Methods, systems and computer program products for automated location and monitoring of mobile devices

• US 20060055536A1
• Filed: 04/18/2005
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleTracking Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RadarFind Corporation (TeleTracking Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jackson, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,372,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0275 Electronic Article Surveillance [EAS] tag technology used for parent or child unit, e.g. same transmission technology, magnetic tag, RF tag, RFID
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/028 Communication between parent and child units via remote transmission means, e.g. satellite network
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article

Abstract

Systems are provided for providing location information associated with a mobile device. The systems include a location circuit and an identification circuit. The location circuit is integrated with an existing power outlet and is configured to transmit a request for presence information associated with the mobile device. The identification circuit is associated with the mobile device, configured to receive the request for presence information and transmit the presence information to the location circuit responsive to the request. Related methods and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for providing location information associated with a mobile device comprising:

a location circuit integrated with an existing power outlet and configured to transmit a request for presence information associated with the mobile device; and

an identification circuit, associated with the mobile device, configured to receive the request for presence information and transmit the presence information to the location circuit responsive to the request.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the location circuit is further configured to receive the transmitted presence information over a radio frequency (RF) link responsive to the transmitted request and wherein the location circuit further comprises a memory configured to store the received requested presence information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the memory comprises a first in first out (FIFO) buffer and wherein the FIFO buffer is further configured to affix a time stamp to the stored presence information.

4. The system of claim 2, further comprising a server configured to transmit a request for the stored presence information to the location circuit over an existing power line.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the location circuit is further configured to receive the transmitted request from the server and transmit the stored presence information to the server responsive the received transmitted request for the stored presence information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the location circuit is further configured to transmit a name of the location circuit, a temperature around the location circuit and a current time.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the power line comprises first, second and third phases, wherein the system further comprises first, second and third power line modems electrically coupled to the first, second and third phases of the power line, respectively, and associated with the server and wherein the first, second and third modems are configured to transmit the request for the stored presence information to the location circuits on each of the respective phases of the power line.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location circuit is associated with a visible light source that is configured to provide an alert signal if the identification circuit is removed from within a certain proximity of the location circuit.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a software module configured receive signal strength information associated with a plurality of identification circuits and determine a relevant identification circuit from among the plurality of identification circuits based on strengths of signals received from the relevant identification circuit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the location circuit is further configured to repeatedly transmit the request for presence information associated with the mobile device so as to allow receipt at the identification circuit when the identification circuit is awake.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification circuit is further configured to wake up from a sleep mode so as to allow the identification circuit to receive the request.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification circuit is further configured to listen for the request for presence information and return to the sleep mode if the request is not received within a predetermined period of time.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification circuit is further configured to return to the sleep mode after a predetermined period of time.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the identification circuit is further configured to return to the sleep mode after expiration of a timer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification circuit is further configured with multiple frequency channel banks so as to allow selection of a single operating frequency from among the frequency channel banks.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification circuit comprises a switch configured to indicate a state of the mobile device so as to allow the state of the mobile device to be determined from a distance.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification circuit is provided on a thin printed circuit board (PCB) that is configured to break if removed from the mobile device and wherein the identification circuit is configured to transmit an alert signal responsive to breaking of the PCB.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the identification circuit comprises an identification tag that uses radio frequencies to communicate.

19. A method for providing location information associated with a mobile device comprising:

transmitting a request for presence information associated with the mobile device from a location circuit integrated with an existing power outlet;

receiving the transmitted request for presence information at an identification circuit associated with the mobile device; and

transmitting the presence information to the location circuit from the identification circuit responsive to the transmitted request.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving the transmitted presence information at the location circuit over a radio frequency (RF) link responsive to the transmitted request; and

storing the received requested presence infuriation at the location circuit.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein storing comprises storing the requested presence information in a first in first out (FIFO) buffer, the method further comprising affixing a time stamp to the stored presence information in the FIFO buffer.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising transmitting a request for the stored presence information from a server to the location circuit over an existing power line.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving the transmitted request from the server at the location circuit; and

transmitting the stored presence information to the server responsive the received transmitted request for the stored presence information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein transmitting the stored presence information further comprises transmitting a name of the location circuit, a temperature around the location circuit and a current time.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving signal strength information associated with a plurality of identification circuits; and

