A novel activity monitoring and alerting setup and method for the transportation of goods

Abstract

An activity monitoring and alerting system and setup for monitoring the activities of a container used for the storage and transportation of goods. The system and setup comprise of a containment unit, a sensing module and a network module. Activities that are of importance to the sender of the containment unit and / or the receiver are monitored by the sensor module. The sensor readings can be recorded and stored on a memory module or sent to a system management database. The sensor can be set so as to detect critical factors and alerts sent to an external device. The disclosed system as well as the method is computationally less complex, promises a high degree of security and safety compared to the existing methods.

Description

[0001] A novel activity monitoring and alerting setup and method for the transportation of goods. FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention pertains to the field of transporting and overseeing the movement of goods so as to monitor critical physical factors that affect the quality and / or safety of the goods during transportation. BACKGROUND

[0002] Mechanisms for the delivery of goods have been in place since ancient times.

[0003] In recent times, driven by societal needs, technological developments and economic shifts, for example the delivery of perishable goods and the systems to deliver them have evolved considerably. In particular since the COVID 19 Pandemic in 2020 spread around the world, more and more people have taken to having goods delivered to their homes instead of going out and shopping for them physically. This has in particular been true for the ordering of food from restaurants. The widespread usage of telephone and internet in the 20th century marked a turning point, allowing customers to place orders directly with restaurants, something that continues to this day. The dawn of the internet brought a monumental shift in food delivery systems. Online platforms and mobile applications, such as Uber Eats, Foodpanda and HungerStation empowered customers to order a wide range of cuisines through third-party firms with ease. These platforms streamlined the process, offering comprehensive menus, multitude of payment options, credible user reviews, and real-time tracking. Most importantly, they enabled every restaurant to deliver food without the need to maintain their own dedicated delivery crews and fleet.

[0004] While acknowledging the convenience offered by food delivery systems, it is important to consider certain associated risks as well. Food safety and quality are two factors which play an important role in assuring the delivery of hygienic food to customers. The conventional food delivery model involves delivery personnel handling and delivering food to customers. It has been reported that a large majority of people ordering food want restaurants to use tamper-evident labels to reduce instances of drivers taking food from their orders, or tampering with the contents. This act of tampering with food not only affects the hygiene levels of the food being delivered, but it also reflects greatly on the reputation of the restaurant as well as the food delivery platforms (in the case of third-party applications) being utilized. In addition to safeguarding food from being tampered with during transportation, it is important to ensure that the temperature of the food is monitored. Perishable food items have been found to become unsafe for consumption if stored in the temperature range of 4°C to 60°C. This range of temperatures, referred to as the “temperature danger zone”, causes pathogenic bacteria to multiply rapidly, making the food unhealthy. Once food has been cooked and is ready for delivery, it is important to keep track of the delivery time. Restaurants and regulatory authorities are able to monitor and have strict requirements that must be abided with when preparing food, however, there does not currently exist any means to monitor the time or temperature of food during transportation from the restaurant to the consumer. Most governmental food authorities apply the 2-hours / 4-hours rule to ensure the safety of food. The 2- hours rule states that for cooked food the temperatures should be maintained above 140 °F (60 °C), and chilled items below 40 °F (4.4°C) to minimize the risk of harmful bacterial growth. Food whose temperature is in the danger zone for less than 2 hours may be used or stored at a temperature less than 5°C. Food that has been in the danger zone for more than 2 hours must be used, but cannot be placed in the fridge. For food that has been in the danger zone for more than 4 hours it must be thrown away. Food that is between 90 °F (32.2 °C) and 140 °F (60 °C) for over 1 hour must be discarded.

[0005] Other factors that might not necessarily affect the safety of the food, but the quality of the food during delivery, is the amount of vibration, tilting or overturning of the food, all of which can affect the taste and look of the food when it is delivered.

[0006] Several solutions have been disclosed in the prior art to address food tampering and tracking issues. From using tamper-proof single use packaging to using smart (active as well as passive) locking mechanisms for food delivery boxes. the available solutions address the problem of food tampering in different ways. The most widely offered smart solution involves offering customers the ability to unlock the food delivery boxes using special authentication codes generated at the time of food packing, preventing anyone else from accessing the contents of the food delivery box. Some of the commonly observed disadvantages in the prior art solutions involve breakable locks, complex hardware / software architectures, and inability to retrofit the digital seals on thousands of existing food delivery boxes. With respect to monitoring and prompt notification of the temperature, humidity, and other critical factors that affect the quality of the goods being delivered, there is no specific simple solution.

[0007] Currently there does not exist any means to prevent this type of tampering or unauthorized access, therefore it would be ideal to have a device or system to detect the unauthorized access or tampering and immediately trigger an alarm that would also record the time, area and person nearest to the container that was accessed without authorization.

[0008] In view of the aforementioned shortcomings in the means to secure goods from tampering, and means to monitor goods during transport, disclosed in the prior art, there remains a growing need to provide a robust yet simple to use and light digital sealing mechanism providing the customers the surety of safe, hygienic and tamper-free delivery of items while enabling the users to actively monitor other factors that are important to maintain the quality of the items being delivered. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0009] The following presents a simplified summary of features disclosed herein to provide a basic understanding of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. This summary is neither an exclusive overview of all the different embodiments of the present disclosure, nor intended to identify the critical elements of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a precursor to a more comprehensive description.

[0010] The present disclosure comprises a novel setup and methods for monitoring and detecting the state of a containment unit with goods contained in it.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, an activity monitoring and alerting containment setup disclosed herein may comprise of a digital tagging unit, designed to be placed on a containment unit, a digital sealing unit, a receiver communications unit, and a network connected system management database.

[0012] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the digital tagging unit, powered through a suitable power source, may comprise of a microcontroller-based circuitry with a plurality of embedded wireless communication transceivers enabling it to communicate wirelessly with a compatible digital sealing unit and / or a receiver communications unit and / or a network connected system management database. The digital tagging unit includes a sensing module which may also contain digital interfaces to connect to multiple sensors, though a sensor sub-unit, located within the containment unit. According to the same embodiment, the digital tagging unit may be designed to be physically placed on a containment unit, with the ability to be digitally sealed / unsealed through a compatible digital sealing unit or a receiver communications unit, respectively.

[0013] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensing module may consist of a microcontroller-based circuitry, powered by a suitable power source, with a plurality of sensors available onboard. The sensing module may be designed to be fixed inside a containment unit with the ability to accurately sense temperature, humidity, acceleration, and orientation of the containment unit. The sensors may include a global positioning system (GPS) transceiver to accurately generate the location of the containment unit, temperature and humidity sensors, sensors to detect the motion, orientation and forces exerted on the containment unit. The sensing module may be interfaced to the digital tagging unit and may periodically, or during alarm situations, report the sensed parameters to the digital tagging unit.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the digital tagging unit may communicate with a personal communication device being handled by the courier, which may retrieve / transmit periodically, or during alarm situations, the physical condition of the containment unit.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the digital sealing unit may be a dedicated microcontroller-based digital device having wireless transceivers to digitally seal and to communicate wirelessly with the other units or devices within the setup. The digital sealing unit may also be interfaced to the system management database through a suitable network enabling it to retrieve / transmit the sealing information of the digital tagging unit as well as the sensor.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a specially designed software application running on a compatible personal communications device may function as a digital sealing unit and may enable a user to use his personal communications devices to seal a digital tagging unit. The software application, connected to the system management database through a network, may update a particular digital tagging unit’s sealing / unsealing status and sensor values. The software application may also enable the user to use the personal communications device to query a specific digital tagging unit for sensor data located within the containment unit.

