Object tracking method and apparatus

• US 20080272896A1
• Filed: 05/01/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC., PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION, Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T BLS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INC., PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS BELLSOUTH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION
• Inventors: Adamczyk, Maria, Silver, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/799,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20080272896A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection

Abstract

A method of securing moving objects includes receiving signals from the moving objects, determining location of the moving objects based on the received signals, evaluating the location information and triggering an alarm notification if the evaluation results in determination that a moving object is located outside a permissible area.

Claims

1. A method of securing movable objects, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving signals from said movable objects;

determining location of the movable objects based on said received signals;

evaluating the location information; and

triggering an alarm notification if the evaluation results in determination that a movable object is located outside a permissible area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the movable object is an automobile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the automobile is equipped with a tracking module.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the tracking module emits the signals.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal emitted by the tracking module is an electronic signal.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal emitted by the tracking module is a sonic signal.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the signal emitted by the tracking module is an optical signal.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the tracking module is a radio frequency identification (RFID) module.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the RFID module is an active RFID module.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the active RFID module transmits signals at a predetermined frequency.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitted signals are received by a central monitoring station.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the RFID module is a passive RFID module.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the passive RFID module responds to signals transmitted from a central monitoring station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the signals are transmitted from the central monitoring station at a predetermined frequency.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm notification is one of an audio signal and a visual signal.

16. A monitoring station for securing movable objects, the station comprising:

a receiver for receiving signals from a plurality of movable objects;

a computer for determining location of the movable objects based on the received signals;

an alarm, said alarm being activated when a location of at least one of said movable objects is determined to be outside a permitted area.

17. The monitoring station of claim 16, wherein the receiver is an antenna.

18. The monitoring station of claim 16, wherein the signals are received from a tracking module installed within the movable objects.

19. The monitoring station of claim 18, wherein the signals are received at a predetermined frequency.

20. The monitoring station of claim 16, wherein the signals are received in response to a signal emitted by a transmitter at the monitoring station.

21. The monitoring station of claim 16, wherein the computer comprises a status table containing location information for each of said movable objects.

22. The monitoring station of claim 16, wherein the movable object is an automobile.

23. The monitoring station of claim 22, wherein the location information is associated with a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the automobile.

24. The monitoring station of claim 23, wherein the status table is updated based on a latest received signals from the movable objects.

25. A computer-readable medium containing a computer program for securing movable objects, the computer program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive signals from said movable objects;

determine location of the movable objects based on said received signals;

evaluate the location information; and

trigger an alarm notification if the evaluation results in determination that a movable object is located outside a permissible area.