Transceiver based monitoring system & process

• US 8,050,632 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pineapple34, LLC
• Original Assignee: John Nicholas and Kristin Gross
• Inventors: Gross, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US12/911,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20110032097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/67.12, 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 340/3.1, 340/573.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.15, 340/539.16, 340/539.17, 340/539.22, 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/10 of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/20 of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A remote monitoring device is integrated as part of a cell phone or personal digital assistant. By sharing computing resources of a communications transceiver, the cost of a monitoring device can be significantly reduced, while still permitting sufficient functionality to effectively observe an area of interest, such as a child'"'"'s sleeping area. An alert is generated and transmitted to an observer using a separate transceiver when activity at the monitored area (i.e., sound or video activity) meets a specified threshold.

Claims

1. A wireless communications monitoring system comprising:

(a) a setup routine adapted to configure and enable a monitor mode for a mobile wireless transceiver;

wherein said monitor mode is enabled to detect activity within an area to be monitored by said mobile wireless transceiver;

(b) a detection routine executing on an Internet based server adapted to detect monitoring data signals transmitted by said mobile wireless transceiver when said monitor mode is enabled;

(c) a threshold routine adapted to set monitor mode control options, which options include a user selectable threshold required for an alert to be triggered in connection with said monitoring data signals;

wherein said monitor mode control options permit a user to receive alerts over a low bandwidth text-based communications network;

(d) an alert generator routine adapted to generate an electronic alert to when said monitoring data signals trigger said user selectable threshold when said monitor mode is enabled.

2. The wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring data signals and/or alerts are archived at said Internet based server.

3. The wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein a time-delay sensitive wireless communications channel can be used for communicating said monitoring data signals using an FDMA, TDMA or CDMA signal protocol.

4. The wireless communications system of claim 1, further including a dedicated button on said mobile wireless transceiver for activating said monitor mode.

5. The wireless communications system of claim 1, wherein said electronic alert can take the form of both an email and a text message sent to a cellphone.

6. The wireless communications system of claim 1 including a light emitting diode (LED) on the mobile wireless transceiver for indicating a status of said monitor mode.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said user selectable threshold can adjust a setting of a motion detector or sound detector.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein said threshold corresponds to an amplitude level and an overall activity energy which must be met by said sound or motion signals before said alert is generated.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring data signals are detected from a monitored area in the vicinity of said mobile wireless transceiver.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring data signals are transmitted periodically over a real-time communications channel.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring data signals are transmitted continuously over a real-time communications channel.

12. A wireless monitoring system comprising:

(a) a mobile wireless transceiver adapted with a selectable monitor mode;

(b) a monitoring circuit in the mobile wireless transceiver adapted to detect activity within a monitored area when said monitor mode is enabled;

(c) said monitoring circuit being adapted to send monitoring data on a periodic basis through a real-time wireless communications channel to an Internet server;

(d) said Internet server being configured to evaluate specifically said monitoring data from said monitored area and said mobile wireless transceiver with an alert generator routine adapted to generate an alert when said monitoring data triggers a threshold set by a user of the wireless monitoring system;

(e) said Internet server further including a transmission circuit for transmitting at least said alert for the user to a separate mobile wireless transceiver identified by the user.

13. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, wherein said monitoring data and/or alerts are archived at said Internet based server.

14. The wireless monitoring system of claim 13 wherein said journaling stores a monitoring session over a selected time period in which said monitor mode is enabled.

15. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, wherein a time-delay sensitive wireless communications channel can be used for communicating said monitoring data using an FDMA, TDMA or CDMA signal protocol.

16. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, further including a dedicated button on said mobile wireless transceiver for activating said monitor mode.

17. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, wherein said electronic alert can take the form of both an email and a text message sent to a cellphone.

18. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12 including a light emitting diode (LED) on the mobile wireless transceiver for indicating a status of said monitor mode.

19. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, wherein said user selectable threshold can adjust a setting of a motion detector or sound detector.

20. The wireless monitoring system of claim 19, wherein said threshold corresponds to an amplitude level and an overall activity energy which must be met by said sound or motion signals before said alert is generated.

21. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12, wherein said monitoring data signals are detected from a monitored area in the vicinity of said mobile wireless transceiver.

22. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12 further wherein said remote server can present email and/or advertising to said separate mobile wireless transceiver along with said monitoring data and/or said alerts.

23. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12 wherein said monitoring data is associated with movements by a person within an area monitored by said mobile wireless transceiver.

24. The wireless monitoring system of claim 12 wherein sensory data from a monitored area in the vicinity of said mobile wireless transceiver is sent to said separate mobile wireless transceiver with said alert, including one of a sound, an image or a video.

25. A communications system adapted to monitor events associated with a first user within a monitored area including:

(a) a first routine adapted to enable reporting control options on a first transceiver, which reporting control options include;

i. user selectable controls for identifying target events to be detected for the first user within the monitored area; and

ii. user calibration data defining said target events;

iii. user selectable controls for identifying a threshold to be exceeded by said target events;

iv. an option for enabling said target events to be detected for the first user during a specified period, which begins at a first time and lasts for a first time duration; and

v. identification data for at least one second user designated by the first user to receive reports on selected ones of said detected target events;

(b) a second routine adapted to cause said first transceiver to communicate said target events for the first user within the monitored area periodically or continuously over a real-time communications channel to an Internet server during said specified period;

(c) a third routine operating at said Internet server for processing said target events to identify a selected event;

wherein said Internet server further stores a journal of said target events;

(d) said third routine being further adapted to report on said selected event by generating an alert from the Internet server which is communicated to a cellphone of said at least one second user;

wherein said detection control options permit the second user to receive alerts for said selected events over a first communications channel which is separate from a second communications channel used by the cellphone to receive voice data signals.