US6148202A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vehicle locating and communicating method and apparatus
Assignee: IRON OAKS TECHNOLOGIES LLC
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Filing: 1998-06-11
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Granted: 2000-11-14
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Expires: 2018-06-11
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for locating and communicating with vehicles is provided, including at least one mobile cellular unit connected to at least one microprocessor and installed within a vehicle. The microprocessor interrogates the mobile cellular unit to obtain location information from an overhead message stream transmitted from cellular telephone transmitter sites. The location is displayed on a display located in the vehicle or the microprocessor periodically instructs the mobile cellular unit to initiate a call to a host controller and, upon receipt of transmitting instructions from the host controller, transmits the location information for display on a screen connected to the host controller.
Inventors
- 👤 Larry C. Wortham
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 06:53
CPC Classifications
G; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/20; G01; G01D; G01D4/00; G01D4/002; G01D4/004; G07; G07C; G07C5/00; G07C5/008; H; H04; H04B; H04B7/00; H04B7/14; H04B7/15; H04B7/185; H04B7/1853; H04B7/18558; H04W; H04W4/00; H04W4/02; H04W4/021; H04W4/029; H04W4/30; H04W4/40; H04W4/48; H04W76/00; H04W76/10; H04W88/00; H04W88/02; H04W60/00; H04W60/04; H04W8/00; H04W8/18; H04W8/183; Y; Y02; Y02B; Y02B90/00; Y02B90/20; Y04; Y04S; Y04S20/00; Y04S20/30; Y10; Y10S; Y10S379/00; Y10S379/913
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 27
Claim 1
Independent Claim
122 words
A system for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising: a host controller comprising a communication device coupled to a cellular telephone network and operable to communicate a system identification number list using the cellular telephone network; and a mobile unit remotely disposed from the host controller and coupled to the cellular telephone network, the mobile unit operable to receive the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the mobile unit further comprising a memory operable to store the system identification number list and a processor operable to access the system identification number list stored in memory to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
122 words
A system for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising: a host controller comprising a communication device coupled to a cellular telephone network and operable to communicate a system identification number list using the cellular telephone network; and a mobile unit remotely disposed from the host controller and coupled to the cellular telephone network, the mobile unit operable to receive the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the mobile unit further comprising a memory operable to store the system identification number list and a processor operable to access the system identification number list stored in memory to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises a smart modem coupled to the cellular telephone network.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a smart modem operable to extract digital information representing the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the smart modem further operable to pass the digital information to the processor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a calendar and clock for documenting the date and time of storing the system identification number list.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the processor accesses the system identification number list stored in the memory to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the mobile unit is receiving sufficient signal strength from the particular cellular system service area.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
88 words
A mobile unit for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising: a communication device operable to receive a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit; a memory coupled to the communication device and operable to store the system identification number list; and a processor coupled to the memory and operable to access the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
88 words
A mobile unit for communicating using a cellular telephone network, comprising: a communication device operable to receive a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit; a memory coupled to the communication device and operable to store the system identification number list; and a processor coupled to the memory and operable to access the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a cellular transceiver.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a smart modem coupled to a cellular transceiver.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the mobile unit further comprises a smart modem operable to extract digital information representing the system identification number list communicated by the host controller, the smart modem further operable to pass the digital information to the processor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
35 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the processor accesses the system identification number list stored in the memory to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The mobile unit of claim 8, wherein the processor determines whether the mobile unit is receiving sufficient signal strength form the particular cellular system service area.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
76 words
The method for communicating using a cellular telephone network, the method comprising the following steps performed at a mobile unit; receiving a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit; storing the system identification number list in a memory; and accessing the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
76 words
The method for communicating using a cellular telephone network, the method comprising the following steps performed at a mobile unit; receiving a system identification number list from a host controller remotely disposed from the mobile unit; storing the system identification number list in a memory; and accessing the system identification number list to determine if the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in a particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a system identification number list is performed by a cellular transceiver.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving a system identification number list comprises: receiving a call from the remote host controller at a cellular transceiver; extracting digital information that represents a system identification number list; and passing the digital information to a processor.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the system identification number list comprises a plurality of identifiers of particular cellular system service areas in which the mobile unit is authorized to dial out.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises: determining a system identification number of the particular cellular system service area from information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit; and determining whether the system identification number list includes the system identification number.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of determining whether the signal strength being received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit is sufficient to authorize initiation of a call from the mobile unit.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
126 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises: determining a first system identification number using information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a first cellular system service area; accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is not authorized to dial out in the first cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit; determining a second system identification number using information received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a second cellular system service area; and accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the second cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of dialing out in the particular cellular system service area providing service to the mobile cellular unit if the mobile unit is authorized.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
165 words
The method of claim 15, wherein the step of accessing the system identification number list comprises: determining a first system identification number using information received by a cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from a first cellular system service area; accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the first cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit; determining that the signal strength being received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from the first cellular system service area is insufficient to initiate a call from the mobile unit; accessing the system identification number list to determine that the mobile unit is authorized to dial out in the second cellular system service area providing service to the mobile unit; and determining that the signal strength being received by the cellular transceiver of the mobile unit from the second cellular system service area is sufficient to initiate a call from the mobile unit.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of accessing the system identification number list to retrieve a dialing method to initiate a call in the particular cellular system service area.
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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) | 2003-11-14 | 2004-05-15 | 2004-11-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-11-14 | 2008-05-15 | 2008-11-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-11-14 | 2012-05-15 | 2012-11-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |