US 5,334,974 · Granted 1994-08-02
The 1994 GPS-Plus-Cellphone Patent That Launched Emergency Tracking
Imagine a device that knows exactly where you are using GPS, then instantly tells emergency responders your precise location via cell phone. This 1994 patent combines satellite positioning with cellular communication so that when someone hits an emergency button, dispatchers see a blinking dot on a map showing exactly where help is needed.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mobile unit that automatically captures GPS or LORAN-C position coordinates and transmits that emergency location data through cellular or satellite communication to a central dispatch station, which then displays the mobile unit's location superimposed on a digitized map. What's protected here is the specific integration of real-time positioning, wireless transmission of emergency data, and centralized map-based display of that location information.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early vision of what became modern emergency location services and vehicle tracking systems. By tying together three then-separate technologies—satellite positioning, cellular networks, and digital mapping—it anticipated how emergency response would evolve. The architecture described influenced how 911 systems later added GPS location capabilities, and laid conceptual groundwork for fleet tracking and personal safety devices that became common decades later.
Real-world use
Every time you press an emergency button in a car and dispatchers immediately know your exact location on their screen, or when a rideshare app tracks a vehicle's real-time position during a trip, you're seeing the core idea from this patent in action.
Original USPTO abstract
A fully automatic personal security system which combines the advantages of worldwide LORAN-C or GPS navigation with the substantially worldwide communication capabilities of a cellular telephone or communication satellite. The security system comprises a mobile unit which communicates emergency data including position coordinates, and a central dispatch station which receives the emergency data and accurately displays all necessary emergency information superposed on a digitized map at a position corresponding to the location of the mobile unit.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,334,974
- Filing date
- 1992-02-06
- Grant date
- 1994-08-02
- Assignee
- Simms James R / Simms Charles G / Moore Jr Daniel D
- Inventor(s)
- SIMMS; JAMES R., SIMMS; CHARLES G., MOORE, JR.; DANIEL D.
- CPC class
- G08B25/016
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