Abstract:
Method and apparatus are for monitoring the location of a wireless device and taking supervisory action in response to that location. Location information obtained from a user&#39;s wireless device, or otherwise concerning the present location of the user, is monitored and compared with one or more locations previously approved for that user. An exception is noted if the user reaches a non-approved location, or fails to timely arrive at an approved destination. In response to an exception, supervisory action is taken which may include contacting the wireless device, partially or completely disabling further service of that device, or contacting another person.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates in general to geofencing management of wireless devices, and more particularly relates to methods and systems for monitoring and supervisory action based on geographic locations of wireless devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Location-based services for wireless devices are only beginning to become adopted. Such wireless devices may include cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs), as well as more application-specific devices intended for use by service persons and other workers. Cell phones and PDAs are typically small in size, so that the individual user can carry such devices on his or her person for example, in a belt holster, a backpack, or a book bag. Purpose-specific wireless devices may be incorporated into vehicle-mounted communications equipment or other apparatus used in connection with the service or field visits of the person, although of course service persons may as well carry individual cell phones or other wireless devices. 
     Although the service of tracking the geographic locations of wireless devices is known, those services are generally used only to track the location of field service workers, children, or others carrying wireless devices and subscribed to a tracking service. The tracking services may monitor the location of a participating wireless device and periodically prepare reports, based on locations and times of the location information, so that a parent or supervisor may later take action as deemed appropriate. In the case of application-specific wireless devices, such devices may monitor additional inputs, such as vehicle speed and ignition on-off status, and periodically report that information for supervisory attention. However, such prior systems generally do not provide real-time or near-real-time remote management of wireless devices or their features and functions. 
     SUMMARY 
     Stated in general terms, systems according to embodiments of the present invention monitor the location of a wireless device and takes one or several supervisory actions if that device is not at an expected location. The expected location may be one or more locations where the wireless device and its user are expected at one or more particular times, such as the user&#39;s house or the house of a friend, or a daycare center or other location previously designated or approved by a subscriber of the monitoring service. For the purpose of this disclosure, it should also be understood that an “expected location” can include one or more locations outside of a predetermined geofencing arrangement, namely, locations where the user of the wireless device should not be present. Examples of such excluded locations might include, for example, bars or theatres in the case of service persons in the course of their employment. 
     Action taken on location information not corresponding to an expected location of a wireless device, e.g., at a particular time, or the location of a wireless device at a location previously determined as unapproved for that wireless device and its user, may take various forms according to embodiments of the present invention. Location information of a wireless device is periodically received and compared with a database or other source containing predetermined location information for that wireless device. If the location information indicates that the wireless device is at other than an expected location, an exception is determined and, in response to the exception, an action is taken. According to embodiments of the present invention, that responsive action may include sending a notification signal to the wireless device, as well as disabling one or more functions of that wireless device. Exception-responsive action may also include sending a message to one or more destinations different from the wireless device whose location is being monitored, for example, to notify a parent or guardian that a child has not arrived at a predetermined location within the time expected for that arrival. Such third-party notification may also operate in several escalating levels, for example, a first level being notification sent to a parent or guardian, followed by a second level of notification sent to a school principle or administrator if the first-level notification is not acknowledged within a certain time. A third level of notification might, for example, provide an alert to local police and/or a local 911 emergency provider. 
     Location information of the wireless device may be obtained by any suitable technique including techniques known in the art, as discussed below. According to an embodiment of the present invention, location information for a person may also be obtained by sensors or information-reading devices other than cell phones or PDAs. For example, the arrival of a person at a particular location, e.g., a daycare center or a school, may be signaled by swiping or otherwise reading an ID card or other device carried by that person and encoded with readable information identifying the carrier of the card or device. Non-contact sensing devices such as RFID devices may also provide a source of identification information when that device is scanned by a reader as a person carrying the device enters or leaves a particular location. The location information thus derived by scanning or otherwise sensing an information device carried by the person is transmitted, by wire or wirelessly, to the provider of monitoring services. The service provider can compare that location information to a database or other source of information provided for the particular person, to determine whether or not that person has arrived at an expected destination within a predetermined time, for example, within a maximum amount of time after that person departed from a previous location as indicated by location information derived from a wireless device of that person. 
     Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according to embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or computer program products be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram showing monitoring and supervisory management of a wireless device according to a disclosed embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart representing operation of the embodiment according to  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating operation of an alternative disclosed embodiment according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows in functional terms an apparatus according to a disclosed embodiment for monitoring the location of a wireless device, and by extension the location of a person carrying that wireless device. The wireless devices in that embodiment are indicated generally at  10 , and it will be understood that those wireless devices may be cell phones, PDAs equipped for radio communication, or any other wireless device operating for radio communication with a central location or service provider for such wireless devices. 
