LOCATING DEVICE AND SYSTEM

• US 20070191025A1
• Filed: 02/12/2007
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gemini Technologies Global Limited
• Original Assignee: Gemini Technologies Global Limited
• Inventors: Connors, Michael J., Ho, John, Teale, Gavin, Alves, Tracy L., McBrierty, Jennifer K.
• Application Number:
  US11/673,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20070191025A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A device, method and system for locating and/or monitoring a person or thing. The system may include a locating device for determining global position, a remote device for initiating a location or monitoring request and a central controller for communicating with each of the locating device and the remote device. Remote devices may include cellular phones, telephones, email devices and internet devices.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a first party'"'"'s location to a second party comprising:

recognizing at the first party'"'"'s location a transmission made from the second party to the first party;

transmitting a data packet from the first party'"'"'s location to a central controller, the data packet including location data and a source identifier that identifies the second party; and

sending the first party'"'"'s location data from the central controller to the second party'"'"'s cellular phone and/or email address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the first party'"'"'s location data comprises transmitting voice and/or text.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmission made by the second party to the first party is a telephone call, a wireless phone call, a voice over IP, or a wireless SMS call.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein no transmission is made directly from the first party to the second party.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location data is transmitted directly from the first party to the second party.

6. A device for providing a first party'"'"'s location to a second party, the device comprising:

a GPS receiver;

a wireless receiver;

an electronic storage medium;

a microprocessor in communication with the GPS receiver, the wireless receiver and the electronic storage medium;

and

instructions stored on the electronic storage medium, the instructions for determining if the source of an incoming transmission is from a pre-determined originator ID and for sending a data packet to a central controller, the data packet including location data and data identifying the originator ID of the incoming transmission.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the pre-determined address is a cellular phone or a land line phone.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the instructions include determining the source of the incoming transmission absent forming a phone connection with the source of the incoming transmission.

9. A system including the device of claim 6 comprising:

a central controller for receiving a transmission from the device and for transmitting the location of the device to the originator ID.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising transmitting the location of the device to a plurality of predetermined parties.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the location of the device is transmitted via cellular call, telephone call or email.

12. A method of tracking a locating device, the method comprising:

defining a graphical boundary area on a central controller;

wirelessly transmitting positional data from a locating device to the central controller;

determining if the positional data is inside or outside of the boundary area; and

notifying a third party that the boundary area has been breached.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the boundary area is defined absent any input from the tracking device.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the boundary area is defined using at most one positional data point received from the locating device.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein a boundary is breached when the locating device is outside the boundary.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein a boundary is breached when the locating device is inside the boundary.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein notifying comprises at least one of sending a text message, sending a voice message and sending an email.

18. The method of claim 12 comprising notifying a fourth party.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the graphical boundary is an irregular shape.