Method and apparatus for control or monitoring of a container

• US 8,258,950 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savi Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Savi Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Rajapakse, Ravindra U., Thorne, Roderick E., Jennings, Robert Fraser, Farrell, Steven J., Zhu, Liping Julia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/183,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20060012481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/568.1, 340/505, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/944, 340/5.92, 340/572.8, 235/385, 623/80, 62/36, 702/185, 702/241, 700/24, 700/242, 108/51.11, 108/57.25
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

An apparatus includes a carrier, and a system that is responsive to wireless signals transmitted by tags on items carried by the carrier for maintaining a local inventory of items carried by the carrier. A different apparatus involves a carrier having a container with an interior, a sensor for detecting a condition externally of the container that can be related to an environment within the container, and a system that handles information from the sensor in a manner facilitating an evaluation of the likelihood that a problem exists within the container. Another apparatus involves a carrier for a plurality of items, and a system that is responsive to wireless signals received from a remote location for determining a current location of the carrier and for evaluating whether the carrier is proceeding along an intended route.

Claims

1. An system comprising:

a carrier adapted to carry a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items having at least one radio frequency (RF) tag attached thereto; and

a control unit supported on said carrier, the control unit including an internal portion coupled to an interior portion of the carrier and an external portion coupled to an external portion of the carrier, the internal portion including at least one sensor and at least one reader responsive to wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags attached to the items carried by said carrier, and the external portion including a processor, a memory, and at least one sensor, the control unit maintaining a local inventory of items carried by said carrier.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is responsive to wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags on items carried by said carrier for detecting a change in the local inventory of items carried by the carrier.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the memory of the control unit maintains a log identifying changes detected in said inventory and identifying when each such change was detected.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the control unit includes a wireless communication portion that can transmit to a location remote from said carrier and the control unit a wireless communication containing information relating to a change in said inventory.

5. The system according to claim 1,

including a manually operable portion through which a person can interact with the control unit;

and

wherein the control unit is responsive to information in said local inventory for selectively applying one of two different security levels that respectively restrict use of said manually operable portion in different ways.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said manually operable portion includes a handheld unit that can communicate with the control unit through wireless signals.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein said carrier includes a container with an interior;

and

wherein said manually operable portion includes a manually operable control panel that is located within said interior of said container.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an environmental control portion that is provided on the interior protion of said carrier and that can influence an environmental condition within said interior portion of said carrier,

wherein the control unit controls said environmental control portion as a function of information in said local inventory and as a function of an output of at least one of the interior portion sensors and the exterior portion sensors.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said interior portion sensor is responsive to said environmental condition at a location within said interior of said container.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein said exterior portion sensor is responsive to said environmental condition at a location external to said container.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the memory of the control unit stores data that defines respective acceptable limits of said environmental condition for respective different inventory items, and causes said environmental control portion to control said environmental condition as a function of one of said limits selected as a function of said local inventory.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the control unit includes a wireless communication portion that can transmit to a location remote from said carrier and the control unit a wireless communication containing information relating to said environmental condition being past said selected limit.

13. The system according to claim 11, including a manually operable portion through which a person can interact with the control unit and selectively change said data therein.

14. The system according to claim 13,

wherein said manually operable portion includes one of:

a handheld unit that can communicate with the control unit through wireless signals; and

a manually operable control panel that is located within said interior of said carrier.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said environmental condition is one of temperature, pressure, and humidity.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stores data identifying respective maximum periods of time that respective items can remain in said carrier, and is responsive to said local inventory for determining whether any item remains in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the memory of the control unit maintains a log identifying each determination by the control unit that an item has been in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the control unit includes a wireless communication portion that can transmit to a location remote from said carrier and the control unit a wireless communication containing information reflecting a determination by the control unit that an item has been in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

19. A system comprising:

a carrier having a container with an interior, and adapted to carry a plurality of items within said interior, each of the plurality of items having at least one radio frequency (RF) tag attached thereto;

an external sensor disposed externally of said container for detecting a condition that can be related to an environment within said container or external to the container; and

a control unit supported on said carrier, the control unit having an external portion on an external portion of the carrier and an internal portion in the interior of the container having a reader and at least one internal sensor, the control portion responsive to an output of said sensors, the control unit handling information from said sensors in a manner facilitating an evaluation of the likelihood that a problem exists within said container the control unit further be responsive to wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags and maintaining a local inventory of items carried by said carrier.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the control unit carries out, as a function of said output of said sensors, said evaluation of the likelihood that a problem exists within said container.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein said sensors are responsive to one of radiation, a hazardous gas, moisture, temperature, pressure, and humidity.

