Patent Publication Number: US-2009237236-A1

Title: Tooth located gps person tracking and location method and apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Tracking devices, such as radio frequency identification tags (RFID), are increasingly used to mark shipping pallets, library books and retail store items to provide a convenient means of determining the location and/or tracking the movement of the article on which the tag is mounted. 
     Such RFID tags or microchips are also increasingly used to provide identification and location information for pets, such as dogs and cats. In such applications, the tags are embedded in the pet by a surgical procedure. 
     RFID tags have also been used for monitoring the physical location of a person, especially children. The tags are applied to the person&#39;s body by typically mounting the tag in an article of clothing worn by the person, or on the person&#39;s glasses, a bracelet, a clip, or the shoes worn by the person. 
     However, the use of surgical procedures to embed a RFID tag or microchip in a pet, or even a person, is an invasive procedure subject to the normal dangers of surgery, such as infection, cost, etc. However, embedding the microchip or tag in the body of a pet or person assures that the tag cannot be easily separated from the pet or person. 
     Placing tags on an article of clothing, jewelry, etc. worn by a person are subject to loss or separation thereby rendering the monitoring and tracking function of such tags useless. 
     It would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for tracking the physical location of a person which securely affixes a microchip or tag to the person in a secure, not easily removable manner while at the same time avoiding costly elective surgical procedures used to embed such microchips or tags in the body of a pet or person. 
     SUMMARY 
     A method for remotely monitoring the location of a person comprising the steps of: 
     preparing a cavity in a tooth of a person; 
     mounting a microchip in the cavity, the microchip including a transceiver 
     means for transmitting a wireless signal containing geographic location information relating to the physical location of the person, the microchip adapted for communicating with a Global Positioning System to receive geographic location information of the person; 
     filling the cavity with a dental filling material; 
     establishing communication between the microchip by a first communication link and a tracking apparatus which wirelessly communicates with the microchip to obtain the geographic location information from the microchip to determine the geographic location of the person; and 
     establishing communication between the microchip by a second communication link between the microchip and the Global Positioning System for obtaining geographic information relating to the physical location of the person. 
     Other applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     A system for remotely monitoring the location of a person comprising: 
     a microchip including a transceiver for transmitting a wireless signal containing geographic information relating to the physical location of a person, the microchip adapted to be mounted in a tooth of a person; 
     a Global Positioning System transmitting global positioning data to the microchip; and 
     a tracking apparatus disposed of a wireless communication with a microchip to obtain the geographic information from the microchip to determine the physical location of the person. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       The various features, advantages and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawing in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a person physical location tracking system; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of the major elements of the tag shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a human tooth showing different mounting locations for the tag. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the drawing, in  FIGS. 1-3  in particular, there is depicted a system for remotely monitoring the physical location of a person  10 . The system includes a tag or microchip  12 , a Global Positioning System (GPS)  14 , and a tracking device  16 . 
     The GPS system  14  includes a plurality of satellites with only one satellite being shown by reference number  14  for clarity, which transmit global positioning data to the tag  12 . The OPS data from one or more satellites  14  is used by the tag  12  to determine the physical location of the tag  12 , which is mounted on the person  10 , as described hereafter. 
     The tag  12  can be a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag or microchip which includes components and software to collect the GPS data from the GPS system  14  to determine the geographic physical location of the person  10  on the earth. 
     As shown by way of example only in  FIG. 2 , the tag  12  may include a processor or CPU  20  which communicates with a memory  22  containing the control software executed by the processor  20  as well as the current geographic location information obtained from the GPS system or satellite  14 . 
     A transceiver  24 , which may be replaced by a separate transmitter and a separate receiver, is coupled to the CPU or processor  20  for communicating signals to and from the processor  20  via an antenna  26 . A power supply  28  is coupled to the CPU  20  and the transceiver  24  for supplying electric power to the components to the tag  12 . The power supply  28  may be an active power supply, such as a battery which can be recharged by energy sources internal to the body of the person  10 , such as acoustic, mechanical, chemical, electrical, electromagnetic, or thermal sources derived from, for example, bodily temperature differences, muscle activity, vibrations due to pulse, speaking, breathing, etc. The power supply  28  may also be an inactive power supply, such as an inductive type power supply which induces electrical energy from signals received from the tracking unit  16 . 
