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AssigneeDaniel E. Ely
InventorsM. Barry Greenberg, Daniel E. Ely
Estimating the term…
A radio system and method for monitoring and locating objects, including individuals, animals and articles, both locally and on a nationwide scale use monitoring base stations communicating by ID code with portable transponders which are secured to the objects to be monitored. The transponder responds to signals transmitted by the base, the latter indicating by an alarm the absence of a timely appropriate response from the transponder. The base is capable of performing and participating in homing techniques to locate a lost transponder. A list of the IDs of all transponders reported missing is distributed from a central source by nationwide communication to a network of radio stations, each station broadcasting the list in an encoded signal in repetitive sequence along with regular programming. Cruising vehicles of public safety departments operating locally nationwide are equipped with automatic monitors for receiving specially coded messages including IDs from transponders within their areas. Each transponder, after failing to receive a signal from its base for a predetermined time period has the capability of scanning the band of the radio station network, locking onto the local station of the network and receiving its ID from the locked-on station when reported lost. Upon receipt of its ID from the locked-on station, the transponder initiates transmission of the specially coded message to make its presence known to the monitor of a local cruising vehicle and thereafter is capable of establishing communication with a local base for participation in local homing.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, said transceiver and transponder both having means for selectively transmitting at a normal power or at a relatively higher power, said transceiver having means for transferring the next signal in said intermittent transmission from the normal power to said higher power in the absence of said timely transponder response and for encoding instructions in said next signal for the transponder to likewise transfer to said higher transmitting power, said transceiver having means, responsive to each receipt of said timely transponder response, for setting the transmission of the next signal to said normal power and for encoding instructions to the transponder to transfer to normal power, said high power transmission enabling communication between base and transponder in an out-of-range condition, said base having manual means for de-activating said alerting means, whereby after such manual de-activation, subsequent re-activation of said alerting means indicates a probable out-of-range condition.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said base includes a visual signal operating for a predetermined time responsive to each receipt of said timely responder response.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said transponder has means for initiating transmission of forced code signals independent of said timely responses and said transceiver has means for activating said alerting means upon receipt of said forced code signals.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said transponder has means for selectively transmitting said encoded timely responses in a normal-on-time or in a long-on-time signal, said base having manual means enabling encoding in said intermittent signals instructions to said transponder to transmit the responses in said long-on-time to facilitate meter readings by equipment engaged in homing on said transponder.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said base includes a meter for indicating signal strength of said transponder responses, said transponder having means for selectively transmitting said encoded timely responses in a normal-on-time or in a long-on-time signal, said base having manual means enabling encoding in said intermittent signals instructions to said transponder to transmit the responses in said long-on-time to facilitate said meter indications and enable use of said base for homing on said transponder.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said base has manual means for deleting the time between said intermittent signals, providing substantially continuous transmission by the base and substantially continuous responses from said transponder, facilitating homing on the latter.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a monitoring base station and a transponder, said base station having a transceiver and alarm condition alerting means, said transceiver having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having at least an ID code, said transponder being secured to an object to be monitored and having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said ID code, said transceiver having means for detecting the absence of said timely transponder response and activating said alerting means, in which said transceiver and transponder both have means for selectively transmitting at a normal power or at a relatively higher power, said transceiver having means for transferring the next signal in said intermittent transmission from the normal power to said higher power in the absence of said timely transponder response and for encoding instructions in said next signal for the transponder to likewise transfer to said higher transmitting power, said transponder having means for initiating transmission of forced code signals independent of said timely responses, and said transceiver having means for activating said alerting means upon receipt of said forced code signals, said transponder having means for selectively transmitting said encoded timely responses in a normal-on-time or in a long-on-time signal, said base having manual means enabling encoding in said intermittent signals instructions to said transponder to transmit the responses in said long-on-time to facilitate meter readings by equipment engaged in homing on said transponder.
A monitoring and finding system comprising a plurality of monitoring base stations, a transponder associated by ID code with each of said stations and attached to an object being monitored, each base having means for intermittently transmitting encoded signals having an ID code recognized by the associated transponder, each of said transponders having means for receiving said signals, recognizing said associated ID code and transmitting an encoded timely response including said associated ID code, all of said transponders broadcasting said responses on a common transponder transmitting frequency;
A method of locating an object attached to a transponder belonging to a nationwide system comprising a plurality of base stations, each monitoring a transponder associated therewith by an ID code, said bases all transmitting and said transponders all receiving on a predetermined common base transmitting frequency, a network of radio stations and vehicles of local public safety departments all affiliated with said system comprising the steps of:
A method of monitoring and locating an object attached to a transponder being monitored by a base station having an associated ID code comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.