Wireless tag and monitoring center system for tracking the activities of individuals

• US 6,774,797 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Securus Technologies Incorporated (Securus Special Investments LLC)
• Original Assignee: G4S EM International Ltd. (Nanotech Security Corp.)
• Inventors: Freathy, Stephen, Lane, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): PREVIL, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US10/144,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/573.3, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/539.16, 340/539.31, 340/539.19, 340/693.5, 340/568.1, 340/572.1, 340/825.49, 455/404.2
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A tracking tag worn by an individual which cooperates with a monitoring center to monitor the location of individuals. The tracking tag has a number of location determination features, including GPS and cellular geolocation methods. The tag includes a processor, flash memory, a wireless modem, a GPS receiver and tamper detection components. The tags of the system provide location information to the monitoring center on a regular periodic basis. The monitoring center maintains historical data of tag location correlated with tag positional information from both the GPS and cellular systems to enhance the verification of real-time positional information as it is received in real time from the tags. The system allows for a complex set of permissible and impermissible activities for the tag wearer and provides for detection and notification of violations.

Claims

1. A one-piece lightweight personal tracking tag, comprising:

a main housing having a contoured surface;

a processor housed within said main housing;

flash memory connected to said processor and housed within said main housing;

a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver housed within said main housing to obtain geographic location information;

a wireless modem housed within said main housing for two way communication with a wireless network to exchange data with a centralized data system connected to said wireless network,

wherein the processor determines a geographic position of the tag to verify the tag location through collection of location data from both said geographic location information from said GPS receiver and a geolocation implemented through the wireless network,

weighs the location data from each of these sources to determine a probability of actual location, and

transmits said weighted determination of the location data, as well as original geographical positional information gathered by the tag, to said centralized data system using said wireless modem.

2. The tag of claim 1, wherein:

said global positioning satellite receiver is connected to said processor and provides said obtained geographic location information to said processor;

said processor monitors said geographic positional information provided by said global positioning satellite receiver to monitor said tag location, compares said monitored tag location to a database of acceptable and unacceptable location and time parameters stored in said flash memory and provides geographic location updates to said centralized database system.

3. The tag of claim 2, wherein:

said tag reports into said centralized database on a periodic basis.

4. The tag of claim 3, wherein:

said reporting can be on a predetermined schedule and/or can be based upon detection of a violation or other reportable condition detected by the tag itself.

5. The tag of claim 2, wherein:

said processor receives downloads and updates from said centralized database system.

6. The tag of claim 1, further comprising:

a rechargeable battery housed within said main housing;

a recharging connector attached to said rechargeable battery; and

a waterproof seal maintaining the interior of said main housing waterproof.

7. The tag of claim 1, further comprising:

cellular wireless geolocation based means for determination of the geographic location of said tag.

8. The tag of claim 1, further comprising:

strap connectors attached to said main housing;

a strap having a first end removably connected to one of said strap connectors and a second end connected to another of said strap connectors for mounting said main housing on an individual;

a communication fiber embedded within said strap for maintaining communication between a signal emitter connected at one end of said fiber and a signal receiver at the opposite end of said fiber;

tamper detection circuit for determining if the connection between said signal emitter and said signal receiver has been interrupted indicating a disconnection of said strap.

9. The tag of claim 1, wherein said centralized database combines said transmitted weighted data and said geographical position information into a geographical database comprising positional data points spread over a geographical area,

receives transmitted weighted data and geographic positional information from a plurality of personal tracking tags in a monitored area.

10. The tag of claim 9, wherein said centralized database makes a refined determination of the location of said tag based upon the historical location of each tag and a correlation between the GPS indicated location data and wireless network location data of each tag.

11. The tag of claim 10, wherein said centralized database provides said refined determination information and geographical database parameters to each of said tags for enhanced location determination by said tags.

12. A system for monitoring the location of individuals, comprising:

a centralized database system for maintaining a database of specified parameters for a plurality of offenders;

a plurality of mobile tags each assigned to one of said plurality of offenders, each tag having;

a main housing having a contoured surface;

a processor housed within said main housing;

flash memory connected to said processor and housed within said main housing;

a global positioning satellite receiver housed within said main housing to obtain geographic location information and connected to said processor to provide said obtained geographic location information to said processor;

a wireless modem housed within said main housing for two way communication with a wireless network to exchange data with said centralized database connected to said wireless network,

wherein said processor monitors said geographic positional information provided by said global positioning satellite receiver to monitor said tag location, compares said monitored tag location to a database of acceptable and unacceptable location and time parameters stored in said flash memory and provides geographic location updates to said centralized database system and receives downloads and updates from said centralized database,

wherein the processor determines a geographical position of the tag utilizing fuzzy logic to verify tag location through collection of location data from both the GPS signal and geolocation implemented through the cellular system, and weighs the location data from each of these sources to determine a probability of actual location, wherein said weighted determination of the location data, as well as original geographical positional information gathered by the tag, is transmitted to said centralized database by said wireless modem,

wherein said centralized database;

receives geographical positional information from each of said tags;

combines said geographical information into a geographical database comprising a large number of data points spread over a geographical area, and

makes a refined determination of the location of each tag based upon the historical location of each tag and the overall correlation between GPS indicated location and cellular system location information based upon said geographical database.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each of said tags reports into said centralized database on a periodic basis;

information reported by said tags is recorded and analyzed by said centralized database to determine if offender violations have occurred;

said centralized database executes an appropriate response to the analysis of the reported data.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

each tag is assigned a unique identifier;

the centralized database contains inclusion and/or exclusion zones for each tag corresponding to confinement parameters; and

said centralized database periodically sends a position request to one or more of said plurality of tags.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein:

said tag provides a violation condition signal to said centralized database whenever said monitoring of said geographic positional information indicates a violation of the restriction parameters associated with the tag'"'"'s associated offender.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein:

said centralized database provides said refined determination information and large-scale database parameters to each of said tags for enhanced location determination by said tags.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein:

said central database can command one or more of said tags to enter a sleep mode wherein said tag is inactive, until receipt of a reactivation command, a predetermined period of time or until the detection of another predefined reactivation event.