Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 1 of 32 PageID #: 995
`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 1 of 32 PageID #: 995
`
`EXHIBIT 9
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`EXHIBIT 9
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`TO COMPLAINT
`TO COMPLAINT
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`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 17 of 32 PageID #: 1011
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 20, 2002
`
`Sheet 15 of 18
`
`US 6,437,692 Bl
`
`FIG. 11
`To Addr. From Addr. Pkt. No. Pkt. Max. Pkt. Lngth. Cmd.
`(1)
`(6)
`(1)
`(1)
`(1)
`(1-6)
`
`Message Structure
`
`Data
`(0-238)
`
`CkH
`(1)
`
`Ckl
`( 1)
`
`The order of appearance remains fixed although byte position number in each
`packet may vary due to one or more of the following reasons:
`1.
`Scalability of the "TO ADDRESS" (1 to 6 Bytes).
`2.
`The CMD Byte.
`3.
`Scalability of the Data portion of the message (0 to 238 Bytes).
`
`"To Address" Byte Assignment:
`
`MSB - Byte 1
`Device Type
`
`FF-FO (16) - Broadcast All Devices (1 Byte Address)
`EF-1F (224) -·Device Type Base (2 to 6 Byte Address)
`OF-00 (16) - Personal Transceiver Identification (6 Byte Address)
`--------- ----------------------------------------
`Byte 2
`FF-FO (16) - Broadcast all Devices (Byte 1 Type)
`Mfg./Owner ID
`(2 Byte Broadcast Address)
`EF-00 (240) - Mfg./Owner Code Identification Number
`
`Byte 3
`Mfg./Owner
`Extension ID
`
`FF-FO (16) - Broadcast all Devices (Byte 1 & Byte 2 Type)
`(3 Byte Broadcast Address)
`EF-00 (240) - Device Type/Mfg./Owner Code ID Number
`
`Byte 4
`
`Byte 5
`
`Byte 6
`
`FF-FO (16) - Broadcast all Devices (Byte 1 & Byte 2 Type)
`(4 Byte Broadcast Address)
`EF-00 (240) - ID Number
`
`(FF-00) 256 - Identification Number
`
`(FF-00) 256 -· Identification Number
`
`"From Address" Byte Assignment:
`From Address
`(FF-00) Full "ID" of Originating Device (up to 6 Bytes)
`Packet Number
`(FF-00) Packet Number of Msg. longer than 256 Bytes
`Packet Max.
`(FF-00) Number of Packets in Message over 256 Bytes
`Packet Length
`(FF-00) Length (in Bytes) of Packet/Message Transmission*
`Command
`(FF-00) Command Byte
`(FF-00) Data as required by specific command
`Data
`(FF-00) Packet Checksum, High Byte
`ChkH
`ChkL
`(FF-00) Packet Checksum, Low Byte
`Packet Length - 13 Bytes (Min.)/ 256 Bytes (Max.)
`
`*
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 18 of 32 PageID #: 1012
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Aug. 20, 2002
`
`Sheet 16 of 18
`
`US 6,437,692 Bl
`
`Sample Messages
`
`Central Server to Personal Transceiver - Broadcast Message - FF (Emergency)
`Byte Count = 12
`
`To Addr.
`(FF)
`
`From Addr. Pkt. No. Pkt. Max. Pkt. Lngth. Cmd.
`(12345678)
`(00)
`(FF)
`(00)
`(OC)
`
`CkH Ckl
`(02)
`(9E)
`
`First Transceiver to Repeater (Transceiver)
`Broadcast Message - FF (Emergency)
`Byte Count = 17
`
`To Addr.
`(FO)
`
`From Addr. Pkt. No. Pkt. Ma x Pkt. Lngth. Cmd.
`(00)
`(11)
`(FF)
`(00)
`(12345678)
`-
`
`---------Data
`
`(AOOO 123456)
`
`CkH Ckl
`(03)
`(AO)
`
`Note: Additional Transceiver Re-Broadcasts do not change the message.