[0017] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the receiver communication unit may be a dedicated microcontroller-based digital device having wireless transceivers to digitally unseal and to communicate wirelessly with the digital tagging unit. The receiver communication unit may also be interfaced to the system management database through a suitable network enabling it to retrieve / transmit the sealing information of a digital tagging unit as well as the sensor readings.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a specially designed software application running on a compatible personal communications device may function as a receiver communications unit and may enable a user to use his personal communications devices to unseal a digital tagging unit. The software application, connected to the system management database through a network, may retrieve updates related to a particular digital tagging unit’s sealing / unsealing status, sensor values, as well as any attempts to open the containment unit without proper digital unsealing. The software application may also enable the user to use the personal communications device to query a specific digital tagging unit for sensor data located within the containment unit.

[0019] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the system management database may be a network / cloud-based setup allowing the storage as well as the retrieval of the sealing / unsealing information of containment units, the sensor values of containment units, as well as the GPS locations of the digital tagging units functional within the fleet. The system management database may be accessed via a secure computer, an authorized personal communications device, a digital sealing unit, or a receiver communications unit as required.

[0020] According to yet another embodiment, a method of locking a rigid / hard-bodied containment unit may include placing the items within a containment unit, closing the lid to physically conceal the contents, bringing a digital sealing unit within proximity to the digital tagging unit installed on the containment unit lid, and initiating a digital mechanism through the digital sealing unit to program the digital tagging unit in the sealed state. Detailed information at the time of sealing the containment unit, including the sealing time as well as the digital tagging unit details, may also be uploaded onto the system management database.

[0021] According to another embodiment, an auxiliary compartment leading to the main storage compartment within the rigid containment unit may also be provided. An optical sensor such as a motion detection camera or a passive infrared sensor may be installed within the auxiliary compartment to visually activate and detect any attempts of opening / accessing the storage compartment. The video results may also be uploaded to the system management database through a suitable network connectivity.

[0022] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a soft-bodied containment unit (e.g., plastic, paper, fabric bags or the like) may also be sealed using a clamp-shaped digital tagging unit. By carefully gathering the bag material together along its open end and placing the gathered bag between the two ends of the clamp-shaped digital tagging unit, locking of the clamp would automatically seal the containment unit, with the other operations performed in accordance with the previous embodiments.

[0023] According to another embodiment, a method of reporting tampering may include the digital tagging unit updating its corresponding entries in the system management database with the time as well as GPS location of when and where the containment unit was opened without properly unsealing. The system management database may generate alerts to a designated administrator, as well as the receiver, through a software application alerting of the unauthorized unsealing of the containment unit.

[0024] According to another embodiment, a method of retrieving the physical condition of the containment units such as the temperature, humidity, location, orientation and / or any other sensor information connected to the containment unit may include the user generating a request to the system management database for the said purpose through a software application. The system management database may transmit the latest available information regarding the physical condition to the software application of the user thus updating the user of the required factors.

[0025] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of unsealing the containment may include the user bringing the receiver communications unit in proximity to the digital tagging unit. The digital tagging unit may be unsealed by the user triggering the software application to do so wirelessly. The time, as well as the status of the digital tagging unit, may then also be updated in the system management database, which may generate alerts to the administrator alerting unsealing and possible delivery.

[0026] Advantages of the disclosed system and methods may include one or more of the following: enabling the end user to accurately and on demand, know the location of the containment unit, the retrieved physical condition (if the containment unit is closed / open, temperature, humidity, and orientation) of the containment unit, and the expected time of arrival. The ease in attachment of the disclosed setup to different types of containment units means that the system can be easily retrofitted on to existing delivery boxes without the need to change the boxes or make major modifications to the boxs structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of general introduction and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0028] FIG.1 shows a block diagram of the activity monitoring and alerting setup, according to the preferred embodiment.

