Remote management of active containers

Abstract

A system for remotely accessing a shipping active container can collect information and analysis about the container during transport and enable automatic and manual configuration changes to be sent from a remote user to the container during transport. A remote access device capable of long-range communication via a cellular or satellite network can be coupled to the shipping active container's control system to send information from the control system to a remote server and receive and provide configuration changes to the control system. The remote access device may also include sensors or be coupled to multiple sensors that may be placed around the container to provide an additional and more detailed source of sensor data. Sensor and status data from the container can trigger automatic configuration changes or notifications and can be integrated to provide high-level analytics related to the transport lane.

Description

Content of disclosure

[0001] [Field] The disclosed technology relates to a system for remotely managing active containers and environmentally controlled active containers.

[0002] 〔background〕 Transport and storage active containers have become increasingly complex as the volume, cost, fragility, and perishability of goods stored or transported commercially increases. The specific features of a transport active container can vary, but typically include sensors and local data storage devices configured to create records of location, temperature, battery supply, and other characteristics during transport of the transport active container, as well as systems for air conditioning, electronic access control, and visual or audible alerts for errors or malfunctions. As a result, expensive medicines, electronics, and other goods that would traditionally have been delivered by specialized courier services can instead be packaged in a transport active container and transported using conventional transport means.

[0003] As the set of features available to a shipping active container increases, so does the complexity and need to properly configure the shipping active container before the start of the journey to account for various unforeseen circumstances. As an example, an unexpected weather event may result in road closures, flight cancellations, or air conditioning failures. Although a courier familiar with the shipping active container may be able to directly review and configure the settings to adjust temperature ranges, change battery settings, charge batteries, provide alternative power sources, or otherwise reconfigure the shipping active container to accommodate changes in the journey plan, such intervention is not always possible or available.

[0004] In some cases, the courier of the shipping active container may not be familiar with the device at all, which may lead to mishandling. As an example, an empty shipping active container may be in transit to a location where temperature-sensitive goods will be packed, and may be activated prior to transportation to bring the temperature to a desired level before receiving the goods. A driver or other person responsible for handling the shipping active container during transportation may notice that the shipping active container is turned on and actively cooling, and may mistakenly turn off the device, assuming that the device should be turned off since no goods have been placed inside yet. As a result, the shipping active container may be at an unsafe level for packing goods upon arrival, or goods may be damaged as a result of attempting to transport them in the shipping active container without the proper adjustments.

[0005] Even in the absence of human error leading to a misconfiguration of a shipping active container (e.g., disabling a container that is geared to receive goods), flight cancellations, weather conditions, or other unforeseen events may drain the shipping active container's batteries before the transport is completed, which may cause storage temperatures to exceed desirable levels. Although shipping active containers may be configured to provide audible or visual warnings (e.g., alert sounds, flashing lights), such warnings may go unnoticed until it is too late to intervene.

[0006] It is not uncommon for the value of goods transported in active shipping containers to be more than $1 million, and in some cases, especially in the case of pharmaceuticals and other medical materials, the goods may become completely unusable if the temperature or other storage conditions fluctuate slightly from the desired levels.Therefore, there is a need to be able to identify transport risks associated with active shipping containers as early as possible in the journey so that intervention can be made to mitigate the damage associated with those risks.

[0007] What is needed, therefore, is an improved system for remotely managing active shipping containers.

[0008] The drawings and detailed description which follow are intended to be merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as contemplated by the inventors. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for remote access and management of active containers for shipping. [Figure 2A] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary active container for shipping. [Figure 2B] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an alternative exemplary active container for shipping. [Diagram 3] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary remote access device. [Figure 4] 2C shows an exemplary interior front perspective view for the shipping active container of FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B. [Diagram 5] 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary series of steps that may be performed in the system of FIG. 1 to remotely manage configuration changes of active containers for shipping. [Figure 6] 10 shows a flowchart of an exemplary series of steps that may be performed in the system of FIG. 1 to collect information and provide alerts related to shipping active containers. [Figure 7] 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary series of steps that may be performed in the system of FIG. 1 to provide automatic configuration changes and other features based on transportation events. [Figure 8] 2 shows a flowchart of an exemplary series of steps that may be performed in the system of FIG. 1 to identify events occurring within a haul lane.

[0010] Detailed Description The inventors have devised a novel technology, which is disclosed herein, for illustrative purposes, as applied in the context of remote management of active containers for shipping. While the disclosed application of the inventors' technology fulfills a long-standing and unmet need in the field of remote management of active containers for shipping, it should be understood that the inventors' technology is not limited to being implemented in the exact manner set forth herein, and may be implemented in other manners by those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure without undue experimentation. Thus, the examples described herein should be understood to be illustrative only, and should not be treated as limiting.

[0011] Set forth below are various features and embodiments of a system for remote access, control, and management of active environmentally controlled containers, or "ATCCs." An embodiment of the system includes an ATCC having a cargo area and a control system configured to control the climate control system and other active features of the ATCC during transport. A remote access device may be attached to or located within the cargo area and may be coupled with the control system to receive data related to the climate control system, battery status, temperature of the cargo area, and other information. The remote access device may transmit data from the control system (e.g., the current interior temperature of the cargo area) over a long-range wireless network to a remote server and remote user devices, and may receive communications from those remote devices in the form of configuration changes to the ATCC's control system (e.g., a new temperature that the climate control system should maintain inside the cargo area). Such an embodiment allows for two-way communication with the ATCC during transport, allowing a remotely located user to receive information about the ATCC during transport and to change the configuration of the ATCC based on that information, if desired.

[0012] Turning now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary system (100) for remote access and management of shipping active containers, such as an environmentally controlled active container or ATCC (102). Although Figure 1 includes an ATCC (102), it should be understood that shipping active containers having a variety of features, including those with and without environmentally controlled active features, such as electric heating and cooling devices, may be used with the system (100). The ATCC (102) includes an area for storing goods in transit and one or more active features, such as environmental control, temperature and location monitoring, visual and audible alerts regarding monitored properties, automatic locks and security mechanisms, and other similar features. The ATCC (102) includes a control system (104) operable and configurable by a user to control one or more of the active features of the ATCC (102), which may include, for example, regulating the temperature or humidity at which goods stored within the ATCC (102) are maintained, checking the current power level of a battery powering the active features, locking and unlocking storage portions of the ATCC (102), checking status information for components of the ATCC (102), and other user interactions.

[0013] The remote access device (106) can be coupled with the control system (104) as a permanently integrated device (e.g., built into the same casing or form factor of the control system (104)), a temporarily attached device (e.g., via a USB or other hardwired connection for transmitting data, or data and power), or a wirelessly attached device (e.g., via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, or other local wireless communication). As described in more detail below, the remote access device (106) may include features such as local and long-range wireless communication, sensor capabilities (e.g., location sensing, temperature sensing, shock sensing), and data storage and processing.

[0014] As described in more detail below, the remote access device (106) can provide one or more monitoring and management features to remotely located parties. In some embodiments, the control system (104) may not be capable of independent long-range communication over a cellular network or other wireless data network. As a result, data reported to the control system (104) by the sensors and systems of the ATCC (102) may be stored locally on the control system (104) and may be accessed or viewed by a person in possession of or in physical proximity to the ATCC (102) (e.g., a courier). In such embodiments, and in the absence of the remote access device (106), the locally stored data reported to the control system (104) may not be available to a remotely located party, such as the sender or recipient of the ATCC (102). In such cases, if the sender of the ATCC (102) or another remote party is concerned about the status of goods stored at the ATCC (102), they have little choice but to contact the courier and ask them to review the information via the control system (104). Similarly, if the control system (104) detects a hardware error or an unsafe storage temperature, the control system (104) may be configured to provide a local alert in the form of an audible or visual warning, but the sender or recipient will rely on the courier to react to or report the warning.