`The messages are simply received and re-broadcast.
`
`Message to Device "AO" From Device "E1" Command - "08" (Respond to PING)
`Response will reverse "To" and "From" Addresses
`
`To Addr.
`(A012345678)
`
`From Addr.
`(E112345678)
`
`P# P Max. P Lngth. Cmd. Data CkH Ckl
`(00)
`(00)
`( 11)
`(08)
`(A5)
`(04)
`(67)
`
`Byte Count = 17
`
`FIG. 12
`
`

`

`

`

`

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`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 21 of 32 PageID #: 1015
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`US 6,437,692 Bl
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`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING
`AND CONTROLLING REMOTE DEVICES
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
`applications Ser. No. 09/271,517; filed Mar. 18, 1999, and
`entitled, "System For Monitoring Conditions in a Residen(cid:173)
`tial Living Community;" Ser. No. 09/102,178; filed Jun. 22,
`1998, entitled, "Multi-Function General Purpose Trans(cid:173)
`ceiver;" Ser. No. 09/172,554; filed Oct. 14, 1998, entitled,
`"System for Monitoring the Light Level Around an ATM,"
`now Pat. No. 6,028,522; Ser. No. 09/412,895; filed Oct. 5,
`1999, entitled, "System and Method for Monitoring the
`Light Level Around an ATM now U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,953;
`and further claims the benefit of provisional patent applica(cid:173)
`tion Serial No. 60/146,817; filed Aug. 2, 1999 entitled,
`"System and Method for Monitoring and Controlling Resi(cid:173)
`dential Devices." Each of the above identified disclosures
`are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`2
`and recording expense associated with more frequent meter
`observation and was convenient for consumers who favor
`the consistent billed amounts associated with "budget
`billing," the utility provider retained the costs associated
`5 with less frequent meter readings and the processing costs
`associated with reconciling consumer accounts.
`Lastly, a number of environmental and safety systems
`require constant or real-time monitoring. Heating,
`ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, fire reporting and
`10 damage control systems, alarm systems, and access control
`systems are representative systems that utilize real-time
`monitoring and often require immediate feedback and con(cid:173)
`trol. These real-time systems have been the target of control
`systems theory and application thereof for some time.
`A problem with expanding the use of control systems
`technology to distributed systems are the costs associated
`with the sensor-actuator infrastructure required to monitor
`and control functions within such systems. The typical
`approach to implementing control system technology is to
`20 install a local network of hard-wired sensors and actuators
`along with a local controller. Not only is there expense
`associated with developing and installing appropriate sen(cid:173)
`sors and actuators but the added expense of connecting
`functional sensors and controllers with the local controller.
`Another prohibitive cost associated with applying control
`systems technology to distributed systems is the installation
`and operational expense associated with the local controller.
`Accordingly, an alternative solution to applying monitor(cid:173)
`ing and control system solutions to distributed systems that
`overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art is desired.
`
`15
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention generally relates to remotely aper- 25
`ated systems, and more particularly to a computerized
`system for monitoring, reporting on, and controlling remote
`systems by transferring information signals through a wide
`area network (WAN) and using software applications hosted
`on a connected server to appropriately process the informa- 30
`tion.
`2. Discussion of the Related Art
`As is known, there are a variety of systems for monitoring
`and controlling manufacturing processes, inventory systems, 35
`emergency control systems, and the like. Most automatic
`systems use remote sensors and controllers to monitor and
`automatically respond to system parameters to reach desired
`results. A number of control systems utilize computers to
`process system inputs, model system responses, and control
`actuators to implement process corrections within the sys(cid:173)
`tem. Both the electric power generation and metallurgical
`processing industries have had success controlling produc(cid:173)
`tion processes by implementing computer controlled control
`systems in individual plants.
`One way to classify control systems is by the timing
`involved between subsequent monitoring occurrences.
