Vehicle locating and communicating method and apparatus

• US 6,148,202 A
• Filed: 06/11/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Iron Oak Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: @Track Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Wortham, Larry C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANKS HAROLD, MARSHA DENISE
• Application Number:
  US09/096,195
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410, 455/411, 455/419, 455/420, 455/426, 455/432, 455/434, 455/435, 455/456, 455/513, 455/514, 455/516, 455/517, 455/551, 455/557, 455/559, 455/565, 701/117
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18558 Arrangements for managing communications, i.e. for setting up, maintaining or releasing a call between stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific

Abstract

A method and apparatus for locating and communicating with vehicles is provided, including at least one mobile cellular unit connected to at least one microprocessor and installed within a vehicle. The microprocessor interrogates the mobile cellular unit to obtain location information from an overhead message stream transmitted from cellular telephone transmitter sites. The location is displayed on a display located in the vehicle or the microprocessor periodically instructs the mobile cellular unit to initiate a call to a host controller and, upon receipt of transmitting instructions from the host controller, transmits the location information for display on a screen connected to the host controller.

Claims

1. A system for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising:

a host controller comprising a communication device coupled to a cellular telephone network and operable to communicate a system identification number list using the cellular telephone network; and

a mobile unit remotely disposed from the host controller and coupled to the cellular telephone network, the mobile unit operable to receive the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the mobile unit further comprising a memory operable to store the system identification number list and a processor operable to access the system identification number list stored in memory to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system area providing service to the mobile unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a smart modem coupled to the cellular telephone network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a smart modem operable to extract digital information representing the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the smart modem further operable to pass the digital information to the processor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a calendar and clock for documenting the date and time of storing the system identification number list.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor accesses the system identification number list stored in the memory to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the mobile unit is receiving sufficient signal strength from the particular cellular system service area.

8. A mobile unit for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising:

a communication device operable to receive a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit;

a memory coupled to the communication device and operable to store the system identification number list; and

a processor coupled to the memory and operable to access the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.

9. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a cellular transceiver.

10. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a smart modem coupled to a cellular transceiver.

11. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.

12. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a smart modem operable to extract digital information representing the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the smart modem further operable to pass the digital information to the processor.

13. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the processor accesses the system identification number list stored in the memory to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.

14. The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the processor determines whether the mobile unit is receiving sufficient signal strength form the particular cellular system service area.

15. The method for communicating using a cellular telephone network, the method comprising the following steps performed at a mobile unit;

receiving a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit;

storing the system identification number list in a memory; and

accessing the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a system identification number list is performed by a cellular transceiver.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a system identification number list comprises:

receiving a call from the remote host controller at a cellular transceiver;

extracting digital information that represents a system identification number list; and

passing the digital information to a processor.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises:

determining a system identification number of the particular cellular system service area from information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit; and

determining whether the system identification number list includes the system identification number.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of determining whether the signal strength being received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit is sufficient to authorize initiation of a call from the mobile unit.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises:

determining a first system identification number using information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a first cellular system service area;

accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is not authorized to dial out in the first cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit;

determining a second system identification number using information received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a second cellular system service area; and

accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the second cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of dialing out in the particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile cellular unit if the mobile unit is authorized.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises:

determining a first system identification number using information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a first cellular system service area;

accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the first cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit;

determining that the signal strength being received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from the first cellular system service area is insufficient to initiate a call from the mobile unit;

accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the second cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit; and

determining that the signal strength being received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from the second cellular system service area is sufficient to initiate a call from the mobile unit.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of accessing the system identification number list to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.