Mobile object locator
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- wirelessly receiving location signals at a device coupled to an animate object;
activating at least a portion of the device to process location signals for determining location information;
automatically deactivating the portion of the mobile device after determining the location information;
identifying a location threshold associated with the animate object;
determining a violation of the location threshold based, at least in part, on the location information, wherein the violation is determined by the device coupled to the animate object.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is disclosed a method and apparatus for an object locator system (10) for requesting and obtaining information about the location of a mobile object, having attached thereon a lightweight object locator (42), operable in a region served by a two-way paging system (12) and a global positioning satellite system (50). The object locator (42) may be selectively activated to conserve power or enabled to respond only when beyond or within a boundary. Further, the object locator system (10) may provide the location information in several forms including rectangular or polar coordinates referred to a base station (18) or origin, position on a map display, etc. In alternate embodiments the two-way paging system (12) may be substituted by a direct wireless link or a satellite relay communications link; the location information may be translated into human readable form either before or after transmission from the object locator; the location information may be presented at an output as selectable text; spoken message or graphic display including a map; the location information may have associated therewith other information such as time the location was determined, the status of the object locator, the condition of the battery, position of the object locator relative to a boundary or electronic fence or to indicate an alarm condition; or the location information may be accessed or delivered by dial-up or automatic means.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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wirelessly receiving location signals at a device coupled to an animate object; activating at least a portion of the device to process location signals for determining location information; automatically deactivating the portion of the mobile device after determining the location information; identifying a location threshold associated with the animate object; determining a violation of the location threshold based, at least in part, on the location information, wherein the violation is determined by the device coupled to the animate object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system comprising:
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a memory operable to store a location threshold associated with an animate object; one or more processors operable to; wirelessly receive location signals; activate at least a portion of the device to process location signals for determining location information; automatically deactivate the portion of the mobile device after determining the location information; identify the location threshold associated with the animate object; and determine a violation of the location threshold based, at least in part, on the location information, wherein the system is coupled to the animate object. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification