Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Relative location
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-15
2003-02-11
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Relative location
C340S989000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06519530
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to communication systems, and more particularly to a communication system, which utilizes an intelligent location agent to provide, on demand, the current locations of one or more remote location devices as well as sets of past locations of the devices.
2. Related Art
In many fields of human endeavor it is useful to know the precise geographic location of a person or object. For example, if an individual were mentally handicapped, it would be desirable to continuously know the individual's exact whereabouts in order to ensure his or her well-being. Similarly, it would be useful to know in real time the location of a delivery person in the field so that more efficient delivery scheduling may be accomplished. A multitude of other applications for geographic location information can be found in the commercial sector, civilian agencies, law enforcement agencies, and the military., With the arrival of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which provides three-dimensional coordinates of any location on earth, such remote locator systems have become a practicality.
What is needed is a system (hardware, software, protocols) that provides, on demand, the current locations of one or more remote location devices as well as sets of past locations of the devices. The past locations should be selected according to intelligent algorithms so as to deliver only useful information and to minimize memory requirements. The system should also be able to initiate alerts based upon the current location of the devices and the intelligent location algorithms.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a remote location system for communicating location information between a movable remote location device that generates such location information and a location service comprising at least one remote location device having detecting means for determining a location of the remote location device, communication means for communicating the location information to the service and from the service to a user of the service, and intelligent location agent means for selectively defining the location information in terms of location event data to be communicated to the locator service. The communication means includes a communication protocol for communicating with a remote location device and includes a computer system for communicating with a remote locator device by way of the protocol. The communication means also includes user communication modes for communication between a user and the service. The modes include service-initiated communication from the service to a user. The communication means further includes protocols for controlling communication between the service and a user. The communication means includes software for integrating communication between the service and a remote locator device and between a user and the service.
The intelligent location agent means defines location event data to include a remote locator device crossing a specified boundary as established by the location service. The intelligent location agent means can also define location event data to include a remote location device traveling a specified minimum distance from a prior location as established by the location service and to define location event data to include a remote locator device exceeding a specified velocity as established by the location service.
In other aspects of the present invention there is provided a remote location system for communicating location information between a movable remote location device that generates such location information and a location service comprising a plurality of remote location devices each having detecting means for determining the location of the remote location device, communication means for communicating the location information to the location service from each remote location device and from the location service to a user of the location service, and program means for selectively defining the location information in terms of location event data to be communicated to the location service and under what circumstances the data is communicated from the service to a user of the service. The communication means includes a communication protocol for communicating with each remote location device and a computer system for communicating with each remote locator device by way of the protocol. The communication means also includes user communication modes for communication between a user and the location service and service-initiated communications from the location service to a user. The communication means includes software protocols for controlling communication between the location service and a user and includes human operator protocols for controlling communication between the location service and a user.
The program means defines location event data to include a remote locator device crossing a specified boundary as established by the location service; a remote location device traveling a specified minimum distance from a prior location as established by the location service; and a remote locator device exceeding a specified velocity as established by the location service.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a remote location system for communicating location information between a movable remote location device that generates such location information and a location service comprising at least one remote location device having detecting means for determining a location of a remote location device identified by the system and memory for storing the location information, communication means for communicating the location information to the location service and from the service to a user of the location service, and intelligent location agent means for selectively defining the location information in terms of location event data to be communicated to the locator service. The intelligent location agent means includes at least one location algorithm for selecting which location data is to be stored in the memory of the remote locator device. The location algorithm is for minimum distance sampling whereby the current location is recorded only when the distance from the most recently recorded location to the current location is at least as much as some prescribed distance; for fixed time interval sampling whereby the current location is recorded only when a prescribed amount of time has passed since the most recently recorded location; and for velocity-determined sampling whereby the rate that the locations are recorded depends on the velocity of a remote location device.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5553609 (1996-09-01), Chen et al.
Crockett Patrick W.
Thacker William E.
Beaulieu Yonel
eWatchdogs, Inc.
Yeager Arthur G.
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