Personnel tracking system

• US 8,378,813 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kenneth R. Bannard
• Original Assignee: Kenneth R. Bannard
• Inventors: Bannard, Kenneth R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tai T
• Application Number:
  US12/636,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20110121964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/5.21, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 3405721-5727, 235/380, 235/383, 235/385, 235/451, 235/492
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms

Abstract

Disclosed is a tracking and Geofencing system. Zones are classified into three types: safe, hazardous and travel, with the travel zone being defined in the preferred embodiment as any territory not in a safe or hazardous zone. The system monitors an asset by determining whether the asset is within a safe zone, logging data as to when the asset arrives in or leaves the safe zone and at what time it did so, while in transit from the safe zone to a hazardous zone logging the route of travel which may vary from day to day and notifying the owner if the asset goes motionless while in route for a user defined period of time, logging data as to when the asset arrives and leaves a hazardous zone such as time and duration and alerting the owner if the asset has exceeded a predetermined time within a hazardous zone.

Claims

1. A method of configuring a tracking system with one or more tracking devices each associated with an asset, the method comprising:

defining at least a region of a first type;

defining at least a region of a second type;

defining at least a region of a third type;

configuring the tracking system to perform at least a first function relating to the second type of region, the first function being one of a class of functions consisting of;

A) initiating an alarm if a tracking device associated with an asset remains within the region of the second type for a time exceeding a first preset time duration; and

B) logging a total number of tracking devices each associated with an asset in the region of the second type; and

configuring the tracking system to perform at least a second function relating to the third type of region, the second function being one of a class of functions consisting of;

C) initiating an alarm if a tracking device associated with an asset remains stationary within the region of the third type for a time exceeding a second preset time duration; and

D) tracking a route of travel of a tracking device while it remains within the region of the third type.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of configuring the tracking system to record times at which any tracking device associated with an asset enters or exits the region of the first type.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of configuring the tracking system to record times at which any tracking device associated with an asset enters or exits the region of the second type.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the at least the region of the first type corresponds to an area or areas in which an asset is present when off duty, the at least the region of the second type corresponds to an area or areas in which an asset is present while on duty, and the at least the region of the third type corresponds to an area or areas through which an asset travels between the region of the first type and the region of the second type.

5. The method of claim 1 in which the at least a region of the first type corresponds to an area or areas in which the asset is present while off duty.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the at least a region of the second type corresponds to an area or areas in which the asset is present while on duty.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the at least a region of the third type corresponds to an area or areas between the at least a region of the first type and the at least a region of the second type.