Patents by Inventor Steven Curtis Shapiro

Steven Curtis Shapiro has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for summoning police or security personnel for assistance in an emergency situation
    Patent number: 5705980
    Abstract: Security officers (38) can be summoned to help a person (28) in distress, by providing portable pagers (40) to a group of officers assigned to a protected area (26). A person entering the area carries an alarm unit (30) which, when actuated, transmits an emergency signal. When the emergency signal is received at a station (12, 32), the person's location is determined. All the security officers are then located by transmitting a location inquiry signal, and determining the officers' locations using location signals emitted from their pagers (40) in response to the inquiry signal. An officer nearest the person is identified, and an assistance order signal conveys the person's location to the officer's pager. If the officer does not manually activate his/her pager to confirm receipt of the person's location, by transmitting an acknowledgment signal during an interval following the order signal, the latter is re-transmitted to other officers near the person until an acknowledgment signal is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Curtis Shapiro