MOBILE SYSTEM FOR PROBATION RELEASE MONITORING PROGRAMS AND OTHER SECURITY-ORIENTED APPLICATIONS

• US 20110121975A1
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Andrew N. Mcdonald, Dale L. Dasher, Michael J. Mindal, Timothy R. Logue
• Original Assignee: Andrew N. Mcdonald, Dale L. Dasher, Michael J. Mindal, Timothy R. Logue
• Inventors: Mindal, Michael J., Logue, Timothy R., Dasher, Dale L., McDonald, Andrew N.
• Application Number:
  US12/626,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20110121975A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A tracking system including a transceiver, an attachment system for connecting the transceiver to a wearer, a microprocessor periodically connected in wireless communication with the transceiver, and a database operationally connected to the microprocessor. The transceiver is operationally coupled to a GPS satellite system and generates sets of datapoint pairs, with each respective datapoint pair including a geographic location value and time value corresponding to when the geographic location value was measured. The transceiver from time to time communicates a set of datapoint pairs to the microprocessor for storage in the database, and the attachment system generates an alert signal if disengaged from the wearer.

Claims

1. A system for obtaining the location and travel history of a person, animal or object comprising;

a microprocessor assembly, and further comprising;

a microprocessor;

a memory operationally connected to the microprocessor;

at least one database operationally connected to the microprocessor;

at least one programmed application set operationally connected to the microprocessor;

an identification application operationally connected to the microprocessor;

an authorization application operationally connected to the microprocessor;

a first transceiver operationally connected to the microprocessor; and

at least one network interface operationally connected to the microprocessor;

wherein the at least one database, the at least one programmed application set, and the first wireless transceiver are accessible through the at least one network interface; and

an remote transceiver assembly, and further comprising;

a housing;

a second transceiver positioned in the housing;

a power source positioned in the housing and operationally connected to the second transceiver;

attachment means operationally connected to the housing;

a second microprocessor positioned in the housing and operationally connected to the second transceiver and operationally connected power source;

a second memory operationally connected to the second microprocessor;

sensor means for detecting tampering with the remote transceiver assembly operationally connected to the microprocessor;

wherein the microprocessor includes an internal timer; and

wherein the remote transceiver assembly is operationally connected to a GPS satellite system;

wherein the remote transceiver assembly from time to time measures GPS coordinates and the current time for storage in memory; and

wherein the remote transceiver assembly communicates stored GPS coordinates and time data to the microprocessor assembly via the wireless transceiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means of attachment of the apparatus is a strap.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means of attachment of the apparatus is an adhesive.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means of attachment of the apparatus is physical insertion into a wearer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one programmed application set includes at least one application that permits identified and authorized users to issue system commands and to receive information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one programmed application set includes at least one application that receives and processes apparatus information via the computer system'"'"'s wireless transceiver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one programmed application set includes at least one application that processes information in the database.

8. A method for electronically tracking and displaying the location and travel history of a wearer, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a microprocessor assembly having;

a microprocessor;

a memory operationally connected to the microprocessor;

at least one database operationally connected to the microprocessor;

at least one programmed application set operationally connected to the microprocessor;

an identification application operationally connected to the microprocessor;

an authorization application operationally connected to the microprocessor;

a first wireless transceiver operationally connected to the microprocessor; and

at least one network interface operationally connected to the microprocessor;

b) creating a GPS enabled map of an area in which the wearer will be permitted to roam;

c) creating the wearer-specific restrictions;

d) attaching a remote transceiver assembly to the wearer, wherein the remote transceiver assembly includes;

a housing;

a second transceiver positioned in the housing;

a power source positioned in the housing and operationally connected to the second transceiver;

attachment means operationally connected to the housing;

a second microprocessor positioned in the housing and operationally connected to the second transceiver and operationally connected power source;

a second memory operationally connected to the second microprocessor;

sensor means for detecting tampering with the remote transceiver assembly operationally connected to the microprocessor;

