Blockchain system and method for calculating location of time-crucial shipments according to expectation and smart contracts

• US 10,217,078 B1
• Filed: 10/17/2018
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elliot Klein
• Original Assignee: Elliot Klein
• Inventors: Klein, Elliot
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Monica C
• Application Number:
  US16/162,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20190050806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 132 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3297 involving time stamps, e.g. generation of time stamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/35 for the management of goods or merchandise
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

A client-server system and a blockchain method for calculating whether a time-crucial shipment is located according to an expectation comprising a client device adapted for being adhered to or placed within a time-crucial package shipment; and a remote special purpose computer server comprising a transit plan schedule database based on pickup time and location stored in memory. The system and method calculates a location of the client device based on data accessed from a Wi-Fi access point location database, transmitted identification data, and transmitted signal strength data; and compares the calculated location to an expected location based on common carrier schedule transit plan pickup time and delivery location received from third party database sources.

Claims

1. A client-server system for calculating whether a time-crucial shipment is located according to an expectation comprising:

a client device adapted for being adhered to or placed within a time-crucial package shipment; and

a remote special purpose computer server,

the client device comprising;

a Wi-Fi receiver adapted to receive identification data of one or more nearby Wi-Fi access points;

a Wi-Fi signal receiving antenna;

an accelerometer;

a GSM radio module with antenna which connects to mobile carrier networks; and

a microcontroller programmed to;

detect movement by the accelerometer; and

automatically transmit via the GSM radio module to the remote special purpose computer server the received identification data from the measured access points and signal strength data when a change in movement is detected by the accelerometer;

the remote special purpose computer server comprising;

a transit plan schedule database based on pickup time and location stored in memory;

a Wi-Fi access point location database accessed by an API;

a GSM gateway; and

a processor programmed to;

calculate a location of the client device based on data accessed from the Wi-Fi access point location database, the transmitted identification data, and the transmitted signal strength data; and

compare the calculated location to an expected location based on common carrier schedule transit plan pickup time and delivery location received from third party database sources.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the common carrier includes a scheduled airline or truck.

3. The system of claim 1 comprising issuing an alert signal if a time-crucial package is calculated to be at a location other than the expected scheduled location.

4. The system of claim 1 comprising comparing signal strength data of one or more cell towers and wherein the calculating the location is further based on the signal strength data of the one or more cell towers.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the client device further comprises a Bluetooth module to wirelessly exchange data with other Bluetooth devices.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to transmit via GSM radio module only after accelerometer first detects movement and second, the microcontroller performs a comparison step to the last set of nearby Wi-Fi receiver access point(s), detected and stored by microcontroller from the Wi-Fi receiver, and determined a change from last stored nearby Wi-Fi access point(s).

7. The system of claim 1 comprising issuing an alert signal to the client server if a time-crucial shipment is calculated to be moving in or out of a Point of Interest area location, including a specific airport, terminal floor, warehouse or other zone.

8. The system of claim of claim 1 further comprising sending the alert signal to the client server when shipment is calculated to be located moving in or out of a Point of Interest area location and to then communicate with client device to adjust the frequency and interval timing of GSM radio module transmission reporting by the client device to save power.

9. A blockchain method for calculating whether a time-crucial shipment is located according to an expectation comprising:

providing a system according to claim 1;

receiving, by the Wi-Fi receiver of the client device identification data of one or more nearby Wi-Fi access points,

measuring, by the Wi-Fi receiver, signal strength data of the one or more nearby Wi-Fi access points,

transmitting, by the microcontroller, via the GSM radio module to a remote special purpose computer server the received identification data and the considered signal strength data when movement is detected by the accelerometer;

calculating, by the remote special purpose computer server, a location of the client device based on data accessed from a Wi-Fi access point location database with time stamp;

the transmitted identification data, and the received signal strength data; and

comparing, by the remote special purpose computer, the calculated location to an expected location based on blockchain database system data with real-time ownership and location journey of package shipments shared and managed in an immutable and distributed ledger.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising receiving by the blockchain ownership identification and transport location(s) with telemetry parameters reported by the GSM radio module from accelerometer data around motion, shock or temperature.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising reporting device data based on calculated or transmitted location, accelerometer temperature or movement reported data, or chain of custody data wherein shipment data can be transferred to or traded according to smart contracts in the blockchain.

12. The method of claim 9 comprising receiving, recording and sharing data based on blockchain data received from accelerometer, and reported by GSM radio module, reporting blockchain data to the remote special purpose computer, from a client device which comprises an internal thermometer within the accelerometer, thereby reporting temperature telemetry data in a blockchain for trusted accuracy.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising reporting device data based on calculated or transmitted location, temperature, movement, or chain of custody data so shipment data can be transferred to or traded according to smart contracts in the blockchain.