Identification and association of refrigerated containers with dispatch orders

• US 8,849,723 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Startrak Information Technologies LLC (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Startrak Information Technologies LLC (ORBCOMM Incorporated)
• Inventors: Robinson, Thomas A., Karuppanan, Venkateswaran, Slifkin, Timothy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): EPSTEIN, BRIAN M
• Application Number:
  US12/693,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/28, 705/330, 340/572.1, 340/989
• US Class Current: 705/333
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/003 for movable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile

Abstract

A database sends identification and dispatch orders to a ship or rail transport that powers a shipping container during the ship or rail segment of the container'"'"'s journey. The database also sends identification and dispatch orders to gensets that power shipping containers on a motor vehicle transport during a vehicular segment of the container'"'"'s journey. The database associates the identification and dispatch orders along with the container as the container moves from connection with a genset on a vehicular transport to a ship or rail transport, and associates the identification and dispatch orders along with the container as the container moves to connection with a genset on a vehicular transport from a ship or rail transport.

Claims

1. A method for controlling refrigerated shipping containers on the basis of container shipping orders comprising:

energizing a plurality of refrigerated shipping containers, each loaded on respective transports,

the step of energizing including energizing the refrigerated shipping containers loaded on a first plurality of transports in the form of ships or railroad cars capable of supplying direct electrical power to said refrigerated shipping containers;

the step of energizing further including energizing refrigerated shipping containers loaded on a second plurality of transports in the form of vehicles with respective gensets each loaded on the second plurality of transports;

dispatching from a database information concerning said plurality of said containers on said first plurality of transports during respective segments of a journey of said refrigerated shipping containers as determined by said shipping orders directly to said first plurality of transports;

dispatching from a database information concerning said plurality of said containers on said second plurality of transports directly to said gensets;

communicating from each of said first set of transports and from each of said gensets return information concerning a condition of said corresponding container back to said database; and

adjusting the conditions of said containers on the basis of the information dispatched from said database; and

disconnecting said gensets from the refrigerated shipping containers on said second plurality of transports and placing said refrigerated shipping containers onto said plurality of first transports, and placing refrigerated shipping containers on said first plurality of transports onto a plurality of said second transports and connecting gensets to said refrigerated containers on said second transports; and

communicating with said database to associate the newly placed refrigerated shipping containers on the first plurality of transports with shipping orders pertaining to said newly placed refrigerated shipping containers, and to associate the newly placed refrigerated shipping containers on the second transports and connected to said gensets with the shipping orders pertaining to said newly placed shipping containers on said second transports.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said refrigerated shipping containers are each transient relative to said transports but said transports carry shipping orders pertaining to said container even after new placement.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said gensets each transmit the identity of the container to which the genset is connected at each leg of a journey.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of communicating includes transmitting from a wireless device mounted on each of said first plurality of transports and from said gensets an identification of the wireless device and the associated containers on said first plurality of transports, and further transmitting from a wireless device data from the container to which the genset is connected.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of communicating includes transmitting from a wireless device mounted on each of said gensets operational data of said refrigerated container to which said genset is connected and from a wireless device mounted on said plurality of first transports.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of dispatching includes searching a plurality of shipment orders and matching a shipment order with a container ID.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of dispatching includes responding to return information to terminate a shipment order at the end of a leg of a journey.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of dispatching includes responding to return information to terminate a shipment order at the end of a leg of a journey, and releasing the gensets and the plurality of first transports from the container to seek a new order and container.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said step of communicating includes the transmission of a container number of a container connected to a genset, a genset ID, a shipment reference number, and a gps location.

10. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a refrigerated shipping container between a shipment origin, a destination or interchange locations (SODIL) and transmitting to said database any event and alarm signals for subsequent transmission to a customer.

