Geolocationing system, personal locator device, and method for use of same

A personal locator device comprising:

• a housing securing a processor and memory therein;
• a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the processor and the memory;
• a button being secured within the housing, the button coupled to the busing architecture;
• one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the one or more wireless transceivers configured to communicate with a vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the one or more wireless transceivers configured to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;
• a first operational mode determining an estimated location of the personal locator device by communicating with a first server via the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices defining an area of coverage;
• a second operational mode determining the estimated location of the personal locator device by communicating with a second server via the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;
• the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including first processor-executable instructions for the first operational mode that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• detect an actuation of the button,
• transmit, in response to being in the area of coverage, a first beacon signal via the at least one or more wireless transceivers to the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the first beacon signal including the personal locator device identification and an alert notification;
• and
• the memory including second processor-executable instructions for the second operational mode that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the personal locator device,
• detect the actuation of the button, and
• transmit, in response to being out of the area of coverage, a second beacon signal, via the at least one or more wireless transceivers, to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, the second beacon signal including the personal locator device identification and the alert notification.

A personal locator device comprising:

• a housing securing a processor and memory therein;
• a busing architecture communicatively interconnecting the processor and the memory;
• one or more wireless transceivers associated with the housing and coupled to the busing architecture, the one or more wireless transceivers configured to communicate with a vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the one or more wireless transceivers configured to communicate with a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;
• a first operational mode determining an estimated location of the personal locator device by communicating with a first server via the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices defining an area of coverage;
• a second operational mode determining the estimated location of the personal locator device by communicating with a second server via the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device;
• the memory accessible to the processor, the memory including first processor-executable instructions for the first operational mode that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• transmit, in response to being in the area of coverage, a first beacon signal via the at least one or more wireless transceivers to the vertical and horizontal array of gateway devices, the first beacon signal including the personal locator device identification;
• the memory including second processor-executable instructions for the second operational mode that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• establish a pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the personal locator device, and
• transmit, in response to being out of the area of coverage, a second beacon signal via the at least one or more wireless transceivers to the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, the second beacon signal including the personal locator device identification;
• and
• an application installed on the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device, the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device including memory accessible to a processor, the memory including processor-executable instructions for the application that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• establish the pairing between the proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device and the personal locator device,
• receive the second beacon signal from the personal locator device, and
• transmit a gateway signal to the second server, the gateway signal including the personal locator device identification, a proximate wireless-enabled interactive programmable device identification, GPS coordinates, and a timestamp.