[0029] FIG.2 shows a functional block diagram of the digital tagging unit that is used to monitor the state and / or the status of the containment unit, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the device that is used to monitor the state and / or status of the containment unit, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0031] FIG.4 shows a side view of the rigid containment unit with the closed top lid, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0032] FIG.5 shows a detailed side view of the clamp-shaped digital tagging unit, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the rigid containment unit with an auxiliary compartment housing the optical sensor in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 7A shows a view of the sealing mechanism of the containment unit with an anti- tamper sensor consisting of a physical lock according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0035] FIG.7B shows a view of the sealing mechanism of the containment unit with an auxiliary compartment housing the optical sensor in accordance with an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 8 shows a systematic view of the unsealing mechanism of the containment unit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0037] FIG.9 shows a systematic view of the sealing mechanism of the soft bodied containment unit according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0038] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set herein illustrate merely the embodiments of the disclosure and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any manner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0041] In describing the disclosure, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the disclosure.

[0042] An activity monitoring and alerting containment system for the tamper-free and safe transportation of goods is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

[0043] The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the disclosure utility to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the disclosure are shown. The present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the definitions, examples and descriptions provided herein.

[0045] FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of the activity monitoring and alerting system 10 as disclosed in the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The activity monitoring and alerting system 10 may consist of three fundamental functional components; the digital tagging unit 11, a digital sealing unit 12, and a receiver communications unit 13. A network connected system management database 15 may be connected via a suitable network 14, enabling the digital tagging unit 11, the digital sealing unit 12, and the receiver communication unit 13 to monitor, upload and download the relevant information as desired. An administrator system 16 may also access the system management database 15 with the objective of managing the entire network. The digital sealing unit 12, and the receiver communication unit 13 may be, for example, independent dedicated electronic hardware designed specially to interface with the digital tagging unit 11 for the purpose of sealing / unsealing, or for monitoring the physical conditions within the containment unit. Alternatively, software applications running on, for example, personal communications devices, may also enable the said personal communications devices to be used as either a digital sealing unit 12 or as a receiver communication unit 13. The digital tagging unit 11, the digital sealing unit 12 and the receiver communication unit 13 may also have respective unique identifiers pre-programmed into the device / hardware. The digital tagging unit 11 may update its physical location, physical conditions and state to the system management database 15 through the suitable network 14.

[0046] FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of the activity monitoring and alerting system 17, as disclosed, as an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure. All components are the same as those described in FIG 1A, with the exception of the rider monitoring unit 18 which may be, for example, an independent dedicated electronic hardware designed specially to interface with the digital tagging unit 11 for the purpose of communicating the physical conditions within the containment unit to the system management database 15 through the suitable network 14. Alternatively, the rider monitoring unit 18 may consist of a personnel communication device with a software application running on it. The rider monitoring unit 18 may have a unique identifier pre-programmed into the device / hardware.

[0047] A block diagram of the digital tagging unit 11 is shown in FIG. 2. Microcontroller 21 forms the brains of the digital tagging unit 11 and may control the entire operations of data gathering, preliminary processing, and transmission. A limited onboard storage 22 may act as temporary storage, for storing the physical condition recorded by the sensing module 24 connected to an external interface 23. The external interface 23 may also be connected to an external power source 29 for charging. A sensing module 24 may consist of various sensors, for example, to sense motion, location and ambient conditions like temperature and humidity. A plurality of radio frequency (RF) transceivers 25-27 may act as front ends for the digital tagging unit 11 and may be responsible for the different types of communication. This may include, for example, communicating over multiple protocols like near field communications (NFC) for communicating with the digital sealing unit 12 / receiver communication unit 13, Bluetooth / Zigbee for communicating with a suitable paired personal communications device, Wi-Fi for network / internet connectivity, and 4G / 5G for direct data network operations. Visual indications related to sealing / unsealing as well as the battery situation of the digital tagging unit may additionally be provided through, for example, an output unit such as an onboard display 29 which may be a simple LED-based display. The entire digital tagging unit 11 may be powered through a power supply 28 installed on the containment unit. The onboard power supply 28 may, for example, be a rechargeable or a replaceable battery pack providing power for the digital tagging unit 11 to function for acceptably long operation times.

