GPS tool and equipment tracking system

• US 20080030322A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Crystal Hamilton, John Henry Samuel Stauffer, Lorraine Gray
• Original Assignee: Crystal Hamilton, John Henry Samuel Stauffer, Lorraine Gray
• Inventors: Stauffer, John Henry Samuel, Gray, Lorraine, Hamilton, Crystal
• Application Number:
  US11/498,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20080030322A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/14 by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1409 for removal detection of electrical appliances by detecting their physical disconnection from an electrical system, e.g. using a switch incorporated in the plug connector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The GPS Tool and Tracking System is an invention that will allow owners of tools and equipment to track location of their inventories and reduce the likelihood of their thief and allow better control of inventories. The system will incorporate the use of GPS, Cell phone and Radio Frequency technologies to communicate the location a tool or piece of equipment. A central system will compile the locations and allow owners to log into a web-based system or a local system purchased under license to give a graphic display (see Attachment 1) of all the tools and equipment that have been linked to their account. Additional capabilities of the system will alert owners when tools have moved out of a predetermined geographical operating range. Depending on the design level purchased the owner will also be able to disable a tool or piece of equipment through the tracking system. Owners will also be able to print inventories of all their tools and equipment (see Attachment 2) to allow better control of billings tracking who, when and where the tools or equipment are being used.

The tools and equipment will be required to have a locating device installed from the OEM or retrofitted. This device will be the base level design allowing owners only to track location. Higher level designs will include communication capabilities installed into the toll or equipments electrical system to disable the tool or equipments ability to start. At the highest design level, monitoring and communication with a tool or piece of equipments operating systems, i.e. oil pressure or level, cranes lifting loads etc.) will allow owners to identify maintenance needs or when users may have used a tool or piece of equipment outside their specified operating limits.

Claims

1. A method for the tracking tools and equipment through the use of a GPS Tool and Equipment Tracking System:

(a) providing a means to locate all tools and equipment by owner

(b) providing a means for disabling tools and equipment in unauthorized locations

(c) providing a means to control tool inventories and billing

(d) capability of retrofitting locating devices on tools or equipment