Wearable satellite tracker

• US 7,053,822 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2003
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donald Rickerson Jr
• Original Assignee: Donald Rickerson Jr
• Inventors: Rickerson, Donald Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US10/463,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20040113836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.01, 342/357.06, 342/357.07, 342/357.13, 701/207, 701/213, 701/215
• US Class Current: 342/357.54
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 33/00 Devices for allowing seemingly-dead persons to escape or draw attention; Breathing apparatus for accidentally buried persons
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2201/16 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2201/26 signalling anomalies, e.g. rupture of connection
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2203/00 Communication means
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2213/02 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 2009/0017 characterised by making use of satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/11 covering the torso, e.g. harnesses B63C9/081 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/1255 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 9/20 characterised by signalling means, e.g. lights arrangement or adaptation of signalling or lighting devices for ships or other waterborne vessels B63B45/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/17 Emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/007 Details of data content structure of message packets; data protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12

Abstract

The Wearable Satellite Tracker (WST) is a worn by the operator and carries a two-way satellite transceiver that communicates to a Central Tracking Monitor a message with; a unique serial number of the device, position information (via GPS receiver), and the status of the WST. It requires no local equipment, local power or monitoring personal. Because it does not relay on any local equipment, cellular or any local network it can therefore can be used anywhere in the world. The system provides for test messages which give an acknowledgement that the complete system is working. It can be embedded into a personal floatation device for use on water or into a utility belt for use on land. The alarm can be triggered with a water sensor, panic button for the operator and/or other sensors as require by the operation environment. The Central Tracking Monitor will register test messages the WST has passed and for alarms it will alert persons or organizations as required. The ability to send and receive a system check message from the Central Tracking Monitor by the operator gives a high degree of confidence of the WST working in an alarm state.

Claims

1. A wearable satellite tracker for centralized management of testing and alarm information comprising:

a central processor unit having sufficient computing ability and storage memory to detect alarms and test switches, provide communications to a satellite modem, send and receive messages, and monitor self performance;

a central tracker monitor, providing a 24 hour service monitor that logs in all communications with all wearable satellite trackers, which includes both test messages and alarm messages;

a portable means of generating electrical power;

a satellite navigation receiver, for providing accurate location information and time to said central processing unit;

a satellite modem for providing two-way messaging to the said central tracking monitor from anywhere in the world;

a status indicator, for providing the wearer of the satellite tracker an indicator on the status of the wearable satellite tracker components and the satellite modem'"'"'s two-way communications ability with the central tracker monitor;

a means for the wearer to generate an alarm message to the said central tracker monitor;

a means for the wearer of the wearable satellite tracker user to generate a test message to be sent to said central tracking monitor;

a plurality of alarm sensors, for generating an alarm message without the wearer'"'"'s intervention;

a connection for communications between the central processing unit and another central processing unit;

a satellite transceiver, for two-way communicates between the wearable satellite tracker and the central tracking monitor;

a means of protection of the electronic components from environmental damage;

a central database, for keeping the information that allows the correlation between the wearable satellite tracker unit'"'"'s message and the customer contact information;

a manually operated switch, which can be activated by the wearer, to cause the said central processing unit to perform the continuous sending of periodic position reports to the said central tracking monitor;

an immersion sensor, for detection of immersion in the water with the wearable satellite tracker, which can automatically have the said central processing unit send an alarm message to the said central tracker monitoring.

2. The wearable satellite tracker of claim 1 wherein said wearable satellite tracker is attached to a personal floatation device causing it to operate as a man-over-board device.

3. The wearable satellite tracker of claim 1 wherein said wearable satellite tracker is worn within utility belt or garment causing it to operate as a personal land tracking device.