ROBUST WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS PERFORMED THEREON

• US 20070290840A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• 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, Pinzon, Joseph, Jagid, Jeffrey, Ehrman, Michael, Ehrman, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US11/846,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20070290840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• 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: 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: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices
• 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 63/102 Entity profiles
• 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 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/76 Group identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A robust wireless communications system operable to provide communications for mobile wireless devices is described. The wireless communications system generally includes a management computing system, wireless infrastructure, and mobile wireless devices. The wireless infrastructure includes wireless infrastructure devices having processing and storage capability. Similarly, the mobile wireless devices include processing and storage capability. Communication links between the management computing system and wireless infrastructure, and wireless infrastructure and mobile wireless devices are utilized to downlink and uplink data. In operation, data generated at the management computing system may be downloaded to the wireless infrastructure and mobile wireless devices sequentially without active simultaneous communication links. Similarly, data generated at the mobile wireless devices may be uploaded to the wireless infrastructure and management computing system without active simultaneous communication links. Because the wireless infrastructure and mobile wireless devices are intelligent, decisions may be made independent of a communication link existing with the management computing system.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and controlling a mobile asset, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving asset control data at a mobile asset, the asset control data having been originated from a management computer;

monitoring the mobile asset to generate asset monitored data;

comparing the asset monitored data to the asset control data to determine whether the mobile asset should be allowed to operate; and

preventing operation of the mobile asset if the it is determined that the mobile asset should not be allowed to operate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

parsing the received asset control data to determine whether the asset control data is applicable to the mobile asset; and

storing the received asset control data if it is determined that the asset control data is applicable to the mobile asset.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

deleting asset control data is it is no of date.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the mobile asset to generate asset monitored data comprises receiving user identification data regarding a potential user, and the step of comparing the asset monitored data to the asset control data to determine whether the mobile asset should be allowed to operate comprises comparing the user identification data to a schedule to determine whether the user identification data identifies a user that is scheduled to use the mobile asset at a current time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the mobile asset to generate asset monitored data comprises receiving user identification data regarding a potential user, and the step of comparing the asset monitored data to the asset control data to determine whether the mobile asset should be allowed to operate comprises comparing the user identification data to a schedule to determine whether the user identification data identifies a user that is scheduled to use the mobile asset at a current location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring the mobile asset to generate asset monitored data comprises monitoring sensors on the mobile asset to determine maintenance characteristics of the mobile asset, and the step of comparing the asset monitored data to the asset control data to determine whether the mobile asset should be allowed to operate comprises comparing the asset monitored data to data representative of acceptable maintenance characteristics.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of preventing operation of the mobile asset if the it is determined that the mobile asset should not be allowed to operate comprises the step of:

limiting the functionality of the mobile asset.