Remote monitoring device and process

• US 8,611,954 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2012
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pineapple34, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prehensible Applications Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gross, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US13/669,228
• Publication Number:
  US 20130065641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/67.12, 455/414.1, 455/422.1, 340/5.1, 340/573.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.15, 340/539.16, 340/539.17, 340/539.22, 340/539.26
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/10 of transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/20 of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A remote monitoring device is integrated as part of a cell phone or personal digital assistant. By sharing computing resources of a communications transceiver, the cost of a monitoring device can be significantly reduced, while still permitting sufficient functionality to effectively observe an area of interest, such as a child'"'"'s sleeping area. An alert is generated and transmitted to an observer using a separate transceiver when activity at the monitored area (i.e., sound or video activity) meets a specified threshold.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring activity associated with a first cellphone, the method comprising:

receiving reporting data at an Internet server computing system from the first cellphone on an intermittent basis;

processing said reporting data at said Internet server computing system to determine whether said reporting data indicates a predetermined threshold has been exceeded;

sending status information for said reporting data and advertising information from the Internet server computing system to a second user, wherein said status information includes information identifying whether said predetermined threshold was detected for said reporting data, and wherein said status information and advertising information are to be displayed within a selected portion of a graphical interface of a second cellphone associated with said second user; and

sending to said second user updates of said reporting data over a non-voice communications channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further including journaling said reporting data at said Internet server computing system.

3. The method of claim 1, further including journaling said reporting data at said first cellphone.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said reporting data is processed at said Internet server computing system to identify movement by subscribers within a geographic area.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said reporting data is sent only when said reporting data indicates an event exceeding said predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cellphone can be set by user of such phone to enter a monitor mode automatically after a user defined period of time, and to shut off automatically after a second period of time has elapsed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said reporting data is associated with movements by a person within an area monitored by said first cellphone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sensory data from a monitored area in the vicinity of said first cellphone is sent to said second cellphone, including one of a sound, an image or a video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sensory data associated with the first user is sent to said second cellphone with an alert.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said first cell phone can be configured to enable said reporting data to be detected and presented while said first cellphone is executing other voice communications related functions.

11. The method of claim 1 further including initiating a voice call between said second cellphone to said first cellphone in response to an alert determined for said reporting data.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said status information presented on said second cellphone indicates a disruption or loss of a communications link between said second cellphone and said first cellphone.

13. The method of claim 1 further including performing speech recognition on said reported data.

14. An Internet server configured for reporting activity monitored by a first cellphone, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory coupled to the processor and containing instructions that, if executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations including;

receiving reporting data from the first cellphone on an intermittent basis;

processing said reporting data and identifying whether said reporting data indicates a predetermined threshold has been exceeded;

transmitting status information for said reporting data and advertising information to a second user, wherein said status information includes information identifying whether said predetermined threshold was detected for said reporting data, wherein said status information and advertising information are to be displayed within a selected portion of a graphical interface of a second cellphone associated with said second user; and

transmitting updates of said reporting data to said second user over a non-voice communications channel.

15. The server of claim 14, the operations further including journaling said reporting data at said Internet server.

16. The server of claim 14, the operations further including causing journaling of said reporting data at said first cellphone.

17. The server of claim 14, wherein the operations further include processing said reporting data to identify movement by subscribers within a geographic area.

18. The server of claim 14 wherein said reporting data is sent only when said reporting data indicates an event exceeding a predetermined threshold.

19. The server of claim 14, wherein the first cellphone can be set to enter a monitor mode automatically after a first user defined period of time, and to shut off automatically after a second period of time has elapsed.

20. The server of claim 14, wherein said reporting data is associated with movements by a person within an area monitored by said first cellphone.

21. The server of claim 14, wherein the operations further include sending sensory data from a monitored area in the vicinity of said first cellphone to said second cellphone, including one of a sound, an image or a video.

22. The server of claim 14, wherein the operations further include sending sensory data associated with the first user to said second cellphone with an alert.

23. The server of claim 14 wherein said first cell phone can be configured to enable said reporting data to be detected and presented while said its cellphone is executing other voice communications related functions.

24. The server of claim 14 wherein a voice call can be initiated between said second cellphone to said first cellphone in response to an alert determined for said reporting data.

25. The server of claim 14 wherein said status information includes an indication of a disruption or loss of a communications link between said second cellphone and said first cellphone.

26. The server of claim 14, the operations further including perforating speech recognition on said reported data.

27. A non-transitory memory medium containing program instructions for execution by a processing device of a network server, wherein the instructions are configured to result in the implementation of operations at the server, the operations including:

receiving reporting data from the first cellphone on an intermittent basis;

processing said reporting data and identifying whether said reporting data indicates a predetermined threshold has been exceeded;

transmitting status information for said reporting data and advertising information to a second user, wherein said status information includes information identifying whether said predetermined threshold was detected for said reporting data, wherein said status information and advertising information are to be displayed within a selected portion of a graphical interface of a second cellphone associated with said second user; and

transmitting updates of said reporting, data to said second user over a non-voice communications channel.

28. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further include journaling said reporting data.

29. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further include causing journaling of said reporting data at said first cellphone.

30. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further Include processing said reporting;

data to identity movement by subscribers within a geographic area.

31. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein said reporting data is sent only when said reporting data indicates an event exceeding a predetermined threshold.

32. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein said reporting data is associated with movements by a person within an area monitored by said first cellphone.

33. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further include sending sensory data from a monitored area in the vicinity of said first cellphone to said second cellphone, including one of a sound, an image or a video.

34. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further include sending sensory data associated with the first user to said second cellphone with an alert.

35. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein said status information includes an indication of a disruption or loss of a communications link between said second cellphone and said first cellphone.

36. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further include performing speech recognition on said reported data.