DECISION SUPPORT

• US 20120149353A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blueforce Development Corporation
• Original Assignee: Blueforce Development Corporation
• Inventors: HELFRICH, MICHAEL
• Granted Patent: US 8,467,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• 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 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Decision support information is exchanged over a secure wireless network among mobile computing devices, and also optionally a central command computer. Each of the mobile computing devices has one or more sensors connected and interfaced to it. Output data from the sensor(s) can be sent over the network to one or more other devices on the network. A command for a sensor also can be sent over the network to cause the sensor to take some action such as turning on or turning off. The mobile computing devices on the network automatically share plug-in software components needed by any of the devices to view transmitted sensor output data and/or act on sensor commands.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a central command computer; and

a plurality of mobile computing devices, each of the mobile computing devices includes a processor and computer-readable memory containing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the mobile computing device to;

form a secure wireless network with the central command computer and at least one other mobile computing device;

receive sensor output data from a plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device and then send at least some of that received sensor output data over the secure wireless network to at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network;

receive sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network;

receive at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device; and

automatically receive over the secure wireless network, from the central command computer or from one or more of the other mobile computing devices, any plug-in component needed by the mobile computing device to receive the sensor output data from any of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device, to receive the sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network, and to receive the at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to the at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device.

2. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the central command computer is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a server computer.

3. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of mobile computing devices are cellular phones.

4. The communication system of claim 3 wherein at least some of the cellular phones are smartphones.

5. The communication system of claim 3 wherein any one of the cellular phones can be used by a person carrying that cellular phone to communicate verbally over the secure wireless network with another person carrying another one of the cellular phones.

6. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of mobile computing devices are tablet computers.

7. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device provides sensor output data representative of a location of the mobile computing device.

8. The communication system of claim 7 wherein the location is a geospatial location and provided in the form of a latitude and a longitude.

9. The communication system of claim 7 wherein the location includes an altitude.

10. The communication system of claim 7 further comprising a wireless access point device and wherein the location is with respect to the wireless access point device.

11. The communication system of claim 10 wherein the location is provided as a distance from the wireless access point device.

12. The communication system of claim 7 further comprising a device that produces a wireless beacon and wherein the location is with respect to the device.

13. The communication system of claim 12 wherein the location is provided as a distance from the device.

14. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device provides sensor output data representative of a trajectory of the mobile computing device.

15. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device provides sensor output data representative of a physiological aspect of a person carrying the mobile computing device.

16. The communication system of claim 15 wherein the physiological aspect is the person'"'"'s heart rate.

17. The communication system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device provides sensor output data representative of a condition of the environment in which the mobile computing device is located.

18. The communication system of claim 17 wherein the environmental condition is the quality of the air in the vicinity of the mobile computing device.

19. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the command provided to the at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device causes the at least one sensor to perform a particular function.

20. The communication system of claim 19 wherein the particular function performed by the at least one sensor is turning on, turning off, taking a reading, or moving.

21. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the instructions contained within the computer-readable memory cause the mobile computing device to act as a decentralized engine that bi-directionally communicates over the secure wireless network with at least one other decentralized engine of another mobile computing device on the secure wireless network.

22. A communication system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile computing devices, each of the mobile computing devices includes a processor and computer-readable memory containing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the mobile computing device to;

form a secure wireless network with at least one other mobile computing device;

receive sensor output data from a plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device and then send at least some of that received sensor output data over the secure wireless network to at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network;

receive sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network;

receive at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device; and

automatically receive over the secure wireless network, from one or more of the other mobile computing devices, any plug-in software component needed by the mobile computing device to receive the sensor output data from any of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device, to receive the sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network, and to receive the at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to the at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the mobile computing device.

23. A method of operation of a mobile computing device that is one of a plurality of mobile computing devices communicating with each other over a secure wireless network, each of the mobile computing devices including a processor and computer-readable memory containing instructions which are executed by the processor to cause the mobile computing device to operate, the method comprising:

receiving sensor output data at one of the mobile computing devices from a plurality of sensors connected and interfaced to the one mobile computing device;

sending at least some of the received sensor output data over the secure wireless network from the one mobile computing device to at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network;

receiving at least one command over the secure wireless network at the one mobile computing device;

providing the received command to at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the one mobile computing device; and

automatically receiving over the secure wireless network, at the one mobile computing device and from one or more of the other mobile computing devices, any plug-in software component needed by the one mobile computing device to receive the sensor output data from any of the sensors connected and interfaced to the one mobile computing device and to receive the at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to the at least one of the sensors connected and interfaced to the one mobile computing device.