THIS INVENTION is the field of systems and methods for tracking a device and capturing data associated with the tracked device.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Usually, when a robbery, kidnap or any crime is being committed, the victims tend to be too traumatized or taken by surprise to think of ways of alerting the police authorities and providing evidence about the crime that is being or has been committed. Often, criminals tend to escape the crime scene without attracting attention of other civilians and authorities, and remain at large and untraceable and thus escape the hands of justice due to lack of evidence.

Even in situations where there might be footage of the criminals at the crime scene, the footage may be deleted or tampered with or sold to the highest bidder in an era where crime and corruption is rife. In addition, reliance on footage alone may not be enough to connect the perpetrator with the crime scene, as other factors and evidence may be manipulated to indicate that the perpetrator was somewhere else at the time the crime was committed.

The present invention seeks at least to address this problem. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a computer implemented method for tracking a target device associated with a target person, the method comprising: automatically pairing, by means of at least one processor, the target device with a receiver device using wireless communication; collecting, by means of the at least one processor, at least one of identification data and locational/situational data of the target device that is paired with the receiver device.

The receiver device and the target device may be referred to herein as a “receiver computing device” or “target computing device”, “receiver communication device” or “target communication device”, “receiver endpoint device” or “target endpoint device”, or the like.

The method may further comprise determining, by means of the processor, the target person associated with the target device. In determining the target person associated with the target device, the method may comprise steps of interrogating databases that may contain target device identification data, and collecting the matching target device identification data along with the details, such as personal and residential details, of the target person associated with the collected matching target device identification data.

In automatically pairing the receiver device to the target device, the receiver device may automatically transmit a pairing signal, upon being activated and/or or in response to a suitable activation signal received by the receiver device, to automatically pair with one or more target devices by means of the wireless communication protocol. “Pairing” in the context of the present disclosure may be understood in its colloquial sense in that it may mean that a receiver device is electronically coupled to the target device in a wireless fashion using a wireless communication protocol for a communication session wherein data is communicated (i.e. transmitted and collected) between the target and receiver devices in accordance with the invention.

Accordingly, the pairing may occur on the proviso that a communication module of the target device is switched on or “enabled” to allow the target device to communicate with the receiver device.

The wireless communication protocol may be a Bluetooth communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol may also include other communication protocols such as Wi-Fi.

Accordingly, the communication module on the target device may include a Bluetooth communication module, a Wi-Fi communication module, and/or the like.

The automatic pairing of the receiver device and target device may be implemented by the wireless communication signal of the receiver device containing suitable computer readable and/or actionable instructions that enables the receiver device to automatically pair with the target device.

The wireless communication signal may be in the form of Human Computer Interference (HCI) such as Blue force.

In collecting the identification data of the target device, the method may include automatically collecting information of the target device including the information about the make and type of the device. In collecting the identification data of the target device, the method may include automatically collecting information of the target device including payload data of the device, such as a universal unique identification of the target device, which may be selected from a group comprising a MAC address, Bluetooth MAC Address, MSISDN, Wi-Fi MAC address, phone number, and IMEI number associated with the target device.

In collecting the identification data of the target device, the method may further include time-stamping and location stamping (i.e. geo-stamping) the received identification data of the target device.

The activation of the receiver device to force the automatic pairing of the said receiver device with the target device may be by means of a predefined user input comprising one or more of a voice command, such as a pre-recorded voice command that would indicate that the person activating the pairing is in distress/in need of help or assistance, and actuation of a button/tab/icon associated receiver device to cause the receiver device to initiate the pairing with the target device in accordance with the method described herein.

In another embodiment, the activation of the receiver device to force the automatic pairing of the said receiver device with the target device may include the steps of: determining, by means of the at least one processor, the GPS coordinates of the receiver device; determining, by means of the at least one processor, the acceleration of the receiver device for a predefined period; and when the acceleration of the receiver device is equivalent to or exceeds a predefined threshold over the predefined period or in measured intervals, the method comprises: detecting the presence of other target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device; activating/enabling the receiver device to receive a user input arranged to initiate the pairing with one or more target devices; and upon receiving the user input on the receiver device, the method comprising the step of pairing the receiver device to one or more detected target devices with the receiver device using the wireless communication protocol.