`Monitoring processes can be classified as aperiodic or
`random, periodic, and real-time. A number of remotely
`distributed service industries implement the monitoring and
`controlling process steps through manual inspection and
`intervention.
`Aperiodic monitoring systems (those that do not operate
`on a predetermined cycle) are inherently inefficient as they
`require a service technician to physically traverse an area to 55
`record data, repair out of order equipment, add inventory to
`a vending machine, and the like. Such service trips are
`carried out in a number of industries with the associated
`costs being transferred to the consumers of the service.
`Conversely, utility meter monitoring, recording, and cli(cid:173)
`ent billing are representative of a periodic monitoring sys(cid:173)
`tem. In the past, utility providers sent a technician from
`meter to meter on a periodic basis to verify meter operation
`and to record utility use. One method of cutting operating
`expenses in the utility industry involved increasing the
`period at which manual monitoring and meter data recording
`was performed. While this method decreased the monitoring
`
`40
`
`Certain objects, advantages and novel features of the
`invention will be set forth in part in the description that
`follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in
`the art upon examination of the following or may be learned
`with the practice of the invention. The objects and advan(cid:173)
`tages of the invention may be realized and obtained by
`means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly
`pointed out in the appended claims.
`To achieve the advantages and novel features, the present
`invention is generally directed to a cost effective method of
`monitoring and controlling remote devices. More
`45 specifically, the present invention is directed to a comput(cid:173)
`erized system for monitoring, reporting, and controlling
`remote systems and system information transfer by trans(cid:173)
`mitting information signals to a WAN gateway interface and
`using applications on a connected server to process the
`50 information. Because the applications server is integrated on
`a WAN, Web browsers can be used by anyone with Internet
`access (and the appropriate access permissions) to view and
`download the recorded data.
`In accordance with a broad aspect of the invention, a
`system is provided having one or more sensors to be read
`and/or actuators to be controlled remotely, ultimately
`through a computer on the Internet. The sensors and/or
`actuators are interfaced with wireless transceivers that trans(cid:173)
`mit and/or receive data to and from the Internet. In this
`60 regard, additional wireless transceivers may relay informa(cid:173)
`tion between the transceivers disposed in connection with
`the sensors and actuators and a gateway to the Internet. It
`should be appreciated that, a portion of the information
`communicated includes data that uniquely identifies the
`65 sensors and/or actuators.
`In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a system
`is configured to monitor and report system parameters. The
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 22 of 32 PageID #: 1016
`
`US 6,437,692 Bl
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`4
`signals from an existing local controller via the networked
`wireless transceivers. In this regard, the system of the
`present invention would require a data translator to tap into
`the data stream of an existing control system. Distinct
`control system signals may be mapped to function codes
`used by the present invention in order to provide customer
`access to control system data. In this way, the system of the
`present invention can be integrated with present data col(cid:173)
`lection and system controllers inexpensively, as customers
`will only have to add a data translator and a wireless
`transmitter or transceiver as the application demands. By
`integrating the present invention with the data stream gen(cid:173)
`erated by present monitoring and control systems, potential
`customers enjoy the benefits of the present invention without
`the difficulties associated with integrating sensors and actua(cid:173)
`tors to monitor individual system parameters.
`
`3
`system is implemented by using a plurality of wireless
`transceivers. At least one wireless transceiver is interfaced
`with a sensor, transducer, actuator or some other device
`associated with the application parameter of interest. In this
`regard, the term "parameter" is broadly construed and may 5
`include, but is not limited to, a system alarm condition, a
`system process variable, an operational condition, etc. The
`system also includes a plurality of transceivers that act as
`signal repeaters that are dispersed throughout the nearby
`geographic region at defined locations. By defined locations, 10
`it is meant only that the location of each transceiver is
`known to a central computer. The central computer may be
`informed of transceiver physical locations after permanent
`installation, as the installation location of the transceivers is
`not limited. Each transceiver that serves to repeat a previ- 15
`ously generated data signal may be further integrated with
`its own unique sensor or a sensor actuator combination as
`required. Additional transceivers may be configured as
`stand-alone devices that serve to simply receive, format, and
`further transmit system data signals. Further, the system 20
`includes a local data formatter that is configured to receive
`information communicated from the transceivers, format the
`data, and forward the data via the gateway to one or more
`servers interconnected with the WAN. The server further
`includes means for evaluating the received information and 25
`identifying the system parameter and the originating loca(cid:173)
`tion of the parameter. The server also includes means for
`updating a database or further processing the reported
`parameters.
