Method for the Securing and Monitoring of Containers and Container with Securing and Monitoring Device

• US 20110156910A1
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Post AG
• Inventors: Pieper, Norbert, Schmidt, Michael, Henss, Rainer
• Application Number:
  US11/794,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20110156910A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.7
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/128 the housing being an electronic circuit unit, e.g. memory or CPU chip protecting computer components in secure or tamper resistant housings G06F21/86; protecting computer input devices, e.g. keyboards G06F21/83

Abstract

A method of monitoring a container that holds goods, in which one or more surfaces of the container have an electrically conductive material that acts as a sensor to detect state changes in physical properties of the container, comprises obtaining state information from the electrically conductive material and determining a position of the container. The method further comprises associating the state information with the position of the container, detecting data about the goods from an RFID tag located on the goods via an antenna that is installed around the opening edge of the container when the goods are loaded into the container and passed by the antenna, and transmitting at least one of the state information, the position of the container or the data about the goods to a data processing unit.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A method of monitoring a container that holds goods, in which one or more surfaces of the container have an electrically conductive material that acts as a sensor to detect state changes in physical properties of the container, the method comprising:

obtaining state information from the electrically conductive material;

determining a position of the container;

associating the state information with the position of the container;

detecting data about the goods from an RFID tag located on the goods via an antenna that is installed around the opening edge of the container when the goods are loaded into the container and passed by the antenna; and

transmitting at least one of the state information, the position of the container or the data about the goods to a data processing unit.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the position of the container is determined by a position sensor on the container.

45. The method according to claim 43, wherein the position of the container is determined by a position sensor on a transportation conveyance on which the container is being transported.

46. The method according to claim 45, comprising transmitting the position of the container to the data processing unit, wherein the data processing unit is disposed on the container.

47. The method according to claim 43, wherein the position of the container is determined by a GSM module, a GPS module and/or a direction-finding transmitter.

48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the direction-finding transmitter, GPS module or GSM module are used as a function of a requisite precision of the position determination, whereby the direction-finding transmitter, GPS module or GSM module can be used alternately or in parallel.

49. The method according to claim 43, wherein the state information obtained from the sensor is compared to one or more target values, whereby a deviation from at least one of the target value is considered to be an alarm.

50. The method according to claim 49, wherein the comparison of the state information is carried out by comparing a measured value of an electrical property of the electrically conductive material with a target value for the electrical property.

51. The method according to claim 49, wherein an alarm does not occur if a state change in physical properties of the container material deviates from a target value if the deviation is associated with a position of the container that is stored as a position in which it is permissible to open the container.

52. The method according to claim 43, comprising:

transmitting the state information obtained from the sensor to a communication module on the container; and

transmitting the state information from the communication module to a message receiving device.

53. The method according to claim 52, wherein the communication module comprises a GSM module.

54. The method according to claim 52, wherein the state information is transmitted from the communication module to the message receiving device when the container has arrived at a destination.

55. The method according to claim 52, wherein the state information is transmitted from the communication module to the message receiving device when the container is on its way to a destination.

56. The method according to claim 52, wherein the state information is transmitted to the message receiving device if a comparison of the state information to a target value shows that a deviation from the target value is considered to be an alarm.

57. The method according to claim 43, wherein the determination of the position of the container and the association of the position with the state information are carried out in the data processing unit on the container or a message receiving device.

58. The method according to claim 43, wherein the container is provided with an atmosphere measuring device that detects an atmosphere inside the container and wherein measured values from the atmosphere measuring device are transmitted to the data processing unit, the data processing unit being disposed on the container.

59. The method according to claim 58, wherein the atmosphere measuring device comprises a temperature and/or moisture sensor whose measured values are transmitted to the data processing unit.

60. The method according to claim 43, wherein at least a number of goods that have been placed into the container is recorded in the data processing unit, the data processing unit being disposed on the container.

61. The method according to claim 60, wherein removal of an item from the container reduces a number of items recorded in the data processing unit, whereby removal of the item from the container is determined when a number of procedures in which an unambiguously identifiable RFID tag belonging to the item being detected is an even number.

62. The method according to claim 60, wherein further data about the goods is acquired.

63. The method according to claim 62, comprising:

transmitting the number of goods and/or the further data about the goods to a communication module; and

sending the number of goods and/or the further data about the goods to a message receiving device.

64. The method according to claim 63, wherein the message receiving device is located in an area of a receiver of the goods or in an area of a monitoring center.

65. A container for holding goods, one or more surfaces of the container having an electrically conductive material that acts as a sensor to detect state information regarding state changes in physical properties of the container, the container comprising:

an antenna disposed around an opening edge of the container, the antenna adapted to detect data about the goods from an RFID tag located on the goods when the goods are loaded into the container and passed by the antenna; and

a data processing unit that receives state information from the sensor, a position of the container and the data about the goods, the data processing unit associating the state information with the position of the container.

66. The container according to claim 65, wherein the position of the container is determined by a positioning sensor located on the container.

67. The container according to claim 65, wherein the position of the container is determined by a positioning sensor located on a transportation conveyance on which the container can be transported.

68. The container according to claim 65, wherein the position of the container is determined by a positioning sensor comprising a GSM module, a GPS module and/or a direction-finding transmitter.

69. The container according to claim 68, wherein the GSM module, the GPS module and/or the direction-finding transmitter may be used alternately or in parallel depending on a requisite precision needed for the determination of the position of the container.

70. The container according to claim 65, wherein the container comprises a communication module that is in communication with the data processing unit.

71. The container according to claim 70, wherein the communication module comprises a GSM module.

72. The container according to claim 65, wherein the data processing unit is adapted to compare the state information to a target state corresponding to physical properties of the container.

73. The container according to claim 72, wherein the data processing unit is adapted to compare a measured electrical property of the electrically conductive material to a target value for the electrical property of the electrically conductive material.

74. The container according to claim 65, comprising an atmosphere measuring device that is adapted to measure an atmosphere inside the container, whereby the atmosphere measuring device is adapted to communicate with the data processing unit.

75. The container according to claim 74, wherein the atmosphere measuring device comprises a temperature and/or moisture sensor.

76. The container according to claim 65, wherein the container comprises a protective sheathing.

77. The container according to claim 65, wherein the data processing unit is adapted to record at least a number of goods placed into the container and/or further data about the goods.

78. The container according to claim 77, wherein the data processing unit is adapted to detect removal of an item from the container if it is determined that a number of procedures in which an unambiguously identifiable RFID tag belonging to the item has been detected an even number of times.

79. A shipping container that is adapted to hold goods, the shipping container having one or more surfaces that have an electrically conductive material that acts as a sensor to detect state changes in physical properties of the container, the shipping container comprising:

means for obtaining state information from the electrically conductive material;

means for determining a position of the container;

means for detecting data about the goods from an RFID tag located on the goods via an antenna that is installed around the opening edge of the container when the goods are loaded into the container and passed by the antenna; and

means for transmitting at least one of the state information, the position of the container or the data about the goods to a data processing unit.