Wireless device and methods for use in a paging network

• US 8,588,806 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: THL Holding Company, LLC
• Inventors: Howard, John W., Cutler, Richard, Kennard, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrpour, Melody
• Application Number:
  US12/713,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20110210849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/41.2, 455/575.6, 455/404.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/3.06, 455/30.01, 455/3.03, 455/426.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.4, 455/550.1, 455/422.1, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/66.1, 455/466, 340/539.32, 340/925.69, 710/315, 725/114, 348/734
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0244 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal delay or phase shift
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0618 based on the physical or logical position
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A wireless device includes a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to an indication from a user to pair the wireless device to at least one remote device and generates a first location request signal in response to a second indication from a user to locate the at least one remote device. A short-range wireless transceiver communicates RF signals to pair the wireless device to the at least one remote device and that transmits a first RF paging signal to the at least one remote device in response to the location request signal.

Claims

1. A wireless device for locating at least one remote object including a handheld wireless communication device, the wireless device comprising:

a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to a first indication from a user to pair the wireless device to at least one remote device and generates a first location request signal in response to a second indication from a user to locate the at least one remote device;

a short-range wireless transceiver, coupled to the user interface, that communicates RF signals to pair the wireless device to the at least one remote device and that transmits a first RF paging signal to the at least one remote device in response to the location request signal.

2. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the at least one remote device includes an adjunct device that is coupleable to the handheld wireless communication device via a communication port of the handheld wireless communication device, and wherein the adjunct device emits a detectable alert signal in response to the first RF paging signal to assist the user in locating the handheld wireless communication device.

3. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein the at least one remote device includes a plurality of remote devices.

4. The wireless device of claim 3 wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise a first paging network wherein each of the plurality of remote devices emits corresponding detectable alert signals in response to the first RF paging signal to assist the user in locating at least one of the plurality of remote devices.

5. The wireless device of claim 3 wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise a plurality of paging networks including:

a first paging network wherein a first subset of the plurality of remote devices emits corresponding first detectable alert signals in response to the first RF paging signal to assist the user in locating at least one of the plurality of remote devices in the first subset of the plurality of remote devices; and

a second paging network wherein a second subset of the plurality of remote devices emits corresponding second detectable alert signals in response to a second RF paging signal generated by the short-range wireless transceiver to assist the user in locating at least one of the plurality of remote devices in the second subset of the plurality of remote devices.

6. The wireless device of claim 3 wherein the user interface generates paging data in response to actions of the user and wherein the first RF paging signal includes the paging data.

7. The wireless device of claim 1 wherein at least one remote device includes the handheld wireless communication device;

wherein the handheld wireless communication device includes a main battery and an adjunct battery that powers an adjunct portion of the handheld wireless communication device; and

wherein the adjunct portion receives the first RF paging signal and emits a detectable alert signal in response to the first RF paging signal to assist the user in locating the handheld wireless communication device.

8. The wireless device of claim 7 wherein the adjunct portion operates from the adjunct battery to receive the first RF paging signal when the main battery is in a discharged state.

9. A method of locating a mobile paging device, the method comprising:

pairing a plurality of paging devices to form a paging network, the plurality of paging devices including a plurality of fixed paging devices and the mobile paging device;

transmitting a paging signal to the plurality of paging devices via a short-range wireless transmitter;

receiving location information via a short-range wireless receiver pertaining to the mobile paging device from at least one of the plurality of fixed paging devices; and

determining a location of the mobile paging device based on the location information.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the location information includes directional information between the at least one of the plurality of fixed devices to the at least one mobile device and wherein determining the location of the at least one mobile device includes a triangulation of the directional information.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a location signal, at the at least one of the plurality of fixed paging devices;

scanning a programmable antenna in the at least one of the plurality of fixed paging devices to determine signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of null directions;

determining a lowest of the signal strengths; and

determining the directional information based on the one of the plurality of null directions corresponding to the lowest of the signal strengths.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the location information includes round trip signal delay information and wherein determining the location of the at least one mobile device includes:

determining a distance to the at least one mobile device based on the round trip signal delay information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the distance to the at least one mobile device is further based on an indication of signal strength from signals received from the at least one mobile device.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the paging signal is transmitted via a handheld wireless communication device.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein the paging signal is transmitted via an adjunct device coupled to a handheld wireless communication device.

16. A fixed paging device for locating a mobile paging device, the fixed paging device comprising:

a user interface that generates a pairing signal in response to an indication from a user to pair the fixed paging device to the mobile paging device;

a short-range wireless transceiver module, coupled to the user interface, that;

communicates RF signals to pair the fixed paging device to the mobile paging device;

receives a first RF paging signal from a remote device;

receives a location signal from the mobile paging device in response to the first RF paging signal;

generates location information in response to the location signal; and

transmits the location signal to the remote device.

17. The fixed paging device of claim 16 wherein the short-range wireless transceiver includes a programmable antenna, and wherein the short-range wireless transceiver generates location information by:

scanning the programmable antenna to determine signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of null directions;

determining a lowest of the signal strengths; and

determining the directional information based on the one of the plurality of null directions corresponding to the lowest of the signal strengths.

18. The fixed paging device of claim 16 wherein the location information includes round trip signal delay information.

19. The fixed paging device of claim 16 wherein the paging signal is transmitted via a handheld wireless communication device.

20. The fixed paging device of claim 16 wherein the paging signal is transmitted via an adjunct device coupled to a handheld wireless communication device.

21. A method of locating a mobile device, the method comprising:

pairing a plurality of devices to form a network, the plurality of devices including the mobile device and at least one adjunct device coupled to a handheld wireless communication device;

receiving location information via a short-range wireless receiver pertaining to the mobile device from at least one of the plurality of devices; and

determining a location of the mobile device based on the location information.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the location information includes directional information between the at least one of the plurality of devices to the mobile device and wherein determining the location of the mobile device includes a triangulation of the directional information.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the location information includes round trip signal delay information and wherein determining the location of the mobile device includes:

determining a distance to the mobile device based on the round trip signal delay information.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein determining the distance to the mobile device is further based on an indication of signal strength from signals received from the mobile device.