[0015] In the embodiment of Figure 1, the control system (104) does not have an independent capability for bidirectional communication with the cellular network (110) or the satellite network (108). However, the remote access device (106) is capable of bidirectional communication with one, both, or another long-range data network. By coupling the remote access device (106) with the control system (104), the remote access device (106) can receive information, including sensor and status information, from the control system (104) and can also provide information to the control system (104) to change configuration and other settings. The remote access device (106) may automatically change the configuration of the control system (104) in response to various detected conditions (e.g., it may be automatically powered on if the remote access device (106) detects that the ATCC (102) has been powered off by a courier when it should have been pre-conditioned to receive the goods) or as a result of a manual configuration change provided by the sender or recipient (e.g., the temperature may be remotely reconfigured by the recipient during transport if the recipient determines during transport that the goods should be stored at a lower temperature than was originally configured).

[0016] In addition to allowing a user to remotely reconfigure the ATCC (102) during transport, the remote access device (106) may allow a user to receive status information related to the ATCC (102) as desired, which may include ascertaining location, temperature, battery level, and other information. In the embodiment of Figure 1, the status information and configuration changes may be communicated via one or both of a satellite network (108) or a cellular network (110).

[0017] Communication between the user and the remote access device (106) may be accomplished directly in some cases (e.g., where the remote access device (106) may generate a cell phone text message that is received directly by the user via a smart phone) or may be through a web or software interface provided by the remote access server (112). A user may use a user device (114) to access the remote access server (112) to view status information for the ATCC (102), provide configuration changes to the ATCC (102), or both.

[0018] The user device (114) may be a computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet device, wearable device, proprietary computing device, or other computing device having a display, processor, memory, communication device, and other features common to such devices. The remote access server (112) may be one or more physical servers, virtual servers, cloud servers, or other server environments that may exchange, store, and process information using a network, such as the Internet, a satellite network (108), a cellular network (110), or other network. Communication between the user device (114) and the remote access server (112) may be implemented in a variety of ways, including providing a website or web interface to the user device (114), providing access to an SDK, API, or other software interface, a mobile application installed on the user device (114), a desktop application installed on the user device (114), a virtual desktop connection between the user device (114) and the remote access server (112), or other interfaces that will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

[0019] As previously mentioned, the remote access device (106) can be coupled to the control system (104) of the ATCC (102) in a variety of ways. Figures 2A and 2B show two such examples. Figure 2A shows a schematic diagram of an active container for transport (102) including a cargo area (103) that stores a cargo payload (120). In this example, the remote access device (106) is located within the cargo area (103) and is coupled to the control system (104) via a hardwired or wireless connection. Figure 2B shows a schematic diagram of an active container for transport (102) in which the remote access device (106) is external to the cargo area (103) and has a hardwired or wireless connection to the control system (104). Also shown is a set of one or more sensors including a first sensor (122) within the cargo area (103), a second sensor (124) within the cargo payload (120) itself, and a third sensor (126) on the exterior of the cargo area (103). While Figure 2A shows a set of one or more sensors including three sensors, it should be understood that a variable number of sensors may be included based on factors such as the type and size of the shipping active container, the type and distribution of goods within the shipping active container, and other factors as described in more detail below. Each of the sensors (122, 124, 126) includes a battery or another power source and is in wireless communication with the remote access device (106) using a wireless communication method such as Bluetooth, low energy Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other similar local or short range wireless communication.

[0020] One or more aspects of the embodiments of Figures 2A and 2B may be implemented with one another as desired depending on the capabilities of the remote access device (106) and the desired level of tracking for the cargo payload (120). As an example, the remote access device (106) may be temporarily coupled to the control system (104) and located in the cargo area (102) as shown in Figure 2A, while being coupled to a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126) as shown in Figure 2B. Similarly, a permanently integrated version of the remote access device (106) as shown in Figure 2B may generate data from its own sensor pack (e.g., sensor pack (208) as shown in Figure 3) rather than relying on a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126). Some embodiments of the remote access device (106) may be configured to provide bidirectional communication with the remote access server (112), while other embodiments may include sensing capabilities that may replace or augment any sensing capabilities already included in the ATCC (102) or control system (104).

[0021] As one example, Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary remote access device, such as remote access device (106), that includes a long-range wireless transceiver (200) (e.g., a transceiver configured to enable communication over a satellite network (108), a cellular network (110), or another network), a short-range wireless transceiver (e.g., a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi device configured to enable communication with the control system (104), the sensors (122, 124, 126), or other nearby devices), a processor (204) and memory (206) configured to store and execute software instructions, a sensor pack (208) that may include one or more sensing capabilities, and a power source (210) (e.g., one or more of a battery, a connection that may be coupled to an external power source, such as the power system of the ATCC (102), or another power source).

[0022] In a remote access device such as that shown in Figure 3, the ATCC (102) may include a general temperature sensor for the cargo area (103), and the sensor pack (208) may include additional temperature and shock sensors (e.g., configured to detect sudden acceleration, deceleration, or other physical forces transmitted through the ATCC (102), e.g., as a result of a traffic accident, falling off a shelf, being crushed by other cargo, etc.). In such a case, two different sources of temperature data (e.g., temperature from the control system (104) and the sensor pack (208)) may be used together to verify the temperature data or to identify a malfunctioning sensor in one or both systems, while the data from the shock sensor provides an entirely new source of transport data since the ATCC (102) itself does not include such a sensor.

[0023] Returning to the examples of Figures 2A and 2B, Figure 2A may be an advantageous embodiment in which the remote access device (106) includes a sensor pack (208) that may include one or more sensing capabilities that augment any sensing capabilities included in the control system (104) of the ATCC (102), which may include temperature sensing, battery charge detection, or other similar features. In such a case, the remote access device (106) may be placed inside the cargo area (103) and coupled to the control system (104) via a hardwired connection or wirelessly. In some embodiments, if the power source (210) has sufficient charge for the duration of the trip, the remote access device (106) may be activated and placed inside the cargo area (103) where it may automatically couple to the control system (104) via Bluetooth or another wireless communication. In other embodiments, the remote access device (106) may be located within the cargo area (103) and coupled to the control system (104) via a USB or other similar connection that provides both data communication and power to operate the remote access device (106) and charge the power source (210).

[0024] The embodiment of Figure 2B may be advantageous when the remote access device (106) does not include a sensor pack (208) or when additional sensing capabilities other than the sensor pack (208) are desired, such as a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126). In that embodiment, the remote access device (106) may be positioned similarly as shown in Figure 2A or may be positioned externally as shown in Figure 2B. The set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126) may be positioned in desired locations depending on factors such as the capabilities of each individual sensor, the type and amount of cargo in the cargo area (103), the placement of the cargo within the cargo area (103), as well as other factors. For example, if each sensor includes at least a temperature sensing capability, a first sensor (122) may detect the temperature within the cargo area (103), a second sensor (124) may detect the temperature within a case or packaging of the cargo payload (120), and a third sensor (124) may detect the temperature within a vehicle, warehouse, airplane, or other storage area in which the ATCC (102) is currently located. The temperature data may be wirelessly communicated to the remote access device (106) and then transmitted to the remote access server (112) to be viewed, analyzed, or reacted to by a user or an automated process.

