Securing, monitoring and tracking shipping containers

• US 9,386,553 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Berger, Thomas R., Denny, Joseph E., Robins, David S., Koop, LaMonte Peter, Payne, Edward Allen, Twitchell, Robert W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Brenda H
• Application Number:
  US13/619,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/310.2, 370/338, 370/328, 370/401
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration

Abstract

A method of securing a container includes inserting, into a seal device at a container, an electronic bolt; reading, by the seal device, a serial number stored in the electronic bolt; communicating, from the seal device, to a user application, insertion of the bolt; scanning, by the user via a handheld device, a barcode on the seal device representative of an identification of the seal device; communicating, from the handheld device to the user application, the identification of the seal device; inputting, by a user at the container via the handheld device, information associated with the container; communicating, from the handheld device to the user application, the information associated with the container; associating, in a database by the user application, the information associated with the container with the bolt serial number and the identification of the seal device; communicating, by the user application, a confirmation to the seal device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a first gateway, a first beacon signal containing a first location type associated with the first gateway;

transmitting, by a second gateway, a second beacon signal containing a second location type associated with the second gateway;

receiving, at a wireless communication device, the first beacon signal;

receiving, at the wireless communication device, the second beacon signal;

determining, at the wireless communication device, that the second location type contained in the second beacon signal is preferred as compared to the first location type contained in the first beacon signal;

registering, by the wireless communications device based on the determination that the second location type is preferred, with the second gateway;

communicating a registration event message indicating the wireless communications device'"'"'s registration with the second gateway to an application running at a remote computing device, the registration event message including the second location type;

selecting, at a remote computing device based on the second location type included in the received registration event message, a profile maintained in association with the second location type;

communicating, from the remote computing device to the wireless communications device, an instruction to engage the selected profile;

engaging, by the wireless communications device in response to the received communication from the remote computing device, the selected profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises steps of:

presenting, to a user via an electronic display, a user interface of a management application configured to allow a user to associate location types with profiles;

receiving, from a user at the management application, input effecting association of a particular location type with a particular electronic device profile;

wherein the second location type is the same as the particular location type, and the selected profile is the same as the particular electronic device profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the management application is loaded on the remote computing device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the management application is loaded on a handheld electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the handheld electronic device comprises a PDA.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first beacon signal received at the wireless communication device was retransmitted by another wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second beacon signal received at the wireless communication device was retransmitted by another wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a seal device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a container security device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device comprises a remote sensor node.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second gateways comprises a wireless reader device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second location type corresponds to ports.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected profile includes an operational parameter set, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining, at the wireless communications device based on GPS data, that a location of the wireless communication device meets a condition specified in the operational parameter set; and

effecting transition, by the wireless communication device based on the determination that a location of the wireless communication device meets a condition specified in the operational parameter set, to a new state.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes utilizing, at the wireless communication device following registration with the second gateway, a beacon timer to control broadcasting of beacon signals containing the second location type by the wireless communication device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing, at the wireless communications device, the selected profile to a list of profiles stored at the wireless communications device; and

determining, based on such comparison, that the selected profile does not correspond to any profile of the list of profiles stored at the wireless communications device;

communicating, from the wireless communications device, an identification of the selected profile to a remote database;

comparing, at the remote database, the communicated identification of the selected profile to stored profiles;

determining, from the remote database, a stored profile corresponding to the selected profile; and

receiving, at the wireless communications device, the determined stored profile;

wherein the step of engaging, by the wireless communication device, the selected profile, comprises engaging, by the wireless communications device, the received profile.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein the management application is loaded on the remote computing device.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a wireless communication device currently registered with a first gateway that is associated with a first location type, a beacon signal containing a second location type originating from a second gateway;

determining, at the wireless communication device, that the second location type contained in the second beacon signal is preferred as compared to the first location type;

registering, by the wireless communications device based on the determination that the second location type is preferred, with the second gateway;

communicating a registration event message indicating the wireless communications device'"'"'s registration with the second gateway to an application running at a remote computing device, the registration event message including the second location type;

selecting, at the remote computing device based on the second location type indicator included in the received registration event message, a profile maintained in association with the second location type;

communicating, from the remote computing device to the wireless communications device, an instruction to engage the selected profile;

engaging, by the wireless communications device in response to the received communication from the remote computing device, the selected profile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises steps of:

presenting, to a user via an electronic display, a user interface of a management application configured to allow a user to associate location types with profiles;

receiving, from a user at the management application, input effecting association of a particular location type with a particular electronic device profile;

wherein the second location type is the same as the particular location type, and the selected profile is the same as the particular electronic device profile.

19. A method comprising:

connecting, by a wireless communications device, to a first network comprising a first gateway associated with a first location;

receiving, at the wireless communications device, an indication of the presence of a second network comprising a second gateway associated with a second location;

determining, at the wireless communications device, that the second location is preferred comparatively to the first location;

connecting, by the wireless communications device based on the determination that the second location is preferred, to the second network;

communicating a message indicating the wireless communications device'"'"'s connection to the second network to an application running at a remote server, the communicated message further including an indication of the second location;

comparing, by the application at the remote server, the second location associated with the second network to a stored database;

selecting, based on this comparison, a profile corresponding to the second location;

communicating, from the application at the remote server, to the wireless communications device, an instruction to engage the selected profile;

engaging, by the wireless communications device, the selected profile.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

comparing, at the wireless communications device, the selected profile to a list of profiles stored at the wireless communications device; and

determining, based on such comparison, that the selected profile does not correspond to any profile of the list of profiles stored at the wireless communications device;

communicating, from the wireless communications device, an identification of the selected profile to a remote database;

comparing, at the remote database, the communicated identification of the selected profile to stored profiles;

determining, from the remote database, a stored profile corresponding to the selected profile; and

receiving, at the wireless communications device, the determined stored profile;

wherein the step of engaging, by the wireless communication device, the selected profile, comprises engaging, by the wireless communications device, the received profile.