Container tracking system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A shipping container tracking system, comprising:
- at least one shipping container sensor adapted to be attached to a first shipping container to sense at least one of a condition of said first shipping container and a condition of at least one item within said first shipping container; and
a shipping container communication adapter to adaptively communicate with a second shipping container.
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Abstract
Shipping containers are networked for transferring data between the shipping containers. The shipping containers include sensors for detecting hazardous conditions associated with the shipping containers. The hazardous condition sensed by any shipping container on a ship is transmitted through the network to a satellite transmitter and/or a radio transmitter for reporting to a central database.
194 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A shipping container tracking system, comprising:
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at least one shipping container sensor adapted to be attached to a first shipping container to sense at least one of a condition of said first shipping container and a condition of at least one item within said first shipping container; and
a shipping container communication adapter to adaptively communicate with a second shipping container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of distributing data obtained from sensors adaptively attached to a shipping container, comprising:
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establishing a network connection between a first shipping container and a second shipping container; and
transmitting sensor data from said first shipping container to said second shipping container if said sensor attached to said first shipping container detects a hazard and said first shipping container is unable to transmit its sensor data to at least one of an off ship transmission path and a shipboard system. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. Apparatus for distributing data obtained from sensors adaptively attached to a shipping container, comprising:
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means for establishing a network connection between a first shipping container and a second shipping container; and
means for transmitting sensor data from said first shipping container to said second shipping container. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A shipping container tracking system, comprising:
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at least one shipping container sensor adapted to be attached to a first shipping container to sense at least one of a condition of said first shipping container and a condition of at least one item within said first shipping container;
a shipping container communication adapter to adaptively communicate with a second shipping container; and
at least one of a satellite communication adapter and a radio adapter;
wherein said shipping container tracking system transmits sensor data using one of said satellite communication adapter and said radio adapter, and if said transmission of said sensor data fails using one of said satellite communication adapter and said radio adapter, said shipping container tracking system transmits sensor data using the other of said satellite communication adapter and said radio adapter. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A shipping container for use in a shipping container tracking system, comprising:
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a shipping container housing; and
at least one of a satellite transmitter on a top of said shipping container housing, a radio transmitter on a side of said shipping container housing, and a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite receiver on said top of said shipping container housing.
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Specification