MONITORING DEVICE AND SYSTEM

• US 20100267361A1
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Guardianlion Wireless, LLC
• Original Assignee: Guardianlion Wireless, LLC
• Inventors: Sullivan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/728,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20100267361A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

A monitoring device and system capable of tracking, monitoring and locating a person allows a parent, guardian or supervisor to set inclusive and exclusive limits, permanently or temporally. The device includes a GPS receiver and a cellphone integrated into a band capable of being locked on a limb of person to be monitored. A child armband may have antitamper devices included in the band that prevents its removal and automatically sends alerts if the band is removed. An alert may be initiated and delivered by the system when the device leaves a temporal inclusion zone or when the device strays into an exclusion zone. The device may have an alarm capable of being activated by an authorized agent at a time when the authorities are within ear shot of the alarm. The antennas may be housed within cavities in the band and the electronics for the GPS receiver and wireless communication device may be contained within tamper resistant housing.

Claims

1. A device for locating, tracking or monitoring a person, comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver;

a wireless telephone communicator;

a housing enclosing at least a portion of the electronic components of the GPS receiver, and at least a portion of the electronic components of the wireless telephone communicator;

a band coupled to the housing, wherein the strap is adjustable and includes a locking mechanism for preventing removal of the device from a limb of the person without an unlocking mechanism;

an alert system; and

an electronic operating system including an interface to the alert system, such that the alert system communicates using the wireless telephone communicator and the GPS receiver to send a panic alert message to an emergency receiver instructing the emergency receiver of the location of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the band includes a cavity housing an antenna for the GPS receiver, the wireless telephone communicator or both the GPS receiver and the wireless telephone communicator.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the band includes an antitamper alert system capable of tripping the alert system.

4. The device of claim 3, further comprising a pair of actuators.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the pair of actuators are electronically coupled with the alert system such that, when the pair of actuators are activated at the same time, the alert system is activated and communicates using the wireless telephone communicator and the GPS receiver to send a panic alert message to an emergency receiver instructing the emergency receiver of the location of the device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the location of the device is updated periodically when the alert system is activated.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a pair of actuators.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the pair of actuators are electronically coupled with the alert system such that, when the pair of actuators are activated at the same time, the alert system is activated and communicates using the wireless telephone communicator and the GPS receiver to send a panic alert message to an emergency receiver instructing the emergency receiver of the location of the device.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the location of the device is updated periodically when the alert system is activated.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic operating system includes a monitoring and tracking mode, wherein the monitoring and tracking mode activates the alert system when the device exceeds a threshold speed for a threshold time period, when the device enters a geographically defined exclusion zone during a defined exclusion time, when the device strays from a geographically defined inclusion zone during a defined inclusion time, or a combination of thereof, and the alert system notifies a receiver other than the emergency receiver.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the electronic operating system activates the wireless telephone communicator to transmit sound over the wireless telephone communicator to the receiver other than the emergency receiver, such that the receiver other than the emergency receiver can hear sound in the vicinity of the device.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the electronic operating system activates the GPS receiver and transmits the location of the device to the receiver other than the emergency receiver.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless telephone communicator or the electronic operating system is capable of accessing a plurality of telephone numbers stored in a digital storage medium for connecting the wireless telephone communicator with one or more of the plurality of telephone numbers.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the wireless telephone communicator or the electronic operating system are coupled to a user interface capable of selecting one or more of the plurality of telephone numbers.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a digital storage medium and the GPS receiver is capable of storing data to the digital storage medium.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein data stored by the GPS receiver includes a location of the device as determined by the GPS receiver.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the data storage medium is capable of storing a plurality of locations of the device as determined by the GPS receiver, and the electronic operating system controls the storing of data using the digital storage medium.

18. The device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor operably coupled to the electronic operating system.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a smoke sensor operably coupled to the electronic operating system.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising a shock sensor operably coupled to the electronic operating system.

21. The device of claim 1, further comprising a panic alarm, wherein the panic alarm is coupled with the electronic operating system.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the electronic operating system trips the panic alarm, emitting an audible sound, only when an authorized agent activates the panic alarm.

23. The device of claim 1, further comprising an immersion sensor coupled with the electronic operating system.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the alert system of the device is capable of interfacing with the Amber alert system such that the Amber alert system is capable of notifying the public in the vicinity of the device.

25. The device of claim 1, further comprising an anti-cutting reinforcement.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the anti-cutting reinforcement includes titanium strands or a titanium cable.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the anti-cutting reinforcement includes steel strands spun around a core of aramid fibers.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein the anti-cutting reinforcement includes a trip sensor line that notifies the electronic operating system of an open circuit if the trip sensor line is cut.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the line includes at least one electrically conductive wire.

30. The device of claim 28, wherein the line includes at least one optical fiber.

31. The device of claim 1, further comprising an accelerometer coupled to the electronic operating system.

35. A system for monitoring, tracking and locating a child using the device of claim 1, comprising:

a computer capable of being wirelessly coupled to the device of claim 1, the computer system including a data storage device, a display and an input device; and

a program stored in the data storage device, wherein the program is capable of monitoring, tracking and locating the child.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the program is capable of graphically displaying the location of the device of claim 1.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the program is capable of receiving input from the input device to register temporal exclusion and inclusion zones with the device of claim 1.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the program, the input device and the display are integrated into a graphical user interface of the computer, and the program is capable of displaying a map on the display and the input device is capable of selecting temporal exclusion and inclusion zones.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the program is capable of registering a threshold speed with the device of claim 1, such that the system is notified by the device of claim 1, when the device of claim 1 exceeds the threshold speed.

40. The system of claim 35, wherein the computer is alerted by the device of claim 1, when the alert system of the device of claim 1 is activated.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the system alerts a receiver, when the alert system of the device of claim 1 is activated.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein an emergency response system is automatically alerted, when the alert system enters a panic mode.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the accelerometer is monitored by the electronic operating system and the electronic operating system determines if the device is motionless for a threshold time period for tripping a fault alert.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the fault alert commences a fault detection system by the electronic operating system to determine if the device is malfunctioning or has been removed from the person.