Cell phone PDA/GPS communication network with AIS

• US 7,805,146 B1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AGIS Software Development LLC (AGIS Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Malcolm K. Beyer, Jr.
• Inventors: Beyer, Malcolm K. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lebassi; Amanuel
• Application Number:
  US11/625,851
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 4554561-4566, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 455413-421, 455427-431, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/560, 455/561
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/00 Traffic control systems for marine craft marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method, a combined cellular, PDA communication device and system having specialized software applications for allowing a plurality of combined cellular phone/PDA device users to monitor each others'"'"' locations and status, to initiate cellular phone calls by touching a symbol on the touch screen display with a stylus which can also include point to call conferencing calling. Each participant'"'"'s cellular phone/PDA device includes a GPS navigation receiver with application software for point to call cellular phone initiation to participants and geographical entities including vehicles, persons or events, conference calls and video transfers. The method, device and system also includes several features that allow each individual cell phone/PDA device user to interface the automatic identification system (AIS) ship reports and transmissions with cellular IP network participants so that data is exchanged between the AIS carrying ships and cell phone equipped network participants permitting AIS equipped ships to view the location of nearby boats having network cell phones and to allow boats carrying cell phone users to view the locations of AIS equipped ships.

Claims

1. A method of interfacing Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship location and ship characteristic data with the cellular or WiFi network participants so that data is exchanged between the AIS and network participants and the cellular or WiFi participants in a network, thus permitting AIS equipped ships to view the location of nearby small vessels having participant cell phones and to allow network participant cell phone users to view the locations of nearby AIS equipped ships comprising the steps of:

providing a network of PDA/cell phones that include a CPU, a GPS and touch screen display having advanced communication software (ACS) programs that permit exchanging voice and other data including location among all of the cell phone participants;

providing a ship AIS ship communications network that allows individual ships to communicate with each other within a given geographical area to provide automatically a ship'"'"'s identification, speed and location in latitude and longitude among all the ships using the AIS system including a shore station for receiving AIS real-time ship information;

gathering AIS real-time data from said shore station having AIS real-time shipboard data on a first AIS server;

receiving PDA/cell phone data on a cellular network boat communication server from each user establishing the identification and location of the user and, if moving, the velocity of the user, said cellular network boat communications server being connected to the internet and having access to transmission and receipt of AIS real-time shipboard data for transmitting AIS shipboard data to members of the PDA/cell phone network and transmitting PDA/cell phone network location data to ships having AIS receivers or transponders and AIS displays.

2. A method as in claim 1, including the steps of:

initiating a signal from a software program in each of the cellular phones to a remote cellular phone causing it to display a pre-stored message and to call the initiating cellular phone;

activating software in the remote cellular phone causing the remote cellular phone to generate said pre-stored message to the remote cellular phone user;

selectively causing the identity, position and status reporting among the users equipped with the cellular phone/PDA/GPS system and its associated software; and

initiating a rapid call to one or more locations whose phone number is available in a geographical referenced database using the touch screen.

3. A method as in claim 2, including the steps of:

initiating rapid calls to the users of the cellular phone/PDA/GPS network system by touching the recipient'"'"'s symbol using the touch screen;

providing initiating rapid calls to fixed sites whose geographical locations and phone number are contained in the phone'"'"'s or the server'"'"'s database by touching the recipient'"'"'s symbol using the touch screen;

rapidly sending text messages, photographs, and video to another cellular phone by touching the recipient'"'"'s symbol using the touch screen; and

initiating rapid conference calling of multiple phones that are contained within the geographical referenced data base by touching the recipient'"'"'s symbol using the touch screen.

4. A method as in claim 3, including the step of:

remote controlling one cellular phone/PDA/GPS system to any of the other cellular phone/PDA/GPS system phones, including controlling remote cellular phones to make verbal announcements, display images, place return calls, place calls to another phone number, vibrate, change sound intensity and process and display pre-stored data, images and video.

