Abstract:
A method for increasing the safety of a person in an aquatic environment including attaching a remote node to a monitee, sensing atmospheric pressure; sensing continuously the actual atmospheric pressure of said remote node; communicating bi-directionally with a base station via RF transreceiver; comparing pressures via microcontroller; signaling a monitee when the comparison yields a result that exceeds the pressure set point, thereby providing the monitee with a predetermined time interval to get back into compliance, else notifying the base station via the remote node of the non-compliant pressure reading and duration thereof via visual indicator and vibrating motor; setting the predetermined time interval by the base station; providing the base station with a deployment means for deploying said buoy means; deploying said buoy means by activating a button on the base station; and sending a message repeatedly from the base station to the remote node to activate the buoy.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/321,087 entitled filed on 1 Jul. 2014, wherein the current application expressly incorporates by reference the full spirit and scope of the prior application(s). 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to providing a Swim-A-Sure System and Device, including, inter alia, a system that enables an individual to be tracked voluntarily and/or involuntarily in an aquatic environment, in addition to providing means for deploying a safety device voluntarily and/or involuntarily. 
       PRIOR ART 
       [0003]    A major concern for parents and legislators is the safety and well being of individuals that travel on, or over water, as well individuals that undertake activities in, on, or adjacent to bodies of water. 
         [0004]    A device that comes to mind traditionally is a life preserver or life vest aka PFD (personal floatation device). Many a patent have addressed the ongoing clash between fashion and function, e.g., the device needs to provide sufficient floatation while providing the least amount of inconvenience to the operator, and it is indisputable that the controlling facet of the device&#39;s needs is whether the device sufficiently floats with the operator when in use. An array of references included in the information disclosure statement attempt to address this concern. The disclosed devices have been designed for the wrist, the waist e.g., as in a belt, suspenders, collars, anklets, to name a few. See U.S. Pat. No. 1,694,714 to Peter Markus in 1927, which revolutionized the long-used cork or wood vests used in Scandinavia and Europe in the 1800s. 
         [0005]    Others have attempted to address issues for scuba divers or the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,519 appears to address the issue of a scuba diver or the like, that has been rendered unconscious. 
         [0006]    Others seem to focus on scenarios in a pool or enclosed setting, such as that of the Wahoo Safe Monitoring System (see print out from website), has two preset periods of time for setting off escalating alerts, (1) yellow and (2) red; the product was idea born from a death of a fellow classmate of the three fathers&#39; children. www.wahoosms.com. This product appears to use monitors/receivers on tripods that communicate with the headband worn by the swimmer; the first (yellow) alert is purely a visual yellow light set off by the headband, and the yellow light blinks on the tripod for the lifeguards to see; if the swimmer stays under long enough, the red light flashes, along with an audio alarm for all to see and hear; moreover, the life guard has a device that they can use to track the beacon in the headband. See also U.S. Pat. No. 7,642,921 to Culter et al. 
         [0007]    However, all these devices fail to address the issue or provide a system and device that enables the swimmer to deploy the device unilaterally and/or enables a parent to deploy the device unilaterally remotely while the swimmer, such as a child, is experiencing difficulties remaining afloat in the body of water. As long as there continues to be drownings, especially of the children, there will be a long-felt need to design superior ways to prevent losing a child to drowning. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0008]    An objective of the present invention includes providing a system wherein a first person e.g., monitee can be monitored by a second person, e.g., monitor, when the first person is near a body of water and a risk of drowning is present. 
         [0009]    Another objective of the present invention includes providing a system wherein a first person can self deploy a signaling system. 
         [0010]    A still further objective of the present invention includes providing a system wherein a second person can deploy the system remotely for the benefit of the first person. 
         [0011]    Another objective of the present invention includes providing a system wherein the system may be set to automatically deploy by either the first and/or second person. 
         [0012]    An additional objective of the present invention includes providing a system that has proactive features prior to someone undertaking an activity thereby reducing the risk of drowning. 
         [0013]    A still additional objective of the present invention includes providing a system that has reactive features once a person has undertaken an activity thereby reducing the risk of drowning. 
         [0014]    A still further objective of the present invention includes providing a system that simultaneously interfaces a plurality of first persons per second person. 
         [0015]    An objective of the present invention includes providing a system that communicates, inter alia, with a cell phone. 
         [0016]    An objective of the present invention includes providing a system that communicates, inter alia, via Bluetooth™ technology. 
         [0017]    Other objectives, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The following drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, are provided for illustration of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention in any manner whatsoever. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a first system having a star relationship with the base station; 
           [0020]      FIG. 1B  illustrates an alternate system having a peer-to-peer relationship with the base station; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein each monitee communicates directly with the base station; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates the present invention comprising the base station component; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  illustrates the present invention comprising the monitee&#39;s component; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  reflects atmospheric pressure versus altitude. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
       [0025]    Referring generally to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , herein below, illustrate an interactive life system  1  for increasing the safety of a person in or near a body of water. Swimmers, particularly in large bodies of water such as lakes or oceans, are at risk of drowning from a number of factors such as inexperience, fatigue, seizure, cardiac event, among a myriad of others; moreover, people that undertake activities adjacent to a body of water where there is a risk they might fall into the water, such as fishing off a pier or vessel, or bicycle riding about the body of water, etc. The present invention disclosed herein is intended to be portable as well as having the ability to support a plurality of monitees. The Wahoo system disclosed hereinabove requires infrastructure in the area of the swimmer to be in place whereas the current invention is intended more as a portable personal swimming safety system that can be setup quickly and packed up when all swimming activities are done. 
         [0026]    The system  1  includes a base station node  10  configured and dimensioned to communicate bi-directionally with a plurality of remote nodes  50  collectively referred to as a defined network.  FIG. 1A  illustrates a first system  1  having a star configuration (also known as a hub-spoke configuration), while  FIG. 1B  illustrates a second system  101 , arranged in an alternate embodiment using a peer-to-peer configuration. In the first system  1 , each remote node  50  communicates only with the base station  10  wherein the maximum separation between the base station  10  and remote node  50  is limited to the distance between the two in which reliable communication can be maintained. This distance may be affected by such factors as weather and physical location (e.g. sand dunes). 
         [0027]    In the second system or arrangement  101 , each remote node  150  may communicate with the base station  110 , as well as with other remote nodes  150  that are part of the monitored network. In this embodiment, a remote node  150  may communicate with the base station  110  by relaying messages through a plurality of remote nodes  150  within the monitored network thus increasing the permissible separation distance between base station node  110  and farthest remote node  150 . 
         [0028]    In either embodiment, the use of the base station  10 , to communicate with the remote nodes  50 , does not require the use of any local infrastructure as the base station  10  contains the means necessary for monitoring the remote nodes  50 .  FIG. 2  illustrates how a plurality of remote nodes  50  can be configured and arranged to communicate with a single base station  10 , and how the base station  10  can be configured to communicate with a personal communication device (such as an individual&#39;s cell phone, tablet, phablet)  80 , and/or laptop  82  for configuring and/or monitoring a network of remote nodes  50 . 
         [0029]    The present invention does not rely on the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  for monitoring operation. While Wi-Fi and cell phones seem to be ubiquitous these days, having Wi-Fi and/or cell phone service is not always assured, particularly in more remote locations or rural areas. This makes any safety system that solely relies on a personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  a poor choice for the basis of a monitee&#39;s safety system. The current invention only incorporates the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  as a convenient man-machine interface (MMI) for configuring and optional monitoring of the invention and does not require Wi-Fi and/or cell phone service for operation. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates the base station  10  having a first programmed controller  12 , a radio frequency (RF) transceiver  14 , visual indicator(s)  16 , an audio alert  17 , a deploy button  18 , a page button  19  and a MMI transceiver  20 . Optional embodiments of the base station  10  may also comprise enhancements such as a weather receiver  22  and lightning detector  24 , wherein the weather receiver  22  is configured and dimensioned to receive information from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration), and/or other information/data and/or commercially available information/data (re)broadcast or (re)transmitted for public use and/or information/data available via subscription based or aggregated service. The base station  10  is intended to communicate, bi-directionally, via RF means with a plurality of remote nodes  50 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates the remote node  50  worn by an individual being monitored, e.g., the monitee, most commonly a swimmer. The term monitee is used rather than the term swimmer because not every person in the water is a swimmer, and can be labeled as non-swimmers. For example, non-swimmers include someone that lacks the capacity to swim, such as an individual that is inebriated, or an unconscious person, quadriplegic, or a person however young or old that has never learned to swim. These non-swimmers may find themselves in the water non-volitionally, e.g., fell off the dock; downed plane, car accident, etc. Wherein the node  50  comprises a buoy means  52  that is deployable and waterproof and includes the following: a programmed controller  54 , a radio frequency (RF) transceiver  56 , a GPS receiver  58 , visual indicator(s)  60 , an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) pager more commonly known as a vibration motor  62 , a pressure transducer  64 , a panic button  66 , a buoy release mechanism  68  and a buoy mount  70 . The deployable buoy means  52  and mount  70  are connected via a tether  72  which is intended to keep the deployable buoy  52  proximate to the mounting means  70  after release. 
