G.P.S. management system

• US 8,725,344 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• 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: Hamrick, Marvin R., Ingman, R. T. Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US13/596,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20120323434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/29.1, 701/29.3, 701/32.3, 701/32.5, 701/33.4, 340/146.2, 340/459, 434/65
• US Class Current: 701/29.1
• 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, by a 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, by the processor, the value for the operating-parameter threshold on a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group consisting of;

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;

a speed-parameter threshold relating to a maximum speed that the vehicle is allowed to move; and

a positioning-signal-parameter threshold relating to whether a wireless positioning signal is lost.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

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

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle data comprises an item selected from a group of items consisting of:

location information indicating a location of the vehicle; and

an alert indicating an emergency condition associated with the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is a time-based.

5. The method of claim 4, 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; and

an early-return-parameter threshold relating to relating to a time of return to a service center.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is related to a number of allowable visits for the vehicle to a location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group of operating-parameter thresholds consisting of:

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

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

9. 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.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication indicates at least one feature selected from a group of features consisting of:

a particular service center with which the group of vehicles is associated; and

a particular work shift with which the group of vehicles is associated.

11. The method of claim 10, 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 comprises a drop-down menu citing the feature; and

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

12. 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 comprises a drop-down menu citing the vehicle; and

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

13. A computer-readable storage device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, for processing a parameter associated with a vehicle, 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 on a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group consisting of;

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;

a speed-parameter threshold relating to a maximum speed that the vehicle is allowed to move; and

a positioning-signal-parameter threshold relating to whether a wireless positioning signal is lost.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the operating-parameter threshold has a quality selected from a group consisting of:

being time-based; and

being related to a number of allowable visits for the vehicle to a location.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein:

the vehicle is one of a group of vehicles; and

the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform the operations further comprising 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.

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

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device being in operative communication with the processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations 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 on a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the operating-parameter threshold is selected from a group consisting of;

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;

a speed-parameter threshold relating to a maximum speed that the vehicle is allowed to move; and

a positioning-signal-parameter threshold relating to whether a wireless positioning signal is lost.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the operating-parameter threshold has a quality selected from a group consisting of:

being time-based; and

being related to a number of allowable visits for the vehicle to a location.