Communication system and device using dynamic receiver addressing

• US 6,591,112 B1
• Filed: 08/25/2000
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polaris Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PNM Incorporated (Union Pacific Corporation)
• Inventors: Rao, Padmanabha R., Siccardo, Paolo L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGREE, TRACY MICHELLE
• Application Number:
  US09/648,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/426, 455/411, 455/432, 455/404, 455/522, 455/466, 455/410, 455/414, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.3
• US Class Current: 455/521
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging

Abstract

Method and a system for establishing a communication channel between a first communication device, or alternatively, a communication network operator, and one or more second communication devices. The identity of the one or more second communication devices is not pre-determined by the first communication device (or the communication network operator). Instead, the identity of which one or more of the second communication devices connects to the first communication device (or the network operator) is determined by the operation of one or more filters transmitted by the first communication device (or the network operator) on certain data that are both transmitted by the first communication device (or the network operator) as well as measured locally at each of the second communication devices.

Claims

1. A system for dispatching a response unit in response to a request from a requesting entity, said system comprising:

a terminal device attached to said requesting entity comprising at least a location tracking device, a wireless communication device, and a computer, said terminal device having the ability to uniquely identify itself and its location over a wireless communication network to a remotely located service operator;

a service operator connected to said wireless communication network having attached to it relevant information relating to said requesting entity, said service operator receiving said request from said requesting entity;

said service operator interpreting said received request, authenticating said requesting entity and calling a service dispatch center with directions to call a response unit, said response unit having attached to it a terminal unit having the ability to uniquely identify itself and its location to a remotely located service operator;

said service dispatch center transmitting to said service operator a first acknowledgement message following first contact with said response unit, said first acknowledgement message including a unique identifier code of said response unit;

said service operator transmitting back to said requesting entity said first acknowledgement message;

said service operator further initiating contact with said response unit and determining its location; and

said system using said determined location to compute an Expected Time of Arrival at the location of said requesting entity and transmitting said Expected Time of Arrival to said requesting entity.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the service dispatch center transmits a signal containing a message to the response unit and a specification of a proximity constraint with respect to a specific location;

the response unit applies the proximity constraint to location information of the response unit; and

the response unit responds to the remotely located service operator only if the application of the proximity constraint by the response unit results in a true condition.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication network is a radiotelephone network.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication network is a paging network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication network is a bidirectional wireless communication network.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the response unit downloads a signal from the service dispatch center;

the signal contains a proximity constraint with respect to a specific location as well as a message; and

the response unit applies the proximity constraint to location information of the response unit and uses the result of applying the proximity constraint to determine if the response unit is entitled to receive the message contained in the signal.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the service dispatch unit sends to the response unit a signal containing a message to be communicated and at least one specific location;

the response unit has available location information for the response unit; and

the response unit responds to the remotely located service operator only if a predetermined proximity constraint is satisfied between the specific location and the location information for the response unit.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the location information for the response unit is supplied to the-response unit by a global positioning system.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the location information for the response unit is latitude and longitude coordinates.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the signal contains data signals and does not include voice signals.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the signal contains data signals and voice signals.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the message contains medical information of the requesting entity.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the terminal unit attached to the response unit includes a location tracking device.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the location tracking device of the terminal unit attached to the response unit is a global positioning system receiver.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the location tracking device of the terminal device attached to the requesting entity is a global positioning system receiver.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the service operator is an automated system.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the service operator is operated without human involvement.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said response unit is configured to identify itself and its location over the wireless communication network to said remotely located service operator.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein said response unit is configured to identify itself and its location over a second wireless communication network to said remotely located service operator.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein said response unit is configured to identify itself and its location over the wireless communication network to said remotely located service operator.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein said response unit is configured to identify itself and its location over a second communication network to the service dispatch center.