Vector-based harbor scheduling

• US 7,990,263 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2006
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Beatty Street Properties, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Beatty Street Properties, Inc.
• Inventors: Morrell, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, JACK K
• Application Number:
  US11/529,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20080079608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 340/984, 340/988, 340/540, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 3/00 Traffic control systems for marine craft marking of navigational route B63B22/16, B63B51/00

Abstract

A method of optimizing the scheduling of ships entering and leaving a harbor, the method comprising the steps of:

• • a. Combining information from an automated identification system about each ship with scheduling information about each ship from a dispatching system to produce a combined ship ID/schedule for each ship;
  • b. Tracking the latitude and longitude of each ship using GPS to produce tracked latitude and longitude of each ship;
  • c. Comparing the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship to existing maps of the harbor; and
  • d. Continually comparing the ID/schedule for each ship with the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship.

The alerts are sent whenever the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship does not match the expected latitude and longitude of each ship at a given time. The method tracks and records whenever a pilot embarks or disembarks from a ship.

Claims

1. A method of scheduling ships entering and leaving a harbor comprising the steps of:

a. combining information about each ship from an automated identification system with scheduling information about each ship from a pilot dispatching system to produce combined ship ID/schedule data for each ship;

b. tracking the latitude and longitude of each ship using GPS and using the automated identification system to produce a tracked latitude and longitude of each ship;

c. comparing the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship to existing maps of the harbor; and

d. continually comparing the schedule data for each ship with the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship to verify the ship ID.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending alerts whenever the tracked latitude and longitude of each ship does not match the combined ship ID/schedule.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording and displaying the times when a pilot boards the ship at anchorage, when the pilot disembarks from the ship at a dock, when a pilot boards the ship at the dock, and when a pilot disembarks from the ship at anchorage.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising digitally fusing and displaying multiple tracks of ships in the harbor with a digital map of the harbor, and displaying a menu of automated identification system and dispatch scheduling from a common database of each ship onto the display.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording and displaying the pilot relayed times when a pilot boards the ship, and when a pilot disembarks from the ship.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising digitally fusing and displaying multiple tracks of ships in the harbor with a digital map of the harbor, and displaying a menu of identification data of each ship onto the display.