US5014040A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Personal locator transmitter
Assignee: Instantel Inc
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Filing: 1989-10-16
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Granted: 1991-05-07
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Expires: 2009-10-16
Abstract
Abstract A personal locator transmitter adapted to be worn on the wrist and having the size and appearance of a conventional wrist-watch. This transmitter is provided with a programmable memory, a transmitter controlled by the memory, an antenna for reliably radiating signals from the transmitter regardless of orientation of the wrist of a user and including both a manually operable alarm activated by pressing a button, and an automatic alarm actuated by an attempt to remove the unit from the wrist of the wearer. The unit is controlled by a control memory comprised of an EEPROM encoded with unique identification codes and other information as required in the specific application.
Inventors
- 👤 Philip W. Weaver
- 👤 Kamal Fakhry
- 👤 Shin Saito
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 16:02
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08B; G08B21/00; G08B21/02; G08B21/0202; G08B21/0222; A; A44; A44C; A44C5/00; A44C5/14; A44C5/18; A44C5/20; A44C5/2076; G07; G07C; G07C9/00; G07C9/20; G07C9/28; G08B21/0227; G08B21/023; G08B21/0286; G08B21/0288; G08B25/00; G08B25/01; G08B25/016; G08B3/00; G08B3/10; G08B3/1008; G08B3/1016; G08B3/1083
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
132 words
A personal locator device adapted to be worn on the wrist and having the size and appearance of a conventional wrist-watch and including a molded casing and an integral strap extending therefrom, said casing containing a programmable memory, a transmitter controlled by said programmable memory, an omni-directional antenna, a back plane, and a battery, said integral wrist strap having a free end, said free end being adapted for insertion through a slot in said casing, a metal strip extending from said casing through said integral strap, means for locking said free end in said casing, said locking means including an electrical contact for contacting said metal strip when said free end is engaged therein, to complete a circuit, interruption of said circuit causing an alarm code to be transmitted by said transmitter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
132 words
A personal locator device adapted to be worn on the wrist and having the size and appearance of a conventional wrist-watch and including a molded casing and an integral strap extending therefrom, said casing containing a programmable memory, a transmitter controlled by said programmable memory, an omni-directional antenna, a back plane, and a battery, said integral wrist strap having a free end, said free end being adapted for insertion through a slot in said casing, a metal strip extending from said casing through said integral strap, means for locking said free end in said casing, said locking means including an electrical contact for contacting said metal strip when said free end is engaged therein, to complete a circuit, interruption of said circuit causing an alarm code to be transmitted by said transmitter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A personal locator transmitter as claimed in claim 1 and including manually operable means for generating said alarm code transmitted by said transmitter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A personal locator transmitter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bursts of data on a continuous basis under control of said programmable memory.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
A personal locator transmitter as claimed in claim 3 wherein said programmable memory includes means for turning said transmitter on at pre-determined intervals, and means for modulating the carrier of said transmitter with a pre-determined binary coded data stream.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A personal locator transmitter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said programmable memory is an EEPROM.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A personal locator transmitter as defined in claim 1 wherein said programmable memory and said transmitter are mounted on a printed circuit board within said casing.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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US4819860A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-05-06 | 1994-11-05 | 1995-05-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-05-06 | 1998-11-05 | 1999-05-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-05-06 | 2002-11-05 | 2003-05-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |