Apparatus and method for triggerable location reporting

• US 6,484,035 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2001
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LunarEye, Inc. (Lunar Eye)
• Original Assignee: LunarEye, Inc. (Lunar Eye)
• Inventors: Allen, Alvin C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US10/008,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042280A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456, 455/404, 455/12.1, 455/13.1, 455/13.2, 455/422, 455/427, 455/458, 455/517, 455/521, 342/42, 342/50, 342/57, 342/357.06, 342/357.1, 342/357.07, 342/357.01, 342/450, 342/457, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/825.36, 340/825.49, 340/988
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• 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: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile

Abstract

A triggerable location-reporting apparatus is disclosed. A trigger signal from a page receiver triggers a GPS receiver to determine the location of the apparatus using GPS signals. The resulting GPS signal is transmitted by a telemetry transmitter, such as a cellular network telemetry transmitter.

Claims

1. A triggerable location-reporting apparatus for use in an environment including:

a source of Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) signals;

a source of a trigger signal;

a cellular base station connected through a network to a gateway;

the cellular base station being configured to expect a Reverse Control Channel signal including a Mobile Identification Number and an Electronic Serial Number, the triggerable location-reporting apparatus comprising;

a GPS receiver responsive to the GPS signals for producing GPS data when enabled;

a data selector for selecting less than all of the GPS data, to produce selected GPS data;

a cellular network transmitter coupled to the data selector for formatting and transmitting, when enabled, a Reverse Control Channel signal including the selected GPS data in the place normally occupied by the Electronic Serial Number and a Mobile Identification Number that will cause the cellular base station to send a Registration Notification Invoke signal including the selected GPS data to the gateway;

a trigger signal receiver responsive to the trigger signal for producing an enable signal;

an enable controller coupled to the GPS receiver, the cellular network transmitter, and the trigger signal receiver;

the enable controller being configured to enable the GPS receiver and the cellular network transmitter upon receipt of the enable signal from the trigger signal receiver; and

the enable controller being configured to disable the GPS receiver and the cellular network transmitter;

wherein the data selector reorders the selected GPS data.

2. A method for reporting a location for an object in an environment including:

a source of Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) signals;

a source of a trigger;

a cellular base station connected through a network to a gateway;

the cellular base station being configured to expect a Reverse Control Channel signal including a Mobile Identification Number and an Electronic Serial Number, the method comprising;

receiving a trigger;

enabling, in response to the trigger, a GPS receiver responsive to the GPS signals to produce GPS data;

selecting less than all of the GPS data to produce selected GPS data;

enabling, in response to the trigger, a cellular network transmitter to format and transmit a Reverse Control Channel signal including the selected GPS data in the place normally occupied by the Electronic Serial Number and a Mobile Identification Number that will cause the cellular base station to send a Registration Notification Invoke signal including the selected GPS data to the gateway; and

disabling the GPS receiver and the cellular network transmitter;

wherein the selecting further includes reordering the selected GPS data.

3. A triggerable location-reporting apparatus comprising:

a location-signal generating device configured to produce a location signal including location data when enabled;

a data selecting device for selecting less than all of the location data to include in the location signal;

a telemetry transmitter coupled to the data selecting device configured to transmit the location signal when enabled; and

an enable controller configured to enable the location-signal generating device and the telemetry transmitter when it receives a trigger signal and to disable the location-signal generating device and the telemetry transmitter after the telemetry transmitter transmits the location signal;

wherein the data selecting device reorders the selected location data.