Asset location tracking system

• US 20050026627A1
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Published: 02/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PROCON Incorporated (RCM Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: PROCON Incorporated (RCM Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Boling, Brian, Bishop, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 7,102,510 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

The invention provides an asset location tracking system for tracking the position of a mobile asset, such as an automobile, boat or airplane. The tracking system includes a mobile unit for installation in the mobile asset. The mobile unit includes a position locating unit, such as a GPS unit, for generating position information indicative of the position of the mobile asset, and a wireless transmitter, such as a cellular transmitter, for wirelessly transmitting the position information. The tracking system also includes a central processing system that includes a wireless receiver, such as a cellular receiver, for receiving the position information transmitted by the wireless transmitter. The central processing system also includes a processor for operating on the position information to format it to be accessible at a network address on a global communication network such as the Internet. The tracking system includes a customer computer that can access to the network address on the global communication network to display the position information. In preferred embodiments, the position information is displayed as a graphical indicator, such as a “push pin,” on a map or aerial photograph displayed a webpage accessed by the customer computer.

Claims

1. An asset location tracking system for tracking the position of a mobile asset via a global communication network, the system comprising:

a mobile unit collocated with the mobile asset, the mobile unit comprising;

a first wireless receiver for receiving at least an activation signal;

a position locating unit for generating position information indicative of the position of the mobile unit; and

a first wireless transmitter for transmitting at least the position information;

a central processing system in communication with the global communication network

the central processing system comprising;

a second wireless transmitter for transmitting at least the activation signal;

a second wireless receiver for receiving the position information transmitted by the first wireless transmitter; and

a processor for operating on the position information to format the position information to be accessible via the global communication network; and

a customer computer in communication with the global communication network for accessing the position information via the global communication network.

2. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising:

a mapping module accessible via the global communication network;

the central processing system for accessing the mapping module over the global communication network to generate a map and for generating a graphical position indicator on the map corresponding to the position of the mobile unit based on the position information; and

the customer computer for accessing the map and position indicator via the global communication network.

3. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising:

an aerial image database accessible via the global communication network;

the central processing system for accessing the aerial image database over the global communication network to generate an aerial image of terrain corresponding to the location of the mobile unit and for generating a position indicator on the aerial image corresponding to the position of the mobile unit based on the position information; and

the customer computer for accessing the aerial image and position indicator via the global communication network.

4. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising:

the first wireless transmitter of the mobile unit further comprising a first cellular transmitter;

the first wireless receiver of the mobile unit further comprising a first cellular receiver;

the second wireless transmitter of the central processing system further comprising a second cellular transmitter associated with a cellular communication network; and

the second wireless receiver of the central processing system further comprising a second cellular receiver associated with the cellular communication network.

5. The asset location tracking system of claim 4 further comprising:

the first cellular transmitter of the mobile unit for transmitting digital cellular signals;

the first cellular receiver of the mobile unit for receiving digital cellular signals;

the second cellular transmitter of the central processing system for receiving digital cellular signals; and

the second cellular receiver of the central processing system for receiving digital cellular signals.

6. The asset location tracking system of claim 4 further comprising:

the mobile unit including a DTMF modulator for generating DTWF tones based at least on the position information;

the first cellular transmitter for transmitting the DTMF tones via the cellular communication network;

the second cellular receiver for receiving the DTMF tones; and

the processor for operating on the DTMF tones to extract the location information.

7. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising the central processing system including a customer database for storing customer information regarding a customer associated with the mobile unit.

8. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising the central processing system including a customer database for storing vehicle information regarding a vehicle associated with the mobile unit.

10. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 wherein the position locating unit is activated to generate the position information upon receipt of the activation signal at the mobile unit.

11. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 further comprising the customer computer for communicating with the central processing system via the global communication network to select the mobile unit to be tracked from a list of one or more mobile units.

12. The asset location tracking system of claim 11 wherein the second wireless transmitter transmits the activation signal to the mobile unit after the mobile unit is selected based on communication between the customer computer and the central processing system.

13. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 wherein the first wireless transmitter is activated upon receipt of the activation signal at the mobile unit.

14. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 wherein the position locating unit further comprises a Global Positioning System receiver.

15. The asset location tracking system of claim 1 wherein the mobile unit further comprises a power plug configured to be received by a power receptacle provided in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, whereby the mobile unit may be easily relocated from one vehicle to another vehicle.

9. A computer based method for tracking a location of a mobile asset, the method comprising:

(a) providing an asset tracking webpage accessible via a global communication network;

(b) accessing the asset tracking webpage o using a customer computer in communication with the global communication network;

(c) selecting a mobile unit to track using the customer computer and the asset tracking webpage;

(d) transmitting a wireless activation signal to the mobile unit;

(e) receiving the wireless activation signal at the mobile unit;

(f) generating position information at the mobile unit upon receipt of the wireless activation signal;

(g) wirelessly transmitting the position information from the mobile unit;

(h) receiving the position information;

(i) generating position coordinates based on the position information;

(j) accessing a map of an area that includes the location indicated by the position coordinates;

(k) generating a position indicator corresponding to the location indicated by the position coordinates;

(l) associating the position indicator with the map to form an annotated map;

(m) accessing the annotated map on the tracking webpage via the global communication network using the customer computer; and

(n) displaying the annotated map at the customer computer.

16. An asset location tracking system for tracking the position of a mobile asset using a global communication network and a cellular communication network, the system comprising:

a mobile unit collocated with the mobile asset, the mobile unit comprising;

a cellular receiver for receiving at least an activation signal;

a position locating unit for generating position information indicative of the position of the mobile unit, the position locating unit activated upon receipt of the activation signal at the mobile unit; and

a cellular transmitter for transmitting at least the position information via the cellular communication network, the cellular transmitter activated upon receipt of the activation signal at the mobile unit;

a mapping module accessible via the global communication network;

a central processing system in communication with the global communication network and the cellular communication network, the central processing system for sending at least the activation signal to the mobile unit via the cellular communication network, and for receiving the position information transmitted by the mobile unit via the cellular communication network, the central processing system comprising;

a processor for accessing the mapping module via the global communication network to generate a map, and for generating a position indicator corresponding to the position of the mobile unit based on the position information, and for associating the position indicator with the map;

a customer database for storing customer information regarding a customer associated with the mobile unit; and

a customer computer for communicating with the central processing system via the global communication network to select the mobile unit to be tracked from a list of one or more mobile units, and to access the map to view the position of the selected mobile unit as indicated by the position indicator.