TRACKING DEVICE SYSTEM

• US 20150356861A1
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PB, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PebbleBee LLC
• Inventors: Daoura, Daniel, Pearson-Franks, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 10,580,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]

Abstract

In a tracking device 10, a crescent-shaped PCB 12 partially encircles a battery 15 to minimize thickness of the device 10. A speaker 23 and an LED 24 emit alerts upon command of a control apparatus 37 or in response to motion or temperature sensed by sensor 25. A local network 40 has one hub 41 to tracking devices 33 and a wider area network 45 has multiple hubs for more detailed tracking of devices 33. A wide area network 50 tracks devices anywhere and stores data of each tracking device including its last known position and its sensor data.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of tracking devices, each tracking device including a microcontroller-transmitter broadcasting a transmission including identification information for identifying the tracking device; and

one or more hubs, each hub having a transceiver for receiving transmissions from the tracking devices and for estimating the range of distance between the hub and the tracking device and for transmitting to a central collection station the identity information and the range information for each received transmission from the tracking devices.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a central collection station for receiving identity information and range information from the one or more hubs and displaying an estimate of the location of each tracking device.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein one or more of the tracking devices include a sensor for recording one or more characteristics of a substance proximate the tracking device and generating an electrical signal representative of the recorded characteristics, wherein the microcontroller-transmitter is coupled to the sensor, receives the electrical signal and transmits the information corresponding to the electrical signal.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the characteristics are physical quantities of the substance.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the characteristics include one or more of the group comprising temperature, electromagnetic radiation, sound, temperature, and pressure.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the characteristics are chemical properties of the substance.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the characteristics are biological properties of the substance.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the device further comprises a multi-axes sensor and the recorded information includes information about the motion of the sensor.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the central collection station is one or more of the group comprising a computer, a smartphone or a personal digital assistant.

10. A system comprising:

a plurality of tracking devices, each tracking device including a sensor for recording one or more characteristics of a substance proximate the tracking device and generating an electrical signal representative of the recorded characteristics, a microcontroller-transmitter coupled to the sensor for receiving the electrical signal and for broadcasting a transmission including information corresponding to the electrical signal;

a plurality of transceivers, each receiving transmissions from the tracking devices and forwarding to a network the information in the received; and

the network having one or more subscriber and comprising one or more interconnected computers, each computer for receiving information forwarded by the transceivers and storing the information in a database including the information in each transmission and the location of the transceiver which received the transmission.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the characteristics are physical quantities of the substance.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the characteristics include one or more of the group comprising temperature, electromagnetic radiation, sound, temperature, and pressure.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the characteristics are chemical properties of the substance.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the characteristics are biological properties of the substance.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the device further comprises a multi-axes sensor and the recorded information includes information about the motion of the sensor.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein one or more of the transceivers have GPS modules for identifying the location of the transceiver, said transceiver identify their respective latitudes and longitudes.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the transceivers identify their respective altitudes.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the transmission includes information for identifying the sensor.

19. The system of claim 10 wherein only an owner of a tracking device may access the database on the network to acquire the location of the device.

20. The system of claim 10 wherein the database may be viewed by any subscriber.

21. The system of claim 15 wherein the owner of a tracking device may share access to the database with another user.

22. The system of claim 15 where an owner of a tracking device may share control of the tracking device with one or more users.

23. A system comprising:

a tracking device including a multi-axes motion sensor for electrical signals corresponding to the motion of the sensor, a microcontroller-transmitter broadcasting a transmission including the motion information of the sensor, and at least one multifunction input apparatus on the tracking device; and

a program stored in the control apparatus for pairing one or more functions of the control apparatus with one or more predetermined motions of the tracking device, wherein the control apparatus executes said one or more predetermined functions of the control apparatus when the single action multifunction apparatus is operated.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the single action multifunction input apparatus is a button an external surface of the tracking device.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the functions of the control apparatus paired to motion of tracking device include one or more of group comprising taking a picture, sending a predetermined email, sending a predetermined text message, operating an alarm on the control apparatus, or operating a light on the control apparatus.

26. The system of claim 23 wherein any motion of the tracking device is paired with an alarm in the control apparatus.

27. The system of claim 23 wherein the control apparatus detects a range of distance between the tracking device and the control apparatus and triggers an alarm on the control apparatus when the range exceeds a predetermined distance.

28. The system of claim 23 wherein the control apparatus has a GPS module and the function executed by the control apparatus depends upon the location of the control apparatus.