G.P.S. management system

• US 8,271,162 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ingman, R. T. Mitchell, Hamrick, Marvin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US13/193,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 340/426.25, 340/428, 340/426.3, 340/146.2
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A management system using Global Positioning System receivers for tracking remote units from a central office and quickly and conveniently determining if those remote units have varied from a set of predetermined parameters of operation. The system also includes provisions that allows information to be sent from the remote units to the central office and vice versa. The system also has safety features that promote the rapid dispatch of law enforcement personnel when requests for emergency assistance have been made from the remote units.

Claims

1. A method, for processing a parameter associated with a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, at a tangible computer processor, from a user by way of a machine-user interface, a value for an operating-parameter threshold to be compared with an operating parameter of the vehicle; and

storing, using the tangible computer processor, the value for the operating-parameter threshold on a tangible storage medium;

wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group of operating-parameter thresholds consisting of;

a shift-parameter threshold relating to a time of departure from a service center;

a stationary-time-parameter threshold relating to a maximum amount of time the vehicle is allowed to be stationary;

a windshield-parameter threshold relating to a minimum amount of driving time and a maximum amount of driving time;

an ignition-on-parameter threshold relating to an amount of time an ignition device of the vehicle is activated;

a revisit-parameter threshold relating to a number of times the vehicle is allowed to visit a service center;

a mileage-parameter threshold relating to a distance traveled by the vehicle;

a grouping-of-vehicles-parameter threshold relating to proximity of vehicles to each other; and

an out-of-gate/back-to-location-parameter threshold relating to a number of revisits the vehicle makes to a location within a time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting to the user a graphical-user interface allowing the user to identify the value for the operating-parameter threshold;

wherein receiving, from the user, the value for the operating-parameter threshold includes receiving the value for the operating-parameter threshold from the graphical-user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the vehicle is one of a group of vehicles; and

the method further comprises receiving, from the user, by way of the machine-user interface, an indication that the value for the operating-parameter threshold is applicable to the group of vehicles.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving, from the user, the indication that the value for the operating-parameter threshold is applicable to the group of vehicles includes receiving the indication indicating a particular service center with which the group of vehicles is associated.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

presenting to the user a graphical-user interface allowing the user to identify the value for the operating-parameter threshold, wherein the graphical-user interface includes a drop-down menu citing the particular service center; and

receiving, from the user, selection of the particular service center by way of the drop-down menu.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving, from the user, the indication that the value for the operating-parameter threshold is applicable to the group of vehicles includes receiving the indication indicating a particular work shift with which the group of vehicles is associated.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

presenting to the user a graphical-user interface allowing the user to identify the value for the operating-parameter threshold, wherein the graphical-user interface includes a drop-down menu citing the particular work shift; and

receiving, from the user, selection of the particular work shift by way of the drop-down menu.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting to the user a graphical-user interface allowing the user to identify the value for the operating-parameter threshold, wherein the graphical-user interface includes a drop-down menu citing the vehicle; and

receiving, from the user, a selection of the vehicle by way of the drop-down menu.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing actual values for the operating parameter, for the vehicle, to the operating-parameter threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining that an operating-parameter exception exists if the actual operating parameter bears a predetermined relationship to the operating-parameter threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting vehicle data to a remote device in response to determining that the operating-parameter exception exists.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle data includes location information indicating a location of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle data includes an alert indicating an emergency condition associated with the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, from the user, timing information used to affect a timing by which any exceptions, resulting from comparison of actual vehicle operating parameters to the operating-parameter threshold, are processed.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the timing relates to at least one time indication selected from a group of time indications consisting of:

every hour;

every day;

every shift; and

no time delay.

16. A tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:

receiving, from a user by way of a machine-user interface, a value for an operating-parameter threshold to be compared with an operating parameter of a vehicle; and

storing the value for the operating-parameter threshold;

wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group of operating-parameter thresholds consisting of;

a shift-parameter threshold relating to a time of departure from a service center;

a stationary-time-parameter threshold relating to a maximum amount of time the vehicle is allowed to be stationary;

a windshield-parameter threshold relating to a minimum amount of driving time and a maximum amount of driving time;

an ignition-on-parameter threshold relating to an amount of time an ignition device of the vehicle is activated;

a revisit-parameter threshold relating to a number of times the vehicle is allowed to visit a service center;

a mileage-parameter threshold relating to a distance traveled by the vehicle;

a grouping-of-vehicles-parameter threshold relating to proximity of vehicles to each other; and

an out-of-gate/back-to-location-parameter threshold relating to a number of revisits the vehicle makes to a location within a time period.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

the acts further comprise presenting to the user a graphical-user interface allowing the user to identify the value for the operating-parameter threshold; and

receiving, from the user, the value for the operating-parameter threshold includes receiving the value for the operating-parameter threshold from the graphical-user interface.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein:

the vehicle is one of a group of vehicles; and

the acts further comprise receiving, from the user, by way of the machine-user interface, an indication that the value for the operating-parameter threshold is applicable to the group of vehicles.

19. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the acts further comprise:

comparing actual values for the operating parameter, for the vehicle, to the operating-parameter threshold;

determining that an operating-parameter exception exists if the operating parameter bears a predetermined relationship to the operating-parameter threshold; and

transmitting vehicle data to a remote device in response to determining that the operating-parameter exception exists.

20. An apparatus, for processing a parameter associated with a vehicle, comprising:

a processor; and

a tangible computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from a user by way of a machine-user interface, a value for an operating-parameter threshold to be compared with an operating parameter of the vehicle; and

storing the value for the operating-parameter threshold;

wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group of operating-parameter thresholds consisting of;

a shift-parameter threshold relating to a time of departure from a service center;

a stationary-time-parameter threshold relating to a maximum amount of time the vehicle is allowed to be stationary;

a windshield-parameter threshold relating to a minimum amount of driving time and a maximum amount of driving time;

an ignition-on-parameter threshold relating to an amount of time an ignition device of the vehicle is activated;

a revisit-parameter threshold relating to a number of times the vehicle is allowed to visit a service center;

a mileage-parameter threshold relating to a distance traveled by the vehicle;

a grouping-of-vehicles-parameter threshold relating to proximity of vehicles to each other; and

an out-of-gate/back-to-location-parameter threshold relating to a number of revisits the vehicle makes to a location within a time period.