Patent US4619644A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6031455A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for monitoring environmental conditions in a communication system
Assignee: Arris Enterprises LLC
•
Filing: 1998-02-09
•
Granted: 2000-02-29
•
Expires: 2018-02-09
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for monitoring and processing environmental conditions within a wireless communication system is accomplished when a subscriber (22), or group of subscribers, sense an environmental condition or conditions. Upon sensing the particular environmental condition (28) or conditions, the subscriber (or communication device) provides the information about the sensed environmental condition to infrastructure equipment over the wireless communication path. Once the infrastructure equipment receives the information about the sensed environmental condition, it processes it. The processing includes storing the information, averaging the information, predicting future environmental conditions, generating warning signals based on the levels of the environmental condition, and providing feedback to an individual communication device or a group of communication devices. Once information about the sensed environmental condition has been processed, the infrastructure equipment provides at least a selected portion of the processed data to a communication device, based on a subscription of the communication device.
Inventors
- 👤 Gary W. Grube
- 👤 Marc C. Naddell
- 👤 Mark L. Shaughnessy
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 06:16
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01W; G01W1/00; G01W1/02; G01W1/04; H; H04; H04Q; H04Q9/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) sensing an environmental condition by at least some of the plurality of communication devices to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; b) providing, over a wireless communication path, the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; c) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition by the infrastructure equipment to produce processed data; and d) providing at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least the selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) sensing an environmental condition by at least some of the plurality of communication devices to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; b) providing, over a wireless communication path, the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; c) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition by the infrastructure equipment to produce processed data; and d) providing at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least the selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 1 further comprises, within step (c): determining whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of: a nominal value for the plurality of communication devices, an individual user dependent threshold, and a group dependent threshold; and processing the information about the sensed environmental condition when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 1 further comprises obtaining, by the infrastructure equipment, location information with the information about the sensed environmental condition, and utilizing the location information to process the information about the sensed environmental condition.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1 further comprises: providing, by the infrastructure equipment, reconfiguration information to the at least one communication device; and modifying, by the at least one communication device, functionality of the at least one communication device based on the reconfiguration information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
111 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) providing, by the infrastructure equipment, environmental sensing parameters to the plurality of communication devices; b) monitoring, by the plurality of communication devices, environmental conditions based on the environmental sensing parameters; c) when an environmental condition is consistent with the environmental sensing parameters, providing, by at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices, information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; and d) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition by the infrastructure equipment to produce processed data.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
111 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) providing, by the infrastructure equipment, environmental sensing parameters to the plurality of communication devices; b) monitoring, by the plurality of communication devices, environmental conditions based on the environmental sensing parameters; c) when an environmental condition is consistent with the environmental sensing parameters, providing, by at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices, information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; and d) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition by the infrastructure equipment to produce processed data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
67 words
The method of claim 5 further comprises, within step (a), providing the environmental sensing parameters to include at least one of: designating at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices to sense the environmental condition, designating, per given geographic area, at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices to sense the environmental condition, and designating specific environmental conditions to be sensed.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 5 further comprises providing the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices based on subscription data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 5 further comprises, within step (d): determining whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of: a nominal value for the plurality of communication devices, an individual user dependent threshold, and a group dependent threshold; and processing the information about the sensed environmental condition when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 8 further comprises providing at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device when the when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 5 further comprises obtaining, by the infrastructure equipment, location information with the information about the sensed environmental condition, and utilizing the location information to process the information about the sensed environmental condition.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 5 further comprises: providing, by the infrastructure equipment, reconfiguration information to the at least one communication device; and modifying, by the at least one communication device, functionality of the at least one communication device based on the reconfiguration information.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
81 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for a communication device of the plurality of communication devices to facilitate monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) sensing an environmental condition to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; b) providing, over a wireless communication path, the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; and c) receiving at least a selected portion of processed environmental data.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
81 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for a communication device of the plurality of communication devices to facilitate monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) sensing an environmental condition to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; b) providing, over a wireless communication path, the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment; and c) receiving at least a selected portion of processed environmental data.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
50 words
The method of claim 12 further comprises, within step (b): determining whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold; and when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold, providing the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 12 further comprises: receiving reconfiguration information as the at least a selected portion of processed data; and modifying functionality of the communication device based on the reconfiguration information.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
