Communications network for emergency services personnel
First Claim
1. A communications network for emergency personnel, comprising:
- a base station configured to communicate bi-directionally with first and second personal communication systems (PCS) to be carried by respective first and second firefighters in a hazardous environment, wherein each of the first and second personal communication systems includes an onboard data gathering device and at least one wireless transceiver, the wireless transceivers of the first and second PCS being configured to communicate with one another over a peer to peer mesh network and to communicate with the base station over the peer to peer mesh network, the onboard data gathering device in the first PCS collecting PASS data from a PASS system carried by the first firefighter, the transceiver in the first PCS broadcasting the PASS data associated with the first firefighter over the peer to peer mesh network to the second PCS, the transceiver in the second PCS broadcasting the PASS data associated with the first firefighter to the base station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A personal multimedia communication system and network for emergency services personnel includes a plurality of personal communication systems linked together and to a base station in a network. Each personal communication system includes a PDA device mounted on a PASS control console, a video camera mounted on the PDA device, a GPS unit, a microphone, and other electronic devices. The various electronic devices are all communicatively connected to the PDA device. Data from the various devices may be collected in the PDA device and wirelessly transmitted to any other node or device in the network, including other personal communication devices. Each personal communication device may serve as a repeater, thus providing a wireless communications link between a device located out of range of the base station.
268 Citations
44 Claims
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1. A communications network for emergency personnel, comprising:
a base station configured to communicate bi-directionally with first and second personal communication systems (PCS) to be carried by respective first and second firefighters in a hazardous environment, wherein each of the first and second personal communication systems includes an onboard data gathering device and at least one wireless transceiver, the wireless transceivers of the first and second PCS being configured to communicate with one another over a peer to peer mesh network and to communicate with the base station over the peer to peer mesh network, the onboard data gathering device in the first PCS collecting PASS data from a PASS system carried by the first firefighter, the transceiver in the first PCS broadcasting the PASS data associated with the first firefighter over the peer to peer mesh network to the second PCS, the transceiver in the second PCS broadcasting the PASS data associated with the first firefighter to the base station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for providing a communications network for emergency personnel, comprising:
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providing first and second personal communication systems (PCS) to be carried by respective first and second firefighters in a hazardous environment, wherein each of the first and second personal communication systems includes an onboard data gathering device and a transceiver; configuring a base station to communicate wirelessly bi-directionally with the first and second PCS; configuring the transceivers of the first and second PCS to communicate with one another over a peer to peer mesh network and to communicate with the base station; configuring the onboard data gathering device in the first PCS, to collect PASS data from a PASS system carried by the first firefighter; configuring the transceiver in the first PCS, to broadcast the PASS data associated with the first firefighter over the peer to peer mesh network to the second PCS; and configuring the transceiver in the second PCS, to re-broadcast the PASS data associated with the first firefighter to the base station. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of communicating multimedia data from a personal communication system carried by a firefighter to a base station, the method comprising:
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gathering first and second data at a first personal communication system (PCS) carried by a first firefighter in a hazardous environment, the first data being indicative of at least one of a condition of the firefighter and a condition of onboard systems carried by the firefighter, the second data being indicative of the other of the condition of the firefighter and the condition of onboard systems carried by the firefighter; wirelessly broadcasting at least one of the first and second data from the first PCS over a peer to peer mesh network;
receiving the first data, over the network,at a second PCS carried by a second firefighter; wirelessly broadcasting, from the second PCS, the first data; and receiving, at a base station, the first data broadcast by the first PCS. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A personal communication system to be carried by a firefighter in a hazardous environment, comprising:
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a PASS unit to be carried by a firefighter, the PASS unit including a motion sensor for detecting motion of the firefighter and producing motion information based thereon; a SCBA system to be carried by a firefighter, the SCBA system producing SCBA status data indicative of a condition of the SCBA system; a communications device obtaining at least one of motion information from the PASS unit and SCBA status data from the SCBA system, the communications device having a unique identifier associated therewith, the communications device including a transceiver that broadcasts the unique identifier and at least one of the motion information and SCBA status data over a peer to peer mesh network that relays bidirectional transmissions through other personal communications systems to a remote location. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification