Patent ID: 6771972
Filing Date: 2004-08-03
Classification: G01S

Abstract:
A method of searching for an asset lost by one party using mobile entities of other parties, the asset being provided with a short-range wireless transceiver operative to respond to receipt of an enquiry transmission including an identifier of the asset, the method comprising:storing an indication of user agreement for their mobile entity to be used in lost-asset searching, each such mobile entity being equipped both with a radio transceiver for communicating with a mobile radio infrastructure, and with a short-range wireless transceiver; sending out from a finder service a search request including the identifier of a lost asset, this request being sent over the mobile radio infrastructure to at least some of the mobile entities for which a said indication of user agreement for lost asset searching has been stored; locally transmitting from mobile entities that have received the search request, a search enquiry incorporating the lost-asset identifier, this enquiry being transmitted using the short-range wireless transceivers of the mobile entities; upon a mobile entity receiving back a response from the lost asset, returning a found message over the mobile radio infrastructure to the finder service, this message either including location data concerning the whereabouts of the lost asset or enabling such data to be obtained by the finder service.