In another example embodiment of the invention, upon detecting the presence of other target devices and/or when the receiver device is travelling at a speed that is univalent to or exceeds a predefined threshold, the method may initiate the automatic pairing of the receiver device with one or more target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device.

In yet another example embodiment of the invention, the upon detecting the presence of other target devices and/or when the receiver device is travelling with a driving profile which is uncharacteristic, the method may initiate the automatic pairing of the receiver device with one or more target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device. It will be noted that in this example embodiment, the method may comprise determining and storing a driving profile of a user associated with the receiving device. The driving profile may include speeds associated with the user of the receiving device, geographical areas associated with the user, driving times, etc. associated with the user.

The detecting the presence of other target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device may be via the wireless communicate protocol. To this end, the receiver and target devices may be equipped with suitable communication modules to facilitate communication over the wireless communication protocols. For example, a Bluetooth communication module. In this other embodiment, the method may further determine, by at least one processor, whether one or more of the target devices paired with the receiver device are travelling at the same acceleration as the receiver device. Information indicative of this data may be stored in a suitable database as described below. Details of the pairing of the receiver device and target device/s may be stored in the database.

In this other embodiment, the method may further determine, by the at least one processor, the GPS position (i.e. satellite-based radionavigation system position) of the one or more target devices relative to the receiver device.

The method may further store, during impact, destruction or forced shut down, in a suitable database, including a memory device of the receiver device, target device, and remote database including a “cloud-based” database, the collected identification data of the target device and the location data of the target device, and optionally the location data of the receiver device and acceleration data of the target and/or receiver devices, may suitably encrypted to prevent the tampering of the data.

The method may further include the step of sensing/detecting an impact on the receiver device, and upon sensing impact which may be at a predefined amount of force and/or force profile over a predetermined period of time as detected by an impact and/or pressure sensor and/or gyroscope/accelerometer of the receiver device. The receiver device may be configured activate the pairing between the receiver device and one or more target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device, typically target devices which are about 5m to 100m in the vicinity of the receiver device that is subjected to the predetermined amount of force or force profile. Upon detecting impact on the receiver device, the method may include automatically uploading the collected information associated with the paired target device or target devices to a storage pool, such as a cloud-based database.

The method may further include the step of detecting whether the receiver device is switched off during the pairing of the receiver device, wherein at which point the method may include automatically uploading the collected information associated with the paired target device or target devices to a storage pool, such as a cloud-based database, or automatically transmitting the collected information to the storage pool for uploading on the storage pool.

Furthermore, when the receiver device is switched on after being shut down (i.e. switched off) during the time when the receiver device was paired with the at least one target device, the method may include: sensing/detecting that the receiver device is switched back on; automatically pairing the receiver device with target device/s in a vicinity of the receiver device; collecting at least the identification data of target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device; transmitting at least the identification data for storage on a storage pool or automatically uploading the collected identification data to the storage pool; and optionally comparing at least the identification data collected from the target device after the receiver device was switched back on to the identification data collected from the at least one target device prior to the switching off of the receiver device, in use, thereby to determine whether the target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device before the receiver device was switched off are the same as the target devices in the vicinity of the receiver device after the receiver device was switched back on, and the method further including the step of optionally uploading to the storage pool the collected identification data of the target devices before the receiver device was switched off and after the device was switched back on.

Switching off and on of the receiver device may be understood in the colloquial sense to refer to powering the device on or powering down the device.

The method may further include, once the receiver and target device are paired, causing the wireless communication signal of the receiver device that contains suitable computer instructions, to control the target device and activate the camera and/or video and/microphone of the target device and further cause the target device to automatically capture images of the surroundings of the target device. The method may further include transmitting the captured images from the target device to the memory device of one or more of the receiver device, target device and/or the storage pool, such as a remote database.

