Dynamic inventory tracking and transfer system

• US 9,147,175 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mi-Jack Products Incorporated (Lanco International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schmidt, Harvey Edward, Zakula, Daniel Brian Sr., Cosandier, Darren
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, IG TAI
• Application Number:
  US13/827,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20140279292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 13/46 Position indicators for suspended loads or for crane elements
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 19/007 for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A dynamic inventory tracking and transfer system is provided that, when in operation, keeps track of inventory by tracking vehicle positions and inventory transfers. A transceiver on a vehicle detects and transmits a signal to the tracking system whenever a vehicle latches onto inventory and/or releases (i.e., unlatches) inventory. Whenever latch and unlatch signals are detected close in proximity to one another, the system concludes an inventory transfer has been made between the two vehicles. The inventory monitoring takes place in real time, thereby allowing inventory to be tracked from the time it is removed from a ship/train to the time it leaves a sea port, rail terminal or industrial yard.

Claims

1. A method of tracking inventory transferred within a freight yard, comprising the steps of:

creating a plurality of digital records, wherein each record includes position data representing a physical position of a vehicle;

updating a first position data of a first record corresponding to a first vehicle, within the freight yard, wherein the first vehicle is carrying inventory, and wherein the first position data is updated with position data transmitted by and received from a first navigation system attached to the first vehicle;

unsecuring the inventory from the first vehicle whereby a signal that an unlatch event has occurred is sent by the first navigation system;

securing the inventory to a second vehicle within the freight yard, said second vehicle having a second navigation system attached thereto, whereby a latch event signal is sent from the second navigation system;

detecting the latch and unlatch event signals sent from the, respective, first and second navigation systems and determining the proximity of the first vehicle that sent the unlatch event signal relative to the second vehicle that sent the latch event signal;

comparing the first position data of the first record with the position data of the plurality of digital records to determine if the second vehicle is a closest vehicle that had a latch event, and if the second vehicle associated with the sent latch event signal is determined to be the closest vehicle to the first vehicle associated with the unlatch event signal, the inventory carried by the first vehicle is determined to be transferred from the first vehicle to the second vehicle;

updating the first record to reflect that the first vehicle is no longer carrying the inventory; and

updating a record of the second vehicle to reflect that the second vehicle is now carrying the inventory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each vehicle is one of a rubber tired gantry crane, straddle carrier, hostler, mast mounted side loader, ship-to-shore crane, reach stacker, or the like and wherein a vehicle type is assigned for each vehicle and a computer is configured to determine if the vehicle type of the first vehicle is compatible or incompatible to transfer a container to the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first navigation system is a satellite positioning device or inertial navigation sensor and wherein the computer further determines that the inventory transfer between the first vehicle and the second vehicle occurred if a location of the transmitted unlatching signal matches a location of the transmitted latching signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of securing the inventory occurs when a vehicle latches onto inventory or a fifth wheel of a truck is activated, and the step of unsecuring the inventory occurs when a vehicle releases inventory or when the fifth wheel of the truck is activated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the records are stored in computer memory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory comprises a single twenty foot freight container.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory comprises two twenty foot freight containers.

19. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of determining which of the two twenty-foot freight containers is transferred from the first vehicle to the second vehicle first and which is transferred second.

8. A system for tracking inventory, comprising:

a plurality of vehicles, wherein each vehicle includes a latching element and a navigation system,

wherein the latching element is configured to latch onto inventory and unlatch from inventory,

wherein the navigation system, including a transmitter, and the latching element are in communication with the transmitter,

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit position data generated by the navigation system, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit an unlatching signal upon unsecurement of the inventory from a first vehicle that an unlatch event has occurred, and a latching signal upon securement of the inventory to a second vehicle within a freight yard, said second vehicle having a navigation system attached thereto, whereby the latching signal is sent from the transmitter of the navigation system of the second vehicle;

a receiver configured to receive transmissions from the transmitters; and

a computer in communication with the receiver, wherein the computer is configured to record in a computer memory the position of the vehicles based on transmissions received by the receiver, wherein the computer is further configured to;

