VEHICLE ASSOCIATION WITH DRIVER USING MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES

• US 20140136012A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Tam, Joyce
• Granted Patent: US 9,443,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0841 Registering performance data recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0238 adding new units to the system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0261 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect trespassing over a fixed physical boundary, e.g. the end of a garden
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0277 Communication between units on a local network, e.g. Bluetooth, piconet, zigbee, Wireless Personal Area Networks [WPAN]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0283 via a telephone network, e.g. cellular GSM
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 : Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 : using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 : for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices

Abstract

An improved method for asset management is described. The method includes receiving information from a remote reporting device in close proximity to an asset, the information including a first unique identifier associated with the asset and a second unique identifier associated with a user of the asset. The method further includes associating the asset with the user based on the information. Additionally, the method includes monitoring use of the asset and maintaining a record of the use by the user based on the information.

Claims

1. A method for asset management comprising:

receiving at a computer system information from a remote reporting device in close proximity to an asset, said information including a first unique identifier associated with said asset and a second unique identifier associated with a current and physical user of said asset;

associating at said computer system said asset with said user based on said information; and

monitoring use of said asset and maintaining a record of said use by said user based on said information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said asset is a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said asset is a vessel.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes position information of said reporting device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said monitoring includes receiving status information associated with the asset.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

determining position information of said asset based on said position information of said reporting device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes position information of said asset.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said information is received from a personal electronic device associated with said user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said information is received as a text message from a personal electronic device associated with said user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes a picture associated with said asset.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes a barcode associated with said asset.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes voice data generated by said user.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes alphanumeric data generated by said user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes RFID tag information.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said information includes a wireless device identifier.

16. A system for asset management comprising:

a receiver for receiving information from a remote reporting device in close proximity to an asset, said information including a first unique identifier associated with said asset and said information including a second unique identifier associated with a current and physical user of said asset;

an asset management module coupled with said receiver for associating said asset with said user based on said information and for monitoring use of said asset by said user; and

a database coupled with said asset management module for maintaining a record of said information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said asset is a vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said asset is a vessel.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein said receiver is configured to receive position information from said remote reporting device.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said asset management module is configured to determine position information of said asset based on said position information from said reporting device.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes position information of said asset.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein said remote reporting device is a personal electronic device associated with said user.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein said information is received as a text message from a personal electronic device associated with said user.

24. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes a picture associated with said asset.

25. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes a barcode associated with said asset.

26. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes voice data.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes alphanumeric data generated by said user.

28. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes RFID tag information.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein said information includes a wireless device identifier.

30. A method for tracking an asset comprising:

identifying with a caller identification system a telephone number associated with a portable electronic device, said portable electronic device associated with a user;

prompting said user of said portable electronic device to submit a unique identifier associated with said asset;

automatically associating said asset with said user based on said identified telephone number of said portable electronic device and based on said unique identifier associated with said asset.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said unique identifier associated with said asset is a vehicle license number.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein said prompting is performed by generating audible instructions.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein said prompting is performed by generating a text message.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein said asset is a vehicle.

35. The method of claim 30 wherein said asset is a vessel.

36. A method for tracking an asset comprising:

receiving data at a computer system from a portable electronic device associated with a user, said data including a unique identifier associated with said asset;

identifying a telephone number associated with said portable electronic device;

determining an identity of said user based on said telephone number associated with said portable electronic device; and

automatically associating said asset with said user based on said identity of said user and based on said unique identifier associated with said asset.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said data includes a text message.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said unique identifier is received as an image.

39. The method of claim 38 further comprising:

parsing said unique identifier from said image.

40. The method of claim 36 wherein said unique identifier is received as a text message.

41. The method of claim 40 further comprising:

parsing said unique identifier from said text message.

42. The method of claim 36 wherein said asset is a vehicle.

43. The method of claim 36 wherein said asset is a vessel.

44. A computer-implemented method for asset management comprising:

prompting a current and physical user of an asset to provide a unique identifier associated with said user;

receiving data from said user indicating said unique identifier associated with said user;

determining a unique identifier associated with said asset;

associating said asset with said user based on said unique identifier associated with said user and based on said unique identifier associated with said asset; and

monitoring use of said asset by said user and maintaining a record of said use based on said monitoring.

45. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as voice data.

46. The method of claim 44 wherein said data from said user indicating said unique identifier associated with said user is generated by a key pad.

47. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as an image.

48. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as a scan of a bar code.

49. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as a phone number.

50. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as a text message.

51. The method of claim 44 wherein said unique identifier associated with said user is received as an RFID identifier.

52. The method of claim 44 further comprising:

receiving data from said user indicating dissociation between said user and said asset.

53. The method of claim 44 further comprising:

automatically dissociating said user from said asset.