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Smart pallet-box cargo container

  • US 7,714,708 B2
  • Filed: 05/13/2005
  • Issued: 05/11/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A smart cargo container for secure, trackable, pollable and auditable, shipment and warehousing of products and materials comprising in operative combination:

  • a unitary container body having two pairs of opposed, spaced, generally orthogonally oriented generally planar vertical side walls integral with a bottom, a first pair of said side walls defining a front wall and a back wall and a second pair defining a left and a right side wall;

    a generally planar, openable lid including a margin having a lip for sealingly engaging the tops of said side walls, said lid is hinged to said back wall and includes tangs to engage lid latch members mounted in association with said body front wall;

    said body walls, bottom and lid defining a cargo load space;

    an auditable electronic lock system integrated into a front panel of an exoskeleton;

    said front panel includes a pivoting cover for the body of said electronic lock and for said lid latches to prevent access thereto, said cover including a flange extending over the front lip of said lid and said electronic lock preventing said cover from being opened to reveal said lid latches until said electronic lock is opened by an authorized person at an authorized time or place;

    at least one sensor disposed to provide a signal relating to an internal security condition of said cargo container; and

    a pollable communications module disposed in at least one of said container walls, bottom or top, said module including a battery power supply, a microprocessor controller, an RF transceiver unit and a GPS locator unit, said controller including inputs for said sensor and said GPS unit, and including timing circuit for periodically sending data via RF signals representing a unique identifier of said cargo container, and the status and location of said cargo container.

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