Preventing anonymous theft by drones

• US 10,475,306 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2018
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2018
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bender, Michael, Fox, Jeremy R., Palmer, Todd R., Roy, Manjari
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adnan, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/960,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20190325719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1436 with motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources

Abstract

Methods and systems for tracking objects are provided. A method includes: accessing, by a tracking server, a secure database that stores data about an object of personal property; determining, by the tracking server and from the data about the object, that a tracking state of the object is set to ON; obtaining, by the tracking server and in response to the determining, altitude data from an altitude sensor of an Internet of Things (IoT) device associated with the object; comparing, by the tracking server, the altitude data to a predefined criteria; and repeating, by the tracking server, the obtaining and the comparing until one of: the altitude data satisfies the predefined criteria, or the tracking state of the object is set to OFF.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a tracking server, a secure database that stores data about an object of personal property;

determining, by the tracking server and from the data about the object, that a tracking state of the object is set to ON;

obtaining, by the tracking server and in response to the determining, altitude data from an altitude sensor of an Internet of Things (IoT) device associated with the object;

comparing, by the tracking server, the altitude data to a predefined criteria;

repeating, by the tracking server, the obtaining and the comparing until one of;

the altitude data satisfies the predefined criteria, or the tracking state of the object is set to OFF;

generating, by the tracking server, an alert in response to the altitude data satisfying the predefined criteria, wherein the generating the alert comprises sending an electronic message to a computer device of at least one designated alert recipient;

periodically obtaining, by the tracking server and based on the generating the alert, location data from a location sensor of the IoT device;

periodically obtaining, by the tracking server and based on the generating the alert, new altitude data from the altitude sensor of the IoT device; and

sending, by the tracking server, updates including the location data and the new altitude data to the at least one designated alert recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one designated alert recipient is selected from the group consisting of:

an intended recipient that ordered the object;

a merchant that received the order of the object;

a shipping entity that shipped the object; and

law enforcement, and

further comprising the tracking server receiving and storing input defining contact information of the at least one designated alert recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message includes:

an identifier of the object;

a last known location of the object; and

the altitude of the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the secure database comprises a blockchain.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the secure database is configured such that the data about the object defines one or more trusted entities; and

only the one or more trusted entities have permission to update the tracking state, of the object, that is stored in the secure database.

6. A computer implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a tracking server, a secure database that stores data about an object of personal property;

determining, by the tracking server and from the data about the object, that a tracking state of the object is set to ON;

obtaining, by the tracking server and in response to the determining, altitude data from an altitude sensor of an Internet of Things (IoT) device associated with the object;

comparing, by the tracking server, the altitude data to a predefined criteria;

repeating, by the tracking server, the obtaining and the comparing until one of;

the altitude data satisfies the predefined criteria, or the tracking state of the object is set to OFF;

generating, by the tracking server, an alert in response to the altitude data satisfying the predefined criteria, wherein the generating the alert comprises sending an electronic message to a computer device of at least one designated alert recipient, wherein the electronic message includes;

an identifier of the object;

a last known location of the object; and

the altitude of the object;

periodically obtaining, by the tracking server and based on the generating the alert, new altitude data from the altitude sensor of the IoT device; and

sending, by the tracking server, updates including the new altitude data to the at least one designated alert recipient.

7. A computer implemented method, comprising:

accessing, by a tracking server, a secure database that stores data about an object of personal property;

determining, by the tracking server and from the data about the object, that a tracking state of the object is set to ON;

obtaining, by the tracking server and in response to the determining, altitude data from an altitude sensor of an Internet of Things (IoT) device associated with the object;

comparing, by the tracking server, the altitude data to a predefined criteria; and

repeating, by the tracking server, the obtaining and the comparing until one of;

the altitude data satisfies the predefined criteria, or the tracking state of the object is set to OFF;

wherein the secure database is configured such that the data about the object defines one or more trusted entities;

only the one or more trusted entities have permission to update the tracking state, of the object, that is stored in the secure database; and

the one or more trusted entities include at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a merchant that received an order for the object from an intended recipient of the object; and

a shipping entity that ships the object from the merchant to the intended recipient.