WIRELESS ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF GOODS

• US 20120023555A1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Danieli Gavriel Putterman
• Original Assignee: Danieli Gavriel Putterman
• Inventors: Putterman, Danieli Gavriel
• Application Number:
  US12/841,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120023555A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A system for wireless environmental monitoring of goods, the system comprising a portable environmental data logger and a portable computerized device, each comprising: a standard short-range radio module; and an authentication and security module, wherein said standard short-range radio modules of said logger and said computerized device are configured to communicate with one another over a standard wireless communication channel, and wherein said authentication and security modules of said logger and said computerized device are each configured to execute, over the standard wireless communication channel, a non-standard authentication routine for authenticating an identity of said computerized device to said logger, so as to provide said computerized device with data access to said logger based on a security profile assigned to said computerized device.

Claims

1. A system for wireless environmental monitoring of goods, the system comprising a portable environmental data logger and a portable computerized device, each comprising:

a standard short-range radio module; and

an authentication and security module,

wherein said standard short-range radio modules of said logger and said computerized device are configured to communicate with one another over a standard wireless communication channel, and

wherein said authentication and security modules of said logger and said computerized device are each configured to execute, over the standard wireless communication channel, a non-standard authentication routine for authenticating an identity of said computerized device to said logger, so as to provide said computerized device with data access to said logger based on a security profile assigned to said computerized device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, in the execution of the non-standard authentication routine:

said authentication and security module of said logger is further configured to transmit a challenge to the authentication and security module of said computerized device; and

said authentication and security module of said computerized device is further configured to transmit a correct response to the challenge to the authentication and security module of said logger, to provide said computerized device with the data access to said logger.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the correct response is associated with a group of loggers in which said logger is a member.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the correct response is associated with a group of computerized devices in which said computerized device is a member.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the security profile assigned to said computerized device by said authentication and security modules is selected from the group consisting of:

a super user security profile granting essentially full access to said logger;

an operator security profile granting permission to set an operational parameter of said logger and to receive and view the at least one environmental parameter;

a reader security profile granting permission to receive and view the at least one environmental parameter; and

a forwarder security profile granting permission to receive the at least one environmental parameter and to forward it over a network.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data access enables said computerized device to receive an environmental parameter from said logger.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the environmental parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

temperature, humidity, radiation, shock, atmospheric pressure, presence of a specific gas, noise and location.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the data access enables said computerized device to receive, from said logger, an indication of an exception of an environmental parameter from a predefined range.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the environmental parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

temperature, humidity, radiation, shock, atmospheric pressure, presence of a specific gas, noise and location.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said portable computerized device further comprises a network interface module configured to transmit the environmental parameter to a remote server.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said network interface module of said portable computerized device comprises a wireless interface module.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said network interface module of said portable computerized device comprises a wired interface module.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein said portable computerized device further comprises a network interface module configured to transmit the environmental parameter to an intermediary computer, for further relay by the intermediary computer to a remote server.

14. A system for shipment tracking and monitoring, the system comprising:

a central shipment tracking and monitoring server;

a plurality of portable environmental data loggers, each configured to monitor an environmental parameter and to store tracking information pertaining to a shipment; and

a plurality of portable computerized devices, each configured to wirelessly access at least one of the loggers so as to receive the environmental parameter, and each comprising a network interface module configured to transmit the environmental parameter to the central shipment tracking and monitoring server.

15. A method for wireless environmental monitoring of goods, the method comprising:

continuously sensing and recording, using a portable environmental data logger, at least one environmental parameter;

opening a wireless communication channel from a portable computerized device to the logger, using a standard short-range radio protocol; and

over the wireless communication channel, using a non-standard authentication routine, authenticating an identity of the computerized device to the logger, to provide the computerized device with data access to the logger based on a security profile assigned to the computerized device.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the security profile is selected from the group consisting of:

a super user security profile granting essentially full access to said logger;

an operator security profile granting permission to set an operational parameter of said logger and to receive and view the at least one environmental parameter;

a reader security profile granting permission to receive and view the at least one environmental parameter; and

a forwarder security profile granting permission to receive the at least one environmental parameter and to forward it over a network.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the non-standard authentication routine comprises:

transmitting a challenge from the logger to the computerized device; and

transmitting a correct response to the challenge from the computerized device to the logger.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the correct response is associated with a group of loggers in which the logger is a member.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the correct response is associated with a group of computerized devices in which the computerized device is a member.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the data access comprises transmitting the at least one environmental parameter from the logger to the computerized device.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the environmental parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

temperature, humidity, radiation, shock, atmospheric pressure, presence of a specific gas, noise and location.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the data access comprises transmitting, from the logger to the computerized device, an indication of an exception of the at least one environmental parameter a predefined range.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the environmental parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

temperature, humidity, radiation, shock, atmospheric pressure, presence of a specific gas, noise and location.

24. The method according to claim 15, further comprising transmitting the environmental parameter from the computerized device to a remote server.