Systems and methods for wireless object tracking

• US 8,159,342 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Original Assignee: United Services Automobile Association
• Inventors: Medina, Reynaldo III, Oakes, Charles Lee III
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US12/234,943
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.32, 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 340/539.21, 340/568.1, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 342/357.54, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 340/539.32
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence

Abstract

A system for object tracking may comprise at least one subsystem that couples an electronic signal emitting and receiving device to an object to be tracked, at least one subsystem that assigns an identifier to the object, at least one subsystem that registers the identifier of the object with a second object, and at least one subsystem that establishes electronic communication between the object to be tracked and the second object via the electronic signal emitting and receiving device. Also a system for object tracking may comprise at least one subsystem that detects at a first object an electronic signal from a second object, and at least one subsystem that emits an electronic alert beacon from the first object when said first object is determined to be out of range of the second object.

Claims

1. A system for object tracking comprising:

at least one subsystem of a first type that receives an electronic alert beacon from a first object when the first object is determined to be out of range of a second object, wherein the first object is out of range of the second object when the first object is unable to detect a signal from the second object and wherein the electronic alert beacon includes information regarding current and previous location information of the first object and information regarding the time at which the first object was out of range of the second object; and

at least one subsystem of a second type that uses information in the received electronic alert beacon to aid in locating the first object.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one subsystem of the second type that uses information in the received electronic alert beacon comprises at least one subsystem of a third type that generates position data based upon different locations at which the electronic alert beacon was received.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the location information comprises one or more of the following:

GPS coordinates of at least one location of the first object while it was out of range of the second object, GPS coordinates of a current location of the first object.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the electronic alert beacon is received by the second object.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one subsystem of a fourth type that provides a central interface that is automatically updated with information about electronic alert beacons received from the first object.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the interface includes automatically updated location information of the first object based upon the electronic alert beacons received.

7. A method for object tracking comprising:

receiving an electronic alert beacon from a first object when the first object is determined to be out of range of the second object, wherein the first object is out of range of the second object when the first object is unable to detect a signal from the second object and wherein the electronic alert beacon includes information regarding current and previous location information of the first object and information regarding the time at which the first object was out of range of the second object; and

using information in the received electronic alert beacon to aid in locating the first object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the using information in the received electronic alert beacon comprises generating position data based upon different locations at which the electronic alert beacon was received.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the location information comprises one or more of the following:

GPS coordinates of at least one location of the first object while it was out of range of the second object, GPS coordinates of a current location of the first object.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the electronic alert beacon is received by the second object.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing a central interface that is automatically updated with information about electronic alert beacons received from the first object.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the interface includes automatically updated location information of the first object based upon the electronic alert beacons received.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium for object tracking comprising computer readable instructions for:

receiving an electronic alert beacon from a first object when the first object is determined to be out of range of the second object, wherein the first object is out of range of the second object when the first object is unable to detect a signal from the second object and wherein the electronic alert beacon includes information regarding current and previous location information of the first object and information regarding the time at which the first object was out of range of the second object; and

using information in the received electronic alert beacon to aid in locating the first object.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the computer readable instructions for using information in the received electronic alert beacon comprise computer readable instructions for generating position data based upon different locations at which the electronic alert beacon was received.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the location information comprises one or more of the following:

GPS coordinates of at least one location of the first object while it was out of range of the second object, GPS coordinates of a current location of the first object.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the electronic alert beacon is received by the second object.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13 further comprising computer readable instructions for providing a central interface that is automatically updated with information about electronic alert beacons received from the first object.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising computer readable instructions for automatically updating location information of the first object based upon the electronic alert beacons received.