System and Method for Automatic Redirection of a Product Under Transport Using an Environmental Sensor

• US 20070095905A1
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Published: 05/03/2007
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/384
• 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

Systems and methods disclosed herein use environmental sensor technology to enhance the tracking and transporting capabilities of a product delivery system. The systems and methods provide the capability to track and verify the environmental condition(s) to which a product is subjected during its transportation or movement through a supply chain. In particular, the systems and methods allow a sender, a receiver, and other authorized persons to access or interrogate environmental data that describes the environmental conditions to which a product within a container has been subjected during transport from the sender to the receiver. The systems and methods also permit in-transit intercept handling when it is determined that a package was unexpectedly subjected to an environmental condition that by definition makes it unfit for delivery to the original receiver.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

scanning an environmental sensor physically associated with a product in a container to read product environment data from the environmental sensor;

scanning identification data from at least one of the container and product with a scanner;

transmitting the identification data and the product environment data from the scanner to a computer system via a network;

receiving the identification data and the product environment data from the scanner at the computer system via the network;

storing the product environment data in association with the identification data in the computer system;

generating tracking data identifying at least one of the time and location of the product during performance of the scanning of the product environment data or identification data, or both;

transmitting the tracking data from the scanner to the computer system via the network;

receiving the tracking data from the scanner at the computer system via the network; and

storing the tracking data in association with the identification data and the product environment data in the computer system.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

receiving at the computer system via the network a request including the identification data from a user of a computing device to access product environment data for the product in the container;

retrieving product environment data with the computer system based on the identification data included in the request; and

transmitting the product environment data in association with the tracking data retrieved from the computer system to the computing device via the network.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

receiving the product environment data and tracking data with the computing device; and

analyzing the product environment data and tracking data responsive to the request to determine the effectiveness of the container to protect the product under different environmental conditions.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

receiving the product environment data and tracking data with the computing device; and

analyzing the requested product environment data and tracking data to determine where or a what time an environmental condition adversely affecting the product is recurring in a carrier'"'"'s logistics network.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container is a package.

6. A system comprising:

an environmental sensor physically associated with the container and product, the environmental sensor configured to sense an environmental condition capable of affecting the product and to store product environment data representing the environmental condition sensed at different locations in the carrier'"'"'s logistics network as the environmental sensor travels with the container;

at least one scanner configured to scan the environmental sensor to read the product environment data from the environmental sensor, to scan identification data from at least one of the container and product and to transmit the identification data and the product environment data via a network, the scanner further configured to generate tracking data identifying the time and location of the product during performance of the scanning and to transmit the tracking data via a network; and

a computer system connected in communication with the scanner via the network, the computer system configured to receive and store the identification data, the product environment data, and the tracking data from the scanner via the network.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:

a computing device connected to communicate with the computer system via the network, the computing device configured to generate a request including identification data identifying either the container or product, or both, and configured to transmit the request to the computer system via the network,

the computer system configured to receive the request from the computing device via the network and to use the identification data from the request to access product environment data for the product in the container, the computer system transmitting the accessed product environment data with the tracking data to the computing device via the network in response to the request.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the computing device is configured to permit a user to analyze the product environment data and the tracking data to determine the effectiveness of the container to protect the product under different environmental conditions experienced in transit in the carrier'"'"'s logistics network.

9. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the computing device is configured to permit a user to analyze the product environment data and the tracking data to determine where and at what time an adverse environmental condition affecting the product exists in the carrier'"'"'s logistics network.

10. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the container is a package.

11. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the environmental sensor comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag and the scanner comprises an RFID interrogator configured to scan the RFID tag.

12. A method comprising the steps of:

physically associating an environmental sensor with a container for holding a product;

transporting the container so that the environmental sensor travels with the container in a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

sensing an environmental condition capable of affecting the product with the environmental sensor at different locations in the carrier'"'"'s logistics network as the environmental sensor travels with the container in the carrier'"'"'s logistics network, the sensing with the environmental sensor generating product environment data stored in the environmental sensor;

scanning the environmental sensor to read the product environment data;

generating tracking data indicating the location and time of the scanning; and

analyzing the product environment data and tracking data to determine either the effectiveness of the container to protect the product under different environmental conditions, or a location in carrier'"'"'s logistics network where or a time at which an environmental condition adversely affecting the product is recurring, or both.