         [0032]    The mount  70  of the remote node  50  provides the monitee with a method to mount the device  50  on to the monitee&#39;s body, e.g. wrist, such as a wrist band or strap. The mount  70  and tether  72  should be of sufficient size and strength to allow support the pull of the deployable buoy  52  after deployment from its mount  70  as well as being capable of being submerged in fresh/salt water for extended periods of time. 
         [0033]    The base station  10  and plurality of remote nodes  50  communicate bi-directionally under control of the microcontroller  12 , 54  using the contained RF transceiver  14 , 56 . The RF transceivers  14 , 56  do not require any additional infrastructure for operation and are intended to communicate directly amongst the base station  10  and plurality of remote nodes  50 . Since pursuit of a radio license would present an undue burden for most users, the preferred embodiment of the invention is intended to make use of the unlicensed portions of the RF spectrum as governed by local regulation. Within the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the governing body that regulates the RF spectrum. Portions of the unlicensed spectrum are dedicated to Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) applications and remote keyless entry (RKE) systems. It is envisioned that the invention will utilize a sub-1 GHz Short Range Device (SRD) transceiver for license free operation below 1 GHz and more specifically the 433 MHz RKE band for its longer wavelength and distance capability. It must be noted that the present invention is not constrained to operation within these portions of frequency spectrum and may be adapted to other frequency bands as regulations/technology permit. 
         [0034]    The base station  10  serves as the central coordinator of the invention. A second person, the monitor (e.g., a user such as a parent) would set up the base station  10  at a convenient location such as blanket near the edge of the beach where the first person, the monitee(s) or swimmer(s) will be in the water. Setup and configuration of the invention would utilize the MMI transceiver  20  to communicate with the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  through the use of a wireless personal area network (PAN) technology such as Bluetooth™. The base station  10  would be paired with the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  using a default ID and access code which is suggested to be personalized after initial pairing for security purposes. Once paired, a companion application (commonly called an ‘app’) could be executed on the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  which would prompt the monitor to configure monitoring parameters identified herein as well as convey monitoring feedback of all remote nodes  50 . While the RF transceivers  14 , 56  form their own PAN, this network operates at a lower frequency and at higher power allowing a larger monitoring area to be covered. Direct use of Bluetooth™ for monitoring would be unsuitable for a swimmer safety network as most personal communication devices  80  and/or laptops  82  utilize low power class 2 (10-meter coverage) or class 3 (1-meter coverage) Bluetooth™ hardware which would severely limit the efficacy of the system. 
         [0035]    Each remote node  50  within the defined network would have a unique identifier or serial number which would need to be paired with the base station  10  in a manner similar to that of Bluetooth™. The application software would remember previous monitee pairings (remote node  50 ) for ease of operation and remote nodes  50  can be enabled/disabled as well as added/deleted as part of configuration management of the invention. Since there exists the possibility of having a plurality of systems  1 , 101  located at the very same beach and even possibly an adjacent blanket, the present invention can employ a number of methods for addressing such scenario. 