The method may further include the step of causing the microphone, camera and/or video camera of the receiver device to also record the surroundings of the receiver device and accordingly arrange for the data pertaining to the recorded surroundings to be transmitted to the remote database.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a device tracking system including: at least one processor; and at least one memory device coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one memory device including instructions which, when executed by the processor are arranged to cause the processor to perform the operations of: automatically pairing a target device with a receiver device using wireless communication protocol; collecting identification data of the target device that is paired with the receiver device; collecting location data of the target device; and collecting details of the person associated with the target device.

In collecting the details of the person associated with the target device, the processor may be configured to perform the operations of determining the person associated with the target device, including interrogating databases that may contain target device identification data of a plurality of registered target devices, and collecting the matching target device identification data along with the details, such as personal and residential details, of the person associated with the collected matching target device identification data.

In automatically pairing the receiver device to the target device, the receiver device may automatically transmit a pairing signal, upon being activated, to automatically pair with one or more target devices by means of the wireless communication protocol.

The wireless communication protocol may be Bluetooth communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol may also include other communication protocols such as Wi-Fi.

The automatic pairing of the receiver device and target device may be implemented by a wireless communication signal emitted by the receiver device, wherein the wireless communication signal containing suitable computer instructions that enables the receiver device to automatically pair with the target device, using Human Computer Interference (HCI) such as

Blue force. In collecting the identification data of the target device, the processor may be configured to automatically collect information of the target device including the information about the make and type of the device.

In collecting the identification data of the target device, the processor may be configured to automatically collect information of the target device including payload data of the device, such as the universal unique identification of the target device, including the MAC address, MSISDN, Bluetooth MAC Address, Wi-Fi MAC address, phone number, and IMEI number.

In collecting the identification data of the target device, the processor may be configured to further timestamp and geo-stamp the received identification data of the target device.

The activation of the receiver device to force the automatic pairing of the said receiver device with the target device may be by means of a user input including one or more of a predefined voice command and actuation of a button/tab/icon associated with the application program of the system that is running on the receiver device.

In another embodiment, the activation of the receiver device to force the automatic pairing off the said receiver device with the target device, the processor may be configured to perform the operations of: determining the GPS coordinates of the receiver device; determining the acceleration of the receiver device for a predefined period; and when the acceleration of the receiver device exceeds a predefined threshold over a predefined period or in predefined measured intervals, the processor further being configured to perform the operations of detecting the presence of other target device/s in the vicinity of the receiver device; and pairing the one or more target device/s with the receiver device using the wireless communication protocol.

In this other embodiment, the processor further being configured to perform the operations of determining whether one or more of the target devices paired with the receiver device are travelling at the same acceleration as the receiver device.

In this other embodiment, the processor further being configured to perform the operations of determining the GPS position, substantially in real time, of the target device relative to the receiver device.

The processor may further be configured to perform the operations of storing, during impact, destruction or forced shut down of the receiver device, in a suitable database, including a memory device of the receiver device, target device, and/or remote storage pool including a “cloud-based” database, the collected identification data of the target device and the location data of the target device, and optionally the location data of the receiver device and acceleration data of the target and/or receiver devices, may suitably encrypted to prevent the tampering of the data.

Once the receiver and target device are paired, the processor may further be configured to perform the operations of causing the wireless communication signal of the receiver device that contains suitable computer instructions, to activate the camera and/or video of the receiver device, and further cause the receiver and/or target device to automatically capture images of the surroundings of the receiver and/or target device, and the processor may further be configured to perform the operations of transmitting the captured images from the receiver device to the memory device of one or more of the receiver device, target device or remote database.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium storing instructions thereon, which when executed by at least one processor, is arranged to cause the at least one processor to perform the operations of: automatically pairing a target device with a receiver device using wireless communication protocol; collecting identification data of the target device that is paired with the receiver device; collecting location data of the target device; and collecting details of the person associated with the target device.

According to a more specific aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for capturing and storing data associated with one or more target computing devices by a receiver computing device, wherein the method comprises: determining one or more target computing devices within Bluetooth wireless communication range of the receiver computing device; capturing identifier data associated with the one or more target computing devices determined to be within Bluetooth wireless communication range of the receiver computing device; and uploading the captured identifier data and optionally situational data associated with one or more of the one or more target computing devices and the receiver computing device (for example, details pertaining to the geographical location of the target and/or receiver device, time/date stamp, etc.) to a remote database for storage; and/or storing the captured identifier data and optionally the situational data in a memory of or associated with the receiver computing device.

The identifier data captured may be Bluetooth identifiers associated with the one or more target computing devices. In particular, the identifier data may comprise at least a “phone ID” associated with a target computing device.

The method may comprise capturing identifier data associated with one or more target devices in a periodic fashion in a data capture session commencing with an initiating event and ending with an end event. The initiating event may be a user input to initiate a data capture session wherein identifier data associated with one or more target devices is captured at periodic intervals during the data capture session.

The situational data may comprise data identifying the receiver computing device as well as one or more of a time and/or data stamp associated with the captured identifier data, a geographical location data associated with a geographical location of the receiver computing device when the identifier data was captured, a duration of time which the one or more target devices were in Bluetooth range of the receiver computing device and the identifier data was captured or in other words, the duration of the data capture session, circumstances associated with the data capture session, or the like.

The method may comprise capturing situational data associated with the receiver computing device and/or the one or more target computing devices during the data capture session. The situational data and the identifier data may be captured and uploaded to the database in an iterative fashion during the data capture session. The identifier data may comprise images captured using a suitable screen images of Bluetooth devices in the Bluetooth communication range provided on the receiver computing device.

The method may comprise encrypting the captured identifier data stored in the database.

The method may further comprise: automatically pairing the receiver computing device with at least one target computing device via Bluetooth communication; controlling the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device to capture an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) associated with the target computing device; and uploading the captured IMEI as part of the identifier data to the database.

The method may comprise controlling the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device to transmit the captured IMEI to the receiver computing device. The receiver computing device may upload the captured identifier data and the situational data to the database.

The method may comprise capturing geographical data associated with the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device as the situational data which is uploaded to the database.

Once paired with the target computing device, the method may comprise surreptitiously navigating to a screen wherein an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is shown and obtaining a screen shot or screen recording thereof, wherein the screenshot forms part of the identifier data. According to another specific aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for capturing and storing data associated with one or more target computing devices by a receiver computing device, wherein the method comprises: determining one or more target computing devices within Bluetooth wireless communication range of the receiver computing device; automatically pairing the receiver computing device with at least one target computing device via Bluetooth communication; controlling the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device to capture an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) associated with the target computing device; capturing situational data associated with one or more of the one or more target computing devices and the receiver computing device during the pairing; and uploading the captured IMEI as identifier data as well as the captured situational data to a remote database for storage and/or storing the captured identifier data and the captured situational data in a memory of or associated with the receiver computing device.

The identifier data captured may also comprise one or more of a “phone ID” associated with a target computing device, a model of the target computing device, processor details of the target computing device, or the like.

The method may comprise capturing the IMEI associated with the paired target device in a periodic fashion in a data capture session commencing with an initiating event and ending with an end event. The initiating event may be a user input to initiate a data capture session wherein identifier data associated with one or more target devices is captured at periodic intervals during the data capture session. The situational data may comprise data identifying the receiver computing device as well as one or more of a time and/or data stamp associated with the captured identifier data, a geographical location data associated with a geographical location of the receiver computing device when the identifier data was captured, a duration of time which the target computing device was paired with the receiver computing device and the identifier data was captured or in other words, the duration of the data capture session, circumstances associated with the data capture session, or the like.

The method may comprise capturing situational data associated with the receiver computing device and/or the one or more target computing devices during the data capture session. The situational data and the identifier data may be captured and uploaded to the database in an iterative fashion during the data capture session.

The identifier data may comprise images captured of the paired target computing device which are transmitted via Bluetooth to the receiver computing device.

The method may comprise encrypting the captured identifier data stored in the database.