     The tracking unit  16  may be a suitable ground located tracking device, such as a mobile telephone network, radio communications array, etc. The tracking unit  16  may include a processor or be coupled to a separate processor. 
     The tracking unit  16  transmits wireless signals by a communication network or link  30 , which can be an existing mobile telephone or radio communication network, to the tag  12 . The signal or signals from the tracking unit  16  are transmitted over the link  30  which may include wireless portions, such as satellite uplinks, radio frequency communication, the Internet, etc., as well as hardline portions, including communication cables, telephone conductors, etc. 
     The signals from the tracking unit  16  are received by the processor  20  of the tag  12  and decoded. The CPU  20  is uniquely encoded to each person  10  so that a single tracking unit  16  may be employed to track a plurality of discrete people  10  where the tag  12  on each person  10  has a unique identification code. The CPU  20  of the tag  12  decodes the code portion of the signal received by the transceiver  24  from the tracking unit  16 . When a code match is determined, the CPU  20  retransmits the geographic location information relating to the then physical location of the person  10  by the transceiver  24  and the antenna  26  through the communication link  30  to the tracking unit  16 . This information is decoded by the tracking unit  16  and displayed in a convenient manner to enable the physical location of the person  10  to be visibly and/or audibly determined. 
     When activated by a signal received by the tracking unit  16  or on a separate recurring periodic basis, the processor or CPU  20  of the tag  12  communicates with the GPS system  14  via another communication network or link  32 . The communication link  32  typically comprises a wireless satellite communication network which may include communication through mobile telephone or satellite towers and ground stations to and from the GPS satellites  14 . The CPU  20  receives the GPS data from the satellite  14  through the transceiver  26 , determines the geographic location of the person  10 , and then transmits the geographic location information along with the person ID via the communication link  30  to the tracking unit  16 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is depicted a mounting location for the tag  12  in the tooth  40  of a person  10 . 
     Tooth, as used herein, will be understood to include a lying or remainder of a tooth formed, typically after a root canal, which receives a crown, preexisting in the oral cavity of a person or fixed within the oral cavity by a dental procedure, 
     An open ended cavity  42  is formed in the tooth  40 , shown by way of example only in  FIG. 3  as extending from the occusal or bight surface of the tooth  40  into a bottom wall  50  in the enamel portion  44  of the tooth  40 . The cavity  42  may also extend to a bottom wall  50  which is located in the dentin portion  46  of the tooth  40 . By way of example only, the bottom wall or end wall  50  of the cavity  42  may extend approximately one millimeter into the dentin portion  46  of the tooth  40 . 
     The shape and size of the cross section of the cavity  42  formed by a sidewall  52  is selected to enable easy placement of the tag  50  through the open end of the cavity  42  and into a resting relationship with the bottom wall  50  of the cavity  42 . Alternately, the cross section of the cavity  42  may be formed to first remove all decay when the tag mounting operation is combined with a decay removal and tooth filling dental procedure. 
     The tag  12  is disposed in the cavity  42  in a position for clear communication by the antenna  26  with the communication links  30  and  32 . 
       FIG. 3  also depicts alternate mounting positions of a cavity  54  extending inward from the lingual surface  56  of the tooth  40  where a cavity  58  extending inward from the buccal surface of the tooth  40 . 
     For example only, the cavity  42  may be about four to about five millimeters deep. There should be at least about one or two millimeters thick of cavity filling material between the tag  12  and the surface of the cavity for the tag  12  could be formed in the tooth formed after a root canal, and beneath the crown itself. 
     According to the present method, the cavity  42  is formed according to established dental procedures. The tag  12  is then mounted in the cavity  42  in a position to establish clear communication by the antenna  26  with the communication links  30  and  32 . A dental filling material, such a composite resin or amalgam, is gently packed in the cavity  42  filling the cavity  42  up to the occusal surface  48  of the tooth  40 . The filling material  62 , when cured to a solidified or hardened state, securely affixes the position of the tag  40  within the cavity  42  and prevents movement and inhibits removal of the tag  12  from the cavity  42 . 
     At the same time, if it becomes necessary to replace the tag  12  due to malfunction, upgrades, etc., the filling material  62  can be removed from the cavity  42  to enable removal of the tag  12  from the cavity  42 .