Method of and system and apparatus for locating and/or tracking stolen or missing vehicles and the like
First Claim
1. A method of tracking a computer-registered transponder-equipped vehicle, upon the same being missing, that comprises, checking the registration of such vehicle to determine that it is computer listed as transponder-equipped;
- upon affirmative determination of such transponder equipment listing, initiating the broadcasting in an appropriate sector of a radio activation command signal carrying coded identification unique to said vehicle and its transponder;
receiving said command signal at the vehicle transponder, decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said vehicle and its transponder, and, if so, causing the transponder to become activated to transmit periodic vehicle reply signals including unique identification;
receiving said periodic vehicle reply signals in a tracking vehicle and locking onto the same;
thereafter, at the request of the tracking vehicle, modifying the said sector radio activation command signals to provide increased-rate command signals to the vehicle transponder; and
responding to the increased-rate command signals at the vehicle transponder to increase the periodicity of the transmitted transponder vehicle signals to facilitate tracking by the tracking vehicle.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved vehicle or other object-tracking and location system, preferably, though not essentially, of national scope, wherein transponder or transceiver-equipped stolen or missing vehicles or other objects may be located and/or tracked, as by appropriately-equipped police direction/finding tracking vehicles, through homing-in on periodic transponder reply radio transmissions automatically activated by command activation signals broadcast on the same carrier frequency as the transponder reply signals and with encoded vehicle identification information that causes the intended vehicle transponder so to reply, and with provision for modifying the command signals to require an increased rate of periodic transponder reply signal transmission to assist homing-in on the selected vehicle. In a preferred mode of operation, the verification of whether the reportedly missing vehicle is thus transponder-equipped is preferably established by querying the FBI-NCIC computer system, which will provide the said coded vehicle identification information and automatically cause the appropriate sector or area to broadcast said command activation signals.
293 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A method of tracking a computer-registered transponder-equipped vehicle, upon the same being missing, that comprises, checking the registration of such vehicle to determine that it is computer listed as transponder-equipped;
- upon affirmative determination of such transponder equipment listing, initiating the broadcasting in an appropriate sector of a radio activation command signal carrying coded identification unique to said vehicle and its transponder;
receiving said command signal at the vehicle transponder, decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said vehicle and its transponder, and, if so, causing the transponder to become activated to transmit periodic vehicle reply signals including unique identification;
receiving said periodic vehicle reply signals in a tracking vehicle and locking onto the same;
thereafter, at the request of the tracking vehicle, modifying the said sector radio activation command signals to provide increased-rate command signals to the vehicle transponder; and
responding to the increased-rate command signals at the vehicle transponder to increase the periodicity of the transmitted transponder vehicle signals to facilitate tracking by the tracking vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- upon affirmative determination of such transponder equipment listing, initiating the broadcasting in an appropriate sector of a radio activation command signal carrying coded identification unique to said vehicle and its transponder;
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17. A system for tracking computer-registered transponder-equipped vehicles, upon the same being reported missing, having, in combination, means for initiating the broadcasting in an appropriate sector of a radio activation command signal carrying coded identification unique to the missing vehicle and its transponder;
- means contained within said missing vehicle transponder for receiving said command signal and for decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said missing vehicle and its transponder;
means at the transponder, operable upon such verifying, for thereupon causing the transponder to become activated to transmit periodic vehicle reply signals including unique identification;
tracking vehicle receiving means for receiving periodic vehicle signals and locking onto the same;
means operable at said tracking vehicle for requesting the modifying of the said sector radio activation command signals to provide increased-rate command signals to the vehicle transponder; and
means at said transponder for responding to the increased-rate command signals to increase the periodicity of the transmitted transceiver vehicle reply signals to facilitate tracking by the tracking vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 51, 52)
- means contained within said missing vehicle transponder for receiving said command signal and for decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said missing vehicle and its transponder;
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33. A method of locating a transponder-equipped object that comprises, initiating the broadcasting in an appropriate sector of a radio activation command signal carrying coded identification unique to said object and its transponder;
- receiving said command signal at the object transponder, decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said object and its transponder and, if so, causing the transponder to become activated to transmit periodic reply signals including unique identification;
modifying the said sector radio activation command signals to provide increased-rate command signals to the object transponder; and
responding to the increased-rate command signals at the object transponder to increase the periodicity of its transmitted reply signals. - View Dependent Claims (34)
- receiving said command signal at the object transponder, decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said object and its transponder and, if so, causing the transponder to become activated to transmit periodic reply signals including unique identification;
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35. Transponder apparatus for use in identifying the presence of an object interrogated by broadcasted radio activation command signals on a predetermined RF carrier carrying coded identification unique to that object and its transponder, the apparatus having, in combination, means for receiving said command signal and for decoding the identification and verifying that the same is the unique code of said object and its transponder;
- means operable in the event of such verification, for activating the transponder to transmit periodic reply signals on the same carrier frequency and including unique identification thereupon; and
means responsive to further command signals requesting variation in the rate of such reply signals for thereupon transmitting the reply signals at such varied rate. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38)
- means operable in the event of such verification, for activating the transponder to transmit periodic reply signals on the same carrier frequency and including unique identification thereupon; and
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39. A variable-broadcasting transponder for identifying and assisting location of an object, comprising, means for detecting encoded information;
- means for discerning the presence of its own identification code in said encoded information;
storage means for providing a reply code specific to the transponder;
transmission command means, responsive to said means for discerning, for distinguishing a broadcast rate command in said encoded information and for determining the period of transmission of said reply code; and
means, responsive to said storage means and said transmission command means, for periodically transmitting said reply code. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
- means for discerning the presence of its own identification code in said encoded information;
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45. A variable-broadcasting transponder for identifying and assisting location of an object, comprising;
- receiver means for monitoring an RF signal and demodulating it to recover a carried audio signal;
means for converting said audio signal into digital logical ones when said audio signal is modulated at a first frequency and into digital logical zeros when said audio signal is modulated at a second frequency to obtain digitally encoded information;
means for discerning the presence of its own identification code in said encoded information;
means for providing a digital reply code specific to the transponder;
transmission command means for distinguishing a broadcast rate command in said encoded information and for determining the period of transmission of said reply code;
modulating means for converting said digital reply code into reply code audio signals; and
transmitter means, responsive to said transmission command means, for periodically broadcasting said reply audio signals upon an RF signal. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
- receiver means for monitoring an RF signal and demodulating it to recover a carried audio signal;
Specification