are in wireless communication with one or more base units. A wireless tether apparatus may be configured such that when separated from a base unit greater than a predetermined distance, such a wireless tether apparatus provides information to the user of the wireless tether apparatus to aid a user such as a human, animal, or machine in finding their way back to a desired location. A predetermined distance may be configured to change over time to accommodate different tether distance requirements at different times, e.g., closer to a home location at night and further away from the home location during the day. In one aspect, wireless tether apparatuses and base units communicate using a plurality of different communication modes such that when one mode fails other modes are utilized to reestablish a connection therebetween. In another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of wireless tether apparatuses are wirelessly tethered together such that individual proximities are maintained but still allow a plurality of wireless tether apparatus users to move about in an expanded range. In one aspect, a wireless tether system is employed such that one or more wireless tether apparatuses may be dynamically assigned to a plurality of base stations to allow changes to wireless tether apparatus locations and distances. In another aspect, when wireless tether apparatuses leave a predetermined tether distance, one or more alerts may be broadcast from the wireless tether apparatuses indicative thereof to other wireless signal receivers in proximity thereto not normally used as wireless tether signal receivers.

Claims

1. A method of wirelessly tethering one or more devices to one another, comprising:

providing wireless communication between at least one device to at least one other device;

determining if the at least one device and the one other device have exceeded the at least one predefined distance; and

if the at least one predefined distance has been exceeded, then providing informational instructions on the at least one other device to a user thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing wireless communication comprises providing at least one wireless signal therebetween.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein providing at least one wireless signal therebetween comprises transmitting signals from the at least one device to the at least one other device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein providing at least one wireless signal therebetween comprises transmitting signals from the at least one other device to the at least one device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the at least one predefined distance has been exceeded due to a loss of communication therebetween by dynamically switching between a plurality of communication modes to reestablish communication between the at least one device and the at least one other device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of communication modes comprise radio, optical, cellular, infrared, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein dynamically switching comprises scanning between two or more wireless communication channels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein wirelessly tethering one or more wireless devices to one another comprises wirelessly tethering a plurality of the wireless devices such that each of the plurality of wireless devices is in communication with at least one other of the plurality of wireless devices.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprises a group of wireless devices that interact such that the group of wireless devices has a wireless tether therebetween and another wireless tether between the group of devices and another device not part of the group of devices.

10. A method of providing at least one wireless boundary about one or more locations using at least one wireless signal-receiving device, comprising:

receiving at least one boundary signal at the at least one wireless signal-receiving device;

determining if the at least one wireless signal-receiving device is within the at least one boundary about the one or more locations; and

outputting instructions from the at least one wireless signal-receiving device indicative thereof to one or more users to facilitate movement of the at least one wireless signal-receiving device back within the at least one boundary.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one boundary signal comprises at least one of radio waves, sound waves, light waves, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining if the at least one signal receiving device is within the at least one boundary comprises analyzing the at least one boundary signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one boundary signal comprises data indicative of at least one boundary distance relative one or more predefined geographic locations.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data comprises at least one of signal strength, phase shift, frequency shift, and combinations thereof associated with the at least one boundary distance.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the data comprises global positioning data.

16. A wireless tethering system, comprising:

at least one wireless tether device configured to receive and process wireless tether signals; and

a data processor responsive to the wireless tether signals, wherein if the wireless tether device exceeds at least one predetermined distance threshold from at least one predetermined location the data processor provides predefined instructional information indicative thereof to one or more users of the at least one wireless tether device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless device includes a wireless receiver configured to receive a plurality of wireless signals.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one distance threshold comprises a plurality of distance thresholds that vary in response to a timing circuit coupled to the data processor.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the data processor performs the operations of:

processing data from the wireless tether signals;

determining from the data if the wireless tether has exceeded the at least one predetermined distance threshold from at least one predetermined location; and

if the wireless tether has exceeded the at least one predetermined distance then determining at least one predefined instruction data to output to the one or more users.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one predefined instruction includes directional instructions, emergency instructions, movement instructions, position instructions, activity instructions, and combinations thereof.