[0048] The sensing module 24, with the block diagram in FIG.3, is responsible for sensing and reporting the physical conditions within or outside of the containment unit. Multiple sensors 31- 36 may measure different physical conditions within and outside the containment unit with the recorded measurements sent to the external interface 23. An anti-tamper sensor 36 may detect the accessibility status of the containment unit. Through interface 23, the sensed data such as the temperature and humidity can be measured through sensors 33 and 34 and may be communicated to the microcontroller 21. The sensor information can be obtained periodically or on request or during an alarm situation as desired.

[0049] FIG. 4 shows exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for a rigid containment unit 40. The rigid containment unit 40 is shown with the components of the digital tagging unit 11 installed on various parts of the containment unit 40. A plurality of RF transceivers 25-27, the microcontroller 21, onboard storage 22, the external interface 23 and various sensors 31-34, the anti-tamper sensor 36 and parts of the physical lock 43 may be attached to the openable lid 41. The other component of the physical lock 43 may be installed on the storage compartment 42, such that the closing and opening of the containment unit can be detected by the anti-tamper sensor 36. The physical locking mechanism 43 may be, for example, a pressure sensor, a push button, halls effect sensor, an optical sensor or an electronic circuit with similar characteristics. Alternatively, the physical locking mechanism 43 may be a combination of various sensors / electronic circuits. The digital tagging unit 11 may, at any instant in time, be programmed in one of the following five physical states; open, ready to be sealed, sealed, unsealed, or tampered, indicating the corresponding state of the containment unit 40. The present status of the digital tagging unit 11, or alternatively the containment unit 40, may be indicated through an output display 29 installed on the storage compartment 42. The onboard power supply 29 may, for example, be placed on the containment unit 40 with easy access for replacement / recharging.

[0050] FIG.5 shows exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure for a clamp-based digital tagging unit 51 which may be designed to seal soft-bodied containment units like, for example, a paper / plastic / fabric bag. The clamp-based digital tagging unit 51 may comprise of a first arm 52 and a second arm 53 hinged across one end 54 with the other end comprising of a physical lock 43. A soft-bodied containment unit may be sealed by carefully gathering the open end of the soft- bodied containment unit, placing it within the two open arms 52 and 53 of the clamp-based digital tagging unit 51, and locking the clamp-based digital tagging unit 51 through the physical lock 43. The functionality of the clamp-based digital tagging unit 51 remains the same as that of the one for the rigid containment unit described earlier.

[0051] FIG.6 shows a side view of a rigid containment unit 40 with an auxiliary compartment 61 providing access to the storage compartment 42. An optical sensor 35, for example, a camera or a passive infrared (IR) sensor, may be installed in the auxiliary compartment 61 and interfaced to the anti-tamper sensor 36. The optical sensor 35 may be a motion activated setup which may start recording once the top lid 41 of the containment unit 40 is detected to be opened. The images / video may be recorded by the optical sensor 35 and transmitted to the system management database 15 through an available network 14 by the digital tagging unit 11. Alternatively, the optical sensor 35 may be a motion detection setup that detects motion within the auxiliary compartment 61, once detected, the state of the digital tagging unit 11 is changed depending on the current state. For example, if the current state is open, with no motion detected, will place the digital tagging unit 11 into the ready to be sealed stat; if the digital tagging unit 11 is in the sealed state, any motion that is detected will place the digital tagging unit 11 in the tampered state and so on. The functionality as well as the operating processes may remain the same as that of the digital tagging unit 11 for the rigid containment unit case of FIG.4