`Consistent with the broader concepts of the invention, the 30
`"means" for evaluating the received information and the
`"means" for reporting system parameters are not limited to
`a particular embodiment or configuration. Preferably, these
`"means" will be implemented in software that is executed by
`a processor within a server integrated with the Internet. 35
`However, dedicated WANs or Intranets are suitable back(cid:173)
`bones for implementing defined system data transfer func(cid:173)
`tions consistent with the invention.
`In one embodiment, a client retrieves configured system
`data by accessing an Internet Web site. In such an
`embodiment, a system consistent with the present invention
`acts as a data collector and formatter with data being
`delivered upon client request, with availability twenty-four
`hours a day, seven days a week.
`In more robust embodiments, a system can be configured
`to collect, format, and deliver client application specific
`information on a periodic basis to predetermined client
`nodes on the WAN. In these embodiments, client interven(cid:173)
`tion would serve to close the feedback loop in the control
`system.
`In yet another embodiment, a system can be configured to
`collect, format, and control client application specific pro(cid:173)
`cesses by replacing a local control computer with a WAN
`interfaced server and integrating system specific actuators
`with the aforementioned system transceivers.
`It should be further appreciated that the information
`transmitted and received by the wireless transceivers may be
`further integrated with other data transmission protocols for
`transmission across telecommunications and computer net(cid:173)
`works other than the Internet. In addition, it should be
`further appreciated that telecommunications and computer
`networks other than the Internet can function as a transmis(cid:173)
`sion path between the networked wireless transceivers, the
`local gateways, and the central server.
`In yet a further embodiment, a system can be configured
`using the present invention to translate and transmit control
`
`65
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming
`a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the
`present invention, and together with the description serve to
`explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art control system;
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a monitoring/control
`system of the present invention;
`FIG. 3 A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a
`transmitter in accordance with the present invention inte(cid:173)
`grated in a portable device with user operable buttons that
`trigger data transmissions as desired;
`FIG. 3B is a functional block diagram that illustrates the
`integration of a sensor with a transmitter in accordance with
`the invention;
`FIG. 3C is a block diagram illustrating a transceiver in
`accordance with the present invention integrated with a
`sensor and an actuator;
`FIG. 3D is a functional block diagram further illustrating
`the transceiver of FIG. 3C as applied to a heating,
`ventilation, and air conditioning system controller;
`FIG. 3E is a functional block diagram illustrating the
`40 combination of the transceiver of FIG. 3D with a global
`positioning system (GPS) receiver;
`FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates the
`functional components of a local WAN gateway constructed
`in accordance with the invention;
`FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating WAN connectivity in a
`system constructed in accordance with the invention;
`FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a client specific
`application in accordance with the invention (simple data
`collection or monitoring);
`FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating another data moni-
`toring and reporting application consistent with the present
`invention;
`FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a third client specific
`application in accordance with the invention (monitoring
`and controlling a process);
`FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating the present invention
`as deployed in a particular business application;
`FIG. 10 is a block diagram further illustrating the present
`60 invention as deployed in a plurality of business applications;
`FIG. 11 is a table illustrating the message protocol of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 12 illustrates three sample messages using the mes(cid:173)
`sage protocol of the present invention;
`FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the system of the
`present invention integrated with the local controller of FIG.
