System and method for dynamically monitoring status in location services

• US 8,903,424 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TechnoCom Corporation
• Inventors: Proietti, Mario, Moring, John Thomas, Schafer, Brenda C.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US14/260,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20140235268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 223 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4565, 455/414.1, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A method and system for reporting a location of an asset. The method includes: receiving a location tracking request for the asset; dynamically determining a status of the asset; and allowing acquisition of the location of the asset based on the determined status. The method further includes: obtaining the location of the asset responsive to the received request and said allowing; and reporting the obtained location of the asset. The system includes: a reporting module for receiving a location tracking request for the asset; a status module for dynamically determining a status of the asset; and a tracking module for obtaining the location of the asset responsive to the determined status. The reporting module reports the location of the asset responsive to the received location tracking request.

Claims

1. A method for reporting a location of an asset, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a location tracking request to obtain a current location of the asset;

providing configuration information for the asset;

dynamically determining a status of the asset, responsive to the received request, and based on movement of the asset and the configuration information for the asset;

providing permission for access to the current location of the asset, based on the determined status of the asset;

tracking the asset with varying tracking precision depending on the determined status of the asset, which is based on the movement of the asset and the configuration information for the asset;

obtaining the current location of the asset, responsive to said permission; and

generating a report for the obtained current location of the asset, wherein a precision of said report for the obtained current location of the asset is based on the determined status of the asset, which is based on the movement of the asset and the configuration information for the asset, wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the asset is a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the configuration information for the vehicle includes one or more of an asset name, the vehicle being an emergency vehicle with its lights/siren engaged, the vehicle traveling at an excessive speed, and boundary areas for reporting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the asset is a container.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuration information for the container includes one or more of whether the container is loaded onto carrier, whether the container to be tracked individually, and boundary areas for reporting.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing said permission for access to the current location for a next tracking request of the location of said asset.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying the configuration information for the asset and obtaining the location of the asset according to the verified configuration information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the asset includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported based on the location of the asset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the status of the asset includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported based on the time of the location tracking request.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the varying degrees of location accuracy are determined based on privacy or cost factors.

11. A system for reporting a location of an asset comprising:

a reporting module including a first processor, which includes computer executable instructions for receiving a location tracking request to obtain a current location of the asset;

a configuration module including a second processor, which includes computer executable instructions for providing configuration information for the asset;

a status module including a third processor, which includes computer executable instructions for dynamically determining a status of the asset, responsive to the received request, movement of the asset and the configuration information;

an enablement module including a fourth processor, which includes computer executable instructions for providing permission for acquisition of the current location of the asset, based on the determined status of the asset; and

a tracking module including a fifth processor, which includes computer executable instructions for tracking location of the asset with varying tracking precision depending on the determined status of the asset, and obtaining the current location of the asset with a precision determined by the status of the asset, responsive to said permission, wherein the reporting module reports the obtained location of the asset.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tracking module obtains the current location of the asset after the determined status indicates that the tracking module is allowed to obtain said location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the configuration module is configured to verify a configuration for the asset, and wherein the tracking module obtains the current location of the asset based on the verified configuration.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the status of the asset includes varying degrees of location accuracy to be reported by the reporting module, based on at least the time of the location tracking request, privacy or cost factors.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the asset is a vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the configuration information for the vehicle includes one or more of an asset name, the vehicle being an emergency vehicle with its lights/siren engaged, the vehicle traveling at an excessive speed, and boundary areas for reporting.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the asset is a container.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the configuration information for the container includes one or more of whether the container is loaded onto carrier, whether the container to be tracked individually, and boundary areas for reporting.

19. A method for reporting a location of an asset, the method comprising:

receiving a first indication of a current state of the asset, the current state of the asset being one of a plurality of predefined states in a configuration information data record for the asset, wherein the first indication is triggered by a first movement of the asset;

determining information about the current state of the asset based on the first indication triggered by said first movement of the asset and said configuration information;

storing said information about the current state; and

determining a first permission for reporting the location of the asset, based on the information about the current state, the first permission indicating a precision level of tracking the asset and allowed location reporting, wherein said level of tracking the asset is based on movement of the asset and the configuration information data record for the asset, wherein the method is performed by one or more processors.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a second indication of an updated current state of the asset, the updated current state being one of the plurality of predefined states, wherein the second indication is triggered by a second movement of the asset;

storing information about the updated current state; and

determining a second permission for reporting the location of the asset, based on the information about the updated current state, the second permission indicating a second level of allowed location reporting.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the asset is a vehicle or a container.