Flexible position tracking system and tracking and research methods utilizing such systems

• US 20070296573A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Schlesier, Joseph R., Vallier, William E., Bell, Ryan M., Bodart, Andrew J., Rimar, Steven V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,528,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and related methods for flexibly tracking the position of one or more mobile devices using a satellite positioning system. The embodiments of the invention are particularly adapted to provide an inexpensive, reliable, flexible, and readily scalable solution that can be readily applied without requiring large capital expenditures. Various embodiments of the invention are particularly suitable for scalable use in a variety of areas on a temporary basis.

Claims

1. A system for tracking the location of mobile entities using a constellation of satellites of a satellite positioning system, said tracking system comprising:

a wireless communication network;

one or more mobile devices, each said mobile device being associated with a particular mobile entity and comprising means for electronically communicating with said wireless communication network and means for receiving and interpreting positioning signals from one or more satellites to determine a then-current geographic position of that mobile device; and

a central position tracking platform, said central position tracking platform being in electronic communication with said wireless communication network and including a server running a position tracking application and a database for storing position tracking information regarding said mobile entities, and said central position tracking platform having a front end interface for enabling a user to review said position tracking information in real time;

wherein each said mobile device is configured to transmit a location report message upon a position request, said location report message containing position information of the mobile device originating the message and being transmitted via said wireless communication network to said central position tracking platform where said position information is stored in said database.

2. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein a first one of said mobile devices is configured to communicate via a first communication protocol with said wireless communication network and a second one of said mobile devices is configured to communicated via a second communication protocol with said wireless communication network.

3. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein if a given mobile device cannot determine a then-current position upon a position request, said location report message contains information selected from the group consisting of a last-known position, a set of satellite positioning signal data, and an identification of why said telephone could not determine said then-current position.

4. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said central position tracking platform includes a plurality of communication servers in communication with said wireless communication network, said communication servers including a data call communication server for receiving telephone calls from said mobile devices, a text messaging server for receiving text messages from said mobile devices, and an IP communications server for receiving TCP/IP based communications from said mobile devices.

5. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein front end interface is accessed by a user with an Internet browser through a secure networking application.

6. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said mobile devices are GPS-enabled cellular telephones and location messages are encoded in text message and sent by said plurality of telephones according to a text messaging protocol supported by the wireless communication network.

7. The tracking system according to claim 6, wherein said telephones are adapted to continuously retry sending of a given text message until it is successfully transmitted to said wireless communication network.

8. The tracking system according to claim 6, wherein said telephones are running an applet that causes said telephone to send a text message at preset intervals, each said text message indicating the then-current position of said telephone.

9. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile devices are of a variety of types and communicate via said wireless communication network via a variety of mechanisms.

10. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said mobile device is a GPS-enabled cellular telephone and said wireless communication network is a cellular communication network.

11. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said satellite positioning system is the global positioning system.

12. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein users can interact with central position tracking platform remotely over a distributed computer network.

13. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said central position tracking platform comprises a computer network of associated computing devices, storage devices, and computing applications.

14. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said position request comprises a communication sent by said central position tracking system to target mobile devices.

15. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said mobile devices are computing devices equipped with satellite positioning receivers, satellite positioning applications, and with wireless broadband communication means such that mobile entities associated with said mobile devices that are said computing devices may access position information stored in said database of said central position tracking network via said front end interface.

16. The tracking system according to claim 1, wherein said central position tracking system comprises an assisted GPS server adapted to perform satellite positioning calculations when location report messages contain incomplete position information.

17. A method for flexibly tracking the position of one or more mobile entities using a constellation of satellites of a satellite positioning system, said method comprising:

analyzing a tracking problem to formulate a design of a location tracking system, said design including a selection of a wireless communication network, and a configuration of a central position tracking platform to be in electronic communication with said wireless communication network, said central position tracking platform including a server running a position tracking application and a database for storing position tracking information regarding said mobile entities, said location tracking system design further including an assignment of particular mobile device types to particular mobile entities where said assigned mobile device types are compatible with said wireless communication network and said central position tracking platform and suitable for said tracking problem;

assembling and deploying the location tracking system, said assembling and deploying including distributing mobile devices of said assigned mobile device types to said mobile entities;

operating the location tracking system, said operating including having each said mobile device transmit a location report message upon a position request, said location report message containing position information of the mobile device originating the message and being transmitted via said wireless communication network to said central position tracking platform where said position information is stored in said database;

analyzing the tracking data stored in said database; and

deconstructing the system.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein each said mobile device comprises means for electronically communicating with said wireless communication network and means for receiving and interpreting positioning signals from one or more satellites to determine a then-current geographic position of that mobile device.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein a first one of said mobile devices is configured to communicate via a first communication protocol with said wireless communication network and a second one of said mobile devices is configured to communicated via a second communication protocol with said wireless communication network.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein said central position tracking platform includes a plurality of communication servers in communication with said wireless communication network, said communication servers including a data call communication server for receiving telephone calls from said mobile devices, a text messaging server for receiving text messages from said mobile devices, and an IP communications server for receiving TCP/IP based communications from said mobile devices.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein said analyzing of tracking information stored in said database is performed by a user accessing a front end interface of said central position tracking platform via an Internet browser through a secure networking application.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of said mobile entities are assigned GPS-enabled cellular telephones as said mobile devices, and wherein location messages during said operating of the location tracking system are encoded in text message and sent by said plurality of telephones according to a text messaging protocol supported by the wireless communication network.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said telephones run an applet during that causes said telephone to send a text message at preset intervals, each said text message indicating the then-current position of said telephone.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein said mobile devices are of a variety of types and communicate via said wireless communication network via a variety of mechanisms.

25. The method according to claim 17, wherein said mobile device is a GPS-enabled cellular telephone and said wireless communication network is a cellular communication network.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein said position request comprises a communication sent by said central position tracking system to target mobile devices.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein a plurality of said mobile devices are computing devices equipped with satellite positioning receivers, satellite positioning applications, and with wireless broadband communication means such that mobile entities associated with said mobile devices that are said computing devices may access position information stored in said database of said central position tracking network via said front end interface.

28. A system for tracking the location of mobile entities using a constellation of satellites of a satellite positioning system, said tracking system comprising:

a wireless communication network;

one or more mobile devices, each said mobile device being associated with a particular mobile entity and comprising means for electronically communicating with said wireless communication network and means for receiving and interpreting positioning signals from one or more satellites to determine a then-current geographic position of that mobile device; and

a central position tracking platform, said central position tracking platform being in electronic communication with said wireless communication network and including a server running a position tracking application and a database for storing position tracking information regarding said mobile entities, and said central position tracking platform having a front end interface for enabling a user to review said position tracking information in real time;

wherein each said mobile device contains an applet configured to transmit a location report message at regular intervals, said location report message containing position information obtained from said receiving and interpreting means and being transmitted by said communicating means of said device via said wireless communication network to said central position tracking platform where said position information is stored in said database.