Patent ID: 7855654

Claim:
A communication system for determining and recording the geographical location of an object falling overboard a moving vessel, comprising: a) a short range wireless device (SRWD) attached to said object; b) a radio beacon (RB) installed onboard said vessel; c) a remote control station (RCS); said RB configured to detect non positioning signals emitted by said SRWD while both RB and SRWD are onboard the vessel and upon detecting from said non positioning signals that said SRWD is exceeding a predetermined range away from the RB indicative that said SRWD is no longer onboard, while said onboard RB is on the move, transmit an alarm message comprising unique data identifying said RB and enabling determining the location of said RB; said RCS configured to detect said RB alarm message but not said SRWD signals, and consequently determine the location of said RB, and consequently determine also the location of said SRWD to be the location of the RB at the time of detecting that said SRWD is no longer onboard, and record the SRWD location coordinates and said unique data and time of record; said SRWD comprising: a transmitter configured to emit low power; control circuitry to activate the transmitter periodically or upon an input or a combination thereof; said RB comprising: a memory for storing the unique data; a transmitter configured to transmit alarm messages; a receiver configured to detect SRWD signals; a controller configured to control the communications with the RCS and with the SRWD; a speed sensor including a GPS receiver; said RCS comprising: a receiver or a plurality of receivers configured to receive alarm messages from said RB; means to determine and record and display the RB and SRWD location coordinates.