The method may comprise controlling the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device to transmit the captured IMEI to the receiver computing device. The receiver computing device may upload the captured identifier data and the situational data to the database. The method may comprise capturing geographical data associated with the target computing device paired with the receiver computing device as the situational data which is uploaded to the database.

Once paired with the target computing device, the method may comprise surreptitiously navigating to a screen wherein an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is shown and obtaining a screen shot and/or screen recording thereof, wherein the screenshot and/or screen recording forms part of the identifier data.

The method may comprise comparing the captured IMEI to a list of predetermined IMEIs, and generating an alarm in the data base storage in response to a suitable match.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the methods described herein, may all be computer implemented methods.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory device communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one memory device comprises non- transitory computer executable instructions which cause the at least one processor to perform any one of the methods as described herein.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions which case at least one processor to perform any of the methods described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The objects of this invention and the manner of obtaining them, will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be better understood, by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a high-level network in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a high-level device tracking computer-implemented method in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example form of a computer system in which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT

The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognise that many changes can be made to the embodiment described, while still attaining the beneficial results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present invention can be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances, and are a part of the present invention.

Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not a limitation thereof. It will be appreciated that the phrase “for example,” “such as”, and variants thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. Reference in the specification to “one example embodiment”, “another example embodiment”, “some example embodiment”, or variants thereof means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment(s) is included in at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. Thus, the use of the phrase “one example embodiment”, “another example embodiment”, “some example embodiment”, or variants thereof does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s).

Unless otherwise stated, some features of the subject matter described herein, which are, described in the context of separate embodiments for purposes of clarity, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Similarly, various features of the subject matter disclosed herein which are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is provided a network 16 incorporating a device information tracking system 10 in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. The device information tracking system 10 is configured surreptitiously to connect by a wireless communication protocol one device, i.e. a receiver device, that is suitable installed with application programs of the system, with another device, i.e. a target device, that is in the vicinity of the receiver device, and automatically capture identification data, location/situational data of the target device, determine the details of the person associated with the target device, and store the captured data and details of the person associated with the device in a database.

To this end, the network 16 further comprises at least one endpoint receiver device or receiver computing device 24 and a plurality of endpoint target devices or target computing devices 26, 28, and 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24. The receiver device 24, and the target devices 26, 28, 30 are in communication at least with one another and/or with the server 10 by a communication network 14. Though illustrated sparingly, it will be noted that the network 16 may comprise a plurality of receiver and/or target devices

(much more than that illustrated) as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The communications network 14 may comprise one or more different types of communication networks. In this regard, the communication networks may be one or more of the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), various types of telephone networks (e.g., Public Switch Telephone Networks (PSTN) with Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology) or mobile networks (e.g., Global System Mobile (GSM) communication, General Packet Radio Service

(GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and other suitable mobile telecommunication network technologies), or any combination thereof. It will be noted that communication within the network may achieved via suitable wireless or hard-wired communication technologies and/or standards (e.g., wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi®), 4G, long-term evolution (LTE™), WiMAX, 5G, and the like). In the preferred example embodiment, the receiver device 24 may be in communication with the target devices 26, 28, 30 in the network 14 by means of a Bluetooth communication protocol, and the receiver device 24 can then communicate with the system 10 via the communications networks described hereinabove. In some example embodiments, the system 10 may be coupled to other elements of the communications network 14 via dedicated communication channels, for example, secure communication networks in the form of encrypted communication lines (e.g. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption).

The receiver device 24 and the target devices 26, 28, 30 or any computing device contemplated herein, may comprise one or more computer processors and a computer memory (including transitory computer memory and/or non-transitory computer memory), configured to perform various data processing operations, such as those described herein. In particular, the receiver device 24 includes a network communication module or interface (not shown) to connect to the system 10 via the network 14, for example, a suitable Bluetooth communication module. Examples of the devices represented by the devices 24, 26, 28, 30, may be selected from a group comprising a personal computer, portable computer, smartphone, tablet, notepad, a smart watch, dedicated server computer devices, radios which have communication modules, any type of communication device, and/or other suitable computing devices but most preferably, the devices 24 to 30 may be in the form of smartphones. Moreover, the receiver device 24 may be in the form of a smartphone having a suitable computer program or computer software application stored and operating thereon to direct operations in the manner disclosed herein. The receiver device 24 may have the suitable software application downloaded thereon.

