Method and apparatus for locating mobile units tracking another or within a prescribed geographic boundary

• US 7,199,726 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ENOVSYS LLC
• Original Assignee: Mundi Fomukong
• Inventors: Fomukong, Mundi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/878,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20040246146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/992, 340/573.1, 340/573.3, 340/691.6, 455/439, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/457, 342/357.09, 342/377.1, 342/457, 705/32
• US Class Current: 340/988
• 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: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A mobile location reporting communication system consists of a network of communication sources and targets managed by one or more control stations. In the system, a communication source may request for the location of a mobile communication target from the network. The target conveys its location to the network and that information is provided to the source. In the invention a mobile communication source request for the location of mobile communication targets that are present in a prescribed geographic boundary. The network provides to the source only remote targets that are present in the prescribed boundary. Also in the invention, a concealed or clandestine mobile portable target, close to the mobile portable source, may be tracking the source. The source may invoke a method that may the result of mobile targets that have traveled a pre-specified distance with the source while maintaining proximity to the source.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

(i) a portable mobile remote unit;

(ii) a network of communication units;

(iii) the portable mobile remote unit able to communicate with at least a transmitter within the network to establish its geographic location within the system;

(iv) means to request for the location information of portable mobile remote units that are in a geographic boundary that is prescribed within the coverage area of said network;

(v) means to provide the location information of the portable mobile remote unit to the network upon determination that the portable mobile remote unit is within said prescribed geographic boundary requested by the network;

(vi) means to determine and report to the system that, another portable mobile remote unit has maintained relative proximity to the portable mobile remote over a period of time while in motion.

2. The portable mobile remote according to claim 1, having means to further determine if location disclosure for the remote unit is prohibited at a specific geographic boundary before sending its location information to the network.

3. The portable remote unit of claim 1 having means to establish its velocity at the network and having means to further determine that, its velocity is within the network'"'"'s prescribed velocity before divulging its location to the network.

4. A communication system for providing the location information of portable mobile remote units, in a geographic region to a wireless consumer requesting that information comprising:

i) a pool of portable mobile remote units that are able to communicate with a network transmitter to establish their location within the system;

ii) means for the wireless consumer to specify and forward to a network, geographic boundary information describing a region within the coverage area of said network where the location information of portable mobile remote units are required by the wireless consumer;

iii) means to request that all portable remote units within said region (ii) establish their location at the network;

iv) means to identify said request (iii) and verify at a portable mobile remote unit whether the portable remote unit exist within said region (iii);

v) means to provide to the wireless consumer the location information of a portable mobile remote unit that exist in the geographic boundary defined by the wireless consumer after the verification of (iv).

5. The system of claim 4, the portable mobile remote units able to establish and report their location to other communication units of the system.

6. A method for determining that a first portable mobile remote communication unit is tracking a second portable mobile remote communication unit while in motion comprising:

iv) obtaining the geographic location of the first and second portable communication units at intervals over a period of time;

v) computing from said geographic location (i) whether the first and second portable communication units are maintaining relative proximity during said period of time;

vi) if the result of said computation (ii) indicates that relative proximity is maintained between the first and second portable communication units over said period of time, advising the system that the first portable mobile remote unit is tracking the second.

7. A method for providing the location information of portable mobile remote units in a geographic region to a wireless consumer requesting that information comprising:

i) communicating with a base transmitter to establish the location of a portable mobile remote unit within the system;

ii) specifying and forwarding to a wireless network, geographic boundary information describing a region within the coverage area of said network where the location information of portable mobile remote units are required by the wireless consumer;

iii) requesting that all portable remote units within said region (ii) establish their location at the network;

iv) identifying said request (iii) and verifying at a portable mobile remote unit that the portable remote unit exist within said region specified by said request (iii);

v) providing to the wireless consumer the location information of a portable mobile remote unit that exist in the geographic boundary defined by the wireless consumer after the verification of (iv).

8. A communication system comprising:

i) a network of communication resources;

ii) a pool of portable mobile remote units that are able to communicate with the network to establish their geographic location within the system;

ii) means for a wireless consumer to specify and forward to the network, geographic boundary information describing a region within a coverage area of said network where a notification should be sent to one or more of said portable mobile remote units within said region;

iii) means to forward said notification to portable mobile remote units within said region;

iv) means to identify said notification (iii) at the portable mobile remote unit and means to verify whether the portable remote unit exists within said region (iii).

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising means to respond to said notification if said portable mobile remote unit (iv) exist within the geographic boundary defined by said region.

10. The system of claim 8 said geographic boundary information including latitude, longitude and radii information.

11. The system of claim 8 said notification message including a request for the location information of said portable mobile remote units.

12. A method for notifying portable mobile remote units within a geographic region in a wireless communication system comprising:

i) communicating with one or more portable mobile remote unit in a network to establish their geographic location within the system;

ii) specifying and forwarding to the network, geographic boundary information describing a region within a coverage area of said network where a notification should be sent to one or more of said portable mobile remote units within said region;

iii) forwarding said notification to portable mobile remote units within said region;

iv) identifying said notification (iii) at the portable mobile remote unit and verifying whether the portable remote unit exists within said region (iii).

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising responding to said notification if said portable mobile remote unit (iv) exist within the geographic boundary defined by said region.

14. The method of claim 12 said geographic boundary information including latitude, longitude and radii information.

15. The method of claim 12 said notification message including a request for the location information of said portable mobile remote units.