System and method for generating a transporting instruction using an environmental sensor

• US 10,048,102 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kadaba, Nagesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Toan
• Application Number:
  US14/958,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20160091350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system including an environmental sensor that can travel with a product within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network. The environmental sensor being configured to sense an environmental condition capable of affecting the product to generate product environment data. The system includes a scanner configured to read product environment data from the environmental sensor. The system also includes a hub control unit configured to communicate with the scanner and receive the product environment data from the scanner and determine whether the product environment data enters into a pre-defined range of values associated with an exposure of the product to an environmental condition. The hub control unit is also configured to generate alert data if it is determined that the environmental data has entered the range of values. If a limit within the values is further transcended, a transportation instruction is also generated to alter transport of the product.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

collecting environmental data using an environmental sensor associated with a container such that the sensor travels with the container during transportation of the container within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

receiving, at a computer system remote from the container, the collected environmental data;

providing, over a network and to at least one authorized user of the computer system, remote access to the collected environmental data;

determining, during ongoing transportation of the container and with the computer system, whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; and

in response to the computer system determining that the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generating alert data for provision to the at least one authorized user prior to completing the transportation of the container.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the alert data to the at least one authorized user; and

in response to receiving an input from the at least one authorized user, generating a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transporting instruction redirects the container to an alternate destination different from its original destination.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transporting instruction upgrades the service level of the container.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of, following transmittal of the alert data and in response to receiving an input from the at least one authorized user, altering a frequency at which the computer system analyzes the environmental data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein upon determining that the environmental condition of the container has transcended a limit associated with an upper threshold of the range the method further comprises the step of automatically generating a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

collecting tracking data including identification data identifying the container and location data identifying the location of the container;

receiving the tracking data at the computer system; and

linking the tracking data with the environmental data based at least in part on time or location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment data relates to at least one of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air or a chemical to which the container has been subjected.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental sensor is a radio frequency identification tag (RFID).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the RFID tag is a passive radio frequency identification tag.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the RFID tag is an active radio frequency identification tag.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental sensor associated with said product further comprises a visual indicator activated automatically by the environmental sensor if the environmental sensor determines the environmental condition has entered the range of values, wherein the visual indicator changes its visual appearance when the environmental condition has entered the range of values.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the environmental sensor comprises a plurality of environmental sensors;

the container comprises a plurality of containers;

each of the plurality of environmental sensors is associated with a respective one of the plurality of containers;

the method further comprises the step of determining, upon receipt of a request therefor, an extent of the collected environmental data that is authorized for provision to the at least one authorized user submitting the request; and

the extent of the collected environmental data authorized for provision is provided to the at least one authorized user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the extent of the collected environmental data authorized for provision comprises collected environmental data for two or more of the plurality of containers.

15. A system comprising:

an environmental sensor associated with a container and travels with the container as it is transported within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

a computer system configured to;

provide, during transport of the container and to at least one authorized user of the computer system, remote access to environmental data collected by the environmental sensor during transport of the container within the carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

determine, during transport of the container and based upon the collected environmental data, whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values; and

in response to the computer system determining the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generate alert data for provision to the at least one authorized user prior to completing the transportation of the container.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

transmit the alert data to the at least one authorized user; and

in response to an input from the at least one authorized user, generate a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container,

wherein the transporting instruction comprises at least one of;

(1) an identification of an alternate tip position corresponding to the alternate destination;

(2) a redirection of the container to an alternate destination different from its original destination;

or (3) an upgrade of the service level of the container.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the environmental sensor comprises a plurality of environmental sensors;

the container comprises a plurality of containers;

each of the plurality of environmental sensors is associated with a respective one of the plurality of containers; and

the computer system is further configured to;

in response to receiving a request for remote access from the at least one authorized user, determine an extent of the collected environmental data that is authorized for provision to the at least one authorized user; and

transmit, over the network and to the at least one authorized user, the extent of the collected environmental data determined as authorized for provision thereto.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the extent of the collected environmental data determined as authorized for provision comprises collected environmental data for two or more of the plurality of containers.

19. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising one or more executable portions configured for:

receiving environmental data collected by an environmental sensor associated with a container, such that the sensor travels with the container during transportation of the container within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

providing, to at least one authorized user of the computer system, remote access to at least a portion of the collected environmental data;

determining, during ongoing transportation of the container, whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; and

in response to determining the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generating alert data for provision to the at least one authorized user prior to completing the transportation of the container.

20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 19, wherein:

the environmental sensor comprises a plurality of environmental sensors;

the container comprises a plurality of containers;

each of the plurality of environmental sensors is associated with a respective one of the plurality of containers;

the one or more executable portions are further configured for determining, upon receipt of a request therefor, an extent of the collected environmental data that is authorized for provision to the at least one authorized user submitting the request, such that the provision of the remote access to at least the portion of the collected environmental data comprises only the extent of the collected environmental data authorized for the at least one authorized user.