SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STEALTH TRACKING

• US 20090303045A1
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Winter, Steven J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/568.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A shipping and tracking system has a number of tracking stations that are geographically distributed. The tracking stations gather information from shipping items processed by the shipping and tracking system. The shipping and tracking system provides an enhanced level of security for selected shipping items. The enhanced level of security for the selected shipping items is based at least on the information gathered at the tracking stations. The enhanced security is provided in such a way that personnel of the shipping and delivery system cannot physically discern whether or not a shipping item is being shipped with enhanced security.

Claims

1. A method of operating a delivery and stealth tracking system, the method comprising:

during a first period of time, wirelessly gathering information indicative of an inherent property of a first wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to a shipping item with a first wireless communications data reader device;

during the first period of time, wirelessly gathering information indicative of an inherent property of a second wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to the shipping item with the first wireless communications data reader device;

calculating a current joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered during the first period of time from both the first and the second wireless communications data provider device; and

comparing the current joint item-device configuration value with a reference joint item-device configuration value, wherein the reference joint item-device configuration value was previously calculated based at least on respective information previously gathered during a second period of time preceding the first period of time from both the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating a current joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered during the first period of time from both the first and the second wireless communications data provider device includes:

determining a respective value of a quantity indicative of the inherent property of the first wireless communications data provider device;

determining a respective value of a quantity indicative of the inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device; and

determining a statistical quantity based at least on the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the inherent property of the first wireless communications data provider device and the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the current joint item-device configuration value with a reference joint item-device configuration value further includes determining whether the current joint item-device configuration value is within a defined amount of tolerance with respect to the reference joint item-device configuration value based at least on the comparison of the current joint item-device configuration value with the reference joint item-device configuration value;

and further including providing a tamper-alert in response to the current joint item-device configuration value being outside of the defined amount of tolerance.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the respective inherent property of the first and of the second wireless communications data provider device is a respective amount of impedance, and wherein calculating a current joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered during the first period of time from both the first and the second wireless communications data provider device includes:

determining a respective value of a first amount of electromagnetic energy, E_a, received from the first wireless communications data provider device during the first period of time having a defined duration;

determining a respective value of a second amount of electromagnetic energy, E_b, received from the second wireless communications data provider device during a second period of time having a duration that matches the duration of the first period of time; and

determining a ratio between the determined respective value of the first amount of electromagnetic energy, E_a, and the determined respective value of the first amount of electromagnetic energy, E_b.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the second period of time, wirelessly gathering information indicative of a respective inherent property of a first wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to the shipping item with a second wireless communications data reader device;

during the second period of time, wirelessly gathering information indicative of a respective inherent property of a second wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to the shipping item with the second wireless communications data reader device;

calculating the reference joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered during the second period of time from both the first and the second wireless communications data provider device; and

storing the reference joint item-device configuration value.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a delivery schedule and a delivery path for the shipping item, the delivery path extending between at least a current physical location of the shipping item and a physical destination location, wherein the delivery path includes a number of tracking stations, and the delivery schedule includes a respective estimated delivery time at each respective tracking station of the number of tracking stations;

providing a tracking-alarm in response to a failure to gather information indicative of the respective inherent property of at least one of the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices of the shipping item at a respective tracking station of the number of tracking stations within an interval of time that is determined based at least on the respective estimated delivery time at the respective tracking station; and

for each tracking station of the number of tracking stations that gathers information from at least one of the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices of the shipping item, updating an item delivery record based at least on the information gathered at the respective tracking station.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

logically associating the reference joint item-device configuration value with the shipping item;

logically associating at least one shipping item identifier with the shipping item, wherein at least one of the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices includes a respective memory that stores encoded information indicative of the shipping item identifier;

determining a delivery schedule and a delivery path for the shipping item, the delivery path extending between at least a current physical location of the shipping item and a physical destination location, wherein the delivery path includes a number of tracking stations, and the delivery schedule includes a respective estimated delivery time at each respective tracking station of the number of tracking stations;

for each tracking station of the number of tracking stations that gathers information from at least one of the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices of the shipping item, receiving information indicative of the shipping item identifier; and

for each tracking station of the number of tracking stations that gathers information from at least one of the first and the second wireless communications data provider devices of the shipping item, receiving information indicative of the current joint item-device configuration value.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein receiving information indicative of the current joint item-device configuration value includes:

receiving information gathered at the respective tracking station indicative of an inherent property of the first wireless communications data provider device; and

receiving information gathered at the respective tracking station indicative of inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

permitting access by a set of authorized personnel to information indicative of the logical association of the at least one shipping item identifier with the shipping item; and

denying access by at least one member of the first set of authorized personnel to information indicative of the logical association of the reference joint item-device configuration value with the shipping item.

