Accountability and theft protection via the global positioning system

• US 5,751,246 A
• Filed: 05/20/1996
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Industries (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hertel, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, DAO LINDA
• Application Number:
  US08/650,739
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 342/457, 342/419, 364/449, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/002 for traffic control, mobile tracking, guidance, surveillance or anti-collision
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• 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

Abstract

A system is provided which includes a GPS receiver which determines its location as defined by three spatial coordinates and an associated time reference. The system includes a control logic unit which determines whether the location of GPS receiver is outside the permitted boundaries configured into an internal database in the system. The control logic unit is configured to transmit information related to the location of the GPS receiver to a remotely located interrogator apparatus which communicates back to the control logic unit, instructions regarding determination and reporting of the location of the GPS receiver. An interrogator, if included with a database, can be used as a shopping assistant to aid a shopper in locating desired items by polling a number of the GPS receiver, each associated with a different item, and informing the shopper of the floor, store, aisle or shelf where the item is located.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and reporting the location of an object, comprising:

GPS receiver means for receiving radio signals from a Global Positioning System which are indicative of a current spatial position of said GPS receiver means;

database means for storing data indicative of said current spatial position of the GPS receiver means, said database means being responsive to said GPS receiver means;

control logic means coupled to said database means for processing the data in said database means; and

communication means for communicating information related to the data in said database means, to a remote location and receiving a response back from said remote location for said control logic means regarding the data in said database means, said communication means automatically communicating the data to the remote location without receiving a polling message therefrom;

wherein said GPS receiver means, said database means, said control logic means and said communication means are carried as a unit by the object and wherein said current spatial position comprises the object'"'"'s spatial position.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object is a plurality of different objects in different locations in a retail outlet and further comprising a plurality of said units and interrogation means located at the remote location, each of the objects carrying a respective one of said units, wherein a shopper uses said interrogation means at the remote location as a shopping assistant for querying said control logic means of each of said units to communicate back to said interrogation means where the objects are located in the retail outlet.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object is a plurality of different objects which are stored as inventory and further comprising a plurality of said units, each of the objects carrying a respective one of said units, said control logic means of each of said units communicating, in response to queries from the remote location, at least one of a plurality of messages which include where the objects are located and if any one of the objects have been moved contrary to location boundaries for the objects stored in the database means.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising interrogation means having a remote transceiver for radio communications with said communication means, wherein said queries from said remote location regarding said objects are from said interrogation means.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object is a moving object and said communications means, responds to queries from the remote location by transmitting information relating to tracking and interception of the moving object.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising interrogation means at the remote location, said interrogation means including a radio communications transceiver for communicating with said communications means, wherein said interrogation means is operative for tracking the moving object and communicating with authorities for intercepting the moving object.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said control logic means is further configured for a learning mode wherein said GPS receiver means determines a plurality of said current spatial positions for storage in said database means while the object is moving about a permitted portion of space.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said control logic means, detecting that the object has moved outside the permitted portion of space, directs said communication means to communicate the movement outside the permitted portion of space to the remote location, the remote location responding back to said communications means directing said control logic means to track the movements determined by said GPS receiver means and communicating the tracked locations to appropriate personnel for interception of the object.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the object is a plurality of research animals in a confinement and further comprising a plurality of said units, each of the animals carrying a respective one of said units, wherein the research animals are monitored by their respective unit to prevent spread of communicable illnesses in the event the research animals escape from the confinement.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the object is a plurality of persons and further comprising a plurality of said units, each of the persons carrying a respective one of said units, the persons being restricted from entering into predetermined areas which are configured into said database means of each person'"'"'s respective unit, said control logic means of each person'"'"'s respective unit determining when the person has entered one of said predetermined areas and communicating to predetermined remote locations notice of the entry, the control logic means then receiving at least one of a plurality of responses from the predetermined locations, the responses including monitoring the location of the person, communicating to authorities for interception the person and transmitting all prior locations of the person stored in said database means.

11. A system for monitoring and reporting the location an object, comprising:

GPS receiver means for receiving radio signals from a Global Positioning System which are indicative of a current spatial position of said GPS receiver means;

database means for storing data indicative of said current spatial position of said GPS receiver means, said database means being responsive to said GPS receiver means;

communication means for transmitting the stored data in said database means to a remote location, said communication means being responsive to said database means, said communication means automatically transmitting the data to the remote location without receiving a polling message therefrom;

control logic means for selectively controlling said communication means to transmit predetermined data from said database means to the remote location, wherein said GPS receiver means, said database means, said communication means and said control logic means are carried as a unit by the object and wherein said current spatial position comprises the object'"'"'s spatial position; and

interrogation means at the remote location, for accountability of said unit, said interrogation means including a processor for selectively communicating with said communication means, said processor coupled to input and display means, for interfacing said interrogation means with operators seeking accountability from said unit.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the object is a plurality of different objects in a retail outlet and further comprising a plurality of said units and a retail database coupled to said processor of said interrogation means, said interrogation means being input with a list of the objects by a shopper and said retail database storing data correlating spatial positions in the retail outlet with a location description containing the objects, said processor retrieving the current spatial positions from said database means of each unit for displaying where in the retail outlet the objects are located.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the object is a plurality of different objects stored as inventory and further comprising a plurality of said units, each of the objects carrying a respective one of said units, said control logic means of each of said units responding to queries from said interrogation means by communicating at least one of a plurality of messages, said messages including where said different objects are located and if any one of said different objects have been moved outside of predetermined boundaries stored in said database means for the objects.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said interrogation means includes transceiver means coupled to said processor for radio communications with said communications means of each of said units.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the object is moving object and said communications means transmits to said interrogation means, in response to queries from said interrogation means, information related to tracking and interception of the moving object.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the object is luggage lost in transport by an airline and said communications means transmits to said interrogation means, in response to queries from said interrogation means, information relating to the luggage'"'"'s location and said interrogation means further communicating with airline personnel available to receive the luggage.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein said control logic means is further configured for a learning mode wherein said GPS receiver means determines a plurality of said current spatial positions for storage in said database means while the object is moving about a permitted portion of space.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said control logic means, detecting that the object has moved outside of the permitted portion of space, directs said communication means to communicate the movement to said interrogation means, said interrogation means responding back to said communication means, instructing said control logic means for tracking purposes and communicating with appropriate authorities to intercept the object.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the object is a person restricted from entering predetermined areas which are configured into said database means, said control logic means determining when the person has entered one of said predetermined areas and communicating to said interrogation means a notice of the entry, said control logic means receiving at least one of a plurality of responses from said interrogation means, said responses including monitoring the location of the person, communicating to predetermined authorities for interception of the person and transmitting all prior locations of the person which have been stored in said database means.

20. The system according to claim 11, further comprising at least one sensor coupled to said control logic means, said at least one sensor being selected form a group of sensors consisting of temperature sensors, acceleration sensors, humidity sensors, noise sensors and pressure sensors, wherein data from said sensors is stored in said database means, said control logic means directing said communications means to include data from said control logic means coupled to said at least one sensor with said current spatial position communicated to said interrogation means, under a plurality of conditions, said conditions including when said control logic means is prompted by said interrogation means to transmit the data from said sensor and when said control logic means is configured to communicate the data from said at least one sensor periodically.