11. A transportation control system, comprising:

a database;

a plurality of containers mounted on transports;

said database being remote from said transports;

a first plurality of transports in the form of ships or railroad cars having power for supplying direct electrical power to refrigerated shipping containers;

a plurality of refrigerated shipping containers loaded on the first plurality of transports;

a second plurality of transports in the form of vehicles having respective gensets each loaded on the second plurality of transports;

a plurality of refrigerated shipping containers loaded on said second plurality of transports;

a plurality of wireless devices each mounted on respective ones of said gensets and storing information concerning the respective ones of said gensets for communicating with said database information concerning the identities of the genset on which the wireless device is mounted and the identity of the refrigerated shipping container to which the genset is electrically coupled, and the status of conditions in the refrigerated shipping container; and

said containers being movable from said first plurality of transports to said second plurality of said transports, and said containers being movable from said second plurality of transport to said first plurality of transports;

said database being arranged to communicate via a wireless transmitter/receiver, dispatch orders to transmitters/receivers of said respective gensets associated with said second plurality of transports, and directly to respective transmitters/receivers of said first plurality of transports at a completion of a shipment segment at a particular location and as said containers are moved from;

said second plurality of transports to said first plurality of transports; and

said first plurality of transports to said second plurality of transports and being connected to respective said gensets;

wherein;

said database comprises, based on communications with said database;

an association of a first particular newly placed refrigerated shipping container on one of the first plurality of transports with dispatch orders pertaining to said first particular shipping container, including information received from a genset transmitter of the first particular container while on one of the second plurality of transports; and

an association of a second particular newly placed refrigerated shipping container on one of the second transports and connected a particular genset with the dispatch orders pertaining to said second particular shipping container on one of said second transports, including information received from a transmitter of the one of the first plurality of transports while on the one of the first plurality of transports; and

both associations being utilized in the database communications at the particular location and while said containers are being moved.

12. A system for controlling refrigerated shipping containers, comprising:

a first one or more transports in the form of a container ship or container railroad for carrying a plurality of refrigerated shipping containers and having a power source for energizing said containers;

a plurality of second transports in the form of road vehicles for carrying refrigerated shipping containers;

a plurality of gensets for said plurality of second transports, said gensets each having a fuel powered generator;

a plurality of power connectors for connecting the genset to the refrigerated shipping container on said second transports to apply power to the refrigerated shipping container;

said containers being movable from said first one or more transports to said second plurality of transports and from said second plurality of transports to said first one or more transports;

a database that is arranged to;

communicate, via a wireless transmitter/receiver, dispatch orders, directly to respective receivers of said first one or more said transports and to respective receivers of said gensets; and

associate said dispatch orders with said containers, wherein;

said associated said dispatch orders are those with the same containers, as said containers are moved from said first one or more transports to said second plurality of transports and from said second plurality of transports to said first one or more transports at a completion of a shipping segment at a particular location; and

the dispatch orders communicated to a particular second shipping container on one of the second plurality of transports contains information communicated to the database while the particular second shipping container was previously on one of the first plurality of transports; and

the dispatch orders communicated to a particular first shipping container on one of the first plurality of transports contains information communicated to the database while the particular first shipping container was previously on one of the second plurality of transports.

13. A system for controlling refrigerated shipping containers, comprising:

a first transport in a form of a container ship or container railroad, comprising;

a plurality of refrigerated shipping containers, including a first container that is a refrigerated shipping container and has a first container ID;

a wireless transmitter/receiver that transmits and receives information for the plurality of refrigerated shipping containers; and

a power source for energizing said containers;

a second transport in a form of road vehicles, comprising;

a second container that is a refrigerated shipping container and has a second container ID;

a genset, comprising;

a fuel powered generator that provides power to the second container;

a unique genset ID; and

a transmitter/receiver;

a centralized database system, comprising;

a wireless transmitter/receiver that communicates directly with the first transport wireless transmitter/receiver and with the genset wireless transmitter/receiver;

a first stored dispatch order for the first container;

a second stored dispatch order for the second container;

a receiving algorithm that, prior to an exchange of the first and second containers on the first and second transports respectively;

receives data regarding the first container directly from the first transport; and

receives data regarding the second container directly from the genset;

an associating algorithm that;

associates the received first container data with the first stored dispatch order and produces a first modified dispatch order; and

associates the received second container data with the second stored dispatch order and produces a second modified dispatch order;

a transmitting algorithm that, after the exchange of the first and second containers on the first and second transports respectively;

transmits the first modified dispatch order to a genset associated with the first container; and

transmits the second modified dispatch order to the transmitter/receiver of the first transport on which the second container is located.