5. A communication system to provide a cellular phone network for a group of participants, each of the participants having an individual portable cellular phone that includes voice communication, free text and operator selected text messages, photographs and video, a CPU, a GPS navigational system, each of the cellular phones in the communications net of participants containing:

said CPU and memory;

touch screen display;

symbol generator in said CPU that can generate symbols that represent each of the participants in the communication network on the display screen;

database that stores the individual telephone numbers related to each of the symbols each of which represents a participant in the communication network and fixed site locations;

cellular phone call initiating software in said CPU connected to the telephone number database and the touch screen and the symbols on the touch screen whereby touching an individual symbol will automatically initiate a cellular phone telephone call to the use represented by the symbol;

said display including databases that display geographical information that includes showing the geographical location of each of the symbols representing participants in the communication network, fixed locations, and entered items of interest;

using software to create new or modify old symbols and associate the symbol to a new unused soft switch or a renamed existing soft switches and then down load the new or renamed soft switch to the cell phone and remote cell phone(s) so that they can be used on the cell phone;

network of PDA/cell phones that include a CPU, a GPS and touch screen display having advanced communication software programs that permit exchanging voice and other data including location among all of the cell phone participants;

AIS ship communications network that allows individual ships to communicate with each other within a given geographical area to provide automatically a ship'"'"'s identification, speed and location in latitude and longitude among all the ships using the AIS network including a ground station for receiving AIS real-time ship information;

server that receives AIS real-time ship identification, position and velocity data from said AIS shore station over the internet or by other means and that also receives PDA/cell phone data from each advanced communications software network participant containing its identification, position and velocity data;

said server transmits the AIS real time ship information to the PDA/cell phone cellular or WiFi network using the advanced communication software (ACS) transmission protocol and formats for display on the PDA/cell phone displays;

said server determines based on proximity or closest point of approach which PDA/cell phone cellular network small vessel or boat participants should be transmitted to the AIS shore station in AIS formats for retransmission to AIS equipped ships; and

said server transmits the eligible PDA/cell phone cellular network small vessel or boat participant'"'"'s real time identity and location data to the AIS shore station in AIS formats for retransmission to the AIS network and display on the ship'"'"'s AIS display.

6. A cellular phone for use in a communication network for a plurality of participants comprising:

cellular phone transmitter and receiver for transmitting and receiving voice communication, free and operator selected text messages, photographs, and video;

small hand held portable housing containing said cellular phone transmitter and receiver;

touch screen display mounted in said housing;

modem connected to said cellular phone transmitter and receiver;

CPU connected to said cellular phone transmitter and receiver;

GPS navigation system connected to said CPU and to said cellular phone transmitter and receiver on said touch screen;

database connected to said CPU that includes the symbol of a list of telephone numbers that relate to specific symbols;

symbol generator connected to said CPU and said database for generating symbols on said touch screen display;

CPU software for causing the exchange of data with other participants with a cellular phone;

call initiating software connected through said CPU and said telephone database and said symbol generator whereby, when a user touches the symbol displayed on a touch screen display, the cellular phone call is automatically made to the cellular phone represented by the symbol;

geographical database connected to said CPU to provide a geographical display on said touch screen representing a defined geographical area that also displays symbols representing each of the participants by latitude and longitude;

network of PDA/cell phones that include a CPU, a GPS and touch screen display having advanced communication software programs that permit exchanging voice and other data including location among all of the cell phone participants;

ship AIS communications network that allows individual ships to communicate with each other within a given geographical area to provide automatically a ship'"'"'s identification speed and location in latitude and longitude among all the ships using the AIS network including a ground station for receiving AIS real-time ship information;

first AIS server for gathering AIS real-time data from said ground station having AIS real-time shipboard data; and

cellular network boat communications server for receiving PDA/cell phone data from each user establishing the identification and location of the user and, if moving, the velocity of the user, said network PDA/cell phone communications server being connected to the internet and having access to transmission and receipt of AIS real-time shipboard data for transmitting and receiving the AIS shipboard data among members of the PDA/cell phone network and the transmission of PDA/cell phone small vessel/boat location data to ships equipped with AIS processing and displays.