Container tracking system

• US 7,825,795 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3Harris Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Celestech, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Topping, Thomas R., Gates, Tell A., Peel, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/007,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 340/571.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 34053916-53919, 340/568.1, 340/571
• US Class Current: 340/539.16
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Shipping containers are networked for transferring data between the shipping containers. The shipping containers include sensors for detecting hazardous conditions associated with the shipping containers. The hazardous condition sensed by any shipping container on a ship is transmitted through the network to a satellite transmitter and/or a radio transmitter for reporting to a central database.

Claims

1. A shipping container, comprising:

a hazardous item detector to detect an emission from a hazardous item inside said shipping container;

a terminal to formulate an alarm signal, in response to said detected emission, said alarm signaling indicating said hazardous item being added to said shipping container; and

a transmitter to transmit, in response to said addition of said hazardous item to said shipping container, said alarm signal to at least one of another shipping container.

2. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitter is comprised of at least one of a satellite communication adapter and a radio adapter.

3. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitter connects said shipping container to an Ad-Hoc network.

4. The shipping container according to claim 3, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is at least one of a piconet network, an Ultra-Wide-Band wireless network and a Wi-Fi network.

5. The shipping container according to claim 3, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is a hard-wired network.

6. The shipping container according to claim 3, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is a wireless network.

7. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitter communicates with a cell phone communications network.

8. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitter transmits said alarm signal to a central database.

9. The shipping container according to claim 8, wherein:

said central database verifies a content of said first shipping container against a shipping manifest database.

11. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said alarm signal indicates a breach of said shipping container.

12. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said alarm signal indicates a hazardous substance is detected within said shipping container.

26. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein:

said terminal is adapted to further detect an open condition of said shipping container.

29. The shipping container according to claim 1, further comprising:

a radio frequencies signal multi-path detector to detect radio frequencies signal multi-path changes between a plurality of shipping containers to detect an addition and removal of another shipping container from a ship.

10. (allowed) A shipping container, comprising:

a terminal to detect a hazardous condition associated with said shipping container and, if said hazardous condition is detected, to formulate an alarm signal indicating a national security condition; and

a transmitter to transmit said alarm signal to at least one of another shipping container and to transmit to an intermediary communications buoy placed at sea at an appropriate location to detect said alarm signal at a safe distance from port facilities.

13. A method of detecting a national security condition of a shipping container, comprising:

detecting an emission from a hazardous item inside said shipping container;

if said hazardous item is detected, formulating an alarm signal indicating said hazardous item being added to said shipping container; and

transmitting, in response to said addition of said hazardous item to said shipping container, said alarm signal to at least one of another shipping container.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

detecting changes in radio frequencies signal multi-path between a plurality of shipping containers to detect an addition and removal of another shipping container from a ship.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

said transmitting attempts to transmit said alarm signal from said shipping container to at least one of a satellite data path, a radio data path, and a shipboard system.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

said transmitting transmits said alarm signal over an Ad-Hoc network.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is a hard-wired Ad-Hoc network.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is a wireless Ad-Hoc network.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

said alarm signal indicates a breach of said shipping container.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

said alarm signal indicates a hazardous substance is detected within said shipping container.

27. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

detecting an open condition of said shipping container.

21. A system for detecting a national security condition of a shipping container, comprising:

means for detecting an emission from a hazardous item inside said shipping container;

means for formulating an alarm signal, in response to said detected emission, indicating said hazardous item being added to said shipping container; and

means for transmitting, in response to said detection of said addition of said hazardous item to said shipping container, said alarm signal to at least one of another shipping container.

22. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for detecting changes in radio frequencies signal multi-path between a plurality of shipping containers to detect an addition and removal of another shipping container from a ship.

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein:

said means for transmitting attempts to transmit of said alarm signal from said shipping container to at least one of a satellite data path, a radio data path, and a shipboard system.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein:

said means for transmitting transmits said alarm signal over an Ad-Hoc network.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein:

said Ad-Hoc network is a wireless Ad-Hoc network.

28. The system according to claim 21, further comprising:

means for detecting an open condition of said shipping container.