Method and apparatus for a wireless tether system

• US 7,061,385 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gordon D. Fong, Sullivan C. Bart, Tony Perez
• Inventors: Sullivan, C. Bart, Perez, Tony, Fong, Gordon D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US10/655,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20050062604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,011 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.4, 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/539.21, 340/539.23, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 455/421, 455/134, 455/457
• US Class Current: 340/573.4
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0236 Threshold setting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0258 System arrangements wherein both parent and child units can emit and receive
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0263 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the direction in which child or item is located
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0266 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact distance between parent and child or surveyor and item
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0291 Housing and user interface of child unit

Abstract

Method and apparatus to provide a wireless tether system is described. In one embodiment, one or more wireless tether apparatuses are in wireless communication with one or more base units. A wireless tether apparatus may be configured such that when separated from a base unit greater than a predetermined distance, such a wireless tether apparatus provides information to the user of the wireless tether apparatus to aid a user such as a human, animal, or machine in finding their way back to a desired location. A predetermined distance may be configured to change over time to accommodate different tether distance requirements at different times, e.g., closer to a home location at night and further away from the home location during the day. In one aspect, wireless tether apparatuses and base units communicate using a plurality of different communication modes such that when one mode fails other modes are utilized to reestablish a connection therebetween. In another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of wireless tether apparatuses are wirelessly tethered together such that individual proximities are maintained but still allow a plurality of wireless tether apparatus users to move about in an expanded range. In one aspect, a wireless tether system is employed such that one or more wireless tether apparatuses may be dynamically assigned to a plurality of base stations to allow changes to wireless tether apparatus locations and distances. In another aspect, when wireless tether apparatuses leave a predetermined tether distance, one or more alerts may be broadcast from the wireless tether apparatuses indicative thereof to other wireless signal receivers in proximity thereto not normally used as wireless tether signal receivers.

Claims

1. A method of wirelessly tethering one or more devices to one another, comprising:

providing wireless communication between at least one device to at least one other device;

determining if the at least one device and the one other device have exceeded at least one predefined distance;

if the at least one predefined distance has been exceeded, then providing informational instructions on the at least one other device to a user thereof; and

further comprising determining if the at least one predefined distance has been exceeded due to a loss of communication therebetween by dynamically switching between a plurality of communication modes to reestablish communication between the at least one device and the at least one other device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication modes comprise radio, optical, cellular, infrared, and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically switching comprises scanning between two or more wireless communication channels.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the informational instructions comprise alarms, sounds, displays, vibration sequences, and combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the informational instructions are sounds configured to direct one or more animals to move within the at least one predefined distance.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sounds comprise sounds that instruct the animals to move toward or away from a location.

4. A method of wirelessly tethering one or more devices to one another, comprising:

providing wireless communication between at least one device to at least one other device;

determining if the at least one device and the one other device have exceeded at least one predefined distance; and

if the at least one predefined distance has been exceeded, then providing informational instructions on the at least one other device to a user thereof;

wherein wirelessly tethering one or more wireless devices to one another comprises wirelessly tethering a plurality of the wireless devices such that each of the plurality of wireless devices is in communication with at least one other of the plurality of wireless devices;

wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprises a group of wireless devices that interact such that the group of wireless devices has a wireless tether therebetween and another wireless tether between the group of devices and another device not part of the group of devices.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein determining if the group of wireless devices and the one other device have exceeded the at least one predefined distance comprises determining if the group of wireless devices has exceeded a predefined group boundary.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the informational instructions comprise directional instructions, emergency instructions, movement instructions, position instructions, activity instructions, and combinations thereof.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein each of the group of devices comprise a predefined distance from at least one other of the group of devices.

11. The method according to claim 4, wherein the informational instructions comprise alarms, sounds, displays, vibration sequences, and combinations thereof, that convey meaning to the user responsive to the informational instructions.