     A wireless network  12  is in radio communication with the one or more wireless devices  10 . Where the wireless devices  10  comprise cell phones, it will be understood that the wireless network  12  comprises a number of cell sites for radio communication with the wireless devices. The wireless network  12  is operated by a wireless service provider  14 , which those skilled in the art will understand as including one or more mobile switching centers each of which may serve more than one cell site. The wireless service provider  14  can establish communication between two or more wireless devices  10  through the wireless network  12 , or between a wireless device and one or more landline phones by the interconnection  16  with the public switched telephone network (PSTN) or with other wired or wireless communications networks such as the Internet and Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP). 
     A monitoring service provider  20  according to the disclosed embodiment provides monitoring services for participating wireless devices  10 , and receives information from the wireless service provider  14  concerning the identities and geographic locations of those participating wireless devices  10 . It should be understood that the services and operations of the monitoring service provider  20  may be provided by a wireless service provider  14  or by an entity separate from the wireless service provider  14 , although the two service providers  14  and  20  are shown functionally separated in  FIG. 1 . In either case, the monitoring service provider  20  provides monitoring and administrative functions for subscribers to the service, based on the identification of one or more wireless device  10  provided to the monitoring service provider  20  by those subscribers. Typical subscribers to the present monitoring and administrative services could be parents concerned with the locations of one or more children caring cell phones or other wireless devices  10 , and business operators desiring to monitor and administer activities of their service persons carrying wireless devices  10 . 
     The monitoring service provider  20  includes a processor  22  operatively communicating at  24  with the wireless service provider  14 , and a database storage device  26  operatively connected to the processor  22  for receiving and storing information identifying particular wireless devices  10  being monitored and location information for those wireless devices  10 . Information concerning the geographic location of the wireless devices  10  may be obtained by any technique known in the art. Such geographic location techniques currently include the global positioning system (GPS) relying on satellite information that can be received by GPS-enabled wireless devices  10 . Other current techniques for locating wireless devices  10  include, without limitation, time-difference-of-arrival measurement based on signals transmitted by the wireless device  10  and received at multiple radio towers of the wireless network  12 . Techniques for obtaining and processing geographic location information of cell phones and other wireless devices  10  are known to those skilled in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,110,749, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference. 
     The monitoring service provider  20  may also receive location inputs from one or more sources other than the location information specific to the wireless devices  10 . Those sources appear in  FIG. 1  as the one or more fixed location inputs  30 , with the understanding that “fixed” is herein used to denote location-based information derived from one or more sources other than the wireless devices  10 . As previously mentioned, examples of fixed information inputs  30  include information-card scanners or readers associated with a building or room containing, for example, a nursery school or day-care center, and RFID sensors that produce a unique signal when a person carrying an RFID device moves within a certain proximity to the sensor. A keypad entry device, onto which a person entering or leaving a particular location would enter a personal ID code, is another possible source of fixed location input information. Whatever the source, the one or more fixed location inputs  30  are supplied to the processor  22  of the monitoring service provider  20  through any suitable data link include wireless or wireline connections and using Internet Protocol (IP) or any other suitable data-transfer technique. 
     The monitoring service  20  compares the location information received for a wireless device  10  with the expected geographic location information supplied by a subscriber to the service and stored on the database  26 , as discussed below. If the comparison indicates that the wireless device  10  is not at an approved location, the monitoring service provider  20  notes an exception and initiates one or more supervisory action outputs at  32 . Examples of such supervisory actions are discussed below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example of monitoring and supervising the wireless device  10  according to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 . At the start  202  of the process illustrated in  FIG. 2 , it is assumed that a subscriber or account holder of the monitoring service has registered, with the monitoring service provider  20 , at least one wireless device  10  whose location and movement is to be monitored. That registration would typically include providing a unique identifier of the wireless device  10 , such as the unique Manufacturer&#39;s Identification Number and/or the telephone number associated with a cell phone whose location is to be monitored, or some other unique identifier such as the IP address in the case of a wireless device communicating over the Internet. Registration with the monitoring service provider would also include identifying at least one expected location or other geographic location of interest to the subscriber. Such geographic locations could include, for example, the location of one or more places where the wireless-device user is expected to be present, and/or locations that are not approved for visit by the user of a particular wireless device  10 . Furthermore, the subscriber may provide time- or date-relevant information pertaining to one or more locations, denoting approved times for arriving at or departing from particular locations. Such times may be absolute (“Leave the party at location X by 11 p.m.”) or relative, e.g., arrival at the location of a certain day-care center within 30 minutes after departing a particular school or other certain location. The information furnished to the monitoring service provider  20  by a subscriber is stored on the database  26  by the processor  22 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , location information is obtained at  204  from a participating wireless device  10 . That location information may be obtained at periodic intervals, as known in the art. The processor  22  of the monitoring service provider  20  compares that location information at  206  with approved location information previously stored in the database  26 , with that comparison continuing unless the comparison of location information shows at  209  that that the wireless device  10  is at an unapproved location. In that latter case, the processor  22  at  208  notes an exception and at  210  initiates one or more predetermined supervisory actions in response to the exception, as shown by the output  32  on  FIG. 1 . Exemplary supervisory actions according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  are identified at  212 . For example, the monitoring service provider  20  may at  214  contact the wireless device  10 , working through the wireless service provider  14  for that wireless device as shown at  216 . Contacting the wireless device  10  as at  214  may include a short audible and/or visual message appearing on the wireless device  10 , or may produce a characteristic ring tone, buzz, or vibration depending on the alerting capabilities of the particular wireless device  10 . 