22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the control unit includes a wireless communication portion that can transmit to a location remote from said carrier and the control unit a wireless communication containing information that is a function of the output of the sensors.

23. A method comprising:

providing a carrier;

supporting on said carrier a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items having at least one radio frequency (RF) tag attached thereto;

receiving, by a reader in a control unit supported on the carrier wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags attached to said items carried by said carrier;

monitoring, by one or more sensors internal to the carrier, an environmental condition of an interior of the carrier;

formulating, by a processor of the control unit, a local inventory of the items carried by the carier based on the received wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags attached to the items carried by the carrier; and

maintaining, in a memory of the control unit, the local inventory on the carrier of items carried by said carrier.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

detecting a change in said inventory in response to the wireless signals transmitted by RFID tags on items carried by said carrier.

25. The method according to claim 24, including maintaining a log identifying changes detected in said inventory and identifying when each such change was detected.

26. The method according to claim 24, including transmitting to a location remote from said carrier a wireless communication containing information relating to a change in said inventory.

27. The method according to claim 23, including:

providing a manually operable portion through which a person can interact with said system; and

responding to information in said local inventory by selectively implementing one of two different security levels that respectively restrict use of said manually operable portion in different ways.

28. The method according to claim 24, including:

providing an environmental control portion that can influence an environmental condition within said interior of said carrier; and

controlling said environmental control portion as a function of information in said local inventory and as a function of an output of said one or more sensors internal to the carrier.

29. The method according to claim 28, including positioning said sensor so that said sensor is responsive to said environmental condition at a location within said interior of said container.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising providing one or more sensors external to the container that are responsive to said environmental condition at a location external to said container.

31. The method according to claim 28, including:

storing data that defines respective acceptable limits of said environmental condition for respective different inventory items; and

causing said environmental control portion to control said environmental condition as a function of one of said limits selected as a function of said local inventory.

32. The method according to claim 31, including

transmitting to a location remote from said carrier a wireless communication containing information relating to said environmental condition being past said selected limit.

33. The method according to claim 31, including selecting one of temperature, pressure, and humidity as said environmental condition.

34. The method according to claim 23, including:

storing data identifying respective maximum periods of time that respective items can remain in said carrier, and

using said local inventory to determine whether any item remains in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

35. The method according to claim 34, including maintaining a log identifying each determination by said system that an item has been in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

36. The method according to claim 35, including

transmitting to a location remote from said carrier a wireless communication containing information reflecting a determination by said system that an item has been in said carrier for longer than its respective maximum period of time.

37. A method comprising:

providing a carrier having a container with an interior, said container being adapted to carry a plurality of items within said interior;

detecting with a sensor at a location external to said container a condition that can be related to an environment within said container or external to the container;

handling information from said sensor in a manner facilitating an evaluation of the likelihood that a problem exists within said container;

receiving, by a reader in a control unit on the carrier wireless signals transmitted by radio frequency (RF) tags attached to each of said items carried by said carrier; and

formulating, by a processor of the control unit, a local inventory of the items carried by the carrier based on the received wireless signals transmitted by the RF tags attached to the items carried by the carrier; and

maintaining a local inventory on the carrier of items carried by said carrier.

38. The method according to claim 37, including carrying out, as a function of said output of said sensor, said evaluation of the likelihood that a problem exists within said container.

39. The method according to claim 37, including selecting said sensor to be responsive to one of radiation, moisture, temperature, pressure, humidity, and a hazardous gas.

40. The method according to claim 37, including transmitting to a location remote from said carrier a wireless communication containing information that is a function of the output of said sensor.