`1; and
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`

`

`Case 1:16-cv-00830-RGA Document 16-9 Filed 02/06/17 Page 23 of 32 PageID #: 1017
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`US 6,437,692 Bl
`
`5
`FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the system of the
`present invention integrated with a mobile inventory unit.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF IBE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
`
`Having summarized the invention above, reference is now
`made in detail to the description of the invention as illus(cid:173)
`trated in the drawings. While the invention will be described
`in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit
`it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed therein. On
`the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifi(cid:173)
`cations and equivalents included within the spirit and scope
`of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
`Referring now to the drawings, reference is made to FIG.
`1, which is a block diagram illustrating certain fundamental
`components of a prior art control system 100. More
`particularly, a prior art control system 100 includes a plu(cid:173)
`rality of sensor actuators 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, and
`117 electrically coupled to a local controller 110. In a
`manner well known in the art of control systems, local
`controller 110 provides power, formats and applies data
`signals from each of the sensors to predetermined process
`control functions, and returns control signals as appropriate
`to the system actuators. Often, prior art control systems are
`further integrated via the public switched telephone network
`(PSTN) 120 to a central controller 130. Central controller
`130 can be further configured to serve as a technician
`monitoring station or to forward alarm conditions via PSTN
`120 to appropriate public safety officers.
`Prior art control systems consistent with the design of
`FIG. 1 require the development and installation of an
`application-specific local system controller, as well as, the
`routing of electrical conductors to each sensor and actuator
`as the application requires. Such prior art control systems are 35
`typically augmented with a central controller 130 that may
`be networked to the local controller 110 via PSTN 120. As
`a result, prior art control systems often consist of a relatively
`heavy design and are subject to a single point of failure
`should local controller 110 go out of service. In addition,
`these systems require electrical coupling between the local
`controller and system sensors and actuators. As a result,
`appropriately wiring an existing industrial plant can be a
`dangerous and expensive proposition.
`Having described a prior art control system and delineated
`some of its shortcomings, reference is now made to FIG. 2,
`which is a block diagram that illustrates a control system in
`accordance with the present invention. Control system 200
`consists of one or more sensor/actuators 212, 214, 216, 222,
`and 224 each integrated with a transceiver. The transceivers 50
`are preferably RF (Radio Frequency) transceivers, that are
`relatively small in size and transmit a relatively low power
`RF signal. As a result, in some applications, the transmission
`range of a given transceiver may be relatively limited. As
`will be appreciated from the description that follows, this 55
`relatively limited transmission range of the transceivers is an
`advantageous and desirable characteristic of control system
`200. Although the transceivers are depicted without a user
`interface such as a keypad, in certain embodiments of the
`invention the transceivers may be configured with user 60
`selectable buttons or an alphanumeric keypad. Often, the
`transceivers will be electrically interfaced with a sensor or
`actuator, such as a smoke detector, a thermostat, a security
`system, etc., where external buttons are not needed.
`Control system 200 also includes a plurality of stand- 65
`alone transceivers 211, 213, 215, and 221. Each stand-alone
`transceiver 211, 213, 215, and 221 and each of the integrated
`
`15
`
`6
`transceivers 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 may be configured
`to receive an incoming RF transmission (transmitted by a
`remote transceiver) and to transmit an outgoing signal. This
`outgoing signal may be another low power RF transmission
`5 signal, a higher power RF transmission signal, or alterna(cid:173)
`tively may be transmitted over a conductive wire, fiber optic
`cable, or other transmission media. The internal architecture
`of a transceiver integrated with a sensor/actuator 212 and a
`stand-alone transceiver 211 will be discussed in more detail
`10 in connection with FIGS. 3A through 3C. It will be appre(cid:173)
`ciated by those skilled in the art that integrated transceivers
`212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 can be replaced by RF trans(cid:173)
`mitters (not shown) for client specific applications that
`require data collection only.