10. A surreptitious tracking system for tracking of a shipping item through a shipping and delivery system, comprising:

a plurality of tracking stations geographically distributed in the shipping and delivery system, each tracking station configured to wirelessly gather stealth tracking information including an amount of information indicative of an inherent property of a respective first wireless communications data provider device and an amount of information indicative of an inherent property of a respective second wireless communications data provider device of a respective shipping item passing through the respective tracking station; and

a stealth tracking system communicatively coupled to each tracking station of the plurality of tracking stations, the stealth tracking station configured to;

calculate a current joint item-device configuration value based at least on stealth tracking information received from a respective tracking station of the plurality of tracking stations, and compare the current joint item-device configuration value with a reference joint item-device configuration value.

11. The surreptitious tracking system of claim 10 wherein the calculation of a current joint item-device configuration value by the stealth tracking system includes the stealth tracking station being configured to:

determine a respective value of a quantity indicative of the inherent property of the first wireless communications data provider device based at least on the received stealth tracking information;

determine a respective value of a quantity indicative of the inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device based at least on the received stealth tracking information; and

determine a statistical quantity based at least on the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the inherent property of the first wireless communications data provider device and the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device.

12. The surreptitious tracking system of claim 10 wherein the stealth tracking system is configured to:

calculate the reference joint item-device configuration value based at least on stealth tracking information gathered during an initial check-in of a respective shipping item into the shipping and delivery system; and

store the reference joint item-device configuration value.

13. The surreptitious tracking system of claim 12 wherein the stealth tracking system is configured to:

determine a delivery schedule and a delivery path for a respective shipping item, the delivery path extending between at least a current physical location of the respective shipping item and a physical destination location, wherein the delivery path includes a number of tracking stations, and the delivery schedule includes a respective estimated delivery time at each respective tracking station of the number of tracking stations;

provide a tracking-alarm in response to a failure to gather stealth tracking information at a respective tracking station of the number of tracking stations within an interval of time that is determined based at least on the respective estimated delivery time at the respective tracking station; and

for each tracking station of the number of tracking stations that gathers stealth tracking information from the respective shipping item, update a respective item delivery record based at least on the stealth tracking information gathered at the respective tracking station.

14. A method of operating a delivery and stealth tracking system that provides varying security levels for shipping items in the delivery and stealth tracking system, the method comprising:

receiving a first number of shipping items for transport through a delivery and stealth tracking system at a first security level of the delivery and stealth tracking system;

receiving a second number of shipping items for transport through the delivery and stealth tracking system at a second security level that is higher than the first security level, wherein each respective shipping item of the second number of shipping items has a first and a second wireless communications data provider device physically coupled;

wirelessly gathering information indicative of a respective inherent property of a respective wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to a respective shipping item for each respective shipping item of the second plurality of shipping items, which are commingled with the first plurality of shipping items, and for the respective first and the second wireless communications data provider devices physically coupled thereto, and

calculating a respective current joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered from both the respective first and the second wireless communications data provider devices physically coupled to a respective shipping item for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items;

comparing the respective current joint item-device configuration value with a respective reference joint item-device configuration for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items, wherein the respective reference joint item-device configuration value was previously calculated based at least on respective information indicative of the respective inherent property of the respective first and the respective second wireless communications data provider device physically coupled to the respective shipping item.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein calculating a respective current joint item-device configuration value based at least on the respective information gathered from both the respective first and the second wireless communications data provider devices physically coupled to a respective shipping item for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items includes:

for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items,

determining a respective value of a quantity indicative of the respective inherent property of the respective first wireless communications data provider device,

determining a respective value of a quantity indicative of the respective inherent property of the second wireless communications data provider device, and

determining a respective statistical quantity based at least on the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the respective inherent property of the respective first wireless communications data provider device and the determined respective value of the quantity indicative of the respective inherent property of the respective second wireless communications data provider device.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising transporting, between a first point and a second point in the delivery and stealth tracking system, respective ones of the shipping items having the higher security level with respective ones of the shipping items having the lower security level in a common load.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising holding respective ones of the shipping items having the higher security level with respective ones of the shipping items having the lower security level in a common area.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

holding respective ones of the shipping items having the higher security level with respective ones of the shipping items having the lower security level in a common area; and

transporting, between a first point and a second point in the delivery and stealth tracking system, respective ones of the shipping items having the higher security level with respective ones of the shipping items having the lower security level in a common load.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein comparing the respective current joint item-device configuration value with a respective reference joint item-device configuration for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items includes determining whether the respective current joint item-device configuration value is within a respective defined amount of tolerance with respect to the respective reference joint item-device configuration value based at least on the comparison of the respective current joint item-device configuration value with the respective reference joint item-device configuration value for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items;

and further including providing a respective tamper-alert in response to the respective current joint item-device configuration value being outside of the respective defined amount of tolerance for each shipping item of the second number of shipping items.