MINI PALLET-BOX MOVING CONTAINER

• US 20080297346A1
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VerdaSee Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Private Pallet Security Systems LLC
• Inventors: Ash, David, Dulin, Jacques M., Kossnar, Dennis J., Brackmann, Rogers F., Brackmann, Jay R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,482,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/03 for transporting money or other valuables
• CPC Class Codes: B60P 3/14 the object being a workshop for servicing, for maintenance, or for carrying workmen during work lifting devices for movable platforms or cabins for workmen B66F11/04
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 45/06 Electric alarm locks E05B45/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/026 the bolt moving rectilinearly
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 83/02 Locks for railway freight-cars, freight containers or the like; Locks for the cargo compartments of commercial lorries, trucks or vans
• CPC Class Codes: E05C 3/048 parallel to the wing edge
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms

Abstract

Smart, rollable, mini-pallet cargo container system comprising robust, auditable, secure, sealable, lockable, trackable and pollable, universal, half/quarter-sized boxes particularly useful for moving highly valuable or sensitive, personal, political, military or commercial materials, embodiments include truly verifiable ballot boxes, verifiably secure moving containers. Blast attenuation inserts are disclosed. The boxes include electronic locks containing event memory, sensors and alarms, and RF communications and GPS locator module(s) that radio to a base station the time, location and status of the inventive box, and anomalous events as they occur, including unauthorized attempts to open or break into the container, or potential damage events. In addition, both the locks and comm modules are programmable, and provide extensive, and selectably pollable and down-loadable, printable event, access and transport history and audit trails. The comm system permits remote tracking and real time status check via the Internet, LAN or WAN wireless networks.

Claims

1. A smart mini-pallet box for secure, trackable, pollable and auditable, shipment and warehousing of products and materials comprising in operative combination:

a) a unitary container body having two pairs of opposed, spaced, generally orthogonally oriented generally planar vertical side walls integral with a bottom, a first pair of said side walls defining a front wall and a back wall and a second pair defining a left and a right side wall, said front wall and said back wall range from equal to, to longer than, said side walls, and at least one pair of opposed walls is short enough to permit said container to fit through residential entry doorways, a generally planar, openable single-piece lid including a margin having a lip for sealingly engaging the tops of said side walls, said lid is hinged to said back wall and includes tangs to engage lid latch members mounted in association with said body front wall and said body walls, bottom and lid defining a cargo load space;

b) an external structural exoskeleton for both said lid and said body, said lid skeleton comprising criss-crossed straps and a marginal band, and said body external structural exoskeleton is comprised of three panels, a front panel, a rear panel and a bottom panel, said front and rear panels being hinged at a lower marginal edge to the front and back of said bottom panel, said body exoskeleton panels provide a continuous structure for reinforcing said front and back walls against unauthorized entry and transit damage;

c) an auditable electronic lock system integrated into at least one of a front panel and a back panel of said exoskeleton;

d) a cover that is closable over the body of said electronic lock and said lid latches to prevent access thereto, said cover including a flange extending over the front lip of said lid and said electronic lock preventing said cover from being opened to reveal said lid latches until said electronic lock is selectively opened by an authorized key at an authorized time, at an authorized place and at combinations of authorized key, time and/or place;

e) at least one sensor disposed to provide a signal relating to an internal security condition of said cargo container; and

f) a pollable communications module disposed in at least one of said container walls, bottom or top, said module including a battery power supply, a microprocessor controller, an RF transceiver unit and a GPS locator unit, said controller including inputs for said sensor and said GPS unit, and including a timing circuit for selectively periodically sending data via RF signals representing a unique identifier of said cargo container, and the status and location of said cargo container.

2. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 which includes four casters, at least two of which are pivotable, secured to the bottom of said mini pallet-box.

3. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 2 wherein said mini pallet-box bottom includes feet spaced at the corners thereof providing recesses therebetween, and said casters are disposed in positions selected from:

a) in recesses below said two side walls; and

b) securable to bottoms of said feet.

4. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 wherein said power supply is augmented with kinetic power generation devices.

5. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 2 wherein the exterior dimension of said mini pallet-box between said front and back walls is selected to permit said mini pallet-box to be rolled on said casters through a 30″

wide residential doorway.

6. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 which includes at least one of:

a) said internal security condition sensor comprises a security screen assembly disposed in the load space to cover at least a position of said walls, said top and said bottom to provide a signal to said controller in the event the screen is breached; and

b) a blast mitigation material disposed in association with at least some of said walls, top and bottom.

7. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 6 wherein said blast mitigation material is selected from a fabric laminate structure, honeycomb or corrugated laminate structure and an encapsulated granular blast attenuation material.

8. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 6 wherein said blast mitigation material is in the form of an internal liner for said box.

9. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 which includes at least one gas port for introduction of gas into said box, purging gas in said box, or evacuation of gas from said box, and at least one of said ports permits sampling for at least one of pressure in said box, type of gas in said box, and presence of chemicals or bio-toxins present in an inert gas inlet into said box through a first port and sampled through a second port after passing through said box.

10. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 9 which includes at least two gas ports, disposed one on each of opposed side walls, top and bottom, to provide generally effective flow of gas into, from or through said box.

11. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 which includes a slot in at least one of a top and a side wall for secure introduction of ballots into said box, a plate member removably blocking said slot so that said slot is selectively accessed or blocked by said plate member and the position of said plate member is selectably locked in place, to block or permit access to said slot, by said auditable electronic lock system so that only authorized keys can open and close said slot at preselected times and locations and a complete audit trail of ballot box opening, closing or locations can be provided by download from said electronic lock system.

12. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 11 wherein said mini pallet-box includes an auditable sensor and control system in association with said lock that tracks the time, location and number of ballots inserted in said box through said slot.

13. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 1 wherein said electronic lock system includes a lock body that opens only upon recognition exchange with a programmable key that communicates with said lock body, and said lock system includes at least one memory element that retrievably stores data on lock access and opening events, including data selected from at least one of time, duration, and unique key identifiers.

14. Smart mini-pallet box as in claim 13 wherein said key is selectively programmable to open only at least one of a plurality of selected containers and to open only at a selected time or location.

15. A smart, blast-resistant cargo container for secure, trackable, pollable and auditable, shipment and warehousing of products and materials comprising in operative combination:

a) a unitary container body having two pairs of opposed, spaced, generally orthogonally oriented generally planar vertical side walls integral with a bottom, a first pair of said side walls defining a front wall and a back wall and a second pair defining a left and a right side wall, said container footprint ranging from square to rectangular and substantially equal to or less than about the size of a standard pallet, a generally planar, openable lid comprising at least one panel, including a margin having a lip for sealingly engaging the tops of said side walls, said lid is hinged to said back wall and includes tangs in association with a front marginal edge of said lid to engage lid latch members mounted in association with said body front wall, and said body walls, bottom and lid defining a cargo load space;

b) an external structural exoskeleton for both said lid and said body, said lid skeleton comprising criss-crossed straps and a marginal band, and said body external structural exoskeleton is comprised of three panels, a front panel, a rear panel and a bottom panel, said front and rear panels being hinged at a lower marginal edge to the front and back of said bottom panel, said body exoskeleton panels provide a continuous structure for reinforcing said front and back walls against unauthorized entry and transit damage;

c) an auditable electronic lock system integrated into at least one of a front panel and a back panel of said exoskeleton;

d) a cover that is closable over the body of said electronic lock and said lid latches to prevent access thereto, said cover including a flange extending over the front lip of said lid and said electronic lock preventing said cover from being opened to reveal said lid latches until said electronic lock is selectively opened by an authorized key at an authorized time, at an authorized place and at combinations of authorized key, time and/or place;

e) at least one sensor disposed to provide a signal relating to an internal security condition of said cargo container;

f) a pollable communications module disposed in at least one of said container walls, bottom or top, said module including a battery power supply, a microprocessor controller, an RF transceiver unit and a GPS locator unit, said controller including inputs for said sensor and said GPS unit, and including a timing circuit for selectively periodically sending data via RF signals representing a unique identifier of said cargo container, and the status and location of said cargo container; and

g) explosive blast mitigation material disposed in association with or integral with at least some of said walls, top and bottom.

16. Smart blast-resistant cargo container as in claim 15 wherein said blast mitigation material is selected from a fabric laminate structure, honeycomb or corrugated laminate structure and an encapsulated granular blast attenuation material.

17. Smart blast-resistant cargo container as in claim 16 wherein said blast mitigation material is in the form of an internal liner for said box.

18. Smart blast-resistant cargo container as in claim 15 wherein said electronic lock system includes a lock body that opens only upon recognition exchange with a programmable key that communicates with said lock body, and said lock system includes at least one memory element that retrievably stores data on lock opening events, including data selected from at least one of time, duration, and unique key identifiers.

20. Smart blast-resistant cargo container as in claim 15 which includes four casters, at least two of which are pivotable, secured to the bottom of said mini pallet-box.

19. Smart blast-resistant cargo container as in claim 19 wherein said key is selectively programmable to open only at least one of a plurality of selected containers and to open only at a selected time or location.