Mobile inventory unit monitoring systems and methods

• US 8,410,931 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SIPCO LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: Petite, Thomas David, Huff, Richard M
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US13/222,216
• Publication Number:
  US 20120075092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/540, 340/531, 340/539.17, 340/539.26, 340/3.1, 340/5.21, 340/521, 340/870.01, 340/870.03, 340/870.07, 340/870.08, 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 340/988, 700/108, 702/56, 455/7, 370/238, 343/711, 343/700.R, 343/720
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/142 external to the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to mobile inventory unit monitoring systems and methods. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a mobile inventory unit monitoring system comprising a computer configured to execute at least one computer program, at least one wireless transmitter located proximate to a mobile inventory unit, a plurality of radio-frequency transceivers dispersed geographically at defined locations, and a gateway connected to a wide area network. Select information can be transmitted from the transmitter proximate to the mobile inventory unit, through a transceiver in the plurality of transceivers, through the gateway, and to the wide area network. Other aspects, features, and embodiments are also claimed and described.

Claims

1. A mobile inventory unit monitoring system, comprising;

a computer configured to execute at least one computer program that formats and stores select information for retrieval from a mobile inventory unit, said computer integrated with a wide area network;

at least one wireless transmitter located proximate to the mobile inventory unit and configured to transmit select information and transmitter identification information;

a plurality of radio-frequency transceivers dispersed geographically at defined locations configured to receive select information transmitted from at least one nearby wireless transmitter and further configured to transmit the select information, the transmitter identification information and transceiver identification information; and

at least one gateway connected to the wide area network configured to receive and translate the select information, the transmitter identification information, and transceiver identification information, said gateway further configured to transmit the translated information to the computer over the WAN.

2. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile inventory unit is integrated with a sensor/actuator configured to generate a signal indicative of at least one parameter of the mobile inventory unit.

3. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless transmitter is configured to transmit select information to at least one radio-frequency transceiver in the plurality of radio-frequency transceivers, the select information indicative of a location and/or status of the mobile inventory unit.

4. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless transmitter is configured to transmit select information to at least one radio-frequency transceiver in the plurality of radio-frequency transceivers, wherein the select information is maintenance information relating to the mobile inventory unit.

5. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless transmitter is configured to transmit select information to at least one radio-frequency transceiver in the plurality of radio-frequency transceivers, the select information indicative of at least one parameter of the mobile inventory unit.

6. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, the computer program further comprising:

a first segment for evaluating received information to identify an originating transmitter;

a second segment for evaluating the received information and identifying transceivers that relayed the select information from the originating transmitter to the gateway;

a third segment for evaluating the select information transmitted from the originating transmitter embedded within the received information;

and a fourth segment responsive to the first, second, and third segments for determining an action to be taken based upon the select information, the identified originating transmitter, and the identified transceivers.

7. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 6, further including a first lookup table that is utilized by the first segment, wherein the first lookup table is configured to associate a plurality of unique transmitter identification numbers with a plurality of unique transmitter identifiers, wherein each transmitter identification number is uniquely associated with a unique transmitter identifier.

8. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 7, further including a second lookup table, that is utilized by the second segment, wherein the second lookup table is configured to associate a plurality of unique transceiver identification numbers with a plurality of unique geographic locations, wherein each transceiver identification number is uniquely associated with a unique geographic location.

9. The system as defined in claim 8, further including a third lookup table that is utilized by the third segment, wherein the first lookup table is configured to associate a plurality of unique transmitter codes with a plurality of unique information fields associated with the transmitter codes, wherein each transmitter code is uniquely associated with a unique information field.

10. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each wireless transmitter is configured to transmit a relatively low-power radio-frequency signal.

11. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein each wireless transmitter is integrated with a sensor.

12. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the radio-frequency signal transmitted by the transceiver contains a concatenation of information comprising select information and transmitter identification information from the originating transmitter and transceiver identification information for each transceiver that receives and repeats the radio-frequency signal.

13. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the at least one transmitter is replaced by a transceiver, the transceiver further integrated with an actuator.

14. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 13, wherein each transceiver in the plurality of transceivers is configured to communicate with the gateway via a radio-frequency signal.

15. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the computer is further configured to respond to received select information by communicating a control signal to the transceiver replacing the at least one transmitter, wherein the actuator integrated with the transceiver is responsive to the control signal.

16. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 15, wherein select transceivers further include a microphone, a speaker, and means for communicating two-way voice information to the WAN via the transceivers.

17. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the gateway includes one selected from the group consisting of:

a modem for establishing a dial-up connection with a remote computer;

a network card for communicating across a local area network;

a network card for communicating across the WAN;

a DSL modem; and

an ISDN card to permit backup access to the computer.

18. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the gateway translates the select information, the transmitter identification information, and the transceiver identification information into TCP/IP for communication over the WAN.

19. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the WAN is the Internet.

20. The mobile inventory unit monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the WAN is a dedicated Intranet.