Method and system for portable cellular phone voice communication and positional location data communication

• US 6,847,825 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Calamp Wireless Networks Inc. (CalAmp Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LoJack Corporation (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: DeMille, Rod, Duvall, William
• Primary Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US09/662,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/456, 455/458, 455/557, 455/404, 455/556, 342/357.1, 342/357.09, 342/357.08, 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/453, 701/213, 701/278, 701/117
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A novel method of and system for enabling the use of one portable cellular phone only in voice communication over a radio voice channel with a cellular network control center for voice-requesting position or location data or other services; and, with the aid of a vehicle GPS-transpoder activated in response to signaling from the control center over a separate radio-data channel path, to receive and process at the vehicle GPS location,data from satellites, and to transmit the location data over the said data control path to the control center; and for then sending such data and information therefrom to the user of the portable cellular phone—the system being also adaptable for use by dispatcher managers of fleets of vehicles.

Claims

1. A method of voice and GPS satellite constellation positional location data radio communication over a cellular phone network having a user cellular radio voice channel path communicating at a cellular phone network frequency with a network operations control center, and a separate data radio channel path separately communicating along a different frequency with said network operations control center, the method comprising user voice-calling the control center from a portable cellular telephone location over the cellular radio frequency voice path, requesting user location and other information services;

upon user verification, sending a radio wake-up signal from the control center over the data different frequency channel path to be received at said location;

installing a radio transponder operable at said different frequency and a GPS receiver of GPS satellite constellation location data transmission frequency and a microprocessor module at said location;

activating the GPS receiver, in response to receipt of said wake-up radio signal by the transponder, to receive and process the location data received at the GPS frequency from the GPS satellite constellation by the GPS receiver and thereupon to activate the transponder to transmit the processed location data over the data channel path to said control center;

associating the transmitted location data received at the control center with the user voice call request at the control center; and

sending location services information from the control center to the user over the cellular radio frequency voice channel path.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said data channel path is selected from the group consisting of satellite communications links, two-way paging networks and through web portals via the internet.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said voice channel path is selected from the group consisting of SMR, VHF, UHF, GSM, satellite and cellular telephone network control channel links.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user is a vehicle user and the radio transponder, GPS receiver and microprocessor module are installed in the vehicle, such that when the user is remote from the vehicle, the user accesses a web portal interfacing with said channels to determine the location of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said data channel path is selected from the group consisting of satellite communications links, two-way paging networks and through web portals via the internet.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the said voice channel path is selected from the group consisting of SMR, VHF, UHF, GSM, satellite and cellular telephone network central channel links.

7. The system of claim 4 wherein software is provided to enable vehicle fleet dispatchers or managers to access the GPS-transponder modules of the vehicles of the fleet, enabling the tracking of the location of such vehicles without interrupting the vehicle driver or user.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein means is provided for enabling the dispatchers or managers also to access a web portal interfacing with said channels for obtaining fleet information options through the internet.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the user is a vehicle user and is provided with means, operable remotely from the vehicle, for accessing a web portal interfacing with said channels to determine the location of the vehicle.

10. A method of voice and GPS satellite constellation positional location data radio communication by dispatchers or managers of vehicle fleets, wherein voice communication is carried out over a user cellular radio voice channel path communicating at a cellular phone network frequency with a network operations control center, and location data communication is carried out over a separate data radio channel path separately communicating alone a different frequency with said network operations control center, the method comprising, user voice-calling the control center from a portable cellular telephone vehicle location over the cellular radio frequency voice path requesting vehicle location and other information services;

upon user verification, sending a radio wake-up signal from the control center over the data different frequency channel path to be received at said vehicle location;

installing a radio transponder operable at said different frequency and a GPS receiver of GPS satellite constellation location data frequency and a microprocessor module at the vehicle location;

activating the GPS receiver, in response to receipt of said radio wake-up signal at said vehicle location, to receive and process the vehicle location data received at the GPS frequency from the GPS constellation for the vehicle by the GPS receiver and to activate the transponder to transmit the processed vehicle location data over said different frequency data channel path to said control center;

associating the transmitted location data received at the control center with the user voice call request at the control center; and

sending vehicle location services information from the control center to the user over the cellular radio frequency voice channel path; and

wherein vehicle fleet dispatchers or managers access the GPS-transponder modules of the vehicles of the fleet, tracking the location of such vehicles of the fleet without interrupting the vehicle user.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the dispatchers or managers also access a web portal for obtaining information options through the internet.

12. A system for voice and GPS satellite constellation positional location data radio communication over a cellular phone network having a user cellular radio voice channel path communicating at a cellular phone network frequency with a network operations control center, the system having also a separate data radio channel path separately communicating along a different frequency with said network operations control center, said system having, in combination, a portable cellular telephone for user voice-calling to the control center over the cellular radio frequency voice path, for requesting user location information services;

means operable upon user identification, for sending a radio wake-up signal from the control center over the data different frequency channel path to be received at the user location;

a radio-transponder, GPS receiver and microprocessor module installed at said location, with the transponder operable at said different frequency and the GPS receiver operable at the GPS satellite constellation location data transmission frequency;

means for activating the GPS receiver of the module in response to receipt of said radio wake-up signal at said location, to receive and process the location data received at said GPS frequency from the GPS satellite constellation for the vehicle by the GPS receiver and thereupon to activate the transponder to transmit the processed location data over said different frequency data channel path to said control center; and

means for sending location services information from the control center over the cellular radio frequency voice channel path to the user upon associating the transmitted location data with the user voice call request.