Apparatus and method for generating position fix of a tracking device in accordance with a subscriber service usage profile to conserve tracking device power

• US 8,774,827 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LBT IP LLC (Location Based Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Location Based Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderson, Roger B., Butler, David, Mejia, Desiree, Scalisi, Joseph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANOHARAN, MUTHUSWAMY GANAPATHY
• Application Number:
  US12/534,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20090315767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 342/357.07, 342/347.09, 342/357.25
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

A tracking device is disclosed for communication of location coordinate information. In one embodiment, the tracking device includes a signal transceiver device, a location coordinate acquisition device, and a computational processor activated and deactivated in accordance with a subscriber service usage profile. The location coordinate acquisition device generates a position fix of the tracking device and a signal transceiver device reports the position fix to a location tracking server. A flash memory device stores a zone management map. In accordance with a fix reporting period based at least in part on a subscriber service usage application including or accessing the subscriber service usage profile, an internal clock activates or deactivates the signal transceiver device, the computational processor, and/or the location coordinate acquisition device. In one example, the internal clock updates a fix reporting period based on current position fix relative to restricted and allowed areas on the zone management map.

Claims

1. A power conservation process to update a position fix of a mobile location tracking device being tracked by a location tracking server, the power conservation process comprising:

generating a current position fix by a GPS (Global Positioning System) acquisition device;

comparing the current position fix relative to a zone management map of designated allowed and restricted location coordinate zones stored in a memory device associated with the mobile location tracking device;

reporting the current position fix by a GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) transceiver device or a GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) transceiver device to the location tracking server;

deactivating the GPS acquisition device, the GPRS transceiver device or the GSM transceiver device, and a computational processor in accordance with a subscriber service usage application and the current position fix relative to the zone management map of the designated allowed and restricted location coordinate zones;

activating by an internal clock substantially independent of communicated signals from the location tracking server the GPS acquisition device, the GPRS transceiver device or the GSM transceiver device in accordance with the subscriber usage service application in response to a delta distance between the current position fix of the mobile location tracking device relative to the zone management map of the designated allowed and restricted location coordinate zones;

starting a timer when the mobile location tracking device has passed a threshold into a restricted location coordinate zone;

analyzing readings of the timer to determine how long the mobile location tracking device has entered the restricted location coordinate zone;

updating the subscriber usage service application with a profile associated with an expected zone that is part of a location coordinate service library and previously communicated by the location tracking server during an SMS (Short Message Service) transmission;

acquiring by the GPS acquisition device an updated current position fix in response to selection of the profile associated with the expected zone to account for GPS satellite displacement during measurement;

updating a reporting frequency of the updated current position fix in response to selection of the profile associated with the expected zone to account for the GPS satellite displacement during measurement; and

returning the GPS acquisition device to a deactivated mode in accordance with the profile associated with the expected zone until activated by the internal clock.

2. The power conservation process of claim 1, wherein deactivating the GPRS transceiver device or the GSM transceiver device comprises switching-off the GPRS transceiver device or the GSM transceiver device and not providing service contact with a subscriber and receiving SMS messages sent during a switched-off mode during an upcoming switched-on mode.

3. The power conservation process of claim 1, further comprising activating by the internal clock the GPS acquisition device and updating the reporting frequency of the current position fix to the subscriber in accordance with the current position fix.

4. The power conservation process of claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing motion readings from an accelerometer by the computational processor to determine if the current position fix has entered one or more selected or restricted location coordinate zones and caused a zone violation of one or more outer contour areas of the zone management map.

5. The power conservation process of claim 1, further comprising updating the subscriber usage service application with a second profile that substantially matches the restricted location coordinate zone in response to readings of the timer that indicate the mobile location tracking device has entered the restricted location coordinate zone for more than a specified period.

6. The power conservation process of claim 1, further comprising updating the subscriber usage service application with a second profile from a location coordinate service library previously communicated by the location tracking server, wherein the second profile substantially matches the restricted location coordinate zone and is responsive to the reading of the timer that indicates when the mobile location tracking device has entered the restricted location coordinate zone for more than a specified period.