111 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for infrastructure equipment to facilitate monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) receiving, over a wireless communication path, information about the sensed environmental condition from at least some of the plurality of communication devices; b) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition to produce processed data; and c) providing at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication device when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least a selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
111 words
In a wireless communication system that includes infrastructure equipment and a plurality of communication devices, a method for infrastructure equipment to facilitate monitoring environmental conditions, the method comprises the steps of: a) receiving, over a wireless communication path, information about the sensed environmental condition from at least some of the plurality of communication devices; b) processing the information about the sensed environmental condition to produce processed data; and c) providing at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication device when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least a selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
75 words
The method of claim 15 further comprises, within step (b): determining whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of: a nominal value for the plurality of communication devices, an individual user dependent threshold, and a group dependent threshold; and processing the information about the sensed environmental condition when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of claim 16 further comprises, within step (c), providing the at least a selected portion of the processed data to the at least one communication device when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 15 further comprises obtaining location information with the information about the sensed environmental condition, and utilizing the location information to process the information about the sensed environmental condition.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 15 further comprises providing reconfiguration information to the at least one communication device, wherein the reconfiguration information is based on the processed data.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
139 words
A communication device comprising: a wireless transceiver operable to transceive data with infrastructure equipment of a wireless communication system; an environmental sensor operable to sense at least one environmental condition; a processing unit operably coupled to the wireless transceiver and the environmental sensor; and memory operably coupled to the processing unit, wherein the memory stores programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as circuits to (a) evoke sensing of the at least one environmental condition to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; (b) provide the information about the sensed environmental condition to the wireless transceiver for transmission to the infrastructure equipment; and (c) store in the memory at least a selected portion of processed data, wherein the information about the sensed environmental condition is processed to produced the processed data.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
139 words
A communication device comprising: a wireless transceiver operable to transceive data with infrastructure equipment of a wireless communication system; an environmental sensor operable to sense at least one environmental condition; a processing unit operably coupled to the wireless transceiver and the environmental sensor; and memory operably coupled to the processing unit, wherein the memory stores programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as circuits to (a) evoke sensing of the at least one environmental condition to produce information about the sensed environmental condition; (b) provide the information about the sensed environmental condition to the wireless transceiver for transmission to the infrastructure equipment; and (c) store in the memory at least a selected portion of processed data, wherein the information about the sensed environmental condition is processed to produced the processed data.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
70 words
The communication device of claim 20 further comprises, within the memory, programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as a circuit that: determines whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold; and provides the information about the sensed environmental condition to the infrastructure equipment when the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to the threshold.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
55 words
The communication device of claim 20 further comprises, within the memory, programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as a circuit that: receives reconfiguration information as the at least a selected portion of processed data; and modifies functionality of the communication device based on the reconfiguration information.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
115 words
A controller of wireless infrastructure equipment comprising: a processing unit; and memory operably coupled to the processing unit, wherein the memory stores programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as circuits to (a) receive information about the sensed environmental condition from at least some of a plurality of communication devices; (b) process the information about the sensed environmental condition to produce processed data; and (c) provide at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least a selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
115 words
A controller of wireless infrastructure equipment comprising: a processing unit; and memory operably coupled to the processing unit, wherein the memory stores programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as circuits to (a) receive information about the sensed environmental condition from at least some of a plurality of communication devices; (b) process the information about the sensed environmental condition to produce processed data; and (c) provide at least a selected portion of the processed data to at least one communication device of the plurality of communication devices when the at least one communication device has subscribed to the at least a selected portion of the processed data.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
72 words
The controller of claim 23 further comprises, within the memory, programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as a circuit that: determines whether the information about the sensed environmental condition compares favorably to a threshold, wherein the threshold is based on at least one of: a nominal value for the plurality of communication devices, an individual user dependent threshold, and a group dependent threshold.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
54 words
The controller of claim 23 further comprises, within the memory, programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as a circuit that: obtains location information with the information about the sensed environmental condition, and utilizes the location information to process the information about the sensed environmental condition.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
49 words
The controller of claim 23 further comprises, within the memory, programming instructions that, when read by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to function as a circuit that: provides reconfiguration information to the at least one communication device, wherein the reconfiguration information is based on the processed data.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3925763A
Cited
US4331953A
Cited
US4692742A
Cited
US5204670A
Cited
US5474090A
Cited
US5045839A
Cited
US5283733A
Cited
US5576952A
Cited
US5558638A
Cited
US5568121A
Cited
US5544661A
Cited
US5417222A
Cited
US5942986A
Cited
US5626151A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-02-28 | 2003-08-30 | 2004-02-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-02-28 | 2007-08-30 | 2008-02-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-02-28 | 2011-08-30 | 2012-02-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |