Monitoring Responsive Objects in Vehicles

• US 20100079256A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Skiba, David Joseph, Erhart, George William, Matula, Valentine C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,405,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/28 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading, distribution or shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle for carrying responsive objects is outfitted with a proxy for the responsive objects. The vehicle is also outfitted with a sensor that detects which responsive objects it is carrying and sensor that detect environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, etc.) inside and outside of the vehicle. When an inquiry is directed to a responsive object in the vehicle, the proxy intercepts the inquiry and responds with the status of the vehicle. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, the responsive objects use different protocols, and the proxy is multi-lingual in the sense that it can communicate with the inquirer with the same protocol that is used to communicate with the responsive object. In this way, the illustrative embodiment provides a mechanism for monitoring the location and condition of responsive without some of the costs and disadvantages for doing so in the prior art.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle;

a first responsive object capable of responding to a first inquiry about the state of the first responsive object, wherein the first inquiry is formatted in accordance with a first protocol;

a first responsive object sensor for sensing when the first responsive object is within the vehicle;

a second sensor for sensing a first state of the vehicle; and

a proxy for responding to the first inquiry about the state of the first responsive object with the state of the vehicle when the first responsive object is within the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 comprising:

a second responsive object for responding to a second inquiry about the state of the second responsive object, wherein the inquiry is formatted in accordance with a second protocol;

wherein the proxy is also for responding to the second inquiry about the state of the second responsive object with the first state of the vehicle when the second responsive object is within the vehicle; and

wherein the first protocol is different than the second protocol.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third sensor for detecting a second state of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the vehicle is location.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the vehicle is temperature.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the vehicle is humidity.

7. A system comprising:

a first responsive object capable of responding to a first inquiry about the state of the first responsive object, wherein the first inquiry is formatted in accordance with a first protocol;

a second responsive object for responding to a second inquiry about the state of the second responsive object, wherein the inquiry is formatted in accordance with a second protocol;

a first responsive object sensor for sensing a first state of the first responsive object; and

a proxy for responding to a second inquiry about the state of the second responsive object with the state of the first responsive object when the second responsive object is within the first responsive object.

8. The system of claim 7 comprising:

a second sensor for sensing when the first responsive object is within the second responsive object.

9. The system of claim 7 further comprising a third sensor for detecting a second state of the first responsive object.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the first state of the first responsive object is location.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the first state of the first responsive object is temperature.

13. The system of claim 7 comprising:

a third responsive object capable of responding to a third inquiry about the state of the third responsive object, wherein the first inquiry is formatted in accordance with a first protocol; and

wherein the proxy is also for responding to a third inquiry about the state of the third responsive object when the third responsive object is within the first object.

12. (canceled)