Automated exchange for determining availability of assets shareable among entities

• US 7,091,882 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Asset Intelligence LLC (PowerFleet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Terion Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Doyle, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/866,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20020180617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/539.13, 340/425.5, 340/933, 340/994, 224/510, 224/924, 224/519, 705/5, 705/13, 705/15, 705/26, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

An automated exchange for determining the availability of mobile assets that are shareable among mobile asset users. The automated exchange includes a plurality of mobile asset sources for providing mobile assets of one or more types, a data center for providing the availability status of each mobile asset, and asset status and availability inputs having communication connection to the data center. The asset status and availability inputs include mobile asset sensors, asset monitoring sensors, manual inputs, and asset status and availability record. A processor located at the data center determines the availability of each mobile asset using the status and availability input data. The processor also receives and processes requests for available mobile assets. A user computer having a communication link to the data center provides user access to information relating to the availability of the mobile assets and user interface to request for available mobile assets. The data center may be connected to an intermediary business entity. The intermediary business entity also facilitates and automates recurring rental transactions and exchanges among long-term users and mobile asset sources. The intermediary business entity also may form a contractual relationship with the users and mobile asset sources to broker transactions using the asset status and availability information from the data center and provide periodic transaction balance and billing statements.

Claims

1. A system for determining the availability of a plurality of mobile assets comprising:

a plurality of mobile asset sources for providing the mobile assets that may be made available, the mobile assets being classifiable into two or more asset types, and each mobile asset comprising a location detector for providing position data, at least one mobile asset sensor for detecting a parameter relating to the availability of the mobile asset, and a wireless communication interface for transmitting data that includes at least the parameter relating to the availability of the mobile asset; and

a data center comprising a receiver for receiving the mobile asset availability parameter data from the mobile assets and a processor programmed for determining the type of each mobile asset, processing the availability parameter data, and using the availability parameter data to determine the availability of each mobile asset,

wherein the parameter relating to availability of an asset is taken from a sensor that is of a different type for at least two different types of assets, and wherein at least one type of asset uses a sensor that determines asset availability from a cargo loaded/unloaded status sensor;

wherein the parameter relating to the availability of at least one other type of asset further includes at least one of mobile asset motion, mobile asset door activity, mobile asset security data, mobile asset location, mobile asset mileage, mobile asset fuel level and tire status.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor develops a record of asset status and availability information of each mobile asset and uses the record and the data to determine the availability of each mobile asset.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources include trucking rental companies.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources further include trucking companies that make available mobile assets on a rental basis.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication mechanism provides two way text messaging between a user and a mobile asset driver.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the data center has a server system having a network connection to a user computer for providing information relating to the availability of the mobile assets.

7. The system of claim 1 additionally comprising an asset monitoring sensor is located at a mobile asset garage to detect the presence of mobile assets.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a manual input communication link connected to the data center for receiving manual input of data relating to the availability of the mobile assets.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the manual input of the data includes the type of a mobile asset.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one type of the mobile assets includes a tractor-trailer.

11. A system for exchanging data relating to the availability of mobile assets comprising:

a plurality of mobile asset sources for providing the mobile assets that may be made available, wherein the mobile assets are of two or more types, and wherein mobile asset availability data for each type of mobile asset is derived from a sensor that is different for at least two of the asset types;

a processor programmed for determining the availability of each mobile asset from the corresponding mobile asset availability data, and receiving and processing requests for available mobile assets; and

a plurality of user computers for providing user access to information relating to the availability of the mobile assets and user interface to request one or more mobile assets that are determined to be available,

wherein, for at least one type of mobile asset, the mobile asset availability data includes at least cargo loaded/unloaded status;

wherein the mobile asset availability data of at least one other type of asset further includes at least one of mobile asset motion, mobile asset door activity, mobile asset security data, mobile asset location, mobile asset mileage, mobile asset fuel level and tire status.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources include trucking rental companies.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources further include trucking companies that make available mobile assets on a rental basis.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor is a server system having a network connection to the plurality of user computers for providing information relating to the availability of the mobile assets.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the server system receives and processes requests for available mobile assets.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the processor develops and stores a record of asset status and availability information of each mobile asset in a memory.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of user computers further provide user access to information relating to the status of authorized mobile assets.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the authorized mobile assets include mobile assets that are owned, leased or rented by a user.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the plurality of user computers are used to request availability of a subset of available mobile assets from the plurality of mobile asset sources.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein one of the plurality of user computers is used by one of the plurality of mobile asset sources to make a mobile asset available.

21. A system for exchanging data relating to the availability of mobile assets comprising:

a plurality of mobile asset sources for providing the mobile assets that may be made available, wherein the mobile assets are of two or more types and wherein each mobile asset provides mobile asset availability data that, for at least two types of mobile assets, is derived from sensor data that differs depending on the mobile asset type, with at least one type of asset using cargo loaded/unloaded status as mobile asset availability data;

a data center for providing the availability of the mobile assets;

an intermediary business entity having a communication link to the data center for providing a network of users and the plurality of mobile asset sources to efficiently manage the mobile assets that are made available by using the availability information from the data center; and

a plurality of user computers having a communication link to the intermediary business entity for providing user interface to request one or more mobile assets that are determined to be available;

wherein the mobile asset availability data of at least one other type of asset further includes at least one of mobile asset motion, mobile asset door activity, mobile asset security data, mobile asset location, mobile asset mileage, mobile asset fuel level and tire status.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the intermediary business entity forms agreements with the users and the plurality of mobile asset sources to conduct transactions of the available mobile assets.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein one of the plurality of user computers is used by one of the plurality of mobile asset sources to make a mobile asset available.

24. The system of claim 21 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources include trucking rental companies.

25. The system of claim 21 wherein the plurality of mobile asset sources further include trucking companies that make available mobile assets on a rental basis.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the data center comprising a computer for determining the availability of each mobile asset.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the users and the plurality of mobile asset sources efficiently manage the available mobile assets by conducting transactions including rental transactions and exchanges.

28. The system of claim 21 wherein the intermediary business entity automates recurring rental transactions and exchanges between a common long-term user and a mobile asset source.

29. The system of claim 21 wherein the intermediary business entity comprises a sewer for providing the communication link to the plurality of user computers through the network.

30. The system of claim 21 wherein the intermediary business entity further comprises a memory for storing a record of transactions.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the intermediary business entity determines a rental charge of a mobile asset based on the record of transactions and the agreement.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the intermediary business entity determines the transaction balance of a mobile asset source based on the record of transactions.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the intermediary business entity determines the transaction balance of a user based on the record of transactions.