Vector-based harbor scheduling

• US 20080079608A1
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beatty Street Properties, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Beatty Street Properties, Inc.
• Inventors: Morrell, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,990,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/984
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/00 Traffic control systems for marine craft marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00

Abstract

A method of optimizing the scheduling of ships entering and leaving a harbor, the method comprising the steps of:

• • a. Combining information from an automated identification system about each ship with scheduling information about each ship from a dispatching system to produce a combined ship ID/schedule for each ship;
  • b. Tracking the latitude and longitude of each ship using GPS to produce tracked latitude and longitude of each ship;
  • c. Comparing the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship to existing maps of the harbor; and
  • d. Continually comparing the ID/schedule for each ship with the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship.

The alerts are sent whenever the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship does not match the expected latitude and longitude of each ship at a given time. The method tracks and records whenever a pilot embarks or disembarks from a ship.

Claims

1. method comprising the steps of:

a. Combining information from an automated identification system about each ship with scheduling information about each ship from a dispatching system to produce a combined ship ID/schedule for each ship;

b. Tracking the latitude and longitude of each ship using GPS to produce tracked latitude and longitude of each ship;

c. Comparing the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship to existing maps of the harbor; and

d. Continually comparing the ID/schedule for each ship with the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending alerts whenever the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship does not match the expected latitude and longitude of each ship.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising recording and displaying the times when a pilot boards the ship at anchorage, when the pilot disembarks from the ship at a dock, when a pilot boards the ship at the dock, and when a pilot disembarks from the ship at anchorage.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising digitally fusing and displaying multiple tracks of ships in the harbor with a digital map of the harbor, and displaying a menu of identification data of each ship onto the display.