Service escrowed transportable wireless event reporting system

• US 20080287109A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless America Incorporated (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Numerex Corporation (Sierra Wireless Incorporated)
• Inventors: Comer, Edward I., Marett, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,265,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/04 Monitoring of the detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3816 Mechanical arrangements for accommodating identification devices, e.g. cards or chips; with connectors for programming identification devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A portable service escrowed event reporting system that may be sold through mass-market sales channels. Communications between a consumer and the provider of the event reporting system are not required in advance of the system being purchased by the consumer. After purchase of the system by the consumer, the system may be initialized. The service may have a finite amount of service associated with it when it is purchased. The consumer may choose to have the system report the occurrence of reportable events directly to them over a wireless network.

Claims

1. An event reporting system, comprising:

a portable controller available for purchase through mass-market sales channels;

one or more wireless event detectors in communication with the controller;

wherein the controller is configured to;

send an operational identity to a remote monitoring station over a wireless network;

prompt the consumer for information to establish a preference for reporting reportable events; and

wherein the system has a predetermined amount of prepaid monitoring services associated with it.

2. The event reporting system of claim 1, wherein the controller contacts the remote monitoring station over the network automatically during initial power up.

3. The event reporting system of claim 1, wherein the controller reports reportable events wirelessly to the consumer.

4. The event reporting system of claim 1, wherein the event detectors communicate with the controller wirelessly.

5. The event reporting system of claim 4, wherein an occurrence of a reportable event is reported to the consumer via a message conveyed wirelessly via Short Message Service (“

SMS”

).

6. The event reporting system of claim 4, wherein an occurrence of a reportable event is reported to the consumer over commercially available wireless communication data channels.

7. The event reporting system of claim 6, wherein the commercially available wireless communication data channels comprise at least one of:

General Packet Radio Service (“

GPRS”

), 1XRTT, 1XEV-DO, 1XMC, 3XMC and WCDMA.

8. The event reporting system of claim 1, wherein the controller reports an occurrence of a reportable event directly to the remote monitoring station.

9. An event reporting system, comprising:

a portable controller available for purchase through mass-market sales channels;

one or more wireless event detectors configured to communicate with the controller;

a transceiver communicably attached to the controller; and

wherein the controller is configured to;

establish an operational identity for the event reporting system; and

receive a number for a mobile device for reporting reportable events; and

in response to the controller receiving information from the wireless event detectors that a reportable event has occurred, sending a message indicating the occurrence of the reportable event to the telephone number received from the remote monitoring station.

10. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to store a calling line ID (“

CLID”

) for remotely accessing the controller.

11. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller reports the occurrence of the reportable event via cellular telephone based Short Messaging Service (SMS).

12. The event reporting system of claim 11, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported in the form of a discrete SMS message presented on the screen of a wireless device used by the consumer.

13. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller reports the occurrence of the reportable event via a data connection over commercially available wireless communication service'"'"'s data channels.

14. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported in the form of a discrete text message presented on the screen of a consumer'"'"'s wireless device.

15. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller reports the occurrence of the reportable event to the consumer via email conveyed wirelessly from the event reporting system.

16. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported in the form of spoken words created by conversion of alarm data into audio synthesized speech.

17. The event reporting system of claim 16, wherein the controller uses a voice channel telephone call to report the occurrence of the reportable event.

18. The event reporting system of claim 10, wherein, in response to a communication from a mobile device matching the stored CLID, the controller accepts the message to access and re-configure the event reporting system.

19. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to authenticate the consumer'"'"'s identity by interpreting data messages conveyed from the consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone via DTMF tone sequences entered by the consumer.

20. The event reporting system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to register a pass-code for remotely accessing the controller.

21. The event reporting system of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to authenticate the consumer'"'"'s identity via speech recognition of the pass-code.

22. An event reporting system, comprising:

a portable controller sold through mass-market sales channels;

one or more wireless event detectors sold through mass-market sales channels;

wherein the controller is configured to communicate over a network with a remote monitoring station;

wherein the controller is configured to report reportable events over the network to a consumer who has purchased the controller without prior communication with the remote monitoring station; and

wherein the controller reports reportable events to the consumer for a pre-determined period of time without requiring a billing identity to be created by the consumer with the remote monitoring station.

23. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported using alarm-industry, standard tone sequences within the audio channel of cellular telephony.

24. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported using data representations of alarm industry data formats conveyed via the SMS data channel of cellular telephony.

25. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the occurrence of the reportable event is reported using data representations of alarm industry data formats conveyed via data connection over commercially available wireless communication data channels.

26. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the one or more event detectors are industry-standard, short-range wireless sensors comprising at least one of the following:

temperature detectors, door/window opening detectors, glass breakage detectors, and motion detectors.

27. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the controller comprises a LCD and keypad through which the event reporting system may be configured at the initial power-up of the controller.

28. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to store a calling line ID (“

CLID”

) for remotely configuring the event reporting system.

29. The event reporting system of claim 28, wherein the controller is configured to recognize the CLID of a consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone such that the consumer can configure the event reporting system via SMS messages conveyed from the consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone over the data channels of the serving cellular system.

30. The event reporting system of claim 28, wherein the controller performs authentication of the consumer'"'"'s identity by recognition of the CLID of the consumer'"'"'s mobile telephone.

31. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to accept a pass-code from the consumer for remotely accessing the event reporting system.

32. The event reporting system of claim 31, wherein the controller is configured to perform authentication of the consumer'"'"'s identity by interpreting data messages conveyed from the consumer'"'"'s mobile telephone via DTMF tone sequences entered by the consumer.

33. The event reporting system of claim 31, wherein the controller is configured to perform authentication of the consumer'"'"'s identity via speech recognition of the pass-code previously registered by the consumer.

34. The event reporting system of claim 22, wherein the period of time for reporting reportable events using the controller may be extended by the consumer by purchasing pre-paid usage cards.