Simple enough, really. It's a purse with a small GPS device and display screen hidden discreetly inside the main pocket. Just open it up a bit and peer inside, and always know where you are. Powered by a Faraday-type kinetic system, and with a small Li-ion battery to maintain power even when you're seated at your desk all day.
Bonus: If ever it's snatched, just call the manufacturer and there's a possibility they can track the purse's location.-- shapu, Apr 28 2005 Why the name?-- moomintroll, Apr 28 2005 Sacagawea was an Indian guide for Lewis and Clark's expedition across the Louisiana Territory in 1803-05.-- shapu, Apr 28 2005 How can they track the purse's location?
Most current GPS chipsets don't work indoors.-- bristolz, Apr 28 2005 Either by finding the most-recent contact, which seems rather Orwellian, or by using one of the newer GPS systems which do work in some indoor environs.
That's really not the primary focus, just something that hit me as I was typing up the rest of the idea.-- shapu, Apr 28 2005 I don't get it, it's a GPS device, in a purse, right? Would putting a GPS device in your pocket be a similar idea to this?-- zen_tom, Apr 28 2005 In recent days there have been a few references here that I read as implying that the location of every GPS receiver can be determined by the satellite network.
Would there not have to be two devices: the receiver to decipher the coordinates based on the satellite signals and a transmitter to relay those coordinates to whatever monitoring network is in place? I'd be concerned about how long that itty-bitty battery could sustain the transmission.
The well known "LoJack" stolen vehicle locator system uses power from the car's battery to replenish the charge in its internal battery. Since a LoJack is about the size of a pack of cigarettes, if one were willing to plug in their purse as needed to keep the battery charged, I guess you could LoJack a purse.-- half, Apr 28 2005 [half] - hence the kinetic power system. Battery power would be consrved when the system is inactivate - perhaps some sort of tilt-toggle to turn on the screen (swing it up, hit the connectors). Modern GPS systems can run up to a day on 2 AA batteries - which is similar to many flashlights. As for the number of components required, I'll presume you're referring to the snatched-purse addendum, which again is more of a hidden bonus than a planned use, but I'll clarify that just to be sure.
[zen_tom] - The point of this is that it's a bit more hidden, and it's always with you. This way, someone in an unfamiliar environment, or who just wants to know how much farther something is, can simply take a peek in her purse - just like looking for chap stick.-- shapu, Apr 28 2005 random, halfbakery