[0052] FIG. 7A shows the digital sealing mechanism with a compatible digital sealing unit 12. To place contents 71 within the storage compartment 42 of the containment unit 40 for the first time, the openable top lid 41 may be removed, by physically opening the physical lock 43, causing the anti-tamper sensor 36 to cause the digital tagging unit 11 to automatically go into the open state, visually indicating on the secondary display 29. After placing the contents 71 inside the containment unit 40, the openable lid 41 may be closed and physically locked through a physical lock 43 which may, for example, be a zipper, Velcro contacts or similar mechanisms, taking the digital tagging unit 11 (or alternatively the containment unit 40) into the ready to be sealed state. The digital sealing mechanism may be initiated though the software application running on the digital sealing unit 12 when brought near the RF transceivers 25-27 of the digital tagging unit 11. A pass key may be generated consisting of a randomly generated number or alphanumeric number. The corresponding pass key may be communicated by the digital tagging unit 11 or the digital sealing unit 12 to the receiver communication unit 13, or the system management database 15. The state of the digital tagging unit 11 may then be changed to a sealed state. Once sealed, any attempts to physically open the containment unit 40 by opening the lid is detected by the anti-tamper sensor 36 and may alert the digital tagging unit 11, which may change its status from sealed to tampered. This sudden change in status may also be reported to both the digital sealing unit 12, the receiver communications unit 13 as well as the system management database 15, alerting everyone of possible attempts of unauthorized opening of a sealed containment unit 40.

[0053] FIG.7B shows the digital sealing mechanism with an auxiliary compartment 61 as covered by one of the embodiments of the present disclosure. An optical sensor 35 may be installed within the auxiliary compartment 61 to record any activity which may happen. According to this embodiment of the disclosure, the contents 71 may initially be placed within the storage compartment 41 by going through the auxiliary compartment 61, by removing the openable lid 41. Upon detecting activity within the auxiliary compartment 61, the motion sensor 35 may activate resulting in recording video / images of the activity, changing the state of the digital tagging unit 11 to ready to be sealed state, and alerting the concerned about this change in status. Once sealed, any unauthorized activity detected by the motion sensor 35 may be reported as tampering. In addition to alerting the digital sealing unit 12, the receiver communications unit 13 and the system management database 15, the captured images / video of the activity may also be uploaded to the system management database 15 with optional online links for the content automatically generated and communicated to the digital sealing unit 12 as well as the received communications unit 13.

[0054] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the unsealing mechanism may be initiated by the receiving party as shown in FIG.8, by bringing the receiver communications unit 13 close to the RF transceivers 25-27 of the digital tagging unit 11, the receiver communications unit 13 retrieves the corresponding pass key from the system management database 15 connected through a network 14 and compares it with the pass key stored within the digital tagging unit 11. If the pass keys match, the digital tagging unit’s 11 state is changed to unsealed meaning the receiver communications unit 13 is the intended recipient of the package. The user may then physically open the physical lock 43 of the containment unit 40 and access the contents 71 stored within.

[0055] The receiver communications unit 13 may, by using proper authorization, trigger the digital tagging unit 11 to provide updates regarding the temperature, humidity, physical location as well as the state of the containment unit 40. Upon receiving such a query, the digital tagging unit 11 may acquire the required data from the sensing module 24 and relay the information through the available networks 14.

[0056] FIG.9 (a) shows a clamp-based digital tagging unit 51, with the first arm 52 and the second arm 53 locked in place via a physical lock 43, designed specifically to seal soft-bodied containment units like, for example, paper, plastic or fabric bags 91, as shown in FIG.9 (b). According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the sealing process may start by manually gathering the open end 92 of the soft-bodied containment unit 91 and placing it within the open arms 52 and 53 of the clamp-based digital tagging unit 51 as shown in FIG.9 (c). Manually closing the two arms 52 and 53 by bringing them sufficiently close to each other via the hinge 54, and locking them secured via the physical lock 43, with the gathered open end 92 of the soft-bodied containment unit 91 contained in between, physically seals the soft-bodied containment unit 91 as shown in FIG.9 (d). Additionally, this locking action changes the state of the digital tagging unit 11 to ready to be sealed state. The digital sealing and unsealing mechanism thereafter operates in a similar manner to the embodiment for the rigid containment unit as discussed earlier. Any attempts to open the physical lock 43 without digitally unsealing the digital tagging unit 11 generate automatic tampering alarms notifying the digital sealing unit 12, the receiver communications unit 13, and updating the system management database 15 via a suitable network connectivity 14.

[0057] The embodiments described herein may offer a method to monitor the activity of a containment unit which are computationally simple, require simple hardware to implement, and most importantly can be used to retrofit existing rigid containment units being used for package / food delivery services.

[0058] As is evident from the description, numerous adjustments and alterations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It should be noted that the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented differently from the specific description provided herein, as long as it falls within the boundaries defined by the following Embodiments.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An activity monitoring and alerting setup comprising: a containment unit with an opening for receiving contents within; a sensing module for sensing a physical condition of the containment unit; a network module for transmitting the physical condition of the containment unit to an external device; and a power source for providing power to the sensing module and the network module.

2. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 1 further comprising a memory module for recording the information from the sensing module.

3. An activity monitoring and alerting setup comprising: a containment unit with an opening for receiving contents within; a sensing module for sensing a physical condition of the containment unit; an output display unit that outputs the information obtained from the sensing sub-unit; and a power source for providing power to the sensing module, the memory module and the output display unit.

4. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 3 further comprising of a memory module for recording the information from the sensing module.

5. An activity monitoring and alerting setup comprising: a containment unit with an opening for receiving contents within; a configurable or configured micro-controlled dedicated electronic digital tagging unit, identified through a unique identifier, for monitoring the physical condition of the containment unit comprising of: a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit; a memory module for recording the information from the sensing module;a network module for transmitting the information recorded by the memory module to an external device; and a power source for providing power to the sensing module, memory module and network module. a configured or configurable digital sealing unit, identified through a unique identifier, for starting the monitoring of the physical condition of the containment unit by the digital tagging unit. a configurable or configured receiver communication unit, identified through a unique identifier, for ending the monitoring of the physical condition of the digital tagging unit.

6. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the sensing module, includes an anti-tamper sensor.

7. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 6, wherein the anti-tamper sensor consists of at least one or more sensors that can detect that a physical closing mechanism is closed, preventing access to the contents of the containment unit.

8. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 7, wherein the physical closing mechanism is a lid that can be firmly fitted onto a rigid bodied containment unit.

9. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 7, wherein the physical closing mechanism is a clamp-shaped digital tagging unit that can be firmly attached onto a soft bodied containment unit to close the opening of the containment unit and prevent access to the containment unit.

10. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 6, wherein the anti-tamper sensor is an optical sensor, attached inside the auxiliary compartment of the containment unit or outside of the containment unit, in the form of an optical sensor such as a motion detection camera or a passive infra-red sensor that can detect any attempt to place or remove contents from the containment unit.

11. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the sensing module comprises of a microcontroller-based electronic circuitry with a pluralityof sensors measuring the physical conditions inside in the containment unit such as temperature and humidity inside and outside of the containment unit as well as sensors capable of measuring the orientation, linear forces and angular velocity of the containment unit and the physical location of the containment unit.

12. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the digital sealing unit comprises a dedicated microcontroller-based, with a plurality of radio frequency (RF) transceivers and a visual display in the form of LEDs or a display screen, enabling input and retrieval of information from the anti-tampering sub-unit.

13. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the receiver communication unit comprises a dedicated microcontroller-based, with a plurality of radio frequency (RF) transceivers and a visual display in the form of LEDs or a display screen, enabling input and retrieval of information from the anti-tampering sub-unit.

14. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the digital sealing unit is a personal communication device comprising of a software application enabling input and retrieval of information from the anti-tampering sub-unit.

15. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the receiver communication unit is a personal communication device comprising of a software application enabling input and retrieval of information from the anti-tampering sub-unit.

16. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein a network connected system management database may store the state and / or the status of a single or several containment units.

17. The physical condition monitoring and alerting setup of Claim 5, wherein the digital tagging unit further comprises an output display unit for outputting the information on the physical condition of the containment unit.

18. A method of sealing the physical condition monitoring and alerting setup comprising the steps of: providing: a containment unit with an opening for receiving contents within;a configurable or configured micro-controlled dedicated electronic digital tagging unit, identified through a unique identifier, for monitoring the physical condition of the containment unit comprising of: a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit, further comprising of an anti-tamper sensor, that can be programmed into one of the following states: open state, when an opening event is detected; ready to be sealed (RTBS) state, when a closing event is detected; sealed state, when a sealing event is detected; unsealed state, when an unsealing event is detected; and tampered state, when a tampering event is detected; and the anti-tamper sensor (ATS) comprises an optical sensor, attached inside the auxiliary compartment of the containment unit or outside of the containment unit (CU), in the form of a motion detection camera or passive infrared sensor that can detect any attempt to place or remove contents from the containment unit (CU); a memory module for recording the information from the sensing module; a network module for transmitting the information recorded by the memory module to an external device and / or receiving commands from an external device; and a power source for providing power to the sensing module, memory module and network module. a configured or configurable digital sealing unit, identified through a unique identifier, for placing a digital seal on the digital tagging unit, comprising of a network module and a memory module. changing the anti-tamper sensor state from the ready to be sealed state to the sealed state as a result of a sealing event;generating a pass key; and changing the anti-tamper sensor to the sealed state.

19. The method of Claim 18, wherein the closing event is the optical sensor detecting, after an interval of time, that there is no attempt to access the contents of the containment unit.

20. The method of Claim 18, wherein the sealing event is an external device sending a command to the digital tagging unit to initiate the sealing event.

21. The method of Claim 18, wherein the pass key is generated by combining the unique identification of the digital tagging unit and the digital sealing unit.

22. The method of Claim 18, wherein the pass key is a randomly generated number or alphanumeric number.

23. The method of Claim 18, wherein the pass key is sent to a receiver communication unit having a specific network address, telephone number, or unique ID.

24. The method of Claim 18, wherein the state of the anti-tampering sub-unit may be communicated via at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, or SMS, or email.

25. A method of sealing the physical condition monitoring and alerting setup comprising the steps of: providing: a containment unit with an opening for receiving contents within; a configurable or configured micro-controlled dedicated electronic digital tagging unit, identified through a unique identifier, for monitoring the physical condition of the containment unit comprising of: a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit, further comprising of an anti-tamper sensor, that can be programmed into one of the following states: open state, when an opening event is detected;ready to be sealed (RTBS) state, when a closing event is detected; sealed state, when a sealing event is detected; unsealed state, when an unsealing event is detected; and tampered state, when a tampering event is detected; and the anti-tamper sensor (ATS) comprises a sensor that can detect if the opening of the containment unit is physically open or closed; a memory module for recording the information from the sensing module; a network module for transmitting the information recorded by the memory module to an external device and / or receiving commands from an external device; and a power source for providing power to the sensing module, memory module and network module. a configured or configurable digital sealing unit, identified through a unique identifier, for placing a digital seal on the digital tagging unit, comprising of a network module and a memory module. changing the anti-tamper sensor state from the ready to be sealed state to the sealed state as a result of a sealing event; generating a pass key; and changing the anti-tamper sensor to the sealed state.

26. The method of Claim 25, wherein the closing event is the detection that the opening of the containment unit is physically closed preventing access to the contents of the containment unit.

27. The method of Claim 25, wherein the sealing event is the digital sealing unit sending a command to the digital tagging unit to initiate the sealing event.

28. The method of Claim 25, wherein the pass key is generated by combining the unique identification of the digital tagging unit and the digital sealing unit.

29. The method of Claim 25, wherein the pass key is a randomly generated number or alphanumeric number.