Method and apparatus for a wireless tether system

• US 7,312,711 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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
• Application Number:
  US11/336,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20060145883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.4, 340/539.13, 340/539.15, 340/539.21, 340/539.23, 340/273.1, 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 wireless devices to one another, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first transceiver, a wireless signal indicative of a first distance between the first transceiver and a transmitting device transmitting the wireless signal;

determining if the distance from the transmitting device and the first transceiver exceeds at least one of a plurality of inner threshold distances or an outer threshold distance; and

if the first distance has exceeded at least one of the inner threshold distances or the outer threshold distance, then providing predetermined instructions to a user of the first transceiver to move in a direction that decreases the first distance, wherein the predetermined instructions vary in urgency level with respect to the magnitude of the first distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least one emergency signal from the first transceiver over at least one separate wireless communication when the first distance exceeds the outer threshold distance for a predetermined time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal comprises data indicative of the first distance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a second transceiver in communication with the first transceiver, wherein the second transceiver is configured to receive a second wireless signal indicative of a second distance from the first transceiver.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining from the second wireless signal if the second transceiver has exceeded a threshold distance between the second transceiver and the first transceiver, wherein if the threshold distance between the second transceiver and the first transceiver has been exceeded, then providing predetermined instructions to the user of the second transceiver to move in a direction that decreases the distance between the second transceiver and the first transceiver.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the at least one of the plurality of inner threshold distances or the outer threshold distance has been exceeded due to a loss of wireless communication by dynamically switching between a plurality of communication modes to reestablish communication between the first transceiver and the transmitting device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of communication modes comprise radio, optical, cellular, infrared, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein dynamically switching comprises scanning between two or more wireless communication channels.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly tethering a plurality of the transceivers together such that each of the plurality of transceivers is in communication with one other of the plurality of transceivers forming a chain of transceivers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined instructions are configured to provide instructions with respect to the species or intellect of the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined instructions comprise instructions for a limited intellect person, or animals, or for children, or for visually impaired persons.

12. A method of providing at least one wireless boundary about one or more geographic locations using at least one wireless communication device, the method comprising:

receiving by a wireless communication at least one wireless signal associated with a plurality of inner boundary distances and an outer boundary distance with respect to a geographic location, wherein each inner boundary distance and the outer boundary distance are associated with a different urgency level of instructions for urging the user to return to the geographic location; and

determining if the wireless communication device has crossed any of the inner boundary distances or the outer boundary distance, wherein if the wireless communication device has crossed an inner boundary distance or the outer boundary distance, then determining with respect to the distance between the wireless communication device and the geographic location the urgency level of the instructions urging a user of the wireless communication device to move toward the geographic location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein determining if the wireless communication device has crossed any of the inner boundary distances comprises determining the distance using the wireless signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless signal comprises data indicative of the inner boundary distance or the outer boundary distance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data comprises signal strength, or phase shift, or frequency shift, or global positioning data.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the instructions comprise instructions capable of herding a user in a predetermined direction.

17. A wireless tethering system, the system comprising:

at least one wireless tether device configured to receive and process wireless tether signals; and

a data processor responsive to the wireless tether signals, wherein the wireless tether signals establish a plurality of inner boundary limits and an outer boundary limit with respect to a base location, wherein if the wireless tether device exceeds a distance from the base location sufficient to cross one or more of the inner boundary locations or the outer boundary limit, the data processor is configured to provide predefined instructions to a user of the wireless tether device directing the user back toward the base location, wherein the each of the plurality of inner boundary limits and the outer boundary limit are associated with a different level of instructional urgency.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the inner boundary limits comprises a plurality of distance thresholds that vary in response to a timing circuit coupled to the data processor.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data processor performs the operations of:

processing data from the wireless tether signals; and

determining from the data if the wireless tether device is moving away from the base location and has crossed any of the inner boundaries or the outer boundary.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising transmitting an emergency wireless signal over at least one wireless communication channel if the wireless tether device exceeds a distance from the base location sufficient to cross the outer boundary and the wireless tether device remains beyond the outer boundary for a predetermined time.