Patent ID: 8009036

Claim:
A location tracking device for use with an auxiliary device, the tracking device comprising: position determining circuitry and first short range wireless circuitry that communicates position data representative of the location of the tracking device to an auxiliary device wherein the auxiliary device has an ID along with second short range wireless circuitry that communicates this ID to the tracking device and long range communications circuitry that communicates the position data to a remote location, and wherein the location tracking device has first and second operational modes and switches between these operational modes, and wherein the decision to switch operational modes is at least partially based on the auxiliary device ID; wherein when in the first operating mode, the monitoring device over time stores and accumulates in the memory multiple instances of the generated location data from the location circuitry, but does not transmit either a current location of the one-piece monitoring device or any stored location in the memory; wherein when in the second operating mode: the one-piece monitoring device initially determines its location, becomes wirelessly tethered to the auxiliary mode, and subsequently reduces the operations of the location circuitry; and the combination of the initially determined location and the tethered status of the monitoring device to the auxiliary device replace location determinations for at least portions of the second operating mode; wherein in association with the one-piece monitoring device transitioning from the first operating mode to the second operating mode: the monitoring device batch transmits from the memory to the auxiliary device via at least the first and second short range wireless communication circuitry the accumulated multiple instances of the generated location data; and the interface transfers to the remote location through the third communication circuitry the accumulated multiple instances of the generated location data as received by the second wireless communication circuitry.