System and method for generating a transporting instruction using an environmental sensor

• US 9,230,372 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kadaba, Nagesh
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, TOAN M
• Application Number:
  US14/063,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20140052412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0717 the sensor being capable of sensing environmental conditions such as temperature history or pressure
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system including an environmental sensor that can travel with a product within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network. The environmental sensor being configured to sense an environmental condition capable of affecting the product to generate product environment data. The system includes a scanner configured to read product environment data from the environmental sensor. The system also includes a hub control unit configured to communicate with the scanner and receive the product environment data from the scanner and determine whether the product environment data enters into a pre-defined range of values associated with an exposure of the product to an environmental condition. The hub control unit is also configured to generate alert data if it is determined that the environmental data has entered the range of values. If a limit within the values is further transcended, a transportation instruction is also generated to alter transport of the product.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

collecting environmental data using an environmental sensor associated with a container such that the sensor travels with the container during transportation of the container within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

receiving the environmental data collected by the environmental sensor at a computer system;

determining with the computer system whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; and

prior to completing the transportation of the container and in response to the computer system determining the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generating and transmitting alert data to one or more users of the computer system, the generated alert data containing an indication of the environmental condition entering the range of values.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of

in response to an input from the one or more users, generating a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the transporting instruction redirects the container to an alternate destination different from its original destination.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the transporting instruction upgrades the service level of the container.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of

in response to an input from the one or more users, altering a frequency at which the computer system analyzes the environmental data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein upon determining that the environmental condition of the container has transcended a limit associated with an upper threshold of the range the method further comprises the step of generating a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transporting instruction at least one redirects the container to an alternate destination different from its original destination or upgrades the service level of the container.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

collecting tracking data including identification data identifying the container and location data identifying the location of the container;

receiving the tracking data at the computer system; and

linking the tracking data with the environmental data based at least in part on time or location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment data relates to at least one of temperature, pressure, vacuum, vibration, shock, humidity, moisture, light, air and a chemical to which the container has been subjected.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the environmental sensor is a radio frequency identification tag (RFID).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is a passive radio frequency identification tag.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the RFID tag is an active radio frequency identification tag.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental sensor associated with said product further comprises a visual indicator activated automatically by the environmental sensor if the environmental sensor determines the environmental condition has entered the range of values, wherein the visual indicator changes its visual appearance when the environmental condition has entered the range of values.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the environmental condition of the container has transcended a limit associated with an upper threshold of the range;

in response to the environmental condition not transcending the limit, the visual indicator changes its visual appearance to a first appearance; and

in response to the environmental condition not transcending the limit, the visual indicator changes its visual appearance to a second appearance, the second appearance being distinct from the first appearance.

15. A system comprising:

an environmental sensor associated with a container and travels with the container as it is transported within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

a computer system configured to;

determine whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; and

prior to completing the transportation of the container and in response to the computer system determining the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generate and transmit alert data to one or more users of the computer system, the generated alert data containing an indication of the environmental condition entering the range of values.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computer system is further configured to

in response to an input from the one or more users, generate a transporting instruction to alter the delivery of the container.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the transporting instruction comprises at least one of:

(1) the identification of an alternate tip position corresponding to the alternate destination;

(2) the redirection of the container to an alternate destination different from its original destination;

or (3) the upgrade of the service level of the container.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the environmental sensor comprises a visual indicator activated automatically by the environmental sensor if the environmental sensor determines the environmental condition has entered the range of values.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computer system is further configured to:

determine whether the environmental condition of the container has transcended a limit associated with an upper threshold of the range;

in response to the environmental condition not transcending the limit, change the visual indicator to a first condition appearance; and

in response to the environmental condition not transcending the limit, change the visual indicator to a second condition appearance, the second condition appearance being distinct from the first condition appearance.

20. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

(A) a first executable portion configured for receiving environmental data collected by an environmental sensor associated with a container such that the sensor travels with the container during transportation of the container within a carrier'"'"'s logistics network;

(B) a second executable portion configured for determining whether an environmental condition of the container has entered within a pre-defined range of values based on the collected environment data; and

(C) a third executable portion configured for, prior to completing the transportation of the container and in response to determining the environmental condition has entered the range of values, generating and transmitting alert data to one or more users of the computer program product, the generated alert data containing an indication of the environmental condition entering the range of values.