Patent ID: 8682309

Claim:
A communication system, comprising: a central command computer; and a plurality of mobile computing devices, at least some of the plurality of mobile computing devices being cellular phones, each of the mobile computing devices including a plurality of sensors and also including a processor and computer-readable memory containing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the mobile computing device to: form a secure wireless network with the central command computer and at least one other mobile computing device; receive sensor output data from at least one of the mobile computing device's plurality of sensors and then send at least some of that received sensor output data over the secure wireless network to at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network; receive sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network; receive at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to at least one of the mobile computing device's plurality of sensors; and automatically receive over the secure wireless network, from the central command computer or from one or more of the other mobile computing devices, any plug-in component needed by the mobile computing device to receive the sensor output data from any of the mobile computing device's plurality of sensors, to receive the sensor output data over the secure wireless network from at least one other mobile computing device on the secure wireless network, and to receive the at least one command over the secure wireless network and then provide that command to the at least one of the mobile computing device's plurality of sensors.