School child tracking system

• US 9,224,296 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Li Jiang, Tian Wu
• Original Assignee: Li Jiang, Tian Wu
• Inventors: Wu, Tian, Jiang, Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Bhavin M
• Application Number:
  US13/313,625
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 340/898
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

A system for tracking school buses and schoolchildren to enhance the security and safety of schoolchildren and provide real-time information about the location of students and buses to teachers and administrators and parents by utilizing GPS components and fingerprint scanning technology. In some embodiments, the system is comprised of the following parts: a client software component, hosted on a data storage unit and executed by a client microprocessor.

Claims

1. A system for tracking school buses [99] and schoolchildren to enhance the security and safety of schoolchildren and provide real-time information about the location of students and school buses [99] to teachers and administrators [117] and parents [120], the system comprising:

a. at least one instance of a client software component [116], hosted on a data storage unit and executed by one or more client microprocessors, whereby the client software component comprises a set of code instructions that enables one or more teachers and administrators [117] or one or more parents [120] to track the location of at least one school bus [99] and a schoolchild by communicating with and receiving data from, over a network [113], a Main Station [111] microprocessor located at a Main Station [111];

b. at least one instance of a school bus software component, hosted on a school bus microprocessor [103] and further located on the school bus [99], whereby the school bus software component comprises a set of code instructions that enables the school bus microprocessor [103] to communicate with and transmit data to, using a radio network component [101], the Main Station [111];

wherein the radio network component [101] comprises a radio transmitter module [102] located on the school bus, and a set of repeaters [109, 110], wherein the radio transmitter module is a 915 megahertz radio transmitter module which uses the 915 megahertz frequency, wherein a repeater collects data from the 915 megahertz transmitter module and repeats it to provide greater range of coverage;

c. a Main Station [111] software component, hosted on the Main Station [111] microprocessor, whereby the Main Station [111] software component comprises a set of code instructions that enables the Main Station [111] microprocessor to communicate with and transmit and receive data from, via the radio network component [101], the school bus microprocessor [103], and also whereby the set of code instructions enables the Main Station [111] microprocessor to communicate with and transmit data to one or more of the client microprocessors, over the network [113];

d. that at least one client microprocessor, located on a computer-readable medium, whereby the client microprocessor is configured to receive data, over the network [113], transmitted by the Main Station [111] microprocessor, and whereby the client microprocessor is utilized by the teacher or administrators and the parents [120];

e. at least one Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) component [100], operatively connected to the school bus [99] and the school bus microprocessor [103], and located on the school bus [99], whereby the GPS component [100] is configured to transmit real-time geospatial information about the school bus [99] to the Main Station [111] microprocessor;

f. the radio network component [101], comprising the Main Station [111] and the school bus [99], whereby the radio network component [101] further comprises a radio transmitter module [102] located on the school bus, and a set of repeaters [109,110], whereby the radio network component [101] enables the existence of a radio network which permits the Main Station [111] to transmit to and receive information from the school bus [99];

g. a fingerprint scanning component [104], operatively connected to the school bus microprocessor [103] and located on the school bus [99], whereby the fingerprint scanning component [104] identifies and tracks the boarding of the schoolchildren corresponding to the unique fingerprints of each of the schoolchildren;

h. that at least one school bus microprocessor [103], located on the school bus [99], whereby the school bus microprocessor [103] is configured to execute the school bus software component, receive data from the GPS component [100] and the fingerprint scanning component [104], and transmit said data, via the radio network component [101], to the Main Station [111] microprocessor;

i. the Main Station [111], whereby the Main Station [111] further comprises the Main Station [111] microprocessor, executing the Main Station [111] software component and whereby the Main Station receives data about the school bus [99] via the radio network component [101] and can re-transmit said data to the client microprocessors over the network [113];

whereby the system, in real-time, generates and tracks information about the location of the school bus [99] and school children for monitoring of said information by teachers and administrators [117] and parents [120] thereby enhancing the security and safety of school children, the system further comprising the following steps;

(i) activating a first school bus microprocessor [103] located on a first school bus [99];

(ii) scanning the fingerprint of a first student entering the first school bus [99] using the fingerprint scanning component [104];

(iii) repeating step (ii) x times, where x=the number of children that board the first school bus [99];

(iv) activating the GPS component [100] on the first school bus [99] to allow the system to track the location of the first school bus [99];

(v) transmitting information about the number of and identity of school children on the first school bus [99] and the location of the first school bus [99] from the school bus microprocessor [103] to the Main Station [111] microprocessor, via the radio network component [101] which permits the main station [111] to transmit to and receive information from the school bus [99];

(vi) re-transmitting said information, over the network [113], about the number of and identity of school children on the first school bus [99] and the location of the first school bus [99] from the Main Station microprocessor [111] to one or more of the client microprocessors, and

(vii) repeating steps (i) through (v) y amount of times, where y=the total number of school buses within the system.

2. The system of claim 1, whereby the system further comprises a motion sensor component located on one or more school buses [99] where by the motion sensor component is configured to direct the school bus microprocessor [103] to send a command, over the radio network [101], to the Main Station [111] microprocessor indicating that the school bus [99] is or is not in motion.