[0025] Although three sensors are shown in FIG. 2B, it should be understood that other numbers and capabilities of sensors may be desirable in various embodiments. For example, if the cargo area (103) includes 10 or more separately packaged cargo payloads, each individual payload, or a subset of the payloads, may include a sensor configured to generate data describing the temperature, location, shock impacts, and other conditions associated with that payload. By capturing and storing such data, the condition of the individual payloads may be determined as desired. This may be useful if some adverse transportation event occurs during transportation, such as when a storage area of ​​a courier vehicle overheats during a long traffic delay on a hot day. The air conditioning system of the ATCC (102) may become overwhelmed, causing the temperature of the cargo area (103) to rise beyond a configured range. In some conventional systems, a temperature reading in the cargo area (103) indicating a temperature above that acceptable for the cargo payload may require that all cargo be destroyed, damaged, or otherwise deemed unusable.

[0026] If more detailed temperature data is available, such as when a sensor pack (208) or a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126), such as a sensor (124) located within a cargo payload (120), generates temperature data that is more closely associated with the individual payload itself, it may be determined that the actual temperature of the cargo payload (120) itself differs from that of the general temperature of the cargo area (103). This may be the case if the cargo payload (120) itself includes environmentally controlled passive features, such as insulation, phase change materials, or other features. In such cases, some cargo within the cargo area (103) may be considered lost due to the general temperature, but the cargo more specifically associated with the sensor (124) may be preserved and used for its intended purpose.

[0027] Taking the above example further, the sensor (126) may detect overheating inside the delivery vehicle before the ATCC's (102) air conditioning system becomes overloaded, and may report such data to the remote access server (112) so that a user or automated process may intervene in some way. This may include the user modifying the ATCC's (102) configuration, which may include activating an auxiliary cooling system or power source, notifying the delivery vehicle driver to adjust the vehicle's air conditioning system or ventilate the cargo area, or other action.

[0028] A set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126) may also be distributed within the cargo area (103) based on location or zone, rather than being associated with a particular cargo payload. As an example, FIG. 4 shows a front perspective view of an exemplary interior of an active container for shipping, such as an ATCC (102). As can be seen, the cargo area (103) may include interior features, such as circulation channels (132) that allow chilled air to circulate around the goods within the cargo area (103). The cargo area (103) may be densely packed with goods, and one or more air conditioning systems may circulate chilled air around the densely packed goods to cool them evenly. If an air conditioning system becomes overloaded or begins to fail, or if thermal energy from the external environment disproportionately affects one side of the ATCC (102), goods on the right side of the cargo area (103) may be damaged, while goods in the middle, bottom, and left side of the cargo area (103) may not be damaged. The output from the distributed sensors can be used to generate mapped sensor data, where similar information (e.g., temperature, shock, humidity) can be mapped to different areas of the cargo area based on the sensor (122, 124, 126) from which the data is received.

[0029] To provide more detailed information to address such scenarios, sensors may be distributed around the cargo area (103) within the circulation channel (132) or other vacant areas. In this manner, the first sensor (122) may provide temperature data indicating that goods stored in that portion of the cargo area (103) are likely to have spoiled, while goods stored in portions closer to the second sensor (124) and third sensor (126) are being maintained at a desired temperature and are not being damaged. Such data may be transmitted via the remote access device (106) to the remote access server (112) and used to intervene and attempt to salvage goods that are at risk, or may be used later to determine which goods are lost and which can be salvaged.

[0030] While several uses, features, and advantages of the system (100) have been described above, others exist. For example, Figures 5-8 show exemplary steps that may be performed by the system to provide additional features. As an example, Figure 5 shows a flow chart of an exemplary series of steps (200) that may be performed by the system of Figure 1 to remotely manage configuration changes to active containers for shipping. The configuration changes may be received by the remote access device (106) as automatic changes (202), which may include configuration changes automatically determined by the remote access server (112) as a result of status information received from the device, remote configuration changes (204) received from a user device (114), and local configuration changes (206) received via the control system (204), such as by a courier interacting directly with touch screen or keypad inputs of the control system (204) during transport.

[0031] When a local configuration change is received (206), the change can be verified (208) either by an automated verification process or a notification and manual verification process. As an example, if the ATCC (102) is in a calibration mode and a manual local change is to power off the air conditioning system, the control system (104) can provide data indicating the change or requested change to the remote access device (106), which can send data describing the change to the remote access server (112). At the remote access server (112), an automated process can search stored records associated with the ATCC (102) and determine, based on the current date and time, based on the current location of the ATCC (102), or based on other information, that the ATCC (102) should be enabled and placed in a calibration mode rather than powered off. As a manual verification process, a user associated with the ATCC (102) can receive a notification via the user device (114) indicating the change from the calibration mode. In each case, information denying confirmation or verification (208) of the changes is sent back to the remote access device (106), which can then communicate with the control system (104) to revert (210), reject, or otherwise override the configuration changes. Continuing with the above example, this would result in the ATCC (102) either never leaving calibration mode or quickly powering itself back on after being manually powered off.

[0032] If the configuration change is an automatic (202) or manual remote configuration change (204), the remote access device (106) determines the type of configuration change. The configuration change may include a change in one or more individual settings, such as a change in an air conditioning system to change the desired temperature or humidity of a cargo area. The configuration change may also include a change in the operating mode in which the active systems of the ATCC are operating, which may include a mode when the ATCC is powered off or in storage, a mode when the ATCC is in transit prior to receiving goods, a mode when the ATCC is in transit and contains goods, or other mode. In some embodiments, such mode changes may be multiple individual configuration changes that are organized together and applied together. The received configuration change may be intended to change the operation of the control system (104), the remote access device (106), some or all of a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126), or other devices that are part of or in communication with the ATCC.

[0033] As further examples, the configuration changes may include one or more mode changes, such as placing the device in a reconciliation mode (212) or a transport mode (216), or one or more other individual configuration changes (220), which may include custom changes to temperature, lock status, or enabling / disabling of various features or devices. Automatic configuration changes (202) may be scheduled based on time of day or dynamically scheduled to initiate under a set of conditions. For example, one automatic change may be to place the ATCC (102) in a reconciliation mode based on a geofencing or location-based event, such as leaving a storage warehouse or arriving at a courier facility.

[0034] If the configuration change indicates that a conditioning mode (212) should be entered, the remote access device (106) can cause the control system (104) to place the ATCC (102) into conditioning mode, which can include unlocking the doors to the storage area and running the air conditioning system in efficient cooling mode to gradually bring the temperature and humidity of the cargo area (103) and surrounding materials (e.g., insulation, air pockets, phase change materials) to desired levels.

[0035] If the configuration change indicates that transport mode (216) should be entered, the remote access device (106) causes the control system (104) to place the ATCC (102) in transport mode, which may include locking the doors to the storage area, operating the climate control system in a more efficient mode to maintain the desired temperature, and activating various sensors to begin recording a complete data set describing the transport of the ATCC (102). While in transport mode, the remote access device (106) itself may begin actively recording various data using a sensor pack (208) or may activate a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126) to begin generating and transmitting data to the remote access device (106).

[0036] If the configuration change indicates a miscellaneous configuration change (220), the remote access device (106) may change a particular configuration of the control system (104) or the remote access device (106) based on the received configuration change. An automatic configuration change may be a preventative change intended to prevent or mitigate damage caused to goods by an actual or potential adverse transport event reflected in the status data received from the ATCC (102). For example, referring to FIG. 2B, if the data from the third sensor (126) indicates a sudden increase in temperature paired with a small but gradual increase in temperature detected by the first sensor (122), the remote access server (112) may provide an automatic configuration change to operate the air conditioning system at a higher performance level for a short period of time, or may auto-lock the doors to prevent a local override or key code entry to the auto-lock, preventing the doors to the cargo area (103) from being opened until the outside temperature stabilizes.

[0037] The remote access device (106) may also be configured to send a notification to the remote access server (112) after a configuration change has been made successfully or, in the case of an undesired local configuration change, reverted (210), and the remote access server (112) may itself provide a notification (226) to one or more users or others associated with the affected ATCC (102). This may include, for example, a notification that the ATCC (102) has automatically entered a calibration or shipping mode, that a manual configuration change has been successful, or that a courier or other person currently in possession of the ATCC (102) has made a potentially undesirable local configuration change to an active container for shipping.

[0038] As another example, Figure 6 illustrates a flow chart of an exemplary series of steps (300) that may be performed in the system of Figure 1 to collect information and provide alerts related to shipping active containers, such as ATCC (102). Once one or more sensors, sensor packs (208), or a set of one or more sensors (122, 124, 126) of the control system (104) generate a data set, such information may be stored in the remote access device (106) and periodically transmitted to the remote access server (112). The information received will vary depending on the number, location, and capabilities of the sensors, but may include receiving temperature data associated with one or more temperature sensors (302); receiving impact or shock data associated with one or more accelerometers or motion sensors (304); receiving humidity data associated with one or more humidity sensors (306); receiving tilt or orientation data associated with one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, or other sensors (308); receiving lighting data associated with one or more photo sensors (310); receiving location data associated with one or more location sensors or devices, such as a GPS receiver, internet-based location service, or other location sensor (312); receiving general status data associated with the ATCC (102), which may include lock status (e.g., locked or unlocked), door status (e.g., closed or open), battery status (e.g., charging, depleted, and charge level), and other information (313).

[0039] The received information may then be used to equip and provide (314) a remote access interface on the user device (114) or another device, where a user may view the received data relating to the ATCC (102) in a variety of forms, including maps showing the movement of the ATCC (102) through the haul lanes, time graphs showing various characteristics at different times during the haul, and other interfaces. The remote access interface may also include notification and messaging capabilities that may provide alerts and other warnings to the user device (114). For example, each time a door to the cargo area (103) is opened, or when the door is opened for a period of time that exceeds a configured threshold (316), the user device (114) may receive information that notifies the user (318) of the time and duration the door was opened, where the door was opened, who was responsible for the ATCC (102) when it was opened (e.g., a courier), and other relevant information.

[0040] If information is received indicating a current or potential future “deviation” (320) from the planned transport, which may include a delay in physical movement, a deviation from the planned route, or a deviation from a required storage temperature, the user device (114) may receive information (322) informing the user of details of the deviation, such as where the ATCC (102) is currently compared to where it should be, or the projected location and temperature of the ATCC (102) at various times in the future if no intervening action is taken.

[0041] If information is received indicating an impact or shock event (324) exceeding a configured threshold, the user device (114) may receive information notifying the device user of the time, location, and magnitude of the impact (326). There are other useful notifications depending on the information received, which will be apparent to those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure.

[0042] As another example, FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of an exemplary series of steps (400) that may be performed in the system of FIG. 1 to provide automated configuration changes and other features based on transportation events. A transportation event may include, for example, the location of the ATCC (102) being registered in a particular area or location, including geofencing and other location-based triggers. Another example of a transportation event may include the movement of the ATCC (102), as indicated by accelerometer or location data indicating transportation at various speeds. Another example of a transportation event may include the handover of the ATCC (102) from one party to another, such as a courier retrieving an active container for shipping from a sender or providing an active container for shipping to a recipient, as may be indicated by the entry of a code or other interaction with the control system (104) during an exchange.

[0043] When a transportation event occurs and is received (402) at the access control server (112) via the remote access device (106), the access control server (112) can determine (404) an event type for the transportation event, which may include identifying information contained in the received (402) information, identifying other information stored in a database available to the access control server (112), or both. As one example, a transportation event may be determined (404) based on location information received from the container and a configured geofence or other location-based trigger available to the access control server (112). As another example, a transportation event may be determined (404) based on location information and accelerometer information received from the container and a configured transportation for the transportation active container indicating that the transportation active container was located at an airfield, that the transportation lane for the transportation active container included flight, and that the transportation active container recently accelerated to flight speed. As another example, a transportation event may be determined (404) based on the location information and a configured transportation for the shipping active container indicating that the shipping active container is located at a maintenance or storage facility and is scheduled to leave the facility and be placed into service at a scheduled time. As can be seen from the non-limiting examples above, various individual data or combinations of data may be used to determine that various transportation events have occurred, including information received from the shipping active container itself as well as information stored at and available to the remote access server (112).

[0044] Actions taken as a result of a transportation event also vary widely based on the very event. As an example, some transportation events may be determined (404) to require a restriction (406) of active features. During some portions of the transportation lane, one or more active features of the container may need to be disabled for technical, safety, or regulatory reasons. Some courier vehicles may require that the air conditioning system of the transported container be disabled, or that audible, visual, or other alerts or warnings be disabled or provided in an alternative manner that does not distract or endanger the driver. Similarly, some airplanes may be required to disable wireless communication devices during some portions of the flight. If a transportation event requires a restriction (406) of active features, the remote access device (106) may reconfigure the control system (104), may reconfigure the remote access device (106) itself, or may reconfigure one or more of the sensors (122, 124, 126) as needed to deactivate or disable (408) the restricted features.

[0045] In some cases, if an alternative or replacement feature is included in the ATCC (102) or available in the surrounding environment, the remote access device (106) can enable (410) the alternative feature. This may include, for example, disabling communication over the cellular network (110) and enabling communication over the satellite network (108), or vice versa. As another example, this may include deactivating an air conditioning system and, in the case of the ATCC (102), opening vents to circulate cooled air from inside the courier vehicle into the active container for shipping.

[0046] As another example, this may include switching from a power source, such as an internal battery of the ATCC (102), to an externally available power source and reconfiguring one or more of the active systems of the ATCC (102) to utilize a temporarily available external power source to allow the internal batteries to charge during transit. This may include one or more of the systems, features, and techniques as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0044360, filed July 26, 2018, and entitled “System for Providing In-Transit Power for Active Storage Containers,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0047] As another example, this may include deactivating some or all of the features of the short-range wireless transceiver (202) and the long-range wireless transceiver (200) (e.g., "airplane mode," etc.), as well as routing communications through an alternative wireless communication device (e.g., an airline-approved wireless device such as a Bluetooth transceiver or a Wi-Fi transceiver) that may allow the remote access device (106) to continue communicating over the Internet by "bridging" to a data connection available on the airplane. This may include one or more data bridging systems, features, and techniques such as those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0044753, entitled "Active Container with Data Bridging," filed July 26, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0048] If the transportation event is determined (404) to be related to a maintenance activity (412), the remote access server (112) can update (414) inventory and service records related to the associated shipping active container. The maintenance related event (412) can relate to and describe a shipping active container being transported to a maintenance facility, a shipping active container spending time at a maintenance facility, or a shipping active container being transported from a maintenance facility. In such a case, the remote access server (112) can create or update (414) a record related to the shipping active container to indicate its inventory status and maintenance status, which may include indicating that the shipping active container is out of service when transported to the maintenance facility or that the shipping active container is ready for service when transported from the maintenance facility. Actions may also include creating records indicating any status information related to maintenance (e.g., battery charging or replacement, air conditioning system testing and cleaning, sensor calibration), which may include the last maintenance date, where the maintenance was performed, and status information before and after maintenance was completed.

