# US 2008/0186233 A1 · Wireless Resource Monitoring System and Method

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- Number: US 2008/0186233 A1
- Document ID: US20080186233A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/044,758
- Filed: 2008-03-07
- Published: 2008-08-07
- Earliest claimed: 2005-12-14
- Assignees: InnerWireless, Inc.
- Inventors: James William McCoy
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080186233A1

## CPC

- G06Q 10/087: Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
- G01S 5/0036: {of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station}
- G01S 5/013: {Identifying areas in a building}
- G01S 5/0244: {Accuracy or reliability of position solution or of measurements contributing thereto}
- G01S 5/0295: {Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals}
- G01S 5/14: Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
- G06Q 10/0877: {by inventory control or reporting using inventory tracking or counting}
- G08B 13/2462: {Asset location systems combined with EAS (inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00)}
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A wireless resource monitoring system and method utilizes a network of deployed radio elements including at least one master radio, a plurality of beacons, and at least one tag. The beacons are placed at known positions. The master radio, the beacons and the tag are in wireless communication with each other. The tag is attached to the resource that is being monitored. A beacon signal is transmitted by the beacons, which includes the identity of the transmitting beacons. The tag receives the beacon signals and measures the signal strength of the beacon signals. The tag then transmits a tag signal, which includes the identity of the transmitting tag, the measured signal strengths of the beacon signals and the identity of the corresponding beacons. The location of the tag is then determined from the tag signal.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-55. (canceled)

### Claim 56

A wireless resource monitoring system for determining the location of a resource deployed in a selected area, comprising:
at least one master radio;
a plurality of beacons being deployed at known positions in the selected area and being in wireless communication with the master radio, the beacons being configured to transmit a beacon signal responsive to instructions from the master radio,
a tag associated with the resource, the tag being configured to receive the beacon signals and operable to measure an attribute of the beacons signals and to transmit a tag signal to the master radio, the tag signal including the identity of the tag, the measured attribute of the beacon signals and the identity of the beacons corresponding to the beacon signals; and
a location processor linked to the master radio, the location processor configured to receive the tag signal from the master radio and operable to determine the location of the resource from the tag signal.

### Claim 57 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the attribute is the signal strength of the beacon signals

### Claim 58 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the location processor includes:
means to identify the location of the beacons from the beacons' identity; and
means to determine beacon-to-tag distances from the measured signal strengths.

### Claim 59 (depends on 58)

The system according to claim 58, wherein the location processor includes means to determine a location of the tag from the beacon-to-tag distances and the location of the corresponding beacons.

### Claim 60

The system according to claim-56, wherein the master radio is a radio transceiver.

### Claim 61 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the beacon is a radio transceiver.

### Claim 62 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the tag is a radio transceiver.

### Claim 63 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, further comprising an antenna coupled to the master radio.

### Claim 64 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, further comprising a distributed antenna system coupled to the master radio.

### Claim 65 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the beacon is powered by a battery.

### Claim 66 (depends on 56)

The system according to claim 56, wherein the tag is powered by a battery.

### Claim at position 13

67-71. (canceled)