SHORT-RANGE WIRELESS DETERMINATION OF A VEHICLE'S ASSET INVENTORY

• US 20170091496A1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: NEVAREZ PEDROZA, Aaron Olaff
• Granted Patent: US 10,896,402 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A device associated with a vehicle detects a first trigger indicating that the vehicle is moving for more than a first threshold time period, and identifies first assets proximate to the vehicle, based on the first trigger and using short-range wireless communications. The device detects a second trigger indicating that the vehicle has stopped moving for more than a second threshold time period and has started moving after stopping, and identifies second assets proximate to the vehicle, based on the second trigger and using short-range wireless communications. The device compares the identified first assets and the identified second assets, and generates a notification based on a result of the comparing the identified first assets and the identified second assets.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a device associated with a vehicle, a first trigger indicating that the vehicle is moving;

identifying, by the device and at a first time, one or more first assets proximate to the vehicle, based on the first trigger and using short-range wireless communications, associated with a short-range wireless technology, between the one or more first assets and the device,

the short-range wireless technology being incorporated within a particular first asset of the one or more first assets;

detecting, by the device, a second trigger indicating that the vehicle has stopped moving and has started moving after stopping,

the first trigger and the second trigger indicating that the vehicle is moving at more than a threshold velocity for more than a threshold time period;

identifying, by the device and at a second time after the first time, one or more second assets proximate to the vehicle, based on the second trigger and using the short-range wireless communications between the one or more second assets and the device;

comparing, by the device, the one or more first assets and the one or more second assets;

determining, by the device, that at least one first asset, of the one or more first assets, is not included in the one or more second assets based on comparing the one or more first assets and the one or more second assets; and

generating, by the device;

a first notification indicating that the at least one first asset has been delivered to a premises of a customer when the at least one first asset is included in a list of assets to deliver to the customer, or

a second notification indicating that the at least one first asset has been erroneously left at the premises of the customer when the at least one first asset is not included in the list of assets to deliver to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a list of assets that identifies the one or more first assets;

storing a modified list of assets that identifies the one or more second assets; and

providing the list of assets and the modified list of assets to a server device that provides inventory control of assets.

3. The method of claim 1, where the short-range wireless technology includes one of:

an infrared technology,

a near field communication (NFC) technology, or

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first list of assets that includes information identifying the one or more first assets; and

generating a second list of assets that includes information identifying the one or more second assets.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the short-range wireless communications between the one or more first assets and the device; and

identifying the one or more first assets based on establishing the short-range wireless communications between the one or more first assets and the device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the short-range wireless communications between the one or more second assets and the device; and

identifying the one or more second assets based on establishing the short-range wireless communications between the one or more second assets and the device.

7. The method of claim 1, where the first trigger and the second trigger are received from one or more components of the device or from the vehicle.

8. A device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

determine, at first time, a first list of assets that includes information identifying one or more first assets proximate to a vehicle, when the vehicle is moving and using short-range wireless communications, associated with a short-range wireless technology, between the one or more first assets and the device,

the short-range wireless technology being incorporated within a particular first asset of the one or more first assets;

verify that the first list of assets is correct;

receive an indication that the vehicle has stopped moving for a threshold time period and has started moving again at more than a threshold velocity after the threshold time period;

determine, at a second time after the first time, a second list of assets that includes information identifying one or more second assets proximate to the vehicle, after the vehicle has stopped moving and has started moving again at more than the threshold velocity after the threshold time period, and using the short-range wireless communications between the one or more second assets and the device;

compare the first list of assets and the second list of assets;

determine that at least one first asset included in the first list of assets is missing from the second list of assets based on comparing the first list of assets and the second list of assets; and

generate;

a first notification indicating that the at least one first asset has been delivered to premises of a customer when the at least one first asset is included in a list of assets to deliver to the customer, or

a second notification indicating that the at least one first asset has been erroneously left at the premises of the customer when the at least one first asset is not included in a list of assets to deliver to the customer.

9. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

provide the first list of assets to a server device that provides inventory control of assets;

receive, from the server device, information verifying that the first list of assets is correct; and

verify that the first list of assets is correct based on the information verifying that the first list of assets is correct.

10. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine the first list of assets when the vehicle is moving for more than threshold time period at more than the threshold velocity.

11. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

establish the short-range wireless communications between the device and the one or more first assets provided in the first list of assets; and

determine the first list of assets based on establishing the short-range wireless communications between the device and the one or more first assets provided in the first list of assets.

12. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors are further to:

establish the short-range wireless communications between the device and the one or more second assets provided in the second list of assets; and

determine the second list of assets based on establishing the short-range wireless communications between the device and the one or more second assets provided in the second list of assets.

13. The device of claim 8, where the indication that the vehicle has stopped moving and has started moving again is received from one or more components of the device or from the vehicle.

14. The device of claim 8, where the short-range wireless technology includes one of:

an infrared technology,

a near field communication (NFC) technology, or

a radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to;

identify, at a first time, one or more first assets proximate to a vehicle, when the vehicle is moving at more than a threshold velocity for more than a threshold time period, and using short-range wireless communications, associated with a short-range wireless technology, between the one or more first assets and the device,

the short-range wireless technology being incorporated within a particular first asset of the one or more first assets;

generate a list of assets based on the one or more first assets;

receive an indication that the vehicle has stopped moving for the threshold time period and has started moving again after the threshold time period;

identify, at a second time after the first time, one or more second assets proximate to the vehicle, when the vehicle is moving again at more than the threshold velocity for more than the threshold time period, and using the short-range wireless communications between the one or more second assets and the device;

compare the one or more second assets and the list of assets to generate a modified list of assets;

store the modified list of assets; and

generate a notification based on a result of comparing the one or more second assets and the list of assets.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the notification indicates that at least one first asset, of the one or more first assets, has been delivered to a premises of a customer or erroneously left at the premises of the customer.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

detect a trigger indicating that the vehicle is moving at more than the threshold velocity for more than the threshold time period; and

identify the one or more first assets based on detecting the trigger.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

detect a trigger indicating that the vehicle has started moving again at more than a threshold velocity for more than the threshold time period; and

identify the one or more second assets based on detecting the trigger.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the indication that the vehicle has stopped moving and has started moving again is received from one or more components of the device or from the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

provide the list of assets to a server device that provides inventory control of assets;

receive, from the server device, information verifying that the list of assets is correct; and

verify that the list of assets is correct based on the information verifying that the list of assets is correct.