Though not illustrated, it will be understood that the system 10 may include one or more of a back-end (e.g., a data server), a middleware (e.g., an application server), and a front-end (e.g., a client computing device having a graphical user interface (GUI) or a Web browser through which a user can interact with example implementations of the subject matter described herein).

The system 10, particularly the one or more servers of the system 10, may comprise a processor 12 that is coupled to a memory device 15 (including transitory computer memory and/or non-transitory computer memory), which are configured to perform various data processing and communication operations associated with the system 10 as contemplated herein.

The processor 12 may be one or more processors in the form of programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating an output. The processor 12, as well as any computing device referred to herein, may be any kind of electronic device with data processing capabilities including, by way of non-limiting example, a general processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other electronic computing device comprising one or more processors of any kind, or any combination thereof. For brevity, some steps described as being performed by the system 10 may be steps which are effectively performed by the processor 12 and vice versa unless otherwise indicated.

It will be appreciated that the memory device 15 may be in the form of computer-readable medium including system memory and including random access memory (RAM) devices, cache memories, non-volatile or back-up memories such as programmable or flash memories, read-only memories (ROM), etc. In addition, the memory device 15 may be considered to include memory storage physically located elsewhere in the system 10, e.g. any cache memory in the processor 12 as well as any storage capacity used as a virtual memory, e.g., as stored on a mass storage device.

Though not illustrated, it will be appreciated that the system 10 may comprise one or more user input devices (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, imaging device, scanner, microphone) and one or more output devices (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel, a sound playback device (speaker), switches, valves, etc.).

It will be appreciated that the computer programs executable by the processor 12 may be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative or procedural languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. The computer program may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. The program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a mark-up language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub-programs, or portions of code). The computer program can be deployed to be executed by one processor 12 or by multiple processors, even those distributed across multiple locations, for example, in different servers and interconnected by the communication network 14.

The computer programs may be stored in the memory device 15 or in memory provided in the processor 12. Though not illustrated or discussed herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the field of the invention that the system 10 may comprise a plurality of logic components, electronics, driver circuits, peripheral devices, etc., not described herein for brevity.

As alluded to above, the receiver device 24 is in the form of a smartphone installed with an application program that is arranged to facilitate the device 24 performing the various operations of the invention as contemplated herein. The software application program or “app” is downloaded to the device 24 and contains computer executable instructions to direct operations of the receiver device 24.

The receiver device 24 will always have one or more of its communication modules, such as the Bluetooth functionality, switched on. The receiver device 24 is, as mentioned above, communicatively coupled with the server/system 10 to communicate information such as acceleration of the receiver device 24, situational/location data of the receiver device 24 in real time. The data can be saved on the memory device of the receiver device 24 or may be sent as data packets to the memory device 15 of the system 10 or a remote database (not shown) that is in communication with the system 10. In use, when the receiver device 24 is in the vicinity of other users carrying devices (i.e. target devices 26, 28, 30) which also have their wireless communication modules, such as Bluetooth, switched on, the receiver device 24 will automatically receive notification from the other target devices 26, 28, 30 of their availability to connect/pair with the receiver device 24. The receiver device 24 will automatically transmit a pairing signal to one or more of the target devices 26, 28, 30 in its range, and the pairing signal may contain suitable instructions to automatically pair the receiver device 24 with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30.

In automatically pairing the receiver device 24 to the target device, the receiver device 24 may automatically transmit a pairing signal, upon being activated, to automatically pair with one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 by means of the wireless communication protocol, e.g., Bluetooth.

