Method and System for Locating a Mobile Asset

• US 20120258731A1
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Recognition Network Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Recognition Network Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeHart, Cort, Smith, Shawn
• Granted Patent: US 9,373,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/045 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

An improved system and method for creating and accessing a centralized database containing an assorted variety of information related to a debtor such as physical addresses of the debtor or his friends, associates and relatives, as well as information related to a mobile asset, such as physical description information, collectively referred to as “identifying information.” Methods are also disclosed for lenders and others to send identifying information to the centralized database, and for users such as skip tracers to be able to download and use the information located in the database for asset recovery purposes.

Claims

1. A method related to locating a mobile asset of interest, the method comprising the steps of:

having a database of a plurality of mobile assets of interest, the database including identifying information, associated information and location information for each mobile asset;

having a database of users, each user having a type designation;

the identifying information for the mobile asset includes at least one of;

a physical description of the mobile asset, a license plate number, a VIN, a name of an owner, information identifying a make, model, or color, a photograph of the mobile asset, information identifying a type of the mobile asset such as automobile, boat, plane, trailer, RV, or motorcycle, or other information that facilitates identifying the mobile asset;

the associated information related to the mobile asset includes at least one of;

lender information, public records information, public safety criminal history information, an identity of an authorized agent, a preauthorized payment amount for verifying the location of the mobile asset, a basis upon which the mobile asset is of interest, a type of action to be performed with respect to the mobile asset, or a financial indicator related to the type of action to be performed with respect to the mobile asset or other previously entered associated information with the mobile asset other than identifying information or location information;

the location information includes at least one of;

a residence location associated with an owner of the mobile asset, a work location associated with an owner of the mobile asset, a recorded location where the mobile asset has been, or a location of another a different mobile asset associated with the mobile asset of interest;

establishing a communication between a mobile device and the database;

receiving from the mobile device information identifying the current location of the mobile device;

comparing the current location of the mobile device to at least one item of location information for at least one mobile asset; and

sending to the mobile device at least one item of identifying information based on the results of the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the identifying information and at least some of the location information is transmitted to the mobile device for storage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least some of the associated information is transmitted to the mobile device for storage.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile device is a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer or other GPS enabled device capable of wirelessly connecting to the database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes information regarding the age of the location information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the database receives verification that the mobile asset has been located.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the database validates the type of user associated with a particular mobile device and transmits information related to the mobile asset selected based in part on the type of user receiving the information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user type is associated with a commercial vehicle recovery service and the database transmits information regarding mobile assets to be recovered.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the user type is associated with law enforcement and the database selectively transmits information regarding stolen vehicles or other categories of crime related to national, state or local public safety vehicle hot-lists such as “

missing person”

, “

gang/terrorist member”

, “

wanted person”

, “

felony warrant”

, “

sex offender”

, “

stolen license plate” and

“

protection order”

.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the database transmits information related to the financial terms associated with the recovery of the vehicle.

11. A system for locating a mobile asset, comprising:

a database of mobile assets, the database including identifying information, associated information and location information for each mobile asset;

a communication system in communication with mobile device associated with a GPS transceiver and receiving GPS coordinates of the current location of the mobile device;

a processor associated with the database wherein the location of the mobile device is compared to the location information for at least one mobile asset; and

a communication link between the mobile device and the database, wherein an indication transmitted to the mobile device when the location of the mobile device correlates with the location information of the mobile asset.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the database is maintained on a server and the processor is in the server.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the identifying information includes lender contact information and physical description of the asset.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the mobile device is a wireless device and the communication link is wireless.