Personal tracking device

• US 20050068169A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DANIEL S. AND TRACEY M. GREENE, B.I. Incorporated (Geo Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Daniel S. Greene, Tracy M. Greene
• Inventors: Bellehumeur, Mark, Miller, Jay D., Copley, Shuan Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,015,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/046 prevention of tampering with detection circuits

Abstract

A system for monitoring the location of individuals, such as parolees, includes a wearable device worn by the individual and a portable device operatively coupled to the wearable device. The portable device is operatively coupled to a monitoring system through a wireless telephone network. The portable device transmits periodically encrypted location information as well as status information across the wireless network to the monitoring system. The monitoring system tracks the location of the individual and alerts the appropriate authorities when the individual violates a rule, such as a condition for parole. The portable device increases the time between transmissions when the individual is within a specified home location and reduces the time between transmissions when outside the specified location.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first set of coordinates and a second set of coordinates with a tracking device that includes a wearable device worn by a person, wherein the tracking device is operable to determine if someone has tampered with the wearable device;

determining a rectangular-shaped monitored region for the person with the tracking device based at least on the first set of coordinates and the second set of coordinates, wherein the first set of coordinates correspond to a first corner of the rectangular-shaped monitored region and the second set of coordinates correspond to a second corner of the rectangular-shaped monitored region that is cattycorner to the first corner; and

monitoring for violations of the rectangular-shaped monitored region by the person with the tracking device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein said monitoring includes ascertaining that the person has violated the rectangular-shaped monitored region; and

sending a message from the tracking device to a monitoring system in response to said ascertaining that the person has violated the rectangular-shaped monitored region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining that someone has tampered with the wearable device; and

sending a message from the tracking device to a monitoring system in response to said ascertaining that someone has tampered with the wearable device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the rectangular-shaped monitored region includes an exterior region in which the person is prohibited from entering; and

said monitoring includes ascertaining if the person is located inside the exterior region.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the rectangular-shaped monitored region includes an interior region outside of which the person is prohibited from leaving; and

said monitoring includes ascertaining if the person is located outside the interior region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said receiving further includes receiving one or more offset coordinates for a warm region; and

said determining includes ascertaining a warm region at least based the offset coordinates for the warm region.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving includes receiving a message containing at least four bytes that correspond to a longitude value and at least four bytes that correspond to a latitude value for the first set of coordinates.

8. A tracking device, comprising:

a processor operable to receive two or more sets of location values, said processor being operable to determine boundaries of a region having a polygonal shape based on said two or more sets of location values;

memory operatively coupled to said processor, said memory being operable to store said boundaries of said region;

means for determining location of a monitored individual operatively coupled to said processor; and

wherein said processor is operable to alert a monitoring system when the monitored individual is in violation of said boundaries of said region.

9. The tracking device of claim 8, wherein said polygonal shape includes a rectangle.

10. The tracking device of claim 9, wherein said two or more sets of location values includes a first set of coordinates corresponding to a first corner of the rectangle and a second set of coordinates corresponding to a second corner of the rectangle that is cattycorner to the first corner.

11. The tracking device of claim 9, wherein said rectangle includes a square.

12. The tracking device of claim 8, wherein said two or more sets of location values includes a first set of coordinates corresponding to a first corner of the polygonal shape and a second set of coordinates corresponding to a second corner of the polygonal shape.

13. The tracking device of claim 8, further comprising:

a wearable device worn by the monitored individual, said wearable device being operable notify said processor when someone tampers with said wearable device; and

wherein said processor is operable to alert the monitoring system when someone tampers with said wearable device.

14. The tracking device of claim 8, wherein said means for determining the location of the monitored individual includes at least one global positioning system chip.

15-18. -18. (Cancelled)

19. A method, comprising:

transmitting a status message intermittently from a tracking device to a monitoring system, wherein the tracking device includes a wearable device worn by a person, wherein the tracking device is operable to determine location of the person; and

removing redundant status information from the status message when status of the tracking device remains the same.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

wherein the status message includes the location of the person;

determining that the person has remained in a same general location with the tracking device; and

said removing the redundant status information includes sending the status message with an indicator that the person has remained in the same general location and without the location of the person.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the same general location includes an interior region.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining operational status of the wearable device; and

wherein the redundant status information includes the operational status of the wearable device.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

wherein the tracking device includes a battery;

determining remaining power of the battery; and

wherein the redundant status information includes the remaining power of the battery.

24-31. -31. (Cancelled)

32. A method, comprising:

monitoring a monitored individual with a tracking device, wherein the tracking device includes a wearable device worn by the monitored individual, wherein the tracking device is operable to determine location of the monitored individual;

sending status messages concerning the monitored individual to a monitoring system on an intermittent basis with the tracking device;

pausing said sending the status messages while the tracking device processes a communication between the monitored individual and at least one other person; and

resuming said sending the status messages after the communication between the monitored individual and the other person ceases.

33-35. -35. (Cancelled)

36. A method, comprising:

determining location of a monitored individual with a tracking device;

sensing that the monitored individual is generally motionless with the tracking device; and

ceasing processing of the location of the monitored individual upon said sensing.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said ceasing processing includes stopping said determining the location of the monitored individual with the tracking device.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein said ceasing processing includes terminating transmission of the location of the monitored individual to a monitoring system.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein said ceasing processing includes skipping evaluation of selected rules in the tracking device.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein said ceasing processing includes transmitting the location of the monitored individual with a reading alert flag over a network from the tracking device to a monitoring system.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

detecting motion of the monitored individual with the tracking device after said ceasing processing; and

reinitiating processing of the location of the monitored individual upon said detecting.