The activation of the receiver device 24 to force the automatic pairing of the said receiver device 24 with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 may be by means of a user input in the form of predefined voice command, received by a person associated with the receiver device 24, or actuation of a button/tab/icon associated with the receiver device 24 to activate the application program performing the functions of the system 10. The button/tab/icon may be displayed on a screen of the receiver device or the button/icon/tab may be connected to the receiver device 24. The activation of the receiver device 24 to automatically pair with the target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity or close proximity to the receiver device 24 may be pre-empted by the person associated with the receiver device 24 observing that a crime has been committed and the automatic pairing may be instigated by the receiver device 24 and/or system 10 in order to obtain identification data of target devices of all persons around the crime scene, in order for the system 10 to be able to determine the people located at the crime scene including the perpetrators whose target devices may be switched on along with their communication modules. Once paired with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30, the receiver device 24 is arranged to collect, from one or more of the target devices 26, 28, 30 paired therewith, target device identification data as well as situational/locational data of the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 connected therewith.

In collecting the identification data of the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30, the data of the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 being collected by the receiver device 24 and/or server 10 includes the information about the make and type of the device, and also includes payload data of each one of the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30, such as the universal unique identification of the target device, including the MAC address, MSISDN, Bluetooth MAC Address, Wi-Fi MAC address, phone number, and IMEI number.

In collecting the identification data of the target device, the receiver device 24 and/or server 10 via the receiver device 24, is/are arranged to timestamp and geo-stamp the received identification data of the target device.

The collected identification data, collected in real-time, as well as the location data, also collected substantially in real-time, is automatically encrypted by suitable software of the system 10 that is running on the receiver device 24, and is saved on the memory device (not shown) of the receiver device and also saved on the memory device 15 of the server 10.

The server 10 is arranged to determine, in real-time, which target devices which were initially paired with the receiver deice 24, that got out of range of the receiver device’s 24 vicinity during the time the crime was committed (e.g. from the time the signal pairing command was activated), and after the crime was committed, for example, where the person associated with the receiver device 24 has deactivated the signal pairing command, in order to enable the system 10 to filter down target devices 26, 28, 30 that may be affiliated with the perpetrators.

The system 10 is further arranged to determine each person associated with the target device that was paired with the receiver device 24. In determining the person associated with the device, the system 10 is configured to access and interrogate suitable databases, such as databases of third parties, for e.g., telecommunication companies, that may contain target device identification data. The system 10 accordingly collects the target device identification data that matches with the target device identification data extracted from the target devices which are/were paired with the receiver device 24, along with the details, such as personal and residential details, of the person associated with those target devices 26, 28, 30.

The system 10 is therefore arranged to compile a list of target devices 26, 28, 30 which were paired with the receiver device 24, and the information can be used accordingly by authorities to track and interrogate persons associated with those target devices 26, 28, 30.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the activation of the receiver device 24 to force the automatic pairing off the receiver device 24 with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24, includes determining the location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of the receiver device 24 in real-time. Upon determining the location of the receiver device 24, the system 10 is arranged to determine the acceleration of the receiver device 24, in real-time, for a predefined period or in predefined intervals.

Typically, when the acceleration of the receiver device is equivalent to or exceeds a predefined threshold over a predefined period or in predefined measured intervals, the system 10 or application program that is running on the receiver device 24 is further arranged to automatically detect the presence of other target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24.

In one example embodiment of the invention, the receiver device 24 may not automatically detect the presence of one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 in its vicinity but may await to receive a command, in the form of the aforementioned user input, before the receiver device 24 can be enabled to detect the presence of one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 and initiate the pairing with said one or more target devices 26, 28, 30.

In another example embodiment of the invention, the system 10 or the application program as described herein which is executable on the receiver device 24 may, after detecting the presence of one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24, automatically enable or operate, or cause enabling or operation of, the receiver device 24 to a mode that will allow the receiver device 24 to receive a command to initiate pairing with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24. The command may be in the form of a user input as described herein.

