Systems and Methods for Data Acquisition and Transmission

• US 20090303982A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Canter, James M., Knudson, Jon Sven, Blachman, Steven Joel
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/351
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• 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

Abstract

In a system for a field asset site having a plurality of field assets, a first transport module interfaces with a first field asset, the first transport module operable to communicate via a first transport with a communication center outside of the field asset site. A second transport module interfaces with the first field asset. A third transport module interfaces with an associated field asset and is operable to communicate via a second transport to the second transport module. Each of a plurality of audit devices interfaces with an associated field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device. Each of a plurality of routing modules interfaces between an associated field audit device and at least one of the second transport module and the third transport module, with each routing module operable to provide transport-agnostic communication between its associated audit device and at least one of the communication center and another audit device.

Claims

1. A data acquisition and transmission system for a field asset site having a plurality of field assets, comprising:

a first transport module interfacing with a first field asset, the first transport module operable to communicate via a first transport with a communication center outside of the field asset site;

a second transport module interfacing with the first field asset;

a third transport module interfacing with an associated field asset and operable to communicate via a second transport to the second transport module;

a plurality of audit devices, each audit device interfacing with an associated field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device; and

a plurality of routing modules, each routing module interfacing between an associated field audit device and at least one of the second transport module and the third transport module, each routing module operable to provide transport-agnostic communication between its associated audit device and at least one of the communication center and another audit device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transport module comprises a wide area network interface.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication center is a network operations center operable to receive operation data acquired by the audit devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first transport module comprises an interface selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the communications center is a handheld device operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the communications center is a service vehicle operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second transport module and third transport module comprise an interface selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one fourth transport module, each fourth transport module interfacing with an associated field asset and operable to communicate via the second transport to at least the second transport module, the third transport module, or another fourth transport module; and

the plurality of routing modules interfacing between an associated field audit device and at least one of a second transport module, third transport module, and fourth transport module.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of fifth transport modules, each fifth transport module interfacing with an associated field asset and operable to communicate via a third transport to at least one other fifth transport module; and

the plurality of routing modules interfacing between an associated field audit device and at least one of a second transport module, third transport module, fourth transport module, and fifth transport module.

10. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for field assets at a field asset site, comprising:

a plurality of audit devices, each audit device interfacing with a field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device;

a plurality of routing modules, each routing module interfacing with an associated audit device;

a first transport module interfacing with one of the plurality of audit devices, the first transport module operable to communicate via a first transport with a communication center outside of the field asset site; and

a plurality of second transport modules interfacing with the plurality of routing modules, each second transport module operable to communicate with its associated routing module and, via a second transport, communicate with at least one other second transport module to form a transport-agnostic local area network among the field assets;

the communication center communicating with the first transport module to receive the operation data acquired by the audit devices;

the routing modules and the second transport modules operating to autoconfigure the local area network upon initialization; and

the routing modules and second transport modules operating as relays when necessary to establish communication among the communication center and the field assets.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transport module comprises a wide area network interface.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication center is a network operations center.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transport module is selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications center is a handheld device operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications center is a service vehicle operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein each second transport module comprises an interface selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of third transport modules, each third transport module interfacing with an associated routing module and operable to communicate via a third transport to at least one other third transport module, and further operable to form, along with the routing modules and the second transport modules, a transport-agnostic local area network among the field assets;

the routing modules, the second transport modules and the third transport modules operating to autoconfigure the local area network upon initialization; and

the routing modules, second transport modules, and third transport modules operating as relays when necessary to establish communication between the communication center and other field assets.

18. A method for data acquisition and transmission in a field asset site, comprising:

interfacing each of a plurality of audit devices with at least one field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device;

interfacing each of a plurality of routing transports with an associated audit device;

interfacing a first transport module with one of the plurality of audit devices;

interfacing a plurality of second transport modules with the plurality of routing modules;

communicating, via the first transport module using a first transport, between a communication center outside of the field asset site and the audit device interfacing with the first transport module; and

communicating, via the second transport modules and their associated routing modules using a second transport, between the audit device interfacing with the first transport module and all other audit devices interfacing with routing modules interfacing with second transport modules;

wherein the communication among audit devices is transport-agnostic from the standpoint of the audit devices.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first transport module comprises a wide area network interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communication center is a network operations center.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first transport module is selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the communications center is a handheld device operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the communications center is a service vehicle operable to interface with the first transport module via the first transport.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein each second transport module comprises an interface selected from the group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system interface, a broadband personal communication system interface, a circuit switched cellular interface, a cellular digital packet data interface, a 800 MHz radio frequency interface, a 900 MHz radio frequency interface, a 1.9 GHz radio frequency interface, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency interface, an infra-red interface, a laser interface, an 802.11 interface, and a BLUETOOTH interface.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

interfacing each of a plurality of third transport modules with one of the plurality of routing modules or one of a plurality of additional routing modules interfacing with an associated audit device; and

communicating, via the third transport modules and their associated routing modules using a third transport, all other audit devices interfacing with a routing module interfacing with a third transport.