[0049] If a transportation event is determined (404) to be associated with a shipping active container being handed over from a storage facility to a sender, from a sender to a courier, between multiple courier carriers, or from a courier carrier to an ultimate recipient, it may be determined as a change in storage (416) of the shipping active container. The change in storage may be determined based on one or more of location information of the shipping active container, a planned transportation lane for the shipping active container, or a user interaction with the control system (104) (e.g., entering a code or providing other input). For example, when the remote access server (112) receives information indicating that the shipping active container is at the recipient's facility on a date and time when the scheduled haul lane indicates that the shipping active container should have been delivered to the recipient, the remote access server (212) determines that the shipping active container has been delivered and updates (418) inventory and other records associated with the shipping active container to reflect the courier or company in possession of the shipping active container, when and where the shipping active container was in possession, status information of the shipping active container at the time of possession (e.g., temperature, battery charge, lock status), and other information. Similar information may be received and updated (418) for the shipping active container when it leaves the recipient's facility and is returned to the sender or company that owns the shipping active container, or when it is transferred to a maintenance or reconditioning facility, as previously described.

[0050] By tracking such information (e.g., inventory, maintenance, service, and storage records) throughout the complete life cycle of a container, the remote access server (112) may build a rich set of information that can be used to review or inspect the life cycle of a shipping active container, which can be useful to automatically or manually identify patterns in the handling of the container that may result in performance degradation, component failure, or loss or damage to equipment, including the shipping active container itself.

[0051] 5-8 in which the remote access device (106) is in bidirectional communication with the remote access server (112), it should be understood that such communication may occur on demand, as needed, such as where the remote access device (106) would be in frequent communication with the remote access server (112) to exchange data and enable automated activities. However, such communication may also occur intermittently, as more information and data is stored in the memory (206) or another storage device of the remote access device (106), resulting in more efficient communication and improved robustness in the event the remote access server (112) is unreachable. As an example, instead of the remote access server (112) receiving (402) a transport event and determining (404) the event type based on configured rules and data stored by the remote access server (112), those rules and information can be pushed to the remote access device (106) at the initiation of a transport, and much of the processing and application of those rules can be performed by the processor (204) without the need for frequent two-way communication with the remote access server (112). Other variations exist for the transfer of data between the remote access server (112) and the remote access device (106) that will be apparent to those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure.

[0052] As discussed above, data provided by the remote access device (106) can be used by the remote access server (106) to identify various patterns associated with the transportation of active containers for transport. This may include identifying a portion of a transport lane as having a negative or positive impact on containers transported along that portion. As an example, a particular transport lane defined for a container may include travel along a first road and a first highway by ground vehicle, travel via airplane by a first carrier, and then travel along a second road and a second highway by ground vehicle to a recipient. Separate portions of the transport lane may include a first road, a second road, a first highway, a second highway, and a first carrier. As an example, data collected for a large number of active containers for transport using a first road may indicate over time that containers using that road have a high incidence of delays or problems maintaining temperature. Similarly, data over time may indicate, by way of example, that containers flown by the first carrier have a higher incidence of battery failures, or external damage to the active containers being transported, or other factors. By identifying characteristics associated with a particular portion of a haul lane, or a combination of portions (e.g., a first road and a first highway are fine by themselves, but the succession of the two creates inordinate delays), future haul lanes may be configured to avoid that portion or combination of portions.

[0053] As an example, Figure 8 shows a flow chart of an exemplary series of steps (500) that may be performed by the system of Figure 1 to identify patterns of events occurring within a haul lane. The remote access server (112) may map (502) data from multiple ATCCs across multiple hauls to location data associated with each data point to generate multiple mapped data sets. The mapped data set for each container and each haul may include a timeline of the haul, with associated and location data at various points along the timeline, and the mapped data set may be used, for example, to determine that a particular container in a particular haul was subjected to a shock impact of a magnitude large enough that its contents should be inspected for damage. The shock impact is associated with a time, date, and location.

[0054] The multiple mapped data sets can then be merged together (504) to generate a lane data set for each individual haul lane segment, or combination of haul lane segments. The lane data set can then be analyzed (506) with other lane data sets using pattern recognition algorithms or software, or based on discrete analysis of specific characteristics or factors (e.g., traffic accidents, flight delays) to identify lane data sets associated with a high incidence of the desired characteristic. As an example, if the analysis (506) of the lane data set compared to other lane data sets indicates that a large number of hauls along that lane segment also experience shock impacts, this may indicate a poor road surface or other obstacle that should be addressed or avoided. Similarly, if within that particular lane data set, the overall number of shock impacts is comparable, but shock impacts of that haul lane segment are frequently experienced at the same time of day, on the same day of the week, or based on other more detailed factors, this may indicate that there are road conditions that exist at certain times or days (e.g., a haul lane near a school may cause a sudden stop that registers as a shock impact during school dismissal time but not at other times) that do not exist at other times or days, which may also be considered. If shock impacts in the area are infrequent or do not appear to have a pattern, no action may be necessary.

[0055] Based on the analysis of the lane data set or lane data sets (506), patterns may be identified, such as lane delay patterns (508) where a particular transport lane portion may have a high or low incidence of associated delays, lane shock patterns (512) where a transport lane portion may have a high or low incidence of shock impulses, lane temperature patterns (516) where a transport lane portion may have a high or low incidence of temperature issues or deviations, lane utilization patterns (520) where a transport lane portion may have a high or low utilization for transporting tracked containers, or other patterns or sub-patterns, such as when a transport lane portion has a temporal (e.g., based on hours, days, seasons, or other time aspects) pattern of undesirable characteristics, or patterns based on other less predictable criteria, such as gas prices, weather, sporting events or concerts, and other events that may affect transport on that transport lane portion over time.

[0056] If such patterns exist, they may be identified to a user or within the dataset as patterns that may merit further investigation or observation. If a pattern of delays is identified (508) for one or more lane segments, the pattern may be provided (510) as data, a user interface, or both, which may, for example, describe the lane segment, the identified pattern, associated delays, a comparison to other "normal" lane segments, and other similar information. The pattern may be provided (510) proactively as a notice or alert to the user, may be accessible to users who are considering the lane segment or scheduling haul lanes that are dependent on the lane segment, or may be provided (510) in a database or other storage accessible by the remote access server (112) for future use. Similar data may be provided (514) when a shock pattern is detected, (518) when a temperature pattern is detected, (522) when a usage or utilization pattern is detected, or (526) when another pattern is detected.