In other example embodiment of the invention, upon the receiver device 24 detecting the presence of one or more target devices 26, 28, 30, the system 10 or application program executing on the receiver device 24 in accordance with the invention, may generate, or cause the generation, of a push notification message and display, or cause the display of, same on the receiver device 24. After the user of the receiver device 24 has opened the push notification message, the opened notification message may present the user with an option accept or reject the initiation of pairing with the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 in the vicinity of the receiver device 24 and the system 10 or application program may accordingly action, or cause actioning of, the option selected by the user of the receiver device 24.

In any one of the foregoing example embodiments of the invention, the system 10 is further arranged to optionally determine whether one or more of the target devices 26, 28, 30 paired with the receiver device 24 are travelling at the same acceleration or remained in the same proximity range as the receiver device 24. The GPS data and acceleration data of the target devices 26, 28, 30 is obtained through the automatic connecting between the target devices 26, 28, 30 and the receiver device 24. The GPS data and acceleration data is computed in real-time relative to the GPS and acceleration data of the receiver device 24.

In another example embodiment of the invention, once the receiver device 24 and the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 are paired, the system 10 is further arranged to cause the wireless communication signal (i.e. pairing signal) of the receiver device 24 to activate the camera and/or video and/or microphone of the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 and further cause the said target devices to automatically capture images or screen recording of the surroundings of the target devices 26, 28, 30. The system may also cause the receiver device 24 to also take recordings of its surrounding via the camera and/or video camera and/or microphone thereof. The images and videos captured by the one or more target devices 26, 28, 30 are optionally stored in the memory devices (not shown) of their corresponding target devices, and/or transmitted from the target devices 26, 28, 30 to the memory device (not shown) of the receiver device, and/or or remote database (not shown) or memory device (15) of the system 10.

The system 10 further includes other receivers, such as tabs/icons provided by the software application on the device 24 which can be actuated by the person associated with the receiver device 24. For example, one of the tabs/icons is arranged to display the nearest authorities, amenities, professionals, and the like. Once that tab/icon is actuated, the system is arranged to determine the location of the receiver device 24 in real-time and automatically determine the location of the party, e.g., authorities, amenities, professionals associated with that tab/icon, and accordingly display further details, such as an address or map to get to the party of interest.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawing where a high-level flow diagram of a method in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 100. It will be appreciated that the example method 100 may be implemented by systems and means not described herein. However, by way of a non-limiting example, reference will be made to the method 100 as being implemented by way of the system 10, as described above. Accordingly, the method 100 comprises the steps of: 102 -automatically pairing, by means of at least one processor, a target device with a receiver device using wireless communication protocol; 104- collecting, by means of the at least one processor, identification data of the target device that is paired with the receiver device; 106- collecting, by means of the processor, location/situational data of the target device; and 108 - collecting details of the person associated with the target device.

Referring now to Figure 3 of the drawings which shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example of a computer system 200 within which a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed. In other example embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked example embodiment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer- to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router, switch or ridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated for convenience, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines, including virtual machines, that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

In any event, the example computer system 200 includes a processor 202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or both), a main memory 204 and a static memory 206, which communicate with each other via a bus 208. The computer system 200 may further include a video display unit 210 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 200 also includes an alphanumeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard), a user interface (Ul) navigation device 214 (e.g., a mouse, or touchpad), a disk drive unit 216, a signal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker) and a network interface device 220.

The disk drive unit 216 includes a non-transitory machine-readable medium 222 storing one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software 224) embodying or utilized by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The software 224 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 204 and/or within the processor 202 during execution thereof by the computer system 200, the main memory 204 and the processor 202 also constituting machine-readable media. The software 224 may further be transmitted or received over a network 226 via the network interface device 220 utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Although the machine-readable medium 222 is shown in an example embodiment to be a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may refer to a single medium or multiple medium (e.g., a centralized or distributed memory store, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term "machine- readable medium" may also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying data structures utilized by or associated with such a set of instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" may accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, and carrier wave signals.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment and/or example thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of and equivalents to these embodiments. It will be appreciated that the invention can be used wherever there is a computing device that can have an application program of the invention installed and running on the computing device.