Wireless location determining device

• US 7,155,238 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Daak Wireless Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daniel A. Katz
• Inventors: Katz, Daniel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US10/710,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 4554561-4566, 455/457, 455/43.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/432.1, 455/435.2, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/357.1, 455/357.06, 455/357.09, 455/583.13, 455/826.36, 455/10.1, 455/10.52, 455/426.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0289 of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and a method to locate moving objects, such as people, pets and vehicles, over a wide area, by attaching small wireless devices, such as Bluetooth transceivers, to said objects and determining the location of said devices. The location of said wireless devices is determined by achieving ad-hoc short range wireless connectivity between said devices and communication devices such as Bluetooth enabled mobile phones that pass by, where said latter communication devices can be located by other means, such as GPS or network-based techniques.

Claims

1. A communication system for determining geographical location of roaming objects in a vicinity of a plurality of communication devices, comprising:

a) a communication network, consisting of at least said plurality of communication devices, said plurality of communication devices configured to communicate with other communication devices over said communication network, and establishing a short range wireless communication with other wireless devices in the vicinity of said plurality of communication devices, said communication network is configured for obtaining the geographical location of said plurality of communication devices and transmitting data representing said geographical location to a destination, over said communication network;

b) a wireless tag, attached to each of said roaming objects, being a wireless device, in which a unique data is stored, said tag is configured for communicating with said plurality of communication devices via said short range and transmitting said unique data to said destination through said plurality of communication devices and over said communication network,

wherein said tag comprises;

a) a short-range wireless transceiver for communicating with said plurality of communication devices being in the vicinity of said tag;

b) a memory for storing the unique data; and

c) a control circuitry for controlling the communication between said tag and said communication device; and

c) a control center being linked to said destination, for receiving said unique data from said tag and for using said unique data and the location of the plurality of communication devices, through which said unique data is transmitted, for determining and displaying the geographical location of said tag, wherein the control center communicates with the plurality of communication devices for the presence of tags in their vicinity, according to at least one of the following parameters;

a tag'"'"'s identification;

time at which said unique data is transmitted;

a geographical region;

identification of said plurality of communication devices and a trigger signal generated at the tag or input to the tag.

2. A system according to claim 1, in which each said plurality of communication devices comprises:

a) a short-range wireless transceiver for communicating with one or more wireless tags being in the vicinity of said plurality of communication devices;

b) a memory for storing multiple unique data transmissions from the same tag, and/or said unique data transmissions from different tags;

c) circuitry for transmitting said data to the destination, over the communication network; and

d) a control circuitry for controlling the communication between said plurality of communication devices and said tags and the transmission of said unique data over said communication network.

3. A system according to claim 1, in which each said plurality of communication devices further comprises:

a) location determining circuitry for determining the geographical location of said communication devices; and

b) circuitry for transmitting data representing said location to the destination.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data representing the location of the plurality of communication devices or the data provided by the tag are affiliated into the control signals that are transmitted from said plurality of communication devices over the communication network.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein the data representing the location of the plurality of communication device is determined by utilizing satellite signals received from a navigation system such as Global Positioning System (GPS) or Galileo or GLONASS.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network is a cellular or mobile or wireless network.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication devices are selected from the group:

mobile telephones;

cellular telephones;

wireless telephones;

portable computers;

PDAs;

WAN-LAN gateways or APs (Access Points);

WAN-PAN gateways or APs;

LAN-PAN gateways or APs.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication between the tag and the plurality of communication devices complies with a communication standards selected from the group:

Bluetooth;

WiFi;

WiMax;

HomeRF.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data representing the location of the plurality of communication devices is determined either by the communication network or by the plurality of communication devices or by a combination thereof.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication between said tags and said plurality of communication devices is established using unlicensed frequency band.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the time at which the unique data is transmitted to said plurality of communication devices, is recorded by the plurality of communication devices.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein whenever the plurality of communication device receives a new data signal and its corresponding memory is full, the oldest data stored in said memory is overwritten by said new data.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the utilization of said plurality of communication devices for locating said tags does not require the subscriber permission or wherein a subscriber that owns or operates said plurality of communication device permits utilizing said plurality of communication devices for locating said tags.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data representation of the location of said tag is converted from geographic coordinates to a corresponding physical address.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the initiation to determine location of said tag comes from said tag and/or said plurality of communication devices and/or said control center, and/or an input to said tag and/or an input to said plurality of communication devices and/or an input to said control center.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein the communication between said tag and said plurality of communication devices is enabled during a specific period of time and/or when said plurality of communication devices and/or said tag are part of a predetermined sub group.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location accuracy of the tag is refined by obtaining a distance and/or a direction information related to the relative position between the tag and the plurality of communication devices.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein the roaming object is selected from the following group:

persons;

animals;

vehicles;

goods;

mailed/delivered items;

weapons;

ammunition.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein the location accuracy of the tag is refined by extrapolation, when the transmission of the unique data from the tag to the plurality of communication devices and the determination of the location of the plurality of communication devices are performed at different times.

20. A system according to claim 1, wherein the control center is a communication device.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein said tag and/or said plurality of communication devices relay/retransmit data that arrives from other tags and/or said plurality of communication devices.