(1) determine the first vehicle whose transmitter transmits the unlatching signal and the second vehicle whose transmitter transmits the latching signal,

(2) determine the proximity of the first vehicle that transmitted the unlatching signal relative to the second vehicle that transmitted the latch signal,

(3) determine when the second vehicle is a closest vehicle that transmitted the latching signal relative to the first vehicle, and when the second vehicle is determined to be the closest vehicle to the first vehicle an inventory transfer is determined to have occurred between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and wherein the computer is configured to record the transfer between the first vehicle and the second vehicle, to update a first record of the first vehicle to reflect that the first vehicle is no longer carrying the inventory, and to update a record of the second vehicle to reflect that the second vehicle is now carrying the inventory.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each vehicle is one of a rubber tired gantry crane, straddle carrier, hostler, mast mounted side loader, ship-to-shore crane, reach stacker, or the like and wherein a vehicle type is assigned for each vehicle and the computer is configured to determine if the vehicle type of the first vehicle is compatible or incompatible to transfer a container to the second vehicle.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein each navigation system is a satellite positioning device or inertial navigation sensor, and wherein the computer further determines that the inventory transfer between the first vehicle and the second vehicle occurred if a location of the transmitted unlatching signal matches a location of the transmitted latching signal.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the inventory comprises a single twenty foot freight container.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the inventory comprises two twenty foot freight containers.

13. A method of tracking inventory, comprising the steps of:

creating a plurality of digital records, wherein each record includes position data representing a physical position of a vehicle;

updating a first position data of a first record corresponding to a first vehicle, wherein the first vehicle is carrying a first inventory item and a second inventory item, and wherein the first position data is updated with position data transmitted by and received from a first navigation system attached to the first vehicle;

unsecuring at least one of the first and second inventory item from the first vehicle whereby a signal that an unlatch event has occurred is sent by the first navigation system;

securing the at least one of the first and second inventory item to a second vehicle having a second navigation system attached thereto, whereby a latch event signal is sent from the second navigation system;

detecting the unlatch and latch event signals sent from the first and second navigation systems and determining the proximity of the first vehicle that sent the unlatch event signal relative to the second vehicle that sent the latch event signal;

comparing the first position data of the first record with the position data of the plurality of digital records to determine if the second vehicle is a closest vehicle that had a latch event, vehicle and if the second vehicle associated with the sent latch event signal is determined to be the closest vehicle to the first vehicle associated with the unlatch event signal, the at least one of the first and second inventory items carried by the first vehicle is determined to be transferred from the first vehicle to the second vehicle;

updating the first record to reflect that the first vehicle is no longer carrying at least one of the first and second inventory item; and

updating a record of the second vehicle to reflect that the second vehicle is now carrying at least one of the first and second inventory items.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each vehicle is one of a rubber tired gantry crane, straddle carrier, mast mounted side loader, hostler, ship-to-shore crane, reach stacker, or the like and wherein a vehicle type is assigned for each vehicle and a computer is configured to determine if the vehicle type of the first vehicle is compatible or incompatible to transfer a container to the second vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first navigation system is a satellite positioning device or inertial navigation sensor and wherein a computer further determines that the inventory transfer between the first vehicle and the second vehicle occurred if a location of the transmitted unlatching signal matches a location of the transmitted latching signal.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of securing at least one of the first and second inventory item occurs when a vehicle latches onto inventory or a fifth wheel of a truck is activated, and the step of unsecuring the at least one of the first and second inventory items occurs when a vehicle releases inventory or when the fifth wheel of the truck is activated.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second inventory items comprise a first and second twenty foot freight container.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first record continues to reflect that the first vehicle is carrying the second inventory item after the first record is updated.