Tracking and theft-recovery system for mobile assets

• US 10,015,654 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Inc., Discovery Limited
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Inc., Discovery Limited
• Inventors: Ossin, Ilan, Balakrishnan, Hari, Girod, Lewis David
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, James
• Application Number:
  US15/355,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20170142543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/32 of vehicle dynamic parameters, e.g. speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A system for tracking objects includes tracking devices each attached to an object to be tracked and including a short range communications module. A server includes a processor and a memory. A mobile communications device (typically a mobile telephone) includes memory for storing an identification of the mobile device, a long range communication module for communication over a cellular communication network and a short range communications module for receiving short range signals transmitted from tracking devices. The mobile telephone also includes a location determination module to determine the location of the mobile telephone. On receipt of a short range distress signal from a tracking device, a location is obtained from the location module and a signal transmitted to the server including at least the identification of the tracking device, a time of receipt of the short range signal from the tracking device and the determined location of the tracking device when the short range signal was received.

Claims

1. A system for tracking objects including:

a plurality of tracking devices each attached to an object to be tracked and including a short range communications module;

a server;

a mobile communications device including;

a memory for storing therein an identification of the mobile device;

a long range communication module for communication over a cellular communication network;

a short range communications module for receiving short range signals transmitted from tracking devices, the received signal including at least an identification of the tracking device;

a location determination module to determine the location of the mobile communication device; and

a processor for;

on receipt of a short range distress signal from a tracking device, obtaining a location from the location module; and

transmitting a signal to the server via the long range communication module, the signal including at least the identification of the tracking device, a time of receipt of the short range signal from the tracking device and the determined location of the tracking device when the short range signal was received;

a memory associated with the server, wherein the server further;

receives an authentication request from a mobile communications device, the authentication request including an identification of a tracking device and an identification of the mobile communications device from which the request is received;

accesses the memory to determine if the mobile communications device from which the authentication request is received is an authorised mobile communications device for the tracking device; and

if the mobile communications device is an authorised device then transmitting an authentication message back to the mobile communications device via the long range communication modules;

wherein upon receipt of an authentication message, the mobile communication device transmits a cancel message via the short range communication modules to the tracking device to thereby stop the tracking device from transmitting distress messages.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the mobile communications device is a mobile telephone.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the mobile communications device and the server both include a long range communications module which enable the mobile communications device and the server to communicate directly with one another.

4. A system for tracking objects using a mobile communications device, the mobile communications device including a memory, long and short range communications modules, a location determination module, and a processor, the system including:

a plurality of tracking devices each attached to an object to be tracked and including a short range communications module;

a server;

mobile device software configured for the mobile communications device, the mobile device software configured to be executed upon the processor to;

store in the memory an identification of the mobile device;

access the long range communication module for communication over a cellular communication network;

access the short range communications module for receiving short range signals transmitted from tracking devices, the received signal including at least an identification of the tracking device;

access the location determination module to determine the location of the mobile communication device;

on receipt of a short range distress signal from a tracking device, obtaining a location from the location module; and

transmit a signal to the server via the long range communication module, the signal including at least the identification of the tracking device, a time of receipt of the short range signal from the tracking device and the determined location of the tracking device when the short range signal was received;

server software executable by the server to;

receive an authentication request from a mobile communications device, the authentication request including an identification of a tracking device and an identification of the mobile communications device from which the request is received;

access the memory to determine if the mobile communications device from which the authentication request is received is an authorized mobile communications device for the tracking device; and

if the mobile communications device is an authorized device, then transmitting an authentication message back to the mobile communications device via the long range communication modules;

wherein upon receipt of an authentication message, the mobile device software causes the mobile device to transmit a cancel message via the short range communication modules to the tracking device to thereby stop the tracking device from transmitting distress messages.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the object to be tracked is a motor vehicle.