G.P.S. MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090276116A1
• Filed: 07/13/2009
• Published: 11/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamrick, Marvin R., Ingman, R.T. Mitchell
• Granted Patent: US 8,478,453 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A management system using Global Positioning System receivers for tracking remote units from a central office and quickly and conveniently determining if those remote units have varied from a set of predetermined parameters of operation. The system also includes provisions that allows information to be sent from the remote units to the central office and vice versa. The system also has safety features that promote the rapid dispatch of law enforcement personnel when requests for emergency assistance have been made from the remote units.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle control unit (ICU) comprising an alert signal receiver and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, wherein the ICU is configured to:

communicate with an alert call center (ACC) over a first transmission network and a second transmission network;

receive an alert signal, via the alert signal receiver, from a remote alert transmitter (RAT);

obtain, using the GPS receiver, location information comprising a location of the ICU; and

transmit emergency data to the ACC, the emergency data comprising the location information and an indication that the ICU has received the alert signal, wherein the ICU is further configured to;

transmit the emergency data to the ACC over the first transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the first transmission network; and

transmit the emergency data to the ACC over the second transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the second transmission network.

2. The ICU of claim 1, wherein the ICU is further configured to operate in a sleep mode.

3. The ICU of claim 2, wherein:

the ICU exits the sleep mode if the ICU receives the alert signal; and

the ICU transmits the emergency data after exiting the sleep mode.

4. The ICU of claim 3, wherein the RAT comprises a portable transmitter configured for carrying by a technician using a vehicle associated with the ICU.

5. The ICU of claim 1, wherein the ICU is further configured to transmit vehicle data with the emergency data.

6. The ICU of claim 5, wherein the vehicle data indicates whether a vehicle associated with the ICU is on or off.

7. The ICU of claim 6, wherein the vehicle data that indicates whether the vehicle is on or off comprises information based upon a signal received from an ignition sensor associated with the vehicle.

8. A method for sending an indication of an emergency from an in-vehicle control unit (ICU) to an alert call center (ACC), the method comprising:

receiving, at the ICU, an alert signal sent by a remote alert transmitter (RAT);

obtaining, using a Global Position System (GPS) receiver associated with the ICU, location information comprising a location of the ICU;

formatting emergency data, the emergency data comprising location information and data indicating that the ICU has received the alert signal;

determining, using a processor associated with the ICU, whether to transmit the location data and the emergency data to the ACC over a first transmission network or over a second transmission network; and

transmitting the emergency data to the ACC, wherein;

the ICU transmits the emergency data over the first transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the first transmission network; and

the ICU transmits the emergency data is transmitted over the second transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the second transmission network.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising exiting a sleep mode at the ICU in response to the ICU receiving the alert signal.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the alert signal sent by the RAT comprises receiving, at the ICU, the alert signal sent by the RAT, wherein the RAT comprises a portable transmitter configured for carrying by a technician using a vehicle associated with the ICU.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein formatting emergency data comprises formatting the emergency data, the emergency data comprising an indication that the ICU has received the alert signal, the location information, and vehicle data indicating an operational characteristic of a vehicle associated with the ICU.

12. A method for receiving an indication of an emergency from an in-vehicle control unit (ICU) at an alert call center (ACC), wherein the ICU comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and an alert signal receiver, the method comprising:

receiving, at the ACC, emergency data sent by the ICU, the emergency data comprising;

location information comprising a location of the ICU, the location being determined at the ICU using the GPS receiver; and

an indication that the ICU received an alert signal from a remote alert transmitter (RAT) associated with the ICU, wherein;

the ACC receives the emergency data over a first transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the first transmission network; and

the ACC receives the emergency data is transmitted over a second transmission network if the ICU determines that the emergency data should be transmitted over the second transmission network.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating, at the ACC, a communication to the vehicle to determine if the emergency data received at the ACC was purposefully transmitted.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the ACC assumes that the emergency was purposefully transmitted if the communication to the vehicle is not answered by a technician associated with the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the ACC querying a technician associated with the vehicle for a password.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ACC assumes that the emergency data was purposefully transmitted if the ACC does not receive the correct password.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the ACC contacting an emergency service to request that the emergency service send emergency assistance to the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the ACC contacting an emergency service to request that the emergency service send emergency assistance to the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the ACC providing the location information to the emergency service.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the ACC providing the location information to the emergency service.