Programmable Communicator

Abstract

A programmable communicator device is disclosed having a wireless communications circuit, including an antenna, configured to receive a transmission, and an identity module having a unique identifier. The programmable communicator further includes a processing module including program code configured to determine if the transmission is from an authenticated caller by determining whether a received transmission contains the unique identifier, and memory configured to store telephone numbers or IP addresses received in transmissions from an authenticated caller.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A programmable communicator device comprising:
 a wireless communications circuit for communicating through an antenna over a communications network;   a programmable interface for establishing a communication link with at least one monitored technical device, wherein the programmable interface is programmable by wireless packet switched data messages; and   a processing module for authenticating one or more wireless transmissions sent from a programming transmitter and received by the programmable communicator device by determining if at least one transmission contains a coded number;   wherein the programmable communicator device is configured to use a memory to store at least one telephone number or IP address included within at least one of the transmissions as a list of one or more linked numbers to which the programmable communicator device may send outgoing wireless transmissions if the processing module authenticates the at least one of the transmissions including the at least one telephone number or IP address and the coded number by determining that the at least one of the transmissions includes the coded number;   wherein the programmable communicator device is configured to use an identity module for storing a unique identifier that is unique to the programmable communicator device;   and wherein the one or more wireless transmissions from the programming transmitter comprises a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or other wireless packet switched data message;   and wherein the programmable communicator device is configured to process data received through the programmable interface from the at least one monitored technical device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message.   
     
     
         2 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing module is configured to process data received through the programmable interface from the at least one monitored technical device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         3 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1 , wherein the programmable communicator device comprises the identity module. 
     
     
         4 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  wherein the wireless communications circuit is configured to receive wireless transmissions compliant with Bluetooth wireless air interface standards. 
     
     
         5 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  wherein each linked number comprises a corresponding stored telephone number or IP address stored into a permitted callers list to which the wireless communications circuit is restricted to send outgoing wireless transmissions in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         6 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further configured to request that an at least one monitored technical device send data through the programmable interface for processing by the programmable communicator device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         7 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further configured to transmit the processed data to an at least one monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         8 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 7 , wherein the processing module is configured to cause the processed data to be transmitted to the at least one monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         9 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 7  further configured to determine whether the data request initiated by the monitoring device includes a required access code in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         10 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 9 , wherein the processing module is configured to determine whether the data request includes the required access code in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         11 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further configured to determine whether the processed received data indicates a change in status of the at least one monitored technical device that crosses a threshold parameter, or that otherwise indicates an alarm condition in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         12 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 11  further configured to send an at least one transmission for alerting an at least one monitoring device of said change in status or other alarm condition in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         13 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further configured to request that an at least one monitored technical device send data through the programmable interface for receipt by the programmable communicator device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         14 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further configured to transmit the received data to an at least one monitoring device either periodically or in response to a data request initiated by the monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         15 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 14 , wherein the processing module is configured to cause the received data to be transmitted to the at least one monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         16 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  configured to process an at least one data monitoring or data collection request contained in an at least one transmission received from an at least one monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         17 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  further comprising a location processing module configured to determine an at least one location of the programmable communicator device, and wherein the programmable communicator device is configured to respond to an at least one transmission initiated by an at least one monitoring device requesting that said location data be sent to the monitoring device in response to programming instructions received in an incoming wireless packet switched data message. 
     
     
         18 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 17  wherein the location processing module comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) module. 
     
     
         19 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  wherein the monitored technical device is a sensor device. 
     
     
         20 . A programmable communicator device according to  claim 1  wherein the monitored technical device is a health monitoring system.