MOBILE ASSET DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20070229251A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Id Systems Incorporated (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hecker, Yaron, Pimentel, Leonard, Ehrman, Michael, Pinzon, Joseph, Ehrman, Kenneth, Jagid, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US11/762,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/304 Boats
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/32 in combination with an identity check
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 : involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 : Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/76 : Group identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A computerized vehicle control system and method for capturing data associated with a mobile asset (e.g., vehicle) event. The method includes determining that an event associated with a mobile asset has initiated; collecting data associated with the event; determining that the event has completed; and transmitting the collected data to a central computer in communication with the mobile asset. The collecting data associated with the event can include presenting a question to an operator; receiving an answer to the question from the operator; and storing the answer received from the operator.

Claims

1. A method for capturing data associated with a mobile asset event, the method comprising:

determining that an event associated with a mobile asset has initiated;

collecting data associated with the event;

determining that the event has completed; and

transmitting the collected data to a central computer in communication with the mobile asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting data associated with the event comprises:

presenting a question to an operator;

receiving an answer to the question from the operator; and

storing the answer received from the operator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the event associated with the mobile asset has initiated comprises determining that a user has logged on to the mobile asset.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising initializing data counters associated with the event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting data associated with the event comprises collecting location data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising summarizing the collected data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating time data with the collected data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating user data with the collected data to identify the user operating the mobile asset when the collected data was collected.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating vehicle data with the collected data to identify the mobile asset from which the collected data was collected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a time when the event initiated.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a time when the event completed.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a vehicle number associated with the mobile asset.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time during which the mobile asset was in motion.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time during which an engine associated with the mobile asset was idle.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time that a lift associated with the mobile asset was used.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times the mobile asset impacted another object.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a fuel level associated with the mobile asset.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an odometer reading associated with the mobile asset.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a battery ID associated with a battery installed on the mobile asset.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a battery level associated with a battery installed on the mobile asset.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times that the mobile asset started from a stopped position.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of times that the mobile asset stopped.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises vehicle data.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises vehicle inspection data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a mobile asset processor is adapted to determine whether vehicle data should be collected a second time.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the vehicle inspection data is collected the second time from a second user.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises OSHA checklist data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein a mobile asset processor is adapted to determine whether OSHA checklist data should be collected a second time.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the OSHA checklist data is collected the second time from a second user.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises time data indicative of when an operator logs on to the mobile asset.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time an operator is logged on to the mobile asset.

32. The method of claim 1, further comprising summarizing the collected data to create a summarized data record.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein summarizing the collected data comprises combining related data to reduce a number of data entries sent to a management computer.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the summarized data record comprises data collected during a user'"'"'s working shift.

35. The method of claim 32, further comprising associating the collected data with a user that has logged on to the mobile asset.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein summarizing the collected data comprises eliminating duplicate data entries.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising summarizing the collected data to determine a number of mobile assets needed in an area.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use.

39. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use by type of mobile asset.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises a number of mobile assets in use by area.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises an amount of time a mobile asset is in use.

42. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a mobile asset processor that is adapted to continually update the collected data.

43. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a mobile asset processor that is adapted to enable a user to display collected data via a user output device.

44. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying predetermined collected data to a user output device.

45. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying collected data to a user output device.

46. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting alerts via a mobile wireless transceiver to a management computer, and displaying alerts to a user output device.

47. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying collected data alerts to a user output device, wherein the collected data alerts a user of a problematic event.