System and method for tracking lost subjects

• US 8,988,284 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barry Brucker, Nadeepuram K. Ranganathan
• Original Assignee: Barry Brucker, Nadeepuram K. Ranganathan
• Inventors: Brucker, Barry, Ranganathan, Nadeepuram K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US13/326,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20130080049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.2, 342/357.21, 342/357.71, 342/450, 342/451, 701/213, 701/215, 701/468, 701/470, 701/519
• US Class Current: 342/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0202 Child monitoring systems using a transmitter-receiver system carried by the parent and the child
• 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 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring and tracking the position of a subject comprises, in an exemplary embodiment, a transponder configured for being co-located with the subject and a means for enabling communication between the transponder and a remote GPS-enabled receiver, such as a cell phone or the like, for selectively triangulating the position of the transponder. In the exemplary embodiment, the means for enabling such communication is software that is installed in and executed by the receiver. The software allows the receiver to triangulate the geographic position of the transponder by fixing a first reference point based on the location of the GPS-enabled receiver, fixing a second reference point based on the location of a network broadcast site through which the receiver and transponder communicate, and calculating the location of the transponder based on the angular position of the transponder relative to the network broadcast site.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and tracking the position of a subject, the method comprising:

installing software in a GPS-enabled receiver for communicating with a transponder, the transponder being co-located with the subject; and

triangulating the geographic position of the transponder by;

fixing a first reference point based on the location of the GPS-enabled receiver;

fixing a second reference point based on the location of a network broadcast site through which the receiver and transponder communicate; and

calculating the location of the transponder based on the angular position of the transponder relative to the network broadcast site;

whereby, the location of the transponder and thus the subject being monitored and tracked may be determined without having to configure the transponder with GPS capabilities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring the transponder as a stand-alone device that may be carried on or by the subject.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding the transponder within an article to be worn by the subject.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing a unique transponder code in the receiver; and

synchronizing the transponder with the receiver based on the unique transponder code.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the receiver is configured for storing multiple transponder codes so as to synchronize with and monitor and track multiple transponders with a single receiver.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of storing a unique transponder code in the receiver comprises the further step of manually inputting the transponder code into the receiver.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the steps of storing a unique transponder code in the receiver and synchronizing the transponder with the receiver comprise the further step of automatically acquiring the transponder code from the transponder in a pairing sequence between the receiver and the transponder.

8. The method of claim 4 comprising the further step of selectively activating the transponder remotely.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selectively activating the transponder remotely comprises the further step of inputting the transponder code into the receiver.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of selectively activating the transponder remotely comprises the further steps of:

inputting a prescribed perimeter boundary into the receiver as a maximum allowable distance of the transponder from the receiver; and

automatically activating the transponder when the transponder exceeds the prescribed perimeter boundary.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of automatically activating the transponder further comprises the steps of:

comparing the distance of the transponder from the receiver against the perimeter boundary; and

notifying a user of the receiver appropriately if the transponder exceeds the prescribed perimeter boundary.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of displaying on the receiver distance and direction of the transponder from the receiver in order to guide a user in the direction of the transponder.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of displaying on the receiver data corresponding to the transponder location graphically on a map.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of displaying on the receiver navigational coordinates or directions of the transponder relative to the receiver.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising the further step of logging each communication sequence between the receiver and the transponder to create a record of actual coordinates of the transponder at given points in time and thus a record of the movement of the transponder and hence the subject being tracked.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of selectively activating a network tracking sequence by sending the transponder code to other subscribing receivers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of selectively activating the network tracking sequence further comprises the step of opting into the network tracking sequence by the other subscribing receivers.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of opting into the network tracking sequence occurs once at the time of software installation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of opting into the network tracking sequence occurs each time the network tracking sequence is activated.

20. A method for monitoring and tracking the position of a subject, the method comprising configuring software for installation in a GPS-enabled receiver to communicate with a remote transponder co-located with the subject and triangulate the geographic position of the transponder by fixing a first reference point based on the location of the GPS-enabled receiver, fixing a second reference point based on the location of a network broadcast site through which the receiver and transponder communicate, and calculating the location of the transponder based on the angular position of the transponder relative to the network broadcast site, whereby the location of the transponder and thus the subject being monitored and tracked may be determined without having to configure the transponder with GPS capabilities.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the software is further configured to display on the receiver data corresponding to the transponder location graphically on a map.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the software is further configured to log multiple data sets corresponding to the location of the transponder over time, whereby a record of actual coordinates of the transponder at given points in time and thus a record of the movement of the transponder and hence the subject being tracked is created.

23. A system for monitoring and tracking the position of a subject, the system comprising:

a transponder configured for being co-located with the subject; and

a means for enabling communication between the transponder and a remote GPS-enabled receiver for selectively triangulating the position of the transponder by;

fixing a first reference point based on the location of the receiver;

fixing a second reference point based on the location of a network broadcast site through which the receiver and transponder communicate; and

calculating the location of the transponder based on the angular position of the transponder relative to the network broadcast site;

whereby, the location of the transponder and thus the subject being monitored and tracked may be determined without having to configure the transponder with GPS capabilities.