Device and method for tethering a person wirelessly with a cellular telephone

• US 7,382,268 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 06/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ehawk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kevin L. Hartman
• Inventors: Hartman, Kevin L.
• Primary Examiner(s): La; Anh V
• Application Number:
  US11/423,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.14, 340/539.15, 340/539.31, 340/573.4, 340/573.1, 340/568.2, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• 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 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0288 Attachment of child unit to child/article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A system for monitoring activities of a person. The system has a tethering device with a battery-powered transceiver and a securement device that is attachable to a person. The securement device is configured to prevent and detect tampering and attempts to remove the securement device from the person. The system further has a cellular telephone with a transceiver operable to establish a shorter range wireless connection with the tethering device transceiver, thereby permitting tethering device information to be transmitted to the cellular telephone.

Claims

1. A system for electronically securely tethering a person to a cellular telephone comprising:

a tethering device comprising

a battery-powered transceiver for transmitting and receiving data relating to the tethering device, and

a securement device adapted to be attachable to the person, the securement device being configured to prevent and detect tampering and attempts to remove the securement device from the person; and

a cellular telephone comprising a first transceiver operable to establish a shorter range two-way wireless connection with the transceiver in the tethering device for transmitting and receiving data relating to the tethering device, the two-way wireless connection being an authenticated paired communications link confirming the tethering device and the cellular telephone are within the shorter range of each other.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the tethering device further comprises a Start push button connected to the battery powered wireless transceiver.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the tethering device further comprises:

a first microcontroller operable to establish and maintain the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the cellular telephone; and

a second microcontroller in electrical communications with the first microcontroller and operable to transmit the data to, and receive other data from, the first microcontroller.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the cellular telephone further comprises a keypad operable to input into the cellular telephone and transfer to the tethering device via the two-way shorter range wireless connection a parametric value relating to an operation of the tethering device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the cellular telephone comprises a location data collection capability adapted to receive information relating to a position of the cellular telephone.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the cellular telephone comprises a second transceiver adapted to be operable to establish a longer range communication link with a commercial cellular telephone network.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising a remote computer system geographically remote from, and in wireless electrical communication with, the cellular telephone network, the remote computer system receiving and storing the data relating to the tethering device and data relating to the cellular telephone.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the shorter range two-way wireless connection comprises a sole and exclusive communication link with the tethering device.

9. The system of claim 3 wherein the tethering device comprises a battery and the second microcontroller is operative to determine respective status states of the battery, the securement device and the Start push button and to transfer the respective status states to the first microprocessor, and the first microprocessor is operative to transfer the respective status states over the two-way shorter range wireless connection to the cellular telephone.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein the tethering device further comprises:

a first microcontroller operable to establish and maintain the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the cellular telephone, the first microcontroller being further operable to receive a parametric value from, and transmit a parametric value to, the cellular telephone; and

a second microcontroller in electrical communications with the first microcontroller and operable to receive a parametric value from, and transmit a parametric value to, the first microcontroller.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the second transceiver in the cellular telephone is operative to communicate the data relating to the tethering device and other data relating to the cellular telephone over the commercial cellular network.

12. A system for electronically tethering a person to a cellular telephone comprising:

a tethering device module comprising

a battery, and

a first transceiver operable to transmit and receive data relating to the tethering device;

a start push button operatively connected to the first transceiver to initiate operation of the tethering device module;

a securement device adapted to be attachable to the person, the securement device being configured to prevent and detect tampering and attempts to remove the securement device from the person; and

a cellular telephone comprising

a second transceiver operable to establish a shorter range wireless connection with the tethering device for transmitting and receiving data relating to the tethering device, the shorter range wireless connection being an authenticated paired communications link confirming the tethering device and the cellular telephone are within a range of each other, and

a location data collection capability adapted to receive information relating to a position of the cellular telephone.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the tethering device comprises:

a first microcontroller operable to establish the shorter range wireless connection with the cellular telephone; and

a second microcontroller in electrical communications with the first microcontroller and operable to transmit the data to, and receive other data from, the first microcontroller.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the cellular telephone comprises a third transceiver adapted to be operable to establish a longer range communication link with a commercial cellular telephone network.

15. A method for electronically tethering a person to a cellular phone comprising:

providing a tethering device comprising

a battery;

a programmable tethering device module having a first transceiver powered by the battery,

a securement device adapted to be attachable to the person, the securement device being configured to prevent and detect tampering and attempts to remove the securement device from the person; and

a cellular telephone having a second transceiver, a keypad and a display,

establishing and maintaining between the first and the second transceivers an authenticated paired two-way communications link confirming the tethering device and the cellular telephone are within a range of each other,

monitoring a first status state of the securement device;

determining a second status state of the battery powering the tethering device module, the second status state representing levels of a battery voltage,

transferring the first and the second status states over the two-way communications link from the tethering device to the cellular telephone, and

presenting the first and the second status states on the display of the cellular telephone.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

producing with the keypad on the cellular telephone a parametric value for the tethering device module; and

transferring the parametric value over the two-way communications link from the cellular telephone to the tethering device.

17. A method of electronically tethering a person to a cellular telephone comprising:

establishing a shorter range two-way wireless connection between the cellular telephone having a first transceiver and a tethering device comprising a battery-powered second transceiver, the two-way wireless connection being an authenticated paired communications link confirming the tethering device and the cellular telephone are within the shorter range of each other, the tethering device being attachable to the person and being configured to prevent and detect tampering and attempts to remove the securement device from the person;

determining with the cellular telephone a continued existence of the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the tethering device; and

generating a signal with the cellular telephone in response to determining an absence of the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the tethering device.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising presenting with the cellular telephone a display of one of a continued existence of the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the tethering device and an absence of the shorter range two-way wireless connection with the tethering device.