3. The system of claim 1, whereby the client software component comprises a mobile application hosted on a cell phone or other mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, whereby the fingerprint scanning component [104] and the GPS component [100] are further configured such that upon a school child exiting the school bus [99], the school child interacts with the fingerprint scanning component [104] a second time, thereby generating information for the school bus microprocessor [103] for further transmittal to the parent or teacher [117] about when a school child exits and where.

5. The motion sensor of claim 2, whereby the system sends an alert to a Main Station [111] when the motion sensor determines that the school bus [99] is not moving.

6. A system for tracking school buses [99] and schoolchildren to enhance the security and safety of schoolchildren and provide real-time information about the location of students and school buses [99] to teachers and administrators [117] and parents [120], the system consisting of:

a. at least one instance of a client software component [116], hosted on a data storage unit and executed by one or more client microprocessors, whereby the client software component consisting of a set of code instructions that enables one or more teachers and administrators [117] or one or more parents [120] to track the location of at least one school bus [99] and a schoolchild by communicating with and receiving data from, over a network [113], a Main Station [111] microprocessor located at a Main Station [111];

b. at least one instance of a school bus software component, hosted on a school bus microprocessor [103] and further located on the school bus [99], whereby the school bus software component consisting of a set of code instructions that enables the school bus microprocessor [103] to communicate with and transmit data to, using a radio network component [101], the Main Station [111];

wherein the radio network component [101] consisting of a radio transmitter module [102] located on the school bus, and a set of repeaters [109, 110], wherein the radio transmitter module is a 915 megahertz radio transmitter module which uses the 915 megahertz frequency, wherein a repeater collects data from the 915 megahertz transmitter module and repeats it to provide greater range of coverage;

c. a Main Station [111] software component, hosted on the Main Station [111] microprocessor, whereby the Main Station [111] software component consisting of a set of code instructions that enables the Main Station [111] microprocessor to communicate with and transmit and receive data from, via the radio network component [101], the school bus microprocessor [103], and also whereby the set of code instructions enables the Main Station [111] microprocessor to communicate with and transmit data to one or more of the client microprocessors, over the network [113];

d. that at least one client microprocessor, located on a computer-readable medium, whereby the client microprocessor is configured to receive data, over the network [113], transmitted by the Main Station [111] microprocessor, and whereby the client microprocessor is utilized by the teacher or administrators [117] and the parents [120];

e. at least one Global Positioning System (“

GPS”

) component [100], operatively connected to the school bus [99] and the school bus microprocessor [103], and located on the school bus [99], whereby the GPS component [100] is configured to transmit real-time geospatial information about the school bus [99] to the Main Station [111] microprocessor;

f. the radio network component [101], consisting of the Main Station [111] and the school bus [99], whereby the radio network component [101] further consisting of a radio transmitter module [102] located on the school bus, and a set of repeaters [109,110], whereby the radio network component [101] enables the existence of a radio network which permits the Main Station [111] to transmit to and receive information from the school bus [99];

g. a fingerprint scanning component [104], operatively connected to the school bus microprocessor [103] and located on the school bus [99], whereby the fingerprint scanning component [104] identifies and tracks the boarding of the schoolchildren corresponding to the unique fingerprints of each of the schoolchildren;

h. that at least one school bus microprocessor [103], located on the school bus [99], whereby the school bus microprocessor [103] is configured to execute the school bus software component, receive data from the GPS component [100] and the fingerprint scanning component [104], and transmit said data, via the radio network component [101], to the Main Station [111] microprocessor;

i. the Main Station [111], whereby the Main Station [111] further consisting of the Main Station [111] microprocessor, executing the Main Station [111] software component and whereby the Main Station receives data about the school bus [99] via the radio network component [101] and can re-transmit said data to the client microprocessors over the network [113];

whereby the system, in real-time, generates and tracks information about the location of the school bus [99] and school children for monitoring of said information by teachers and administrators [117] and parents [120] thereby enhancing the security and safety of school children, the system further consisting of the following steps;

(i) activating a first school bus microprocessor [103] located on a first school bus [99];

(ii) scanning the fingerprint of a first student entering the first school bus [99] using the fingerprint scanning component [104];

(iii) repeating step (ii) x times, where x=the number of children that board the first school bus [99];

(iv) activating the GPS component [100] on the first school bus [99] to allow the system to track the location of the first school bus [99];

(v) transmitting information about the number of and identity of school children on the first school bus [99] and the location of the first school bus [99] from the school bus microprocessor [103] to the Main Station [111] microprocessor, via the radio network component [101] which permits the main station [111] to transmit to and receive information from the school bus [99];

(vi) re-transmitting said information, over the network [113], about the number of and identity of school children on the first school bus [99] and the location of the first school bus [99] from the Main Station microprocessor [111] to one or more of the client microprocessors, and

(vii) repeating steps (i) through (v) y amount of times, where y=the total number of school buses within the system.