Intelligent container

• US 7,978,067 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CMC World Tracking System LLC
• Original Assignee: Custom Metalcraft Incorporated
• Inventors: Amschler, Jason, Redmond, John, Wagner, Ron, Higgins, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/425,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20060290491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,846 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management

Abstract

A system for remotely identifying, tracking, and monitoring transported goods includes a sensing and communications device (14) embedded in a shipping container (2). The sensing and communications device (14) includes onboard sensors (58,60,62) and wirelessly communicates with external sensors (24,26) to receive environmental and structural condition data. The device (14) communicates the data via either an RF interface (52,54) or a cellular telephone system interface (48,50) to a remote monitoring station (68). The remote monitoring station (68) analyzes the data, presents the data to a user, and enables the user to program the device (14).

Claims

1. A system for monitoring conditions of an object, the system comprising:

a first sensor for sensing a first condition related to said object and generating first condition data;

an identification component for storing object identification data;

a first wireless interface for communicating according to a first wireless protocol;

a second wireless interface for communicating according to a second wireless protocol; and

a controller for determining based on business rules of a particular implementation a preferred interface for communicating with a remote monitoring station, wherein the first interface is preferred if communications with the remote monitoring station are available via the first interface, and wherein the second interface is preferred if communications via the first interface are not available, and for communicating the first condition data and the identification data to the remote monitoring station via the preferred wireless protocol.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first interface communicates via a radio frequency signal.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the radio frequency signal is chosen from the group consisting of 433.92 MHz, 902 MHz to 928 MHz, and 2.46 GHz.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first wireless protocol is a radio frequency identification protocol.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first wireless interface communicates according to a cellular telephone system protocol.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cellular telephone system protocol is chosen from the group consisting of analog, digital, third generation, and general packet radio service.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the object is a container comprising a container housing, wherein the first sensor, the identification component, the first interface, the second interface, and the controller are contained within a sealed cavity that is integral with the container housing.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the sealed cavity is sealed by a removable cap, wherein the cap is metal and is an antenna for at least one of the first interface and the second interface.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the sealed cavity is sealed by a removable cap, wherein the cap is made of a material that permits wireless communications to pass therethrough.

10. The system as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a second sensor for sensing a second condition, wherein the second sensor is associated with the container and is not contained within the sealed cavity, and wherein the controller receives the second condition data from the second sensor via a wireless communication means, and communicates the second condition data via the preferred wireless protocol.

11. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the container is an open-top liquid storage container.

12. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the container is a sealable liquid storage container with a capacity of from about one-hundred gallons to about six-hundred gallons.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the container is a metal intermediate bulk container.

14. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a location determining component for generating location data, wherein the controller communicates the location data via the preferred wireless protocol.

15. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first sensor is a fill sensor for generating data indicating an amount of contents of the container.

16. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a satellite communications modem for enabling the controller to communicate via a satellite communications protocol.

17. A method of remotely monitoring conditions of a container and presenting the conditions to a user, the method comprising:

sensing a first condition associated with the container and generating first condition data;

associating identification data with the container;

utilizing a controller associated with the container that selects a preferred communications protocol from a first wireless protocol and a second wireless protocol, determined based on a business of a particular implementation wherein the first protocol is selected if communications via the first protocol are available and the second protocol is selected if communications via the first protocol are not available; and

communicating the first condition data and the identification data to a remote monitoring station via the preferred wireless protocol.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the first wireless protocol is a radio frequency identification protocol.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the first wireless protocol communicates via a radio frequency signal chosen from the group consisting of 433.92 MHz, 902 MHz to 928 MHz, and 2.4 GHz.

20. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the first wireless protocol is a cellular telephone communications protocol.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cellular telephone system protocol is chosen from the group consisting of analog, digital, third generation, and general packet radio service.

22. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein the first wireless protocol is for direct communications with devices associated with other containers.

23. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising receiving identification data from an identification component and communicating the identification data via the preferred wireless protocol.

24. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising receiving location data from a location determining component and communicating the location data via the preferred wireless protocol.

25. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

establishing a network of containers by identifying a plurality of containers and associating each container with a network node; and

receiving condition data and identification data from each network node, wherein a first network node communicates condition data and identification data received from a second network node to the remote monitoring station.

36. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said step of establishing a network of containers is carried out under the control of the remote monitoring station.

37. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said step of establishing a network of containers is carried out under the control of one or more controllers in the containers.

26. A system for monitoring conditions of a container, the system comprising:

a container housing;

a first sensor for sensing a first condition and generating first condition data;

a second sensor for sensing a second condition and generating second condition data;

a global positioning system receiver for generating location data;

an identification component for storing identification data;

a first wireless interface for communicating via a cellular telephone system protocol;

a second wireless interface for communicating with an interface associated with another container and for communicating indirectly with a remote monitoring station; and

a controller for determining, based on business rules of a particular implementation a preferred interface for communicating with the remote monitoring station, wherein the first interface is preferred if communications with the remote monitoring station are available via the first interface, and wherein the second interface is preferred if communications with the remote monitoring station are not available via the first interface, and for communicating the first condition data, the second condition data, the identification data, and the location data to the remote monitoring station via the preferred wireless medium,

wherein the first sensor, the global positioning system receiver, the identification component, the first wireless interface, the second wireless interface, and the controller are contained within a sealable cavity that is integral with the container housing.

27. The system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the second wireless interface communicates according to a radio frequency identification protocol.

28. The system as set forth in claim 27, wherein the second wireless interface communicates via a radio frequency signal chosen from the group consisting of 433.92 MHz, 902 MHz, to 928 MHz, and 2.4 GHz.

29. The system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the cellular telephone system protocol is chosen from the group consisting of analog, digital, third generation, and general packet radio service.

30. The system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the container is a sealable liquid storage container with a capacity of from about one-hundred gallons to about six-hundred gallons.

31. the system as set forth in claim 30, wherein the container is a stackable intermediate bulk container.

32. The system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the cavity is sealed by a metal cap that is an antenna for at least one of the first and second interfaces.

33. The system as set forth in claim 26, further comprising a communications modem for receiving data from the controller and communicating the data via a second wireless protocol.

34. The system as set forth in claim 33, wherein the communications modem is a satellite modem and communicates with the controller via a wireless medium.

35. The system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the cavity is sealed by a removable cap, wherein the cap is made of a material that permits wireless communications to pass therethrough.