Method and apparatus for controlling a geo-tracking device

• US 20060105782A1
• Filed: 11/12/2004
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cameron Brock
• Original Assignee: Cameron Brock
• Inventors: Brock, Cameron
• Application Number:
  US10/988,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20060105782A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.200
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0018 Transmission from mobile station to base station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/023 Power management, e.g. system sleep and wake up provisions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A method and an embodiment for controlling a geo-tracking device by receiving a request for a geo-location, conveying a wakeup signal to a geo-tracking device according to the request, receiving from the geo-tracking device one or more position messages, generating a position report according to the one or more position messages and conveying the position report to user.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a geo-tracking device comprising:

receiving a request for a geo-location;

conveying a wake-up signal to a geo-tracking device according to the request for a geo-location;

receiving from the geo-tracking device one or more position messages;

generating a position report according the position message; and

conveying the position report to a user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request for geo-location comprises receiving a subject identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising correlating the subject identifier to a plurality of geo-tracking devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request for geo-location comprises:

receiving a voice request from a user that includes a subject identifier; and

entering the subject identifier into a geo-location system.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request for geo-location comprises:

receiving a request for a web-page; and

providing in response to the request for a web page, a web page that includes a subject identifier data entry field; and

retrieving a subject identifier from the provided web page.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein conveying a wake-up message comprises at least one of conveying a constant tracking signal to a geo-tracking device, a conveying a periodic-reporting signal to a geo-tracking device and conveying a temporary tracking signal to a geo-tracking device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a device status indication from the geo-tracking device; and

sending a notification to the user according to the device status indication.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising recording the device status indication.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a position report comprises:

establishing a data connection with the geo-location device using a wireless data network; and

receiving a position indicator from the geo-location device using the data connection.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a position report comprises:

correlating a position message with a user specified safe zone; and

excluding a position message when the position message is within the user specified safe zone;

including a position message when the position message is not within the user specified safe zone.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a position report comprises generating a web page description that includes a position indicator according to a position message.

12. An apparatus for controlling a geo-tracking device comprising:

request receiver capable of generating a wake-up request when a request for a geo-location is received;

wake-up signal generator capable of wirelessly conveying a wake-up signal to a geo-tracking device according to the wake-up request;

position message receiver capable of receiving a position message from the geo-tracking device; and

report generator capable of generating a position report according to a position message received by the position message receiver wherein the report generator further comprises a user interface capable of conveying the position report to a user.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the request receiver comprises a subject register.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising correlation table capable of cross-referencing a subject identifier to a plurality of device identifiers and generating a plurality of wake-up requests.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the request receiver comprises:

voice channel interface capable of interfacing with a voice circuit;

script unit capable of answering a voice connection established by the voice channel interface and conveying an audible script to the voice connection; and

at least one of a touch-tone decoder and a voice recognition unit capable of extracting a subject identifier from a voice connection.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the request receiver comprises:

processor capable of executing an instruction sequence;

network interface capable of enabling communication by the processor to a data network;

wake-up request interface capable of dispatching a wake-up request to a wake-up signal generator;

memory capable of storing an instruction sequence; and

one or more instruction sequences stored in the memory including;

server module that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to direct a web page to the network interface in response to a request received by way of the network interface; and

subject identification module that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to extract a subject identifier from a web page data entry field and convey the extracted subject identifier to the wake-up request interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the wake-up signal generator is capable of generating at least one of a constant tracking signal, a periodic-reporting signal and a temporary tracking signal according to a wake-up type indicator.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the position message receiver is further capable of receiving a device status indicator from a geo-tracking device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 further comprising a computer readable medium capable of recording a device status indicator.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the position message receiver comprises:

processor capable of executing an instruction sequence;

network interface capable of enabling communication by the processor to a data network;

memory capable of storing an instruction sequence; and

one or more instruction sequences stored in the memory including;

protocol stack that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to establish a connection with a geo-location device using the network interface; and

interrogation module that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to receive a position indicator from a geo-location using a connection established by the processor when it executes the protocol stack.

21. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the report generator comprises:

processor capable of executing an instruction sequence;

network interface capable of enabling communication by the processor to a data network;

memory capable of storing an instruction sequence; and

one or more instruction sequences stored in the memory including;

protocol stack that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to establish a connection with a client using the network interface; and

safe zone module that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to receive a safe zone specification from a user by way of a connection established with a client device by the processor when it executes the protocol stack and further minimally causes the processor to exclude a position report stored in the memory when the position report lies within the user specified safe zone.

22. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the report generator comprises:

processor capable of executing an instruction sequence;

network interface capable of enabling communication by the processor to a data network;

memory capable of storing an instruction sequence; and

one or more instruction sequences stored in the memory including;

protocol stack that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to establish a connection with a client using the network interface; and

server module that, when executed by the processor, minimally causes the processor to generate a web page that includes a position indicator according to a position message stored in the memory and further minimally causes the processor to direct the web page to a connection established by the processor when it executes the protocol stack.