Mobile surveillance

• US 8,049,615 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James A. Roskind
• Original Assignee: James A. Roskind
• Inventors: Emigh, Aaron T., Roskind, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/731,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20100176949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 340/933, 340/934, 340/936, 340/937, 340/425.5, 340/572.4, 340/572.7
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/105 Radio frequency identification data [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In some embodiments, a technique for logging an item encountered by a mobile device comprises automatically detecting an item in an uncontrolled environment, extracting an identity associated with the item, logging an encounter, wherein the encounter includes the identity, and deleting the encounter after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, wherein the encounter is not marked as relevant.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device for logging records of items encountered by the mobile computing device, comprising:

a memory resource;

a location detecting device for detecting location information of the mobile computing device;

a sensor device to detect an item; and

one or more processors coupled to the memory resource, the location detecting device and the sensor device, and configured to;

determine an identity associated with the item; and

log, in the memory resource, a record of an encounter in which the item is detected, the record including the identity associated with the item and a location of the mobile computing device when the item was detected.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the identity is a license plate number.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to determine whether the identity is contained in a watch list.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to alert a remote server, upon making a determination that the identity is contained in the watch list.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to transmit an alert, upon making a determination that the identity is contained on the watch list.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to mark the encounter as relevant.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to determine a time when the item was detected and associate the time with the record.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein detecting the item includes receiving information associated with a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is an image capturing and image recognizing device.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more processors is configured to determine the identity by analyzing an image associated with the item.

11. A method for logging records of items encountered by a mobile computing device, the method being performed by one or more processors and comprising:

determining that an item has been detected by communicating with a sensor device;

determining an identity associated with the item;

determining a location of the mobile computing device when the item was detected; and

logging, in a memory resource, a record of an encounter in which the item is detected, wherein the record includes the identity associated with the item and the location of the mobile computing device when the item was detected.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identity is a license plate number.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether the identity is contained in a watch list.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising alerting a remote server, upon making a determination that the identity is contained in the watch list.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting an alert, upon determining that the identity is contained in the watch list.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising marking the encounter as relevant.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining a time when the item was detected and associate the time with the record.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting the item includes receiving information associated with an RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the sensor device is an image capturing and image recognizing device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the identity comprises analyzing an image associated with the item.