         [0036]    The first method of maintaining peaceful co-existence amongst a plurality of systems  1 , 101  would be through the use of addressing. Each remote node  50  would be assigned a specific address for communicating with the base station  10  and/or other remote nodes within its defined network. A limit of 254 remote nodes  50  has been arbitrarily selected based on an eight-bit address which addresses 0 and 255 can be used for broadcast purposes (i.e. sent to all remote nodes  50  simultaneously). While in theory, the present invention could support an unlimited number of remote nodes  50 , the polling loop time to communicate with each remote node  50  might be severely impacted and it is envisioned that a more practical limit is somewhere on the order of 10 remote nodes. Much in the way each remote node would be assigned an address, each system  1 ,  101  could be assigned an address to insure only the base station  10  and plurality of remote nodes  50  within a particular network communicate with each other. 
         [0037]    A second method of maintaining peaceful co-existence amongst a plurality of systems  1 , 101  would be through the use of different frequencies. The frequency spectrum may be divided into sub-frequencies or channels. Each Swim-A-Sure system  1 ,  101  could operate on a different channel in a manner similar to Wi-Fi in an effort to maintain spectral harmony. 
         [0038]    A third method of maintaining peaceful co-existence amongst a plurality of systems  1 , 101  would also employ sub-frequencies or channels. In this embodiment, instead of using a fixed or static frequency for communication, the base station  10  and plurality of remote nodes  50  would hop from frequency to frequency. Under frequency hopping conditions, both the base station  10  and plurality of remote nodes  50  must tune to the same frequency at the same time. This type of scheme typically employs a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) to create a pseudo random pattern frequency hopping pattern. The LFSR would be seeded with a unique identifier such a media access controller (MAC) address, serial number or the like and would sync up after the first or second transmission. For real world operation, the system  1 , 101  would likely be configurable to employ any plurality of these methods in an effort to insure reliable communication within the defined network. 
         [0039]    Once communication has been established amongst the base station  10  and all remote nodes  50 , through the pairing procedure, monitoring of the remote nodes  50  can commence. The microcontroller  12  of the base station  10  would send a query out through the RF transceiver  14  on a periodic basis to monitor a swimmer&#39;s (e.g. monitee&#39;s) activity. The remote node  50  would receive the query through its own RF transceiver  56  and then be processed by the microcontroller  54 . The microcontroller  54  would acknowledge the query by sending a response back through its own RF transceiver  56  to the base station  10 . On the base station  10  the RF transceiver  14  would receive the acknowledgment and pass it along to the microcontroller  12  for processing. 
         [0040]    In simplistic terms, the poll by the base station  10  query could simply mean ‘Are you there?’ with a response from the remote node  50  indicating ‘Yes.’ In a preferred embodiment, the remote node  50  employs a GPS receiver  58 . When not communicating with the base station  10 , the microcontroller  54  within the remote node  50  polls the GPS receiver  58  for location information and is constantly updated. In this embodiment, the base station  10  query could mean ‘Where are you?’ with the response from the remote node  50  indicating ‘I am at XXX latitude and YYY longitude.’ This information allows the application running on the personal communications device  80  and/or laptop  82  to superimpose location information for each remote node  50  on a map for optional tracking purposes. 
         [0041]    The base station  10  polls each remote node  50  within its defined network on a periodic basis. The base station  10  will receive a response from the remote node  50  a large majority of the time, however, occasionally it will not for a variety of reasons (e.g., the monitee&#39;s arm is underwater, a wave blocking the line of sight, or the monitee has strayed to the fringe of reception, etc.). A polling interval and missed response count are just some of the items which would be configurable for each monitee. Younger, less experienced, and/or even handicapped monitees would be polled more often whereas older or more experienced monitees would be polled less often to extend battery life. Similarly, the count of consecutive missed responses for each monitee is configurable based on monitee capability and experience. Setting these entries properly will provide the proper level of protection while keeping the number of false indications to a minimum. 
