Method and system to control movable entities

• US 8,368,531 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WirelessWERX IP LLC (Pueblo Nuevo LLC)
• Original Assignee: Wirelesswerx International, Inc.
• Inventors: Staton, Houston, Ashley, James Sr., Ashley, James Jr., Mooney, Frank, Mooney, Patrick, Lang, Edward, Maggs, Charles, Santos, German
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US13/205,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20120003992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.26, 340/573.4, 340/825.49, 340/5.92, 340/10.1, 340/10.6, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 455/432.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 701/200, 701/206, 701/208
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/101 Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• 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: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• 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 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method to wirelessly control an entity having an attached transponder is disclosed. A geographical zone is defined. The geographical zone can be defined by allowing a user to define and load to a transponder a plurality of waypoints, each waypoint defined by a geographical coordinate and a radius originating from the geographical coordinate. The geographical zone can also be defined by selecting a plurality of coordinates that are loaded to a transponder and mapped on a pixilated image. The microprocessor in the transponder is programmed to determine the occurrence of an event associated with the status of the entity in relation to the geographical zone. Finally, the microprocessor is configured to execute a configurable operation if the event occurs.

Claims

1. A method of providing a location-based service by wirelessly communicating with a user having a portable electronic wireless device comprising

programming a computing device at a control center to define a geographical zone by creating an area on a pixilated image wherein said area is representative of the geographical zone,

loading a portable electronic wireless device with data that can be associated with a plurality of pre-defined zones of the area, and

sending a command from the control center to the portable electronic wireless device to execute a configurable operation upon receiving the command, the command being associated with the location of the portable electronic device in relation to the geographical zone, and the command including instructions to the portable electronic device to cause said device to present an offer or a service to the user of the portable electronic wireless device when the portable device is located in the area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service to the user is based upon movement of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein service to the user is based upon position of the entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein service to the user is based upon non-movement of the entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said geographical zone represented in the pixilated image is formed by assigning a coordinate to respective pixels and configuring a distance between each assigned pixel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said area is created by connecting a plurality of assigned pixels by lines, wherein a series of contiguous and connected lines enclose an area in the pixilated image and wherein said pixels that lie on the lines are turned on in order to form a contiguous array of pixels that enclose a shape in the pixilated image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is wirelessly configurable using a wireless communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating at least one event message between the portable electronic device and a central computer using a communications network, the at least one event message including data representative of the occurrence of the event.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications network is a cellular communications network, satellite communications network, short range radio or a short message service network.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the command comprises a request to switch communication from a first communications network to a second communications network.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications network is a cellular communications network, satellite communications network, short range radio, wireless network or a short message service network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape of the area is a non-geometrical shape.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said area is rectangular and is divided into a plurality of rectangles.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said area is circular and is divided into a plurality of sections.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the command comprises a request to switch communication from a first communications network to a second communications network.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a the service is offered to the user when within the geographical zone, the service being an availability of an event.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographical zone has a user-defined shape other than circular or spherical, and selectively a closed polygonal shape.

18. A method of claim 1 wherein the electronic portable device, is provided with a GPS receiver and includes the ability to communicate wirelessly, and by short radio range, selectively by Bluetooth protocol to effect location information.

19. A method according claim 1 wherein the electronic portable device is a cell phone, PDA or navigation system in an automobile.

20. A method according claim 1 including having the electronic portable device enabled to define a geographical zone is based on a 3-D location, and selectively for different locations in 3-D there are different geographical zones.

21. The method of claim 1, further permitting the defining of more than one area.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein an offer or service is presented when a portable electronic device crosses a boundary of an area.

23. A method of claim 1, wherein the electronic portable device is provided with a GPS receiver and includes the ability to communicate selectively by at least one of wireless, WiFi and short radio range, selectively by Bluetooth protocol to effect location information.

24. A method according claim 1 including having the control center is enabled to define an area based on a 3-D location.

25. A method according claim 24 and wherein for different locations in 3-D there are different areas.

26. A method of providing a location-based service by wirelessly communicating with a user having a portable electronic wireless device comprising

programming a computing device at a control center to define a geographical zone by creating an area on a pixilated image wherein said area is representative of the geographical zone,

loading a portable electronic wireless device with data that can be associated with the area, and

sending a command from the control center to the portable electronic wireless device to execute a configurable operation upon receiving the command, the command being associated with the location of the portable electronic device in relation to the geographical zone, and the command including instructions to the portable electronic device to cause said device to present an offer or a service to the user of the portable electronic wireless device when the portable device is located in the area.

27. A method of providing a location-based service by wirelessly communicating with a user having a portable electronic wireless device comprising

programming a computing device at a control center to define a geographical zone by creating an area as a pixilated image,

communicating with a portable electronic wireless device to transmit data to the portable electronic wireless device, such data being associated with the geographical zone, and

sending a command from the control center to the portable electronic wireless device to execute a configurable operation, the command being associated with the location of the portable electronic device in relation to the geographical zone, and the command including instructions to the portable electronic device to cause said device to present an offer or a service to the user of the portable electronic wireless device when the portable device is located in the geographical zone.

28. A method of providing a location-based service by wirelessly communicating with a user having a portable electronic wireless device comprising

receiving wirelessly from a control center on a portable electronic wireless device data defining a geographical zone on a portable device,

communicating data wirelessly to the portable electronic wireless device, such data being associated with the geographical zone, and

receiving a command on the portable electronic wireless device to execute a configurable operation, the command being associated with the location of the portable electronic device in relation to the geographical zone, and the command including instructions to the portable electronic device to cause said device to present an offer or a service on the portable electronic wireless device when the portable device is located in the geographical zone.