     Supervisory action may also include partial or full disablement of operation of the wireless device  10 , as indicated at  218 . For example, the operation of a participating wireless device  10  would be temporarily restricted to block outgoing calls to anyone other than certain phone numbers identified by the subscriber (e.g., parent or supervisor numbers) and 911 emergency calls. Disabling operation of the wireless device  10  at  218  could occur concurrent with contacting that wireless device  10  as at  214 , so that the user of that wireless device  10  would receive a message alerting the user of arrival at an unapproved location and that operation of the wireless device  10  was thereafter restricted until being reset at the discretion or control of the monitoring-service subscriber. 
     Supervisory action may also comprise contacting one or more authorized persons as at  220 . Examples of authorized persons include one or both parents, a school administrator, or a supervisor of a service person carrying a wireless device  10  being monitored. Such alerting contacts to other recipients are initiated by the monitoring service provider  20  as indicated at  32  in  FIG. 1 , and may include initiating one or more messages to addresses such as wireline or wireless phone numbers or IP addresses previously furnished to the monitoring service provider  20  by the subscriber. That monitoring service provider  20  may establish a hierarchy of authorized contacts, with an initial contact attempted to a first parent, and thereafter a contact to a second parent, followed by a contact to an administrator or other person if no preceding contact attempt is completed or acknowledged within a predetermined amount of time. 
     It is also within the purview of the present system to take supervisory action by contacting a 911 emergency call center as at  222 . Any such 911 contact could also transfer the last-available location information of the wireless device  10  to the 911 center as at  224 . Such emergency contact action may be appropriate only in certain situations, such as monitoring the location of a child or an elderly person who might be unable to seek emergency assistance. 
       FIG. 3  shows another embodiment for monitoring and supervisory control of the wireless device  10  according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. The method shown with respect to  FIG. 3  starts at  302  and obtains destination information at  303  relating to one or more scheduled destinations for an individual. That destination information may include a time the person is expected to arrive at a particular destination, and each such time may be expressed either as an absolute time of day or as a relative time after received location information indicates that person has left a previous destination. Examples of destination information include the location of a daycare center or other post-school destination for a minor person, as well as a post-daycare destination (e.g., a friend&#39;s house) for that person. Intended destinations for service persons might include customer visits scheduled for that person throughout a work period. 
     The method according to  FIG. 3  also obtains location information at  304  of the wireless device  10 , as with the corresponding element  204  described above with respect to  FIG. 2 . Obtaining location information of the wireless device  10  at  304  may be accomplished using geographic location information received from the wireless service provider  14  as described above. Alternatively, the present location of the wireless-device  10  user may be obtained from a fixed-location input  30  as described with respect to  FIG. 1 . For example, a person may present an identification card or other device when entering a particular location, and that information is transmitted to the monitoring service provider  20  from the sensor at that fixed location. A later departure of that person from the location may likewise be obtained either by geographic-location information derived from the wireless device  10 , or from a fixed-location input as the person scans an identification reader when exiting that location. 
     The method of  FIG. 3  monitors location information of the wireless device  10  at  306 , and at  308  determines whether that wireless device  10  has departed a present location. If the wireless device  10  has departed the present location, then the processor  22  determines at  310  whether or not the person has timely arrived at the next destination previously scheduled at  303 . That destination arrival is determined from the location information either as obtained from the wireless device  10  carried by the person, or by a fixed-location input  30  derived from the next location. Assuming a timely arrival at that next location, the process moves to  312  where the processor  22  sees whether information concerning another destination for that person is in the system. If another destination is present, then at  314  the processor  22  returns to determining whether the person has departed from the current present location as at  308 . However, if at  312  the processor  22  determines that no other destination is scheduled for that person, the process ends. 
     If the processor  22  determines at decision  310  that the person has not arrived at the predetermined next destination within the time set for that arrival, then at  316  the processor  22  branches to note an exception at  208  on  FIG. 2 , and to take appropriate supervisory action on that exception as at  210  and  212  on  FIG. 2 . As discussed above, what may constitute appropriate action depends on the circumstances and the person being monitored; an appropriate supervisory action for a service person not timely arriving at the next scheduled customer location would likely be different from the action to be taken when a child has not reached a destination within a certain amount of time after departing a previous location. 
     It should also be understood that the foregoing relates only to disclosed embodiments of the present invention and that numerous changes and modifications therein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.