Systems and methods for managing a cargo transaction

• US 9,127,945 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Telang, Sanjeev, Kota, Rupendra, Poonawala, Huzefa, Joshi, Tushar, Tahilramani, Nikita
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US13/684,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20130268191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 703/23, 705/1, 705/28, 717/171, 340/539.13, 340/539.22, 340/989
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for managing a cargo transaction are disclosed. By transmitting and integrating consignment data and real-time cargo status data including data collected from a GPS-enabled monitoring device to a visual cargo server, a visual cargo data is produced. The visual cargo data is contextualized by integrating with contextual data obtained from one or more contextual servers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for managing a cargo transaction of at least one cargo, comprising:

transmitting consignment data to a visual cargo server;

tracking cargo status data of a vehicle transporting the cargo, wherein at least some of the cargo status data comprises data collected from a GPS-enabled monitoring device;

transmitting the cargo status data via a wireless network to the visual cargo server, wherein the visual cargo server integrates the consignment data and the cargo status data to produce virtual cargo data;

obtaining contextual data from one or more contextual servers;

transmitting the contextual data to the visual cargo server;

providing context to the visual cargo data by integrating the virtual cargo data with the contextual data to produce a contextualized visual cargo data; and

presenting one or more aspects of the contextualized visual cargo data to a user, wherein the one or more aspects of the contextualized visual cargo data is selected based on a role of the user and wherein the role of the user includes consignor, consignee, and transporter.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the consignment data comprises originating codes, geo-codes, destination codes, geo-codes of the cargo, departure time of the cargo or expected time of arrival of the cargo.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the consignment data comprises cargo data and cargo identification data.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting real-time environmental data to the visual cargo server.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, wherein the real-time environmental data comprises one or more of traffic information, weather information, road condition, or incident information.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is a vehicle mounted device.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 6, further comprising obtaining real-time environmental data collected from one or more sensors disposed on the vehicle.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cargo status data is transmitted to the visual cargo server via a fleet management server.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network is a cellular network such as a PSTN, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA, HSP A, LTE, or WiMAX network.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the contextual data are specific to a consignor, consignee or transporter.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising alerting the user based on the visual cargo data.

12. A computer implemented method of managing a cargo transaction, comprising:

transmitting consignment data to a visual cargo server;

tracking cargo status data of a vehicle responsible for delivering the cargo, wherein at least some of the cargo status data comprises data collected from a GPS-enabled monitoring device;

transmitting the cargo status data via a wireless network to the visual cargo server, wherein the visual cargo server integrates the consignment data and the cargo status data to produce virtual cargo data;

transmitting the visual cargo data to a contextual server comprising contextual data, wherein the contextual server is configured to provide a context to the virtual cargo data to produce a contextualized visual cargo data by integrating the virtual cargo data with the contextual data; and

presenting one or more aspects of the contextualized visual cargo data to a user, wherein the one or more aspects of the contextualized visual cargo data is selected based on a role of the user and wherein the role of the user includes consignor, consignee, and transporter.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the consignment data comprises originating geo-codes, destination geo-codes of the cargo, departure time of the cargo or expected time of arrival of the cargo.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein the contextual data are specific to a consignor, consignee or transporter.

15. A system for monitoring a cargo transaction, comprising:

a visual cargo server for receiving real time location and cargo status information over a wireless communication network;

a monitoring device associated with the cargo, the device comprises;

a processor for controlling operation of the device;

a GPS circuit for receiving GPS data;

a wireless communication modem and antenna in communication with the processor for transmitting GPS location data to the visual cargo server; and

a contextual server configured to transmit the contextual data to the visual cargo server;

wherein the visual cargo server is configured to obtain consignment data and integrate said consignment data with the GPS data to produce a visual cargo data and to contextualize said visual cargo data with contextual data, wherein the visual cargo server is configured to transmit at least one aspect of the contextualized visual cargo data selected based on a role of a user to one or more end-use devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication modem and antenna is configured to interface with a cellular network such as a PSTN, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA, WCDMA, HSPA, LTE, or WiMAX network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the consignment data comprises originating geo-codes, destination geo-codes of the cargo, departure time of the cargo or expected time of arrival of the cargo.