[0057] As pattern data is collected, refined, and built over time, the remote access server (112) may be configured to automatically provide (528) lane insights when haul lanes are scheduled based on previously collected and identified patterns. For example, when a container haul is scheduled and a user manually selects haul lanes (e.g., road, ground courier, air courier) or automatically selects them based on desired cost, delivery time, or other factors, the system may provide (528) a set of lane analysis insights to the user suggesting one or more notes, concerns, or modifications to the haul lanes based on the identified patterns. As an example, a user may select a lower cost option for a haul when manually configuring a haul lane, which from the example above may include a portion of the haul along a first road and a portion along a first highway. A previously identified pattern may provide data indicating very high delays for that combination of haul segments (510), which may be provided to the scheduling user as a caution or warning and may include suitable alternative haul lane segments (e.g., a first road and a third road, avoiding the first highway entirely) that may not be associated with the pattern of delays.

[0058] Other uses of the collected data and patterns exist and will be apparent to those of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. Additional examples of potential embodiments that may be implemented based on this disclosure include the following:

[0059] Example 1 1. A system comprising: (a) a container including a cargo area, at least one active feature, and a control system operable to configure the at least one active feature; (b) a remote access device configured to communicate over a long range data network, the remote access device being communicatively coupled to the control system; and (c) a remote access server in communication with the remote access device over the long range data network, the remote access device being configured to: (i) receive a set of control system data from the control system, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; (ii) provide the set of control system data to the remote access server; (iii) receive a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (iv) cause the control system to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change.

[0060] Example 2 The system of Example 1, wherein: (i) the remote access device is coupled to the control system to receive power from the control system; (ii) the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system and a temperature sensor; (iii) the control system data includes a set of temperature data for the cargo area; and (iv) the long-range data network includes a cellular data network.

[0061] Example 3 The system of Example 1, wherein: (i) the remote access device is disposed within the cargo area; (ii) the remote access device includes a sensor pack, the sensor pack including a temperature sensor; and (iii) the remote access device is further configured to generate a set of temperature data with the temperature sensor and provide the set of temperature data to the remote access server.

[0062] Example 4 The system of Example 1 further includes a set of sensors communicatively coupled to the remote access device via a short-range wireless transceiver, wherein (i) each of the sensors of the set is positioned at a different location within or near the cargo area; (ii) each of the sensors of the set generates temperature data for the area in which it is positioned; and (iii) the remote access device is configured to: (A) receive temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors; (B) associate the temperature from each sensor with a location of that sensor; and (C) provide the temperature data for each sensor and the associated location to the remote access server.

[0063] Example 5 The system of Example 1, wherein the remote access server is configured to: (i) receive a configuration change from a user before providing the configuration change to the remote access device; and (ii) identify a container as associated with the configuration change and the user.

[0064] Example 6 The system of example 5, wherein the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system, and the configuration change includes activating the air conditioning system in a regulated mode to reduce a temperature in the cargo area.

[0065] Example 7 The system of Example 1, wherein the set of control system data includes a door status indicating whether a door to a cargo area is open, and the remote access server is configured to: (i) identify a door opening event that exceeds a configured time threshold based on the door status; and (ii) provide a notification to a user associated with the container describing the door opening event.

[0066] Example 8 The system of Example 1, wherein the remote access server is configured to receive a set of sensor data from the remote access device, the set of sensor data including one or more of: (i) temperature data associated with one or more areas of the container; (ii) shock impact data associated with one or more areas of the container; (iii) tilt data associated with one or more areas of the container; (iv) lighting data associated with one or more areas of the container; or (v) global position data associated with the container.

[0067] Example 9 The system of Example 8, wherein the remote access server is configured to: (i) identify within the set of sensor data or the set of control system data a shock impact that exceeds a configured threshold for safe impact to the container; and (ii) provide a notification describing the shock impact to a user associated with the container.

[0068] Example 10 The system of Example 8, wherein the remote access server is configured to: (i) identify within the set of sensor data areas of the container where the temperature exceeds a configured threshold; and (ii) provide a notification to a user associated with the container describing the temperature and the period of time during which the temperature exceeded the configured threshold.

[0069] Example 11 The system of Example 1, further comprising a location sensor operable to generate data indicating a global location of the container, wherein the remote access device is configured to: (i) receive a geofencing configuration from the remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; (ii) monitor the location of the container based on the data from the location sensor; and (iii) apply the associated configuration changes when the location of the container satisfies the global location requirements.

[0070] Example 12 The system of Example 11, wherein the associated configuration changes include: (i) configuring the remote access device to disable communication over the long range data network when the global location requirement is met; and (ii) configuring the remote access device to enable communication over the long range data network when the global location requirement is no longer met.

[0071] Example 13 The system of example 1 further includes a position sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global position of the container, wherein the remote access server is configured to: (i) receive a set of position data generated by the position sensor; (ii) map the set of control system data to the set of position data to generate a mapped dataset describing a transport lane in which the container travels; (iii) integrate the mapped dataset with a plurality of mapped datasets to generate a plurality of lane datasets, each lane dataset describing at least a portion of a transport lane, the plurality of lane datasets including a transport lane in which the container travels; and (iv) identify a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane datasets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse transport events occurring in that transport lane.

[0072] Example 14 A method comprising: (a) coupling a remote access device to a control system of a transport active container, the transport active container including at least one active feature and a cargo area; (b) receiving a set of control system data from the control system by the remote access device, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; (c) providing the set of control system data to a remote access server in communication with the remote access device via a long-range data network; (d) receiving a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (e) causing the control system to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change.

[0073] Example 15 The method of example 14, further comprising: (a) placing the remote access device in the cargo area and coupling the remote access device to a control system to power the remote access device; (b) generating a set of temperature data with a sensor pack of the remote access device; and (c) providing the set of temperature data to a remote access server.

[0074] Example 16 The method of example 14, further comprising: (a) communicatively coupling a remote access device to the set of sensors via short-range wireless communication; (b) disposing each sensor of the set of sensors at a different location within the cargo area; (c) receiving a set of temperature data from each of the sensors of the set and associating each set of temperature data with a location of that sensor within the cargo area; and (d) providing the set of temperature data and the location of each sensor of the set of sensors to a remote access server.

[0075] Example 17 The method of example 16, further comprising: (a) storing a plurality of cargo payloads in a cargo area; (b) associating each cargo payload with a proximate sensor of the set of sensors based on a location of the sensor; and (c) for each cargo payload of the set of cargo payloads, providing an in-transit storage temperature based on the set of temperature data of the proximate sensors.

[0076] Example 18 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: (a) receiving a set of position data generated by a position sensor proximate to the active container for transporting, the position sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global position of the active container for transporting; (b) mapping the set of control system data to the set of position data to generate a mapped dataset describing a transport lane in which the active container for transporting travels; (c) integrating the mapped dataset with a plurality of mapped datasets to generate a plurality of lane datasets, each lane dataset describing at least a portion of a transport lane, the plurality of lane datasets including a transport lane in which the active container for transporting travels; and (d) identifying a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane datasets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse transport events occurring in that transport lane.

[0077] Example 19 The method of example 14, further comprising: (a) receiving a set of location data generated by a location sensor in proximity to the shipping active container, the location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the shipping active container; (b) receiving a geofencing configuration from a remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; (c) monitoring a location of the shipping active container based on data from the location sensor; and (d) applying the associated configuration changes when the location of the shipping active container meets the global location requirements.

