G. P. S. management system

• US 7,460,954 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hamrick, Marvin R., Ingman, R. T. Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/073,837
• Publication Number:
  US 20050151655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/213, 701/208, 340/438, 340/991, 340/992, 340/995.25, 340/426.16, 340/426.19, 340/447, 342/357, 342/357.01, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/001 Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/002 Generating a prealarm to the central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/006 Alarm destination chosen according to type of event, e.g. in case of fire phone the fire service, in case of medical emergency phone the ambulance
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• 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
• 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 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/00 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/903 Radio telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/904 Telephone telemetry

Abstract

A management system using Global Positioning System receivers for tracking remote units from a central office and quickly and conveniently determining if those remote units have varied from a set of predetermined parameters of operation. The system also includes provisions that allows information to be sent from the remote units to the central office and vice versa. The system also has safety features that promote the rapid dispatch of law enforcement personnel when requests for emergency assistance have been made from the remote units.

Claims

1. A method for exception reporting in a vehicle management system, comprising:

defining a first category of data and a second category of data relating to plural parameters of the vehicle;

receiving the first category of data from the vehicle in near real time;

receiving the second category of data from the vehicle in at least one batch transfer occurring less frequently than near real time;

determining whether the data corresponding to at least one of the parameters is outside a range of acceptable values; and

if the data corresponding to at least one parameter is outside a range of acceptable values, noting an exception.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise stationary time of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters comprise a length of time the vehicle is in motion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report listing exceptions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is generated by a location management system of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the location management system comprises a Global Positioning System.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a predetermined co-location distance between the vehicle and a determined location of at least one other vehicle, and wherein the exception is noted if the vehicle is within the co-location distance for more than a predetermined minimum duration.