Auxiliary switch activated GPS-equipped wireless phone

• US 7,164,921 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tendler Cellular Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tendler Cellular Incorporated
• Inventors: Tendler, Robert K., Owens, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer; Temica
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith; S.
• Application Number:
  US09/750,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20040180668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,210 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/403, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/521, 455/564, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/539.13, 340/539.18, 340/539.19
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes

Abstract

A wireless phone having an internal GPS-receiver is turned on by an auxiliary switch coupled to a Microwire bus for turning on the phone and the internally carried GPS receiver so that the phone can be made to call a predetermined number and report location. If the switch closure is a result of paging, a phone can be paged to report location whether or not the phone is initially off. This accommodates such applications as Alzheimer patients, truck-tracking, kid-tracking, pet-tracking and in general any application in which a wireless communications device such as a cell phone can be caused to report location, with the phone initially in an off condition. Alternative activations through the closure of specialized switches responsive to airbag deployment, car alarm activation, medical condition alerts, and perimeter violations, provides local activation of the system.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wireless phone carrying a GPS receiver and coupled to a power source comprising the steps of:

providing a switch;

coupling the switch to a circuit capable of identifying the switch and providing an output corresponding to the identity of the switch and the fact of a switch closure; and

,

responsive to the output, turning on the phone and the GPS receiver, dialing a predetermined number corresponding to the identified switch and reporting GPS location through the use of the phone, the switch being an auxiliary switch, activation of the auxiliary switch causing the phone to turn on and to report the location of the GPS receiver, the auxiliary switch being selected from the groups consisting of crash-responsive switches, perimeter violation switches, vehicle intrusion switches, pager-activated switches, emergency switches, article theft switches, man-down switches and man-overboard switches.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power source is a battery, whereby battery power can be conserved until the switch is activated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pager-actuated switch includes a pager mounted to the phone to provide for a remote activation of the phone for reporting position by paging the phone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the pager, GPS receiver and circuit are integral to the phone to provide a unitary device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the unitary device is a handheld unit.

6. A method of transmitting location from a first location to a second location, comprising the steps of:

providing a transmitter having a location providing device coupled thereto and a power source;

turning on the transmitter and the location providing device responsive to a predetermined auxiliary switch closure; and

,

causing the transmitter to transmit the location information to a predetermined entity determined by the identity of the predetermined switch, the transmitter including a phone having the capability of dialing a predetermined phone number associated with the predetermined entity, the identity of the switch being determined by the operation of a Microwire Interface bus.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the phone and location providing device are integrally carried in a housing.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the phone and location providing device are integrated to provide a handheld device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the location providing device is a GPS receiver.