Patent ID: 7805146

Claim:
A method of interfacing Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship location and ship characteristic data with the cellular or WiFi network participants so that data is exchanged between the AIS and network participants and the cellular or WiFi participants in a network, thus permitting AIS equipped ships to view the location of nearby small vessels having participant cell phones and to allow network participant cell phone users to view the locations of nearby AIS equipped ships comprising the steps of: providing a network of PDA/cell phones that include a CPU, a GPS and touch screen display having advanced communication software (ACS) programs that permit exchanging voice and other data including location among all of the cell phone participants; providing a ship AIS ship communications network that allows individual ships to communicate with each other within a given geographical area to provide automatically a ship's identification, speed and location in latitude and longitude among all the ships using the AIS system including a shore station for receiving AIS real-time ship information; gathering AIS real-time data from said shore station having AIS real-time shipboard data on a first AIS server; receiving PDA/cell phone data on a cellular network boat communication server from each user establishing the identification and location of the user and, if moving, the velocity of the user, said cellular network boat communications server being connected to the internet and having access to transmission and receipt of AIS real-time shipboard data for transmitting AIS shipboard data to members of the PDA/cell phone network and transmitting PDA/cell phone network location data to ships having AIS receivers or transponders and AIS displays.