Personal emergency locator transmitter (ELT) apparatus

• US 20050258958A1
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Joseph Lai
• Original Assignee: Joseph Lai
• Inventors: Lai, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/848,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258958A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.150
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• 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 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0291 Housing and user interface of child unit
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

A disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) device for kids, works as LoJack™ for cars, is installed inside kids'"'"' belongings, such as clothes, small toys, dolls, and handheld electronic LCD video games (or as LCD video game cartridges) with built-in GPS receiver and cellular phone for locating kids in case of emergency. Preprogrammed phone numbers such as 911 or parents'"'"' phone numbers are dialed with location information when the ELT is powered and activated by recognizing the keystrokes, voice commands or remotely via the cellular phone or paging networks. The kid and the ELT devices will be located by GPS and/or triangulation of the cellular phone or paging base-station towers.

Claims

1. Disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices installed inside personal belongings to assist their parents, relatives and/or law-enforcement agencies to locate persons in case of emergency, comprising of:

a. Two-way radio with transmitter/receiver means,

b. Position/location determine means,

c. Control and activate means to turn said ELT on in case of emergency, and

d. Power supply means to supply the operating electrical voltages and currents for said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) circuitries;

Whereby the said emergency locator transmitter (elt) devices are sending location information signals to said parents, said relatives, system operators and/or said law-enforcement agencies in case of emergency.

2. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, said personal belongings are things such as:

a. Things for persons to wear, such as shoes, clothes and/or jewelry,

b. Toys,

c. Lunch boxes, backpacks, purses, and/or

d. Anything belongs to, carries by, comes, goes and travels with said persons.

3. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, installed inside of the popular handheld video game devices.

4. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, disguised as plain plug-in handheld video game cartridges that plugs directly into the said handheld video game devices.

5. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, wherein said position/location determine means comprising of hardware, software and/or:

a. Satellite based position tracking receiver such as Global Position System (GPS) (USA) or GLONASS (Russian) satellite receivers,

b. Non-satellite, fixed ground cellular phone base-station position tracking receivers,

c. Non-satellite mobile position tracking receiver such as LoJack™

receivers.

6. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, wherein said two-way radio with transmitter/receiver means comprising of:

a. Satellite radio telephone devices and their service networks,

b. Digital or analog cellular telephone devices and their service networks,

c. Two-way paging devices and its service networks, or

d. Other radio wave transmitter and receiver devices and their service networks.

7. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) of claim 1, wherein said control and activate means comprising of:

a. Remote control activating;

the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices are activated by said parents, said relatives, said system operators or said law-enforcement agencies,

b. User control key stroke command sequences activating the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices by the persons in case of trouble, and/or

c. Voice command recognition circuit activating the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices by recognizing the persons'"'"' voice preset keyword command in case of need help.

8. The said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices of claim 1, wherein said power supply means are electrical voltages and currents required to operate said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) comprising of:

a. Self-contained battery power source,

b. Power supplied from the main said toy unit. And/or

c. Power supplied from the said handheld video game device.

9. A method of locating a person from lost, missing, kidnapped, abducted and/or all emergency situations comprising steps of:

a. Providing disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices installed inside a person'"'"'s belongings,

b. Providing position/location determine devices and two-way radio with transmitter/receiver devices as the said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices,

c. Providing power supply means to the said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) Devices, and

d. Providing control and activate means for turning on the said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) in case of emergency;

Whereby said disguised Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices are sending location information signals to their parents, relatives, system operators or law-enforcement agencies in case of emergency.

10. The said method of claim 9, said belongings are personal things such as:

a. Things for persons to wear such as shoes, clothes and/or jewelry,

b. Toys,

c. Lunch boxes, backpacks, purses, bikes, and/or

d. Anything belongs to, carries by, comes, goes and travels with persons.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said position/location determine receivers comprising of:

a. Satellite based position tracking device such as Global Position System (GPS) (USA) or GLONASS (Russian) satellite receivers,

b. Non-satellite, fixed ground cellular phone base-station position tracking devices, or

c. Non-satellite, mobile position tracking receivers such as LoJack™

receivers.

12. The said method of claim 9, wherein said two-way transmitter/receiver means comprising of:

a. Satellite telephone devices and their service networks,

b. Digital or analog cellular telephone devices and their service networks,

c. Two-way paging devices and their service networks, or

d. Other radio wave transmitter and receiver devices and their service networks.

13. The said method of claim 9, wherein said control and activate means comprising of:

a. Remote control activating;

the Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices are activated by parents, system operators or law-enforcement agencies remotely,

b. User control key/switch stroke command sequence activating the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices by kids or persons in case of trouble, and/or

c. Voice command recognition activating the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) by recognizing the kids'"'"' or persons'"'"' preset voice commands.

14. The said method of claim 9, wherein said power supply means are electrical voltages and currents required to operate the said Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) devices comprising of:

a. Self-contained battery power sources,

b. Power supplied from the main said toys unit, and/or

c. Power supplied from the said handheld video game devices.