wherein the microprocessor includes an internal timer; and

wherein the transceiver is operationally connected to a GPS satellite system;

wherein the remote transceiver from time to time assembly measures GPS coordinates and the current time for storage in memory; and

wherein the remote transceiver assembly has a default low energy sleep state; and

e) engaging the remote transceiver assembly to exit the low energy sleep state and sampling GPS coordinates and the current time;

f) storing GPS coordinate/time data pairs into memory;

g) engaging the remote transceiver assembly to exits the low energy sleep state to wirelessly communicate the stored GPS coordinates/time data pairs to the microprocessor assembly;

h) creating movement reports of the wearer;

i) creating a violation report if the wearer roams beyond the map of the area in which the wearer will be permitted to roam; and

j) creating enhanced representations of the travel history of the wearer

wherein upon detection of tampering the remote transceiver assembly sends a tamper signal to the microprocessor assembly and commences continuous sampling of GPS coordinates and current time data for storage and transmission to the microprocessor assembly.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the programmed application set includes at least one application that permits identified and authorized users to issue system commands and to receive information.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the programmed application set includes at least one application that receives and processes apparatus information via the computer system'"'"'s wireless transceiver.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the programmed application set includes at least one application that processes information in the database.

12. The method according to claim 8 and further comprising:

k) after (a) and before (b), creating user ids for the identification and authorization component.

13. The method according to claim 8 and further comprising:

l) after (b) and before (c), annotating the GPS coordinates of the GPS enabled map with what landmarks the GSP coordinates generally correspond;

m) categorizing the GPS coordinates into prohibited restriction categories;

n) determining times for which the prohibited restriction categories are in effect;

o) storing the annotated and categorized GPS coordinates along with the associated prohibited times into the database; and

p) entering which prohibited restriction categories apply to the wearer into the database.

14. The method according to claim 8 and further comprising:

q) after (c) and before (d), determining GPS coordinates of the wearer-specific restrictions;

r) determining times for which the wearer-specific restrictions are in effect;

s) entering the GPS coordinates and the associated times of the wearer-specific restrictions into the database.

15. The method according to claim 8 and further comprising:

t) after (d) and before (e), forming an association between the apparatus and the wearer in the database;

u) configuring the remote transceiver assembly with a desired frequency of sampling of the GPS coordinates and apparatus status;

v) storing the sampled GPS coordinates and status in the second memory;

w) configuring the remote transceiver assembly with a desired frequency of wirelessly communicating the stored GPS coordinates/time data pairs to the microprocessor assembly;

x) activating the remote transceiver assembly; and

y) storing the GPS coordinate/time data pairs in the database.

16. The method according to claim 9 and further comprising:

z) after (e) and before (f), retrieving the prohibited restriction categories applicable to the restricted individual, animal, or object from the database;

aa) retrieving the wearer-specific restrictions from the database;

bb) retrieving the wearer'"'"'s sampled GPS coordinate/time data pairs from the database;

cc) computing violations and proximities for the sampled GPS coordinates over the applicable restricted categories and the specific restrictions;

dd) storing the violations and the proximities in the database.

17. The method according to claim 9 and further comprising:

ee) after (f), retrieving the violations, the proximities, and the sampled GPS coordinates from the database;

ff) applying informational representation enhancements to the representations of the violations, the proximities and the sampled GPS coordinates.

18. A tracking system, comprising:

a transceiver assembly;

an attachment system for connecting the transceiver assembly to a wearer;

a microprocessor periodically connected in wireless communication with the transceiver assembly;

a database operationally connected to the microprocessor;

wherein the transceiver assembly is operationally coupled to a GPS satellite system;

wherein the transceiver assembly generates sets of datapoint pairs;

wherein each respective datapoint pair includes a geographic location value and time value corresponding to when the geographic location value was measured;

wherein the transceiver assembly from time to time communicates a set of datapoint pairs to the microprocessor for storage in the database; and

wherein the attachment system generates an alert signal if disengaged from the wearer.