determining a relevant identification circuit from among the plurality of identification circuits based on strengths of signals received from the relevant identification circuit.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein transmitting further comprises repeatedly transmitting the request for presence information associated with the mobile device so as to allow receipt at the identification circuit when the identification circuit is awake.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving is preceded by waking the identification circuit up from a sleep mode so as to allow the identification circuit to receive the request.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

listening at the identification circuit for the request for presence information; and

returning the identification circuit to the sleep mode if the request is not received within a predetermined period of time.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising returning the identification circuit to the sleep mode after a predetermined period of time.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising returning the identification circuit to the sleep mode after expiration of a timer.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving is preceded by selecting a single operating frequency for the identification circuit from among a plurality of available frequencies.

32. A computer program product providing location information associated with a mobile device, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable medium comprising;

computer readable program code configured to transmit a request for presence information associated with the mobile device from a location circuit integrated with an existing power outlet;

computer readable program code configured to receive the transmitted request for presence information at an identification circuit associated with the mobile device; and

computer readable program code configured to transmit the presence information to the location circuit from the identification circuit responsive to the transmitted request.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive the transmitted presence information at the location circuit over a radio frequency (RF) link responsive to the transmitted request; and

computer readable program code configured to store the received requested presence information at the location circuit.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the computer readable program code configured to store comprises computer readable program code configured to store the requested presence information in a first in first out (FIFO) buffer, the computer program product further comprising computer readable program code configured to affix a time stamp to the stored presence information in the FIFO buffer.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising computer readable program code configured to transmit a request for the stored presence information from a server to the location circuit over an existing power line.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive the transmitted request from the server at the location circuit; and

computer readable program code configured to transmit the stored presence information to the server responsive the received transmitted request for the stored presence information.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the computer readable program code configured to transmit the stored presence information further comprises computer readable program code configured to transmit a name of the location circuit, a temperature around the location circuit and a current time.

38. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive signal strength information associated with a plurality of identification circuits; and

computer readable program code configured to determine a relevant identification circuit from among the plurality of identification circuits based on strengths of signals received from the relevant identification circuit.

39. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the computer readable program code configured to transmit further comprises repeatedly transmitting the request for presence information associated with the mobile device so as to allow receipt at the identification circuit when the identification circuit is awake.

40. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising computer readable program code configured to wake the identification circuit up from a sleep mode so as to allow the identification circuit to receive the request.

41. The computer program product of claim 40, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to listen at the identification circuit for the request for presence information; and

computer readable program code configured to return the identification circuit to the sleep mode if the request is not received within a predetermined period of time.

42. The computer program product of claim 40, further comprising computer readable program code configured to return the identification circuit to the sleep mode after a predetermined period of time.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, further comprising computer readable program code configured to return the identification circuit to the sleep mode after expiration of a timer.

44. The computer program product of claim 32, further comprising computer readable program code configured to select a single operating frequency for the identification circuit from among a plurality of available frequencies.

45. A method for providing location information associated with a mobile device, comprising:

transmitting, from a server, a request for presence information associated with the mobile device to at least one location circuit associated with the mobile device, the request being transmitted on each of three phases of a power line simultaneously; and

receiving the requested presence information at the server responsive to the transmitted request, the requested presence information being received from location circuits on each of the three phases of the power line.

46. A system for providing location information associated with a mobile device, comprising:

first, second and third power line modems configured to;

transmit a request for presence information associated with the mobile device to at least one location circuit associated with the mobile device, the request being transmitted from the first, second and third power line modems on each of first, second and third phases of a power line, respectively, simultaneously; and

receive the requested presence information at the first, second and third power line modems responsive to the transmitted request, the requested presence information being received from location circuits on each of the first, second and third phases of the power line.

47. A computer program product for providing location information associated with a mobile device, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable medium comprising;

computer readable program code configured to transmit, from a server, a request for presence information associated with the mobile device to at least one location circuit associated with the mobile device, the request being transmitted on each of three phases of a power line simultaneously; and

computer readable program code configured to receive the requested presence information at the server responsive to the transmitted request, the requested presence information being received from location circuits on each of the three phases of the power line.