`Local gateways 210 and 220 are configured and disposed
`to receive remote data transmissions from the various stand(cid:173)
`alone transceivers 211, 213, 215, and 221 or integrated
`transceivers 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 having an RF signal
`output level sufficient to adequately transmit a formatted
`20 data signal to the gateways. Local gateways 210 and 220
`analyze the transmissions received, convert the transmis(cid:173)
`sions into TCP/IP format and further communicate the
`remote data signal transmissions via WAN 230. In this
`regard, and as will be further described below, local gate-
`25 ways 210 and 220 may communicate information, service
`requests, control signals, etc. to remote sensor/actuator
`transceiver combinations 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 from
`server 260, laptop computer 240, and workstation 250 across
`WAN 230. Server 260 can be further networked with data-
`30 base server 270 to record client specific data.
`It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that if an
`integrated transceiver (either of 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224)
`is located sufficiently close to local gateways 210 or 220
`such that its RF output signal can be received by a gateway,
`the RF data signal need not be processed and repeated
`through stand-alone transceivers 211, 213, 215, or 221.
`It will be further appreciated that a monitoring system
`constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present
`40 invention may be used in a variety of environments. In
`accordance with a preferred embodiment, a monitoring
`system such as that illustrated in FIG. 2 may be employed
`to monitor and record utility usage by residential and
`industrial customers as illustrated in FIG. 6. Another pre-
`45 ferred monitoring system is illustrated in FIG. 7. FIG. 7
`depicts the transfer of vehicle diagnostics from an automo(cid:173)
`bile via a RF transceiver integrated with the vehicle diag(cid:173)
`nostics bus to a local transceiver that farther transmits the
`vehicle information through a local gateway onto a WAN.
`It will be further appreciated that a monitoring and control
`system consistent with the present invention may be used in
`a variety of environments. In accordance with a preferred
`embodiment, a control system such as that illustrated in FIG.
`2 may be employed to monitor and control an irrigation
`system as illustrated in FIG. 8. Another preferred control
`system is illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 depicts a business
`application of a control system wherein the operation of a
`parking facility may be automated.
`As will be further appreciated from the discussion herein,
`transceivers 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 may have substan(cid:173)
`tially identical construction (particularly with regard to their
`internal electronics), which provides a cost effective imple(cid:173)
`mentation at the system level. Furthermore, a plurality of
`stand-alone transceivers 211, 213, 215, and 221, which may
`be identical, are disposed in such a way that adequate
`coverage in an industrial plant or community is provided.
`Preferably, stand-alone transceivers 211, 213, 215, and 221
`
`

`

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`US 6,437,692 Bl
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`5
`
`10
`
`7
`may be dispersed sufficient that only one stand-alone trans(cid:173)
`ceiver will pick up a transmission from a given integrated
`transceiver 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 (due in part to the
`low power transmission nature of each transmitter).
`However, in certain instances two, or even more, stand-
`alone transceivers may pick up a single transmission. Thus,
`the local gateways 210 and 220 may receive multiple
`versions of the same data transmission signal from an
`integrated transceiver, but from different stand-alone trans(cid:173)
`ceivers. The local gateways 210 and 220 may utilize this
`information to triangulate, or otherwise more particularly
`assess the location from which the transmission is originat(cid:173)
`ing. Due to the transmitting device identification that is
`incorporated into the transmitted signal, duplicative trans(cid:173)
`missions (e.g., transmissions duplicated to more than one
`gateway, or to the same gateway, more than once) may be 15
`ignored or otherwise appropriately handled.
`In accordance with the preferred embodiment shown in
`FIG. 2, integrated transceivers 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224
`may be disposed within automobiles (see FIG. 7), a rainfall
`gauge (see FIG. 8), or a parking lot access gate (see FIG. 9) 20
`to monitor vehicle diagnostics, total rainfall and sprinkler
`supplied water, and access gate position, respectively. The
`advantage of integrating a transceiver, as opposed to a
`one-way transmitter, into a monitoring device relates to the
`ability of the transceiver to receive incoming control signals, 25
`as opposed to merely transmitting data signals. Significantly,
`local gateways 210 and 220 may communicate with all
`system transceivers. Since local gateways 210 and 220 are
`permanently integrated with WAN 230, server 260 can host
`application specific software which was typically hosted in 30
`an application specific local controller as shown in FIG. 1.
