House arrest apparatus

• US 20070023496A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Christopher Hall
• Original Assignee: Christopher Hall
• Inventors: Hall, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/403,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20070023496A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining a location of a person or object. A device is affixed to the person or the object and the location of the person/object determined according to various location determining techniques. Location information is sent to a supervising authority directly from a communications element of the device or through intermediate communications elements. Terrestrial-based signals can be used to determine location.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a location of an object, comprising;

a first device affixed to the object and comprising a first communications device;

a second communications device for communicating with the first communications device, the first communications device having a shorter range than the second communications device; and

a base station for communicating with the second communications device, wherein a location of the base station is known, and wherein responsive to a signal from the second communications device the base station determines that the object is proximate the location.

2. A system for monitoring a location of an object, comprising;

a first device affixed to the object and comprising a communications device;

a locating device proximate the first device to determine location, the locating device in communications range of the first device for supplying location information to the communications device; and

the communications device for sending the location information to a monitoring station for determining whether the object is in a permitted location.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the locating device comprises a transmitting device for transmitting the location information to the communicating device, wherein the location information is based on a fixed location of the transmitting device or the location information is determined by the transmitting device responsive to signals received at the transmitting device.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the signals received at the transmitting device comprise GPS signals or terrestrial signals.