[0078] Example 20 1. A remote access device for enabling remote management of a transport active container, the remote access device comprising: (a) a processor and a memory; (b) a connection adapted to couple to a control system of the transport active container and provide transmission of data and power to the remote access device; (c) a long-range wireless transceiver operable to communicate over a long-range data network; (d) a set of sensors, each sensor of the set including a power source and adapted to be placed at a desired location within a cargo area; and (e) a short-range wireless transceiver operable to receive temperature data from each of the sensors of the set, the processor being configured to: (i) receive a set of control system data from the control system; (ii) receive a set of temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors; (iii) associate the set of temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors with a location where the sensor is located within the cargo area to generate a set of mapped sensor data for the cargo area; and (iv) provide the set of control system data and the set of mapped sensor data to a remote access server.

[0079] It should be understood that any one or more of the teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein can be combined with any one or more of the other teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. described herein. Thus, the described teachings, expressions, embodiments, examples, etc. should not be considered in isolation with respect to each other. Various suitable ways in which the teachings herein can be combined will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings herein. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.

[0080] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, further adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may be achieved by appropriate modifications by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Some of such potential modifications have been mentioned, and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the examples, embodiments, geometric features, materials, dimensions, ratios, steps, etc. described above are illustrative and not required. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be considered in terms of the following claims and is understood to be not limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings.

[0081] [Embodiment] (1) A system comprising: (a) a container including a cargo area, at least one active feature, and a control system operable to configure the at least one active feature; (b) a remote access device configured to communicate over a long range data network, the remote access device communicatively coupled to the control system; and (c) a remote access server in communication with the remote access device over the long distance data network; Including, The remote access device comprises: (i) receiving a set of control system data from the control system, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; (ii) providing said set of control system data to said remote access server; (iii) receiving a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (iv) causing the control system to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change; and A system configured to: (2) (i) the remote access device is coupled to the control system to receive power from the control system; (ii) the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system and a temperature sensor; (iii) the control system data includes a set of temperature data for the cargo area; (iv) The system of embodiment 1, wherein the long-distance data network includes a cellular data network. (3) (i) the remote access device is located within the cargo area; and (ii) the remote access device includes a sensor pack, the sensor pack including a temperature sensor; (iii) the remote access device is further configured to generate a set of temperature data with the temperature sensor and provide the set of temperature data to the remote access server. (4) a set of sensors communicatively coupled to the remote access device via a short-range wireless transceiver; (i) each of the set of sensors is positioned at a different location within or near the cargo area; (ii) each sensor of the set generates temperature data for the area in which it is located; (iii) the remote access device; (A) receiving temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors; (B) relating the temperature from each sensor to the location of that sensor; (C) providing the temperature data and the associated location of each sensor to the remote access server. (5) The remote access server is (i) receiving the configuration changes from a user prior to providing the configuration changes to the remote access device; (ii) identifying the container as associated with the configuration change and the user.

[0082] (6) The system of embodiment 5, wherein the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system, and the configuration change includes starting the air conditioning system in an adjustment mode to reduce the temperature in the cargo area. (7) the set of control system data includes a door status indicating whether a door to the cargo area is open, and the remote access server: (i) identifying a door opening event that exceeds a configured time threshold based on the door status; (ii) providing a notification to a user associated with the container describing the door opening event. (8) The remote access server is configured to receive a set of sensor data from the remote access device, the set of sensor data comprising: (i) temperature data associated with one or more areas of the container; (ii) shock impact data associated with one or more areas of the container; (iii) slope data associated with one or more areas of said container; (iv) lighting data associated with one or more areas of the container; or (v) global location data associated with the container; The system of embodiment 1, comprising one or more of the following: (9) The remote access server comprises: (i) identifying within the set of sensor data or the set of control system data a shock event that exceeds a configured threshold for safe shock events for the container; (ii) providing a notification to a user associated with the container describing the shock impact. (10) The remote access server comprises: (i) identifying within the set of sensor data an area of ​​the container where the temperature exceeds a configured threshold; (ii) providing a notification to a user associated with the container describing the temperature and the period of time during which the temperature exceeded the configured threshold.

[0083] (11) The remote access device further includes a location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the container, (i) receiving a geofencing configuration from the remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; (ii) monitoring the location of the container based on data from the location sensor; and (iii) applying the associated configuration changes when the location of the container satisfies the global location requirement. (12) The associated configuration change is: (i) configuring the remote access device to disable communications over the long range data network when the global location requirement is met; (ii) configuring the remote access device to enable communication over the long range data network when the global location requirement is no longer satisfied. (13) A location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the container, the remote access server further comprising: (i) receiving a set of location data generated by the location sensor; (ii) mapping the set of control system data to the set of location data to generate a mapped data set describing a transportation lane along which the container travels; (iii) aggregating the mapped data set with a plurality of mapped data sets to generate a plurality of lane data sets, each lane data set describing at least a portion of a transportation lane, the plurality of lane data sets including the transportation lane along which the container travels; and (iv) identifying a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane data sets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse transportation events occurring in that transportation lane. (14) A method comprising the steps of: (a) coupling a remote access device to a control system of a transport active container, the transport active container including at least one active feature and a cargo area; (b) receiving, by the remote access device, a set of control system data from the control system, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; and (c) providing said set of control system data to a remote access server in communication with said remote access device over a long distance data network; (d) receiving a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (e) causing the control system to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change. (15) (a) disposing the remote access device in the cargo area and coupling the remote access device to the control system to provide power to the remote access device; (b) generating a set of temperature data with a sensor pack of the remote access device; (c) providing said set of temperature data to said remote access server; 15. The method of embodiment 14, further comprising:

[0084] (16) (a) communicatively coupling the remote access device to a set of sensors via short-range wireless communication; (b) disposing each sensor of the set of sensors at a different location within the cargo area; (c) receiving a set of temperature data from each of the set of sensors and associating each set of temperature data with a location of that sensor within the cargo area; (d) providing the set of temperature data and the location of each sensor in the set of sensors to the remote access server; 15. The method of embodiment 14, further comprising: (17) (a) storing a plurality of cargo payloads in said cargo area; and (b) associating each cargo payload with a proximate sensor of the set of sensors based on the location of that sensor; (c) for each cargo payload of the set of cargo payloads, providing an in-transit storage temperature based on the set of temperature data of the proximate sensors; 17. The method of embodiment 16, further comprising: (18) (a) receiving a set of location data generated by a location sensor proximate to the shipping active container, the location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the shipping active container; (b) mapping the set of control system data to the set of location data to generate a mapped data set describing a haul lane along which the transport active container travels; (c) integrating the mapped data set with a plurality of mapped data sets to generate a plurality of lane data sets, each lane data set describing at least a portion of a transportation lane, the plurality of lane data sets including the transportation lane along which the transport active container travels; and (d) identifying a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane data sets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse transportation events occurring in that haul lane; and 15. The method of embodiment 14, further comprising: (19) (a) receiving a set of position data generated by a position sensor proximate to the shipping active container, the position sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global position of the shipping active container; (b) receiving a geofencing configuration from the remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; and (c) monitoring a location of the shipping active container based on data from the location sensor; and (d) applying the associated configuration change when the location of the shipping active container satisfies the global location requirement; 15. The method of embodiment 14, further comprising: (20) A remote access device for enabling remote management of an active container for transportation, comprising: (a) a processor and memory; (b) a connection adapted to couple with a control system of the active container for transport and provide data and power transmission to the remote access device; (c) a long-range wireless transceiver operable to communicate over a long-range data network; and (d) a set of sensors, each sensor of the set including a power source and adapted to be placed at a desired location within the cargo area; (e) a short-range wireless transceiver operable to receive temperature data from each of the sensors of the set; and Including, The processor, (i) receiving a set of control system data from the control system; (ii) receiving a set of temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors; (iii) associating the set of temperature data from each sensor in the set of sensors with a location where that sensor is located within the cargo area to generate a mapped sensor data set for the cargo area; (iv) a remote access device configured to provide the set of control system data and the set of mapped sensor data to a remote access server.

