SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING OBJECTS AND PEOPLE USING A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20090040040A1
• Filed: 08/09/2007
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penteye Technologies Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Keep M. Close Ltd.
• Inventors: BEN-ITZHAK, Yaniv, AMIRI, Aviv
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child

Abstract

A system for monitoring the location of persons or objects using a wireless device, comprising at least one tag unit capable of transmitting data signals of a first type identifying said at least one tag; a wireless device capable of receiving data signals of a second type; and a converter unit, that receives the data signals of the first type from said at least one tag unit, converts the data signals of the first type to data signals of a second type, and transmits said data signals of a second type to the wireless device.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the location of persons or objects using a wireless device, comprising

a. at least one tag unit capable of transmitting data signals of a first type identifying said at least one tag;

b. a wireless device capable of receiving data signals of a second type; and

c. a converter unit, that receives the data signals of the first type from said at least one tag unit, converts the data signals of the first type to data signals of a second type, and transmits said data signals of a second type to the wireless device.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein the converter unit further extracts data from the data signals of the first type.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the data signals of the second type are responsive to the data that was extracted from the data signals of the first type.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the wireless device displays graphic display responsive to the data signals of the second type that are received by the wireless device;

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said data signals of a first type are RF signals.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first type data signals are RF signals operated with compliance to ZigBee protocol;

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a handheld device.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a mobile communication device

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a mobile phone device

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless device is a mobile computer.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second type data signals are Bluetooth protocol compliant signals.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein said converter unit extracts indication of the distance of each of said at least one tag units from said converting unit.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said converter unit extracts indication of the distance of each of said at least one tag units from said converting unit, based on the intensity of the signals that are received from each of said at least one tag unit.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the data signals of the second type include indication on the distance between a tag unit and the converter unit.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the wireless device displays graphic display responsive to the indication of the distance of each of said at least one tag units from said converting unit.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the wireless device provides audible output responsive to the indication of the distance of each of said at least one tag units from said converting unit.

17. The system according to claim 4, wherein the graphic display responsive to the data signals of the second type that are received by the wireless device has precedence over the other graphic displays that are displayed by the wireless device.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tag unit is capable of receiving data signals of the first type;

the wireless device is capable of transmitting data signals of the second type; and

the converter unit further receives the data signals of the second type from the wireless device converts the data signals of the second type from the wireless device to data signals of the first type, and transmits said data signals of the first type to said at least one tag unit.

19. An apparatus of converting signals associated with monitoring persons or objects, comprising:

a. a receiver unit for receiving a first type data signals from at least one tag unit that is attached to a person or object that is being monitored and processing data that is derived from said first type data signals;

b. a converter unit for converting the first type data signals to a second type signals;

c. a transmitter unit for receiving data from said converter unit, and transmitting the second type data signals to a wireless device.

20. A system for monitoring the location of persons or objects using a common wireless device, comprising

a. at least one tag unit capable of transmitting data signals identifying said at least one tag;

b. a common wireless device capable of receiving data signals from said at least one tag unit, wherein said common wireless device displays indication on the distance of said at least one tag unit from the said common wireless device according to the intensity of said data signals that are received from said at least one tag unit;

21. A method of monitoring the location of persons or objects, comprising the steps of:

a. transmitting first type signals from at least one tag unit that is attached to a person or object that is being monitored;

b. receiving the first type signals by a converter unit;

c. converting the first type signals into a second type signals; and

d. transmitting signals of a second type to a wireless device, wherein the signals of the second type are responsive to the signals of the first type that were received by the converting unit.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of extracting indication of the distance between each of said at least one tag unit and the converter unit.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising displaying indication on the distance of said at least one tag unit from said converting unit by said wireless device.

24. A computer readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for a handheld computing device, the set of instructions comprising:

a. at least one input component for receiving indicative data that is associated with at least one person or object and includes indication of the distance of said at least one person or object and a unique identification of said at least one person or object;

b. at least one calculating unit for processing said indicative data; and

c. graphic user interface for displaying information responsive to the distance of said at least one persons or object.