         [0042]    The base station  10  is equipped with both visual indicating means  16  and an audio alert means  17  for signaling a possible safety situation. An example of a visual indicating means  16  would be a one or more lights; whereas an example of audio alert means  17  would be an audio signal or audio alarm played via one or more speakers. In the event the count of consecutive missed responses for a remote node  50  that has been set is exceeded, the visual indicator(s)  16  and audio alert  17  are used to signal a potential safety situation. Another configurable item would be to have the visual indicators  16  and an audio alert  17  continue sounding upon restoration of communication or continue sounding until manually disabled/silenced/attenuated by the individual operating the base station  10 . This is just one level of monitoring feature of the present invention. 
         [0043]    The base station  10  is also equipped with a paging means  19 , such as a button, to get attention of all monitees within the defined network. Activation of paging means  19  is sensed by the microcontroller  12  and a broadcast message is sent to all remote nodes  50  via the RF transceiver  14 . The remote node  50  receives the message via the RF transceiver  56  and is processed by microcontroller  54 . 
         [0044]    The remote microcontroller  54  activates the visual indicating means  60  and vibration motor means  62  to alert the monitee wearing the remote node  50  of the page dispatched or communicated by the base station  10 . 
         [0045]    An enhanced embodiment of the present invention includes a circuit for monitoring NOAA weather broadcasts  22 . This is particularly useful for a lone monitee, e.g., a swimmer such as a surfer, who may not be paying attention to incoming weather patterns. The NOAA maintains an emergency alert system broadcast on any one of seven (7) channel frequencies with the 162.40 MHz to 162.55 MHz range. These emergency alerts can be sensed and conveyed to any or all of the remote nodes  50  and would be configurable from the application running on the personal communications device  80  and/or laptop  82 . On the base station  10 , the visual indicating means  16  and audio alert means  17  could blink/sound a different pattern to distinguish between the various warning indications. Enhancements may include graphic indications of the warning type and/or recorded message playback instead of a simple annunciator sound. 
         [0046]    Another alternate embodiment of the invention includes a lightning detector  24  for monitoring incoming lightning storms which is again useful for a lone monitee such as a surfer who may not be paying attention to incoming weather patterns. Upon sensing lightning in the distance this information can be conveyed to any or all of the remote nodes  50  and would be configurable from the application running on the personal communications device  80  and/or laptop  82 . 
         [0047]    One of the main features of the system  1 , 101  is the ability of the remote node  50  to automatically sense a potential drowning situation. Each remote node  50  is equipped with a pressure transducer means  64  to monitor atmospheric pressure. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the atmospheric range ranges from approximately 1014 mbars at sea level to 265 mbars at 10,000 meters above sea level (roughly the height of the Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world). The ‘knee’ (sudden change) at the left side of the graph indicates the pressure experienced by going below sea level. The distinction must be made that any further reference below sea level is intended to mean physically under water as there are locations that can be below sea level yet not under water. For approximately every 10 meters below sea level the pressure increases by about 1,000 mbars due to the denser nature of water versus air. This phenomenon can be exploited for use within the present invention. 
         [0048]    As each remote node  50  is powered up, a baseline atmospheric pressure reading is taken by the microcontroller  54  within each individual remote node  50 . This baseline reading will vary by a very small percentage as a monitee (e.g., a swimmer) wanders around the swimming area. Upon entering the water though, the pressure will increase significantly as compared with the baseline reading. The microcontroller  54  within the remote node  50  constantly computes the ratio of the current atmospheric pressure to the baseline reading. The monitor (aka user) in charge of the monitoring the base station  10  has the ability to configure a threshold level that this ratio should not exceed (relating to depth underwater) as well as for how long (e.g., duration of time). Each threshold setting would be downloaded from the application on the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  through the microcontroller  12  and RF transceiver  14  of the base station  10  before being received by the RF transceiver  56  and processed by the microcontroller  54  of each remote node  50 . This allows each monitee to have a different set of thresholds that is independent of communication with the base station  10 . By setting these thresholds a monitee can submerge to certain depths for certain periods of time without the microcontroller  54  flagging a possible drowning condition. As soon as either of these thresholds are exceeded, the microcontroller  54  of the remote node  50  signals the monitee using the visual indicator(s) means  60  and vibration motor means  62  to indicate that it will declare an emergency situation imminently. The period of time between warning the monitee and declaring an emergency would be a configured value that is downloaded to the remote node  50 . If the monitee is not in danger of drowning, the monitee should rise to the surface as quickly as possible (and within the time configured) to prevent the remote node  50  from declaring an emergency situation. 
