Securing shipping container for transport

• US 7,828,346 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Terry, Daniel J., Kenney, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M
• Assistant Examiner(s): FULTON, KRISTINA ROSE
• Application Number:
  US12/347,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20090108596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 292/327, 292/307.R, 340/572.9, 70/55, 70/56
• US Class Current: 292/327
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 39/02 with destructible seal closures or paper closures
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0317 having bolt like sealing means means for preventing relative axial movement of a pin, spigot, shaft or the like and a member surrounding it F16B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0358 using a rigid hasp lock
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/31 Hasps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/48 Seals
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/51 Seal bolts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/5031 Receptacle

Abstract

The method described here is for securing a shipping container for transport, and includes the steps of: providing a shipping container having a bolt-type seal lock module, a sensor module mounted to an interior surface of the shipping container configured to wirelessly communicate data to the bolt-type seal lock module, and an RF device mounted on an inside surface of a door of the shipping container; providing a bolt; associating the sensor module with the RF device such that the RF device is specifically coded with a sensor module to deter spoofing the short-range communication link formed between the RF device and the sensor module; associating the sensor module with the bolt-type seal lock such that the bolt-type seal lock is specifically coded with the sensor module to deter spoofing communications between the bolt-type seal lock and the sensor module; and sealing the shipping container.

Claims

1. A method for securing a shipping container for transport, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a shipping container, comprising;

(i) a seal lock module located on an exterior surface of a door of the shipping container, the seal lock module comprising,

(A) a locking body having a passageway with an open end,

(B) a housing connected to the locking body and containing therein,

(1) electronics including,

 

(I) a microprocessor,

 

(II) memory for storing data, and

 

(III) a wireless communication component configured to wirelessly communicate data,

(2) a power source for powering the electronics,

(ii) a sensor module mounted to an interior surface of the shipping container, the sensor module comprising,

(A) electronics including,

(1) a microprocessor,

(2) memory for storing data,

(3) a wireless communication component configured to wirelessly communicate data, and

(4) an antenna mounted on an exterior of a cross-wise door beam of the shipping container for facilitating wireless data communications by the wireless communication component of the sensor module, and

(B) a power source for powering the electronics, and

(iii) an RF device mounted on an inside surface of a door of the shipping container and configured to form a short-range communication link with the wireless communication component of the sensor module inside the shipping container via the antenna mounted on the exterior of the shipping container when the RF device and the sensor module are within radio communications range via the antenna, wherein the RF device is mounted on the inside surface of the door such that,

(A) the RF device and the sensor module are within radio communications range via the antenna when the door is closed, and

(B) the RF device and the sensor module are outside of radio communications range via the antenna when the door is opened, whereby the opening and closing of the door of the shipping container is determinable,

(iv) wherein the seal lock module and the sensor module are configured to wirelessly communicate data therebetween;

(b) providing a bolt, comprising

(i) a shaft having a proximal portion and a distal portion, and

(ii) a head located at the proximal portion of the shaft, the head being wider than the distal portion of the shaft;

(c) associating the sensor module with the RF device such that the RF device is specifically coded with the sensor module to deter spoofing the short-range communication link formed between the RF device and the sensor module;

(d) associating the sensor module with the seal lock such that the seal lock is specifically coded with the sensor module to deter spoofing communications between the seal lock and the sensor module; and

(e) sealing the shipping container by inserting the distal portion of the shaft of the bolt,

(i) through an opening in a hasp of the door of the shipping container such that the shaft of the bolt must be withdrawn from the opening of the hasp in order to open the door of the shipping container without causing structural damage to the shipping container, the head of the bolt being too wide to pass through the opening in the locking structure of the door of the shipping container, and

(ii) into the open end of the passageway of the locking body such that the locking body receives and retains the shaft of the bolt in locking engagement such that the distal portion of the shaft is kept from being withdrawn from the open end of the passageway, the locking body being too wide to pass through the opening in the hasp of the door of the shipping container;

(f) wherein the housing is connected to the locking body such that the housing and locking body are rotatable relative to each other, the method further comprising mounting the housing to an exterior surface of a door of the shipping container and rotating the locking body such that the open end of the passageway is aligned with the opening in the hasp for receiving the bolt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bolt further comprises a microchip containing a serial number of the bolt, the method further comprising the step of reading the serial number from the microchip after the locking engagement of the bolt with the locking body.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the serial number read from the microchip in the memory of the housing of the seal lock.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising wirelessly communicating the serial number read from the microchip from the wireless communication component of the housing to the wireless communication component of the sensor module, and storing the serial number read from the microchip in the memory of the sensor module.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the serial number read from the microchip is stored in both the memory of the housing of the seal lock and the memory of the sensor module, whereby data redundancy is provided in the shipping container.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating, by the wireless communication component of the housing of the seal lock, the serial number read from the microchip, from the shipping container, for receipt by a central computer database.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising communicating, by the wireless communication component of the sensor module, the serial number read from the microchip, from the shipping container, for receipt by a central computer database.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of attempting to read the serial number from the microchip of the bolt after previously reading the serial number from the microchip of the bolt, and communicating data indicative of a failed attempt to read the serial number from the microchip.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of cutting and removing remnants of the bolt from the seal lock and, thereafter, again sealing the shipping container using a second bolt that is like the first bolt except in that the microchip of the second bolt contains a different serial number, and reading the serial number from the microchip of the second bolt after locking engagement of the second bolt with the locking body, whereby an automatic update of a bolt serial number is provided when a new bolt is used.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a positive, visual indication at the shipping container that the sensor module has been successfully associated with the RF device and that the sensor module has been successfully associated with the housing of the seal lock of the shipping container.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication is provided by causing an LED on the housing to flash.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said mounting of the housing to the exterior surface of the door of the shipping container comprises magnetically attaching the housing to the exterior surface of the door of the shipping container.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor module further comprises one or more sensor components for acquiring data for detecting a condition of the shipping container, the method further comprising storing sensor-acquired data in the memory of the sensor module.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly communicating sensor acquired data from the sensor module to the electronic seal and storing the data in memory of the seal lock, whereby data redundancy is provided in the shipping container.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly communicating, from the shipping container for receipt by a central computer database, data indicative of the cutting of the bolt sealing the shipping container.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly communicating, from the shipping container for receipt by a central computer database, data indicative of the opening of the door of the shipping container on which the RF device is mounted.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the housing of the seal lock further comprises one or more sensor components for acquiring data for detecting a condition of the shipping container, the method further comprising storing sensor-acquired data in the memory of the housing, wirelessly communicating sensor acquired data from the housing to the sensor module, and storing the sensor-acquired data in the memory of the sensor module, whereby data redundancy is provided in the shipping container.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor module further comprises a chronometer component for measuring time, the method further comprising measuring a duration in which the shipping container door is opened as determined by the RF device and the sensor module being outside of radio communications range via the antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising wirelessly communicating, from the shipping container for receipt by a central computer database, data indicative of the duration in which the shipping container door is open.