Patent ID: 8503972

Claim:
A multi-functional remote monitoring system for use in a mobile surveillance system used by law enforcement personnel, the remote monitoring system comprising: two or more wireless hand-held, mobile remote monitoring transmitters, each having a processor, an on-board memory, a microphone, and a speaker and each sized for being worn by a user on the user's person or clothing; and a hub transceiver for communicating to and receiving communication from the remote monitoring transmitters, said hub transceiver having a processor and a memory, wherein each of the remote monitoring transmitters is adapted for bi-directional transmission of audio signals to and from the other remote monitoring transmitters and to and from said hub transceiver, wherein each of the remote monitoring transmitters is adapted to function as a node in a network comprising said hub transceiver and the remote monitoring transmitters, wherein said hub transceiver includes a location-determining device operable to determine a location of the hub transceiver, and further wherein said location is periodically transmitted to the remote monitoring transmitters, wherein each of the remote monitoring transmitters is operable to capture audio signals via the microphone and to transmit the captured audio signals to the hub transceiver when the hub transceiver is within a transmit range of a transmitting remote monitoring transmitter, wherein when the hub transceiver is not within a transmit range of said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter transmits the captured audio signals to another remote monitoring transmitter in the network and within range of the hub transceiver, wherein when said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter is not within a transmit range of either the hub transceiver or another remote monitoring transmitter within range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter stores the captured audio signals in the transmitter's on-board memory, wherein upon said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter moving within the transmit range of the hub transceiver or another remote monitoring transmitter within range of the hub transceiver, said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter transmits the captured audio signals to either the another remote monitoring transmitter within range of the hub transceiver or to the hub transceiver for storage on the hub transceiver's memory, wherein said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter is adapted to scan all available channels to send an emergency signal to the hub transceiver or to any other hub transceiver in transmit range of said transmitting remote monitoring transmitter.