         [0049]    A key feature of the present invention is that a monitee can be proactive, e.g., when the monitee believes themselves to be in trouble, the monitee can press a panic button  66  mounted on the remote node  50 . Upon pressing and holding this button  68  for a defined period of time, the monitee can also declare an emergency situation. This period of time would be a configured value that is downloaded to the remote node  50 . Upon the remote node  50  having declared an emergency situation either via pressure monitoring means  64  set forth hereinabove or via the panic button  66 , the microcontroller  54  signals a buoy release mechanism  68  to release the buoy  52  from its mount  70 . By doing so, the electronics of the remote node  50  can remain floating on the surface of the water to signal the base station  10  while staying proximate to the monitee via the tether  72 . After deployment/release the remote node  50  sends an endless series of messages to the base station  10  to indicate an emergency situation. In a preferred embodiment, these messages contain location information from the GPS receiver  58  so that the monitee&#39;s location can be identified and updated in real-time. The base station  10  upon receiving an emergency message from any of the remote nodes  50  within the defined network would signal the emergency condition through the visual indicator(s)  16  and audio alert  17 . 
         [0050]    Referring back to the earlier situation whereby the count of consecutive missed responses has been exceeded, the monitor at the base station  10  can escalate the situation to emergency status as well. In this instance the monitor at the base station  10  would scan the swimming horizon for the ‘missing’ monitee who may simply be out of range, submerged briefly or had RF signal blocked by a wave, dock, etc. If the monitee is not sighted, this monitor can press a deploy button  18  that would send an endless series of messages to the ‘missing’ remote node  50  to deploy its buoy. In the embodiment equipped with optional GPS tracking, the last known transmission would be superimposed on a map of the application running on the personal communication device  80  and/or laptop  82  so further searching can commence. 
         [0051]    Furthermore, the system  1  can be configured to provide safety automatically, in the situation when the monitee is swimming alone, e.g. a surfer, or when the monitee strays past the warning period set forth hereinabove, and the monitor is not paying attention for some other reason, whether justified or not. For instance, the base station  10  provides means for setting a second predetermined time interval, wherein said deployment means  18  is automatically deployed if neither the monitee nor the monitor activate said deployment means  18  or  66 ; by sending an endless message from the base station  10  to the remote node  50  to activate the buoy release means  68 . This would function as a further backup system to increase the safety of the monitee. Although this system  1  can be used for swimmers, it is envisioned that it can be implemented in scenarios as for young and older individuals that partake in activities near the water, e.g., fishing off a dock, boat, etc. These monitees, namely, the fisherman have no intention of going into the water, however, for various reasons, they may find themselves in water, e.g., slip and fall, heart attack, faulty railing about the perimeter of the dock or pier, and this system would provide a locating device for the monitor of the base station  10  inside the cabin, tent, etc. at a nearby base camp, whatever that may be. 
         [0052]    Segueing further in the scenario of the lone monitee (e.g., a surfer), the present invention could be configured to initiate a phone call or text to emergency personnel by dialing/texting 9-1-1 (here in the United States) or another number that has been configured earlier utilizing the MMI transceiver  20  and personal communications device  80  and/or laptop  82 . However, it should be noted that this scenario does require that Wi-Fi and/or cellular service is available in the monitor&#39;s location. 
         [0053]    The present invention is not limited to beach or swimming use, as the system is envisioned and designed to be utilized in a camping situation to insure youngsters or cognitively impaired individuals do not wander too far from the base station  10  (campsite). Under these conditions the buoy release mechanism  68  of the remote nodes  50  would be disabled or configured differently as it would serve no useful purpose unless there is water nearby. This would be a downloaded configurable item as well. 
         [0054]    All the above referenced patents; patent applications and publications are hereby incorporated by reference. Having thus described a few particular embodiments of the invention, various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications and improvements as are made obvious by this disclosure are intended to be part of this description though not expressly stated herein, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not limiting. The invention is limited only as defined in the claims and equivalents thereto.