System and method for presence-based area monitoring

• US 20050068227A1
• Filed: 09/26/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Beyda, William J., Caspi, Rami
• Granted Patent: US 7,202,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.350
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A telecommunications device includes a positioning controller (504) adapted to determine positioning information for said telecommunications device; and a wireless communications controller (502) adapted to receive said positioning information from said positioning controller and cause said positioning information to be transmitted to an associated administration device (104/152; 2-122) when said telecommunications device is determined to be out of a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A telecommunications device, comprising:

a positioning controller adapted to determine positioning information for said telecommunications device; and

a wireless communications controller adapted to receive said positioning information from said positioning controller and cause said positioning information to be transmitted to an associated administration device when said telecommunications device is determined to be out of a predetermined range.

2. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein said positioning controller receives Global Positioning System (GPS) signals to determine said positioning information.

3. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 2, wherein said wireless communications controller is a cellular telephone controller.

4. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 2, wherein said wireless communications controller is a personal communications service (PCS) controller.

5. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined range includes a geographic, date, and time-of-day ranges.

6. A telecommunications device as recited in claim 1, wherein said positioning controller is adapted to receive predetermined range information via said wireless communications controller.

7. A telecommunications system, comprising:

a wireless device including a positioning controller and a communications controller; and

an administrative device for receiving alerts from said wireless communication device via said communications controller when said positioning controller determines that said wireless device is outside a predetermined range.

8. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said positioning controller receives global positioning network signals for determining a position of said wireless communications device.

9. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said communications controller comprises a cellular network controller for transmitting on a cellular telephone network to said administrative device.

10. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 9, wherein said administrative device is adapted to display location information when said wireless device is determined to be outside said predetermined range.

11. A telecommunications system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said predetermined range is associated with one or more of a geographic range, time-of-day range, or date range.

12. A telecommunications method, comprising:

affixing a wireless device to a predetermined object;

programming said wireless device to be in a predetermined range; and

transmitting one or more alerting signals to an administrative device when said wireless device is determined to be outside said predetermined range.

13. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said administrative device comprises a telephony device.

14. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said one or more alerting signals comprise one or more e-mail signals.

15. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said one or more alerting signals comprise one or more text messaging signals.

16. A telecommunications method in accordance with claim 12, wherein said predetermined range is associated with at least one of geographic range, time-of-day range, or date range.

17. A computer, comprising:

a graphical user interface for displaying one or more predetermined ranges and allowing a user to select said one or more predetermined ranges; and

a controller for programming one or more predetermined ranges into a wireless communication device, said wireless communication device including a positioning controller for receiving positioning signals, and a wireless interface for transmitting device positions to an administrative device and alerting said administrative device when said wireless communication device is outside said one or more predetermined ranges.

18. A computer in accordance with claim 17, wherein said one or more predetermined ranges are associated with at least one of geographic range, time-of-day range, or date range

19. A computer in accordance with claim 18, wherein said administrative device comprises one or more hardware or software modules of said computer.