Tracking information technology (IT) assets

• US 9,654,928 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HCL Technologies Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cai, Mingming, Li, Yubo, Xue, Chao, Wang, Qing
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US15/178,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20170086025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 340 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2343 Locking methods, e.g. distributed locking or locking implementation details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An association connection is established between a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and a second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within the asset management environment. An association connection is established between the second BLE device and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, and the association information stored in the second BLE device to the third BLE via one or more broadcasting frames is periodically transmitted. Based on current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, an identity of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, and the physical location of the second BLE device within the asset management environment is identified.

Claims

1. A computer program product for management of assets in an asset management environment, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to, responsive to determining that a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) indicates that a signal power between a first (Bluetooth Low Energy) BLE device and a second BLE device exceeds a predefined threshold, transmit, by the first BLE device, an association request to the second BLE device to establish an association connection between the first BLE device operating in central mode and attached to an asset to track, and the second BLE device operating in peripheral mode and associated with a physical location within an asset management environment, wherein the asset to which the first BLE device is attached is an electronic device including one of;

a display monitor, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile cellular device, computing peripheral equipment, another specialized computer system or a computer server;

program instructions to exchange one or more association request frames whereby association information is stored in the second BLE device;

program instructions to establish an association connection between the second BLE device and a third BLE device operating in central mode and coupled to one or more computer processors, and periodically transmit the association information stored in the second BLE device to the third BLE device via one or more broadcasting frames;

program instructions to maintain, by the third BLE device, current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, based on the transmitted association information;

program instructions to receive, by the one or more computer processors from the third BLE device, the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device;

program instructions to identify location information of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, by the one or more computer processors, based on the current association information between the first BLE device and the second BLE device, an identity of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached, and the physical location of the second BLE device within the asset management environment, wherein the location information of the asset to which the first BLE device is attached describes one or more locations of the asset in asset management environment throughout a duration of time;

program instructions to, responsive to determining that an RSSI does not exceed a predefined threshold, update, by the second BLE device, the association information to indicate that the first BLE device is not associated with the second BLE device; and

program instructions to, responsive to determining that the association request frame was not received before a timer time-out condition, dissociate the first BLE device from the second BLE device, wherein the timer time-out condition for the association request frame is implemented to periodically confirm that association connection is currently established.