`Of further significance, the data monitoring and control
`devices of the present invention need not be disposed in a
`permanent location as long as they remain within signal
`range of a system compatible transceiver that subsequently 35
`is within signal range of a local gateway interconnected
`through one or more networks to server 260. In this regard,
`small application specific transmitters compatible with con(cid:173)
`trol system 200 can be worn or carried about one's person
`as will be further described below.
`In one embodiment, server 260 collects, formats, and
`stores client specific data from each of the integrated trans(cid:173)
`ceivers 212, 214, 216, 222, and 224 for later retrieval or
`access from workstation 250 or laptop 240. In this regard,
`workstation 250 or laptop 240 can be used to access the 45
`stored information through a Web browser in a manner that
`is well known in the art. In another embodiment, server 260
`may perform the additional functions of hosting application
`specific control system functions and replacing the local
`controller by generating required control signals for appro- 50
`priate distribution via WAN 230 and local gateways 210 and
`211 to the system actuators. In a third embodiment, clients
`may elect for proprietary reasons to host control applications
`on their own WAN connected workstation. In this regard,
`database 270 and server 260 may act solely as a data 55
`collection and reporting device with client workstation 250
`generating control signals for the system.
`It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
`information transmitted and received by the wireless trans(cid:173)
`ceivers of the present invention may be further integrated 60
`with other data transmission protocols for transmission
`across telecommunications and computer networks other
`than the Internet. In addition, it should be further appreciated
`that telecommunications and computer networks other than
`the Internet can function as a transmission path between the 65
`networked wireless transceivers, the local gateways, and the
`central server.
`
`40
`
`8
`Reference is now made to FIG. 3A, which is a block
`diagram that illustrates the functional components of a RF
`transmitter 320, of a type worn or carried by a person, in
`more detail. Blocks 327 and 329 represent physical buttons,
`which a user may actuate to cause the RF transmitter 320 to
`initiate different signal transmissions. In the illustrated
`embodiment, these include a "transmit" button 327 and a
`panic or "emergency" button 329. Of course, additional,
`fewer, or different buttons may be provided on a given
`transmitter, depending upon the system or implementation
`desired. Each of these buttons may be electrically wired to
`a data interface 321 which is configured to receive electrical
`signals from buttons 327 and 329, and ultimately convey
`that information to a data formatter 324. In one embodiment,
`data interface 321 may simply comprise an addressable port
`that may be read by the data formatter 324.
`For example, each of the signal lines extending between
`the buttons and the data interface 321 may be pulled up by
`individual pull up resistors (not shown). Depressing any of
`the individual buttons may ground the electrical signal line
`interconnecting the respective button and the data interface
`321. Data formatter 324 may constantly read from the port
`defined by data interface 321, and all bit positions should
`remain high at any given time, if no buttons are depressed.
`If, however, the data formatter 324 reads a zero in one or
`more of the bit positions, it then recognizes that one or more
`of the buttons 327 and 329 have been depressed.
`Each transmitter unit may be configured to have a unique
`identification code (e.g., transmitter identification number)
`326, that uniquely identifies the transmitter to the functional
`blocks of control system 200 (see FIG. 2). This transmitter
`identification number may be electrically programmable,
`and implemented in the form of, for example, an EPROM.
`Alternatively, the transmitter identification number may be
`set/configured through a series of DIP switches. Additional
`implementations of the transmitter identification number,
`whereby the number may be set/configured, may be imple(cid:173)
`mented consistent with the broad concepts of the present
`invention.
`Finally, an additional functional block of the transmitter
`320 is a RF transmitter 328. This circuit is used to convert
`information from digital electronic form into a format,
`frequency, and voltage level suitable for transmission from
`antenna 323 via an RF transmission medium.
`The data formatter 324 operates to for