Claims

1. 1. A system comprising: (a) a container including a cargo area, at least one active feature, and a control system operable to configure the at least one active feature; (b) a remote access device configured to communicate over a long range data network, the remote access device communicatively coupled to the control system; and (c) a remote access server in communication with the remote access device over the long distance data network; Including, The remote access device comprises: (i) receiving a set of control system data from the control system, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; (ii) providing said set of control system data to said remote access server; (iii) receiving a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (iv) causing the control system to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change; and The device is configured to: the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system, and the configuration change includes activating the air conditioning system in a regulation mode to reduce a temperature in the cargo area; a location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the container; The remote access server comprises: receiving a set of position data generated by the position sensor; mapping the set of control system data to the set of location data to generate a mapped data set describing a transportation lane along which the container travels; aggregating the mapped data set with a plurality of mapped data sets to generate a plurality of lane data sets, each lane data set describing at least a portion of a transportation lane, the plurality of lane data sets including the transportation lane along which the container travels; identifying a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane data sets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse transportation events occurring in the haul lane; and automatically providing lane insights based on the previously collected and identified patterns. system.

2. (i) the remote access device is coupled to the control system to receive power from the control system; (ii) the at least one active feature includes a temperature sensor; (iii) the control system data includes a set of temperature data for the cargo area; (iv) the long-distance data network comprises a cellular data network;

3. (i) the remote access device is located within the cargo area; (ii) the remote access device includes a sensor pack, the sensor pack including a temperature sensor; 2. The system of claim 1, wherein (iii) the remote access device is further configured to generate a set of temperature data with the temperature sensor and provide the set of temperature data to the remote access server.

4. a set of sensors communicatively coupled to the remote access device via a short-range wireless transceiver; (i) each of the set of sensors is positioned at a different location within or near the cargo area; (ii) each of the sensors in the set generates temperature data for the area in which it is located; (iii) the remote access device; (A) receiving temperature data from each sensor of the set of sensors; (B) associating the temperature from each sensor with the location of that sensor; 2. The system of claim 1, further configured to: (C) provide the temperature data and the associated location of each sensor to the remote access server.

5. The remote access server comprises: (i) receiving the configuration changes from a user prior to providing the configuration changes to the remote access device; The system of claim 1 , further configured to: (ii) identify the container as being associated with the configuration change and the user.

6. The set of control system data includes a door status indicating whether a door to the cargo area is open, and the remote access server (i) identifying a door opening event that exceeds a configured time threshold based on the door status; 2. The system of claim 1, further configured to: (ii) provide a notification to a user associated with the container describing the door opening event.

7. The remote access server is configured to receive a set of sensor data from the remote access device, the set of sensor data comprising: (i) temperature data associated with one or more areas of the container; (ii) shock impact data associated with one or more areas of the container; (iii) slope data associated with one or more areas of the container; (iv) lighting data associated with one or more areas of the container; or (v) global location data associated with the container; The system of claim 1 , comprising one or more of:

8. The remote access server comprises: (i) identifying within the set of sensor data or the set of control system data a shock event that exceeds a configured threshold for safe shock events for the container; 8. The system of claim 7, further configured to: (ii) provide a notification to a user associated with the container describing the shock impingement.

9. The remote access server comprises: (i) identifying within the set of sensor data an area of ​​the container where the temperature exceeds a configured threshold; 8. The system of claim 7, further configured to: (ii) provide a notification to a user associated with the container describing the temperature and the period of time during which the temperature exceeded the configured threshold.

10. The remote access device, (i) receiving a geofencing configuration from the remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; (ii) monitoring the location of the container based on data from the location sensor; and (iii) applying the associated configuration changes when the location of the container satisfies the global location requirement.

11. The associated configuration change is: (i) configuring the remote access device to disable communications over the long range data network when the global location requirement is met; and (ii) configuring the remote access device to enable communication over the long range data network when the global location requirement is no longer satisfied.

12. A method of operating a remote access device comprising a processor communicatively coupled to a control system of an active container for transportation, the control system including at least one active feature and a cargo area, the method comprising: (b) receiving, by the processor, a set of control system data from the control system via the remote access device, the set of control system data describing performance of the at least one active feature; and (c) the processor providing the set of control system data to a remote access server in communication with the remote access device over a long distance data network; (d) receiving a configuration change from the remote access server, the configuration change being associated with the at least one active feature; and (e) causing the processor to configure operation of the at least one active feature based on the configuration change; the at least one active feature includes an air conditioning system, and the configuration change includes activating the air conditioning system in a regulation mode to reduce a temperature in the cargo area; the remote access server receiving a set of location data generated by a location sensor proximate to the shipping active container, the location sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global location of the shipping active container; said remote access server mapping said set of control system data to said set of location data to generate a mapped data set describing a haul lane along which said active container for transport travels; the remote access server aggregating the mapped data set with a plurality of mapped data sets to generate a plurality of lane data sets, each lane data set describing at least a portion of a hauling lane, the plurality of lane data sets including the hauling lane along which the active container for transport travels; the remote access server identifying a pattern associated with one or more of the plurality of lane data sets, the pattern describing a high rate of adverse hauling events occurring in the hauling lane; and the remote access server automatically providing lane insights based on the previously collected and identified patterns. method.

13. (a) the processor coupling the remote access device to the control system for providing power to the remote access device located in the cargo area; (b) the processor generating a set of temperature data at a sensor pack of the remote access device; and (c) the processor providing the set of temperature data to the remote access server; and The method of claim 12 further comprising:

14. (a) the processor communicatively coupling the remote access devices to a set of sensors located at different locations within the cargo area via short-range wireless communication; (c) the processor receiving a set of temperature data from each of the set of sensors and associating each set of temperature data with a location of that sensor within the cargo area; (d) the processor providing the set of temperature data and the location of each sensor in the set of sensors to the remote access server; The method of claim 12 further comprising:

15. (b) the processor associating each cargo payload of a plurality of cargo payloads stored in the cargo area with a proximate sensor of the set of sensors based on the location of the sensor; (c) providing, for each cargo payload of the set of cargo payloads, an in-transit storage temperature based on the set of temperature data of the proximate sensors; and The method of claim 14 further comprising:

16. (a) the processor receiving a set of position data generated by a position sensor proximate to the shipping active container, the position sensor operable to generate data indicative of a global position of the shipping active container; (b) receiving, by the processor, a geofencing configuration from the remote access server, the geofencing configuration including global location requirements and associated configuration changes; and (c) the processor monitoring a location of the active container for shipping based on data from the location sensor; and (d) applying the associated configuration change when the location of the active container for transport satisfies the global location requirement; and The method of claim 12 further comprising:

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