US 11,856,497 B2
Tracking and theft-recovery system for mobile assets
Ilan Ossin, Johannesburg (ZA); Hari Balakrishnan, Belmont, MA (US); and Lewis David Girod, Arlington, MA (US)
Assigned to Discovery Limited, Sandion (ZA); and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Discovery Limited, Sandton (ZA); and Cambridge Mobile Telematics, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Dec. 2, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/109,228.
Application 16/025,968 is a division of application No. 15/355,253, filed on Nov. 18, 2016, granted, now 10,015,654, issued on Jul. 3, 2018.
Application 17/109,228 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/025,968, filed on Jul. 2, 2018, granted, now 11,240,651.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/256,861, filed on Nov. 18, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0084473 A1, Mar. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. H04W 4/80 (2018.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); B60R 25/32 (2013.01); H04W 4/02 (2018.01); H04W 64/00 (2009.01); H04W 4/40 (2018.01); B60R 25/102 (2013.01); B60R 25/33 (2013.01)
CPC H04W 4/80 (2018.02) [B60R 25/102 (2013.01); B60R 25/32 (2013.01); H04W 4/027 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02); H04W 4/40 (2018.02); H04W 64/006 (2013.01); B60R 25/33 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A tracking device in a vehicle comprising:
a short range wireless communication module;
a long range wireless communication module;
a controller communicatively coupled to connected to the short range wireless communication module and a long range wireless communication module, the controller configured to
in response to receiving via the long range wireless communication module a first message from a server over a long range communication protocol switching the controller into a distress mode, wherein the tracking device does not include a location module;
based on switching into the distress mode the short range wireless communication module emits each of short range distress messages via the short range wireless communication module and long range distress messages with location data inferred from the long range distress messages over a low power wide-area network via the long range wireless communication module to a server; and
periodically transmit short range distress messages via the short range wireless communication module for reception by other mobile communications devices within range and located outside the vehicle;
whereby, a reception of the short range distress message via the short range wireless communication by other mobile devices within range and located outside the vehicle use a mobile device location module to infer a location of the tracking device solely due to close proximity required to receive the short range distress messages, and transmitting a location message from the other mobile devices to the server including the location of the tracking device.