Pallet

• US 9,230,227 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Original Assignee: Nextreme LLC
• Inventors: Muirhead, Scott A. W.
• Primary Examiner(s): POPE, DARYL C
• Application Number:
  US14/526,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20150046205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13, 340/506, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/0016 and each contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/38 Details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2203/10 Transponders
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00034 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00069 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00139 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00273 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00293 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00303 Cell type, e.g. honeycomb
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00323 made of more than one piece
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00333 contact surface having a stringer-like shape
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00358 Cell type, e.g. honeycomb
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00437 on the load supporting surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00442 on the base surface
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00562 chemical connection, e.g. glued, welded, sealed
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2519/00567 mechanical connection, e.g. snap-fitted
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07792 the antenna adapted for extending in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2474 : Antenna or antenna activator geometry, arrangement or layout loop antennae H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 : used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 : Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 : Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/80 : Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging bio-packaging Y02W90/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

A material handling apparatus including pallets developed to operate in radio frequency rich environments. Pallets are provided having at least one large compartment capable of enclosing at least one electronic device or a package populated with a plurality of devices. The devices include RFID pallet tags that communicate with RFID item tags and RFID beacon tags positioned within distributed RFID networks. The devices include sensors to monitor pallet conditions to which a pallet management system is responsive. The devices include wireless transceivers for communicating indicative information through LAN, WLAN and Cellular communications networks. An antenna array operating on different radio frequency signals is provided. The apparatus includes a power resource in order to facilitate long term autonomous operation.

Claims

1. A positioning, monitoring and reporting system for a pooled material handling apparatus comprising:

a reusable pallet for storing and shipping unit loads; and

a battery operated device for communicative coupling with first and second wireless networks, said first network being a local area network (LAN) and said second network being a national cellular network,

said battery operated device including a local area network communications module having a first antenna that communicates with other communications devices in the local area network on a first frequency to thereby acquire first data concerning a time, place and condition of the pallet and its unit load, and

said battery operated device including a digital cellular communications module having a second antenna that communicates within the national cellular network on a second frequency to thereby acquire second data concerning a time, place and condition of the pallet and its unit load, the second frequency being different from the first frequency.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first data from the local area network and the second data from the national cellular network are combined at an internet portal for accessing the first and second data.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein:

the battery operated device is pre-configurable using the internet portal by a user of the pallet to define at least one of predetermined positioning, monitoring, and reporting features.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein:

the battery operated device is permanently configurable using the internet portal by an owner of the pallet to define at least one of predetermined positioning, monitoring, and reporting features.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the local area network communications and digital cellular communications modules draw their power from a battery having a pre-determined supply of power, the local area network communications and digital cellular communications modules integrating a microprocessor for controlling the draw of power from said battery.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the draw of power is determined by a user'"'"'s pre-configuration, said draw of power being higher or lower dependent upon a value of the unit load.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one of a unit load device (ULD), industrial bulk container (IBC), reusable product container (RPC), returnable transport item (RTI).

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said device including said local area network communications module having said first antenna that communicates with other communications devices in the local area network at the first frequency comprises said device including said local area network communications module having said first antenna that sends and receives data with said other communications devices in the local area network at the first frequency;

and

wherein said device including said digital cellular communications module having said second antenna that communicates within the national cellular network at the second frequency comprises said device including said digital cellular communications module having said second antenna that sends and receives data within the national cellular network at the second frequency.

9. A reusable transport pallet including:

a battery powered device for tracking, monitoring and reporting a time, place and condition data for the pallet,

said device including an IEEE 802.n wireless component having a first antenna for communicating with other IEEE 802.n wireless devices in a local area network on a first frequency to thereby acquire first data concerning a time, place and condition for the pallet, and

a digital cellular communications module having a second antenna for communicating within a national cellular network on a second frequency to thereby report the first data and acquire second data concerning a time, place and condition for the pallet, the second frequency being different from the first frequency.

10. The reusable transport pallet of claim 9 wherein:

the wireless component and cellular module are integrated with a common power supply.

11. The reusable transport pallet of claim 10 wherein:

first tracking, monitoring and reporting instructions for operating the wireless component and the cellular module are pre-programmed for each subsequent pallet trip, said instructions based upon first user-defined criteria for each unit load to be shipped or stored on the reusable pallet for a rental trip.

12. The reusable transport pallet of claim 11 wherein:

second tracking, monitoring and reporting instructions for operating the wireless component and the cellular module are pre-programmed based upon user-defined criteria defined by a pool operator for managing the lifecycle of the pallet.

13. The reusable transport pallet of claim 12 wherein:

said second instructions involve disabling the first instructions at the end of the rental trip to reduce power consumption from the common power supply.

14. The reusable transport pallet of claim 11 wherein:

responsive to a time, place or condition in said first and second data, said tracking, monitoring and reporting instructions are adjusted according to a second user-defined criteria, said second user-defined criteria being different than said first user-defined criteria.

15. The reusable transport pallet of claim 9 wherein:

responsive to a deviation from a time, place or condition contained in said first and second data, said tracking, monitoring and reporting instructions for one of the wireless component and the cellular module are adjusted to acquire and report said first and second data.

16. A reusable transport pallet including:

a battery powered electronic tracking device having first and second communications means,

the first means including a IEEE 802.n component for establishing wireless communications at a first frequency with other IEEE 802.n devices in a local area network (LAN), the local area network providing first time, place and condition information indicative of the pallet'"'"'s immediate environment, and

the second means including a cell phone component for establishing communication at a second frequency with a national digital cellular network for communicating time, place and condition information obtained from the first means and for providing second time, place and condition information indicative of the pallet'"'"'s nationwide status, the second frequency being different than the first frequency.

17. The reusable transport pallet of claim 16 wherein:

the IEEE 802.n component uses a first antenna to read and write to and from other IEEE 802.n devices within LAN range during a pallet'"'"'s rental trip.

18. The reusable transport pallet of claim 16 wherein:

the cell phone component uses a separate antenna to send and receive messages over the cellular network,

said sent messages including information from the IEEE 802.n component and said received messages including information to the IEEE 802.n component.

19. The reusable transport pallet of claim 16 wherein:

the IEEE 802.n component and the cell phone component are integrated together and share a common power resource.

20. The reusable transport pallet of claim 16 wherein:

the cell phone component includes a pallet identification reader card (SIM card) to identify the pallet in the national cellular network.

21. The reusable transport pallet of claim 20 wherein:

the components are integrated onto a common platform and have access to sensors for monitoring a time, place or condition including at least one of temperature, impact, motion, and unit load.

22. The reusable transport pallet of claims 21 wherein:

at least one of a managing entity of a pool of said pallets and a user of said pallet is responsive to time, place and condition information received from the sensors.

23. A material handling pallet comprising:

a battery powered device including at least one of a cellular modem and an IEEE 802.n wireless component for communicative coupling with one or more communications networks,

said cellular modem and said IEEE 802.n wireless component including a microprocessor having controllable means for consuming battery power from a battery resource in order to perform pre-programmed positioning, monitoring and reporting instructions, and

said controllable means preselected by one of a customer using the pallet or a pallet pooling operator managing the pallet.

24. The material handling pallet of claim 23 wherein:

the battery powered device includes a power generation module enabling the pallet to remain in circulation indefinitely,

said power generation module captures and stores energy resulting from at least one of the movement of the pallet and rectification of RF signals in the pallet environment.