Tracking of containers

• US 20060200560A1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iDirect UK Limited (Singapore Technologies Engineering Limited)
• Original Assignee: Slieve Mish Inventions Limited
• Inventors: Young, Christopher, Fitzgerald, Michael, Lord, Richard, Waugh, Guy, Godley, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

Monitoring device modules (10) in containers on a ship are polled by a tracking proxy (12). Monitoring data is thus captured, and the proxy 12 can ascertain in real time that the correct group of containers is present. The proxy (12) also transmits higher-value report messages with relatively low bandwidth via a satellite communication system (13) to a gateway (15). The gateway (15) routes the messages on to various systems such as tracking centres. Also, the gateway (15) regularly polls and authenticates the distributed tracking proxies (12) within its group.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A tracking system comprising a tracking proxy, said proxy comprising:

a local area interface for communicating with at least one container monitoring device in a wireless local area associated with the proxy,

a processor for receiving monitoring device data and using it to generate a report message, and

a remote communication interface for uploading the report message to a remote host;

wherein the processor inserts geographical location data in the report messages, and

wherein the system further comprises a location monitoring device, and the processor determines said location data using inputs from the location monitoring device.

32. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor parses monitoring device data to detect specific events and generates notifications accordingly, and inserts said notifications in the report messages.

33. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the local area interface communicates with monitoring devices, each of which in turn communicates with electronic tags.

34. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the local area interface communicates with monitoring devices, each of which in turn communicates with electronic tags;

and wherein the local area interface communicates with said monitoring devices using a mobile network protocol.

35. The tracking system as claimed in claim 34, wherein the protocol uses SMS.

36. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor reads container identifiers from monitoring device data.

37. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor performs bi-directional communication with a monitoring device.

38. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor performs bi-directional communication with a monitoring device;

and wherein the processor interrogates a monitoring device to determine status data.

39. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor performs bi-directional communication with a monitoring device;

and wherein the processor performs remote configuration of a monitoring device.

40. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the local area interface receives inputs from a craft system, the processor determines information on craft system and location, and the processor inserts said information in the report messages.

41. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor determines valid container monitoring devices according to an electronic manifest.

42. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the proxy exchanges heartbeat messages with container monitoring devices to detect communication errors, and inserts data on detected errors in the report messages.

43. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the proxy exchanges heartbeat messages with container monitoring devices to detect communication errors, and inserts data on detected errors in the report messages;

and wherein the processor treats absence of a response to a polling message as a communication error.

44. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor determines valid container monitoring devices according to an electronic manifest;

and wherein the processor includes an authentication challenge in a polling message and indicates a communication error if the challenge is not responded to correctly.

45. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the local area interface communicates with a manually-activated security alert device, and the processor automatically generates a security alert report message in response to manual activation.

46. The tracking system as claimed in claim 45, wherein the local area interface treats a mobile device which transmits a security code as the wireless security alert device.

47. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the system further comprises a tracking gateway for receiving report messages from the tracking proxy.

48. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the system further comprises a tracking gateway for receiving report messages from the tracking proxy;

and wherein the tracking gateway communicates with a plurality of distributed tracking proxies.

49. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the system further comprises a tracking gateway for receiving report messages from the tracking proxy;

and wherein the tracking gateway uploads tracking information based on received report messages to a tracking application.

50. The tracking system as claimed in claim 49, wherein the tracking gateway routes the tracking information via multiple redundant routes.

51. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the system further comprises a tracking gateway for receiving report messages from the tracking proxy;

and wherein the tracking gateway communicates with a plurality of distributed tracking proxies; and

wherein the tracking gateway regularly polls the tracking proxies.

52. The tracking system as claimed in claim 51, where the tracking gateway includes an authentication challenge to each proxy, and indicates an error if a challenge is not responded to validly.

53. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a local control terminal and the processor receives status and event data at said terminal and uses said data to generate the report messages.

54. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a local control terminal and the processor receives status and event data at said terminal and uses said data to generate the report messages;

and wherein status and event messages transmitted by container monitoring devices are displayed on the local control terminal.

55. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a local control terminal and the processor receives status and event data at said terminal and uses said data to generate the report messages;

and wherein the local control terminal has an interface for directly interrogating the monitoring devices.

56. The tracking system as claimed in claim 55, wherein the local control terminal is a hand-held device which communicates via a mobile network.

57. The tracking system as claimed in claim 55, wherein the local control terminal is a hand-held device which communicates via a mobile network;

and wherein the proxy is located on a craft having a dedicated mobile network, and the local control terminal communicates in this network.

58. The tracking system as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor dynamically chooses a route for a report message upload according to nature of an event included in the report message.