Patent ID: 8130096

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: user-carried apparatus having a unique ID, comprising: a plurality of buttons that are each selectable to generate one Of a predetermined number of operational mode signals; a short-range wireless transceiver; and a processor coupled to the plurality of selectable buttons and the short-range Wireless transceiver that is programmed to transmit a signal corresponding to the unique ID and selectively transmit a selected operational mode signal when a particular button is selected using a short-range wireless communication protocol; and asset tracking apparatus comprising: a short-range wireless transceiver for receiving short-range wireless communication signals having the short-range wireless communication protocol; a vibration sensor; a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for processing GPS signals received from GPS satellites to generate a location signal indicative of the location of the asset tracking apparatus; a simplex satellite transmitter for communicating with a remote location via one or more communication satellites; and a processor coupled to the short-range wireless receiver, the vibration sensor, the GPS receiver, and the satellite transmitter that is programmed to process the signal corresponding to the unique ID received from the user-carried apparatus to determine if the user-carried apparatus is in range and that the user-carried apparatus is authorized to communicate with the asset tracking apparatus, for transmitting the location signal to the remote location via the simplex satellite transmitter and the one or more communication satellites if the asset tracking apparatus moves and an authorized user-carried apparatus is out of range, and for transmitting the signal corresponding to the unique ID of the authorized user-carried apparatus and a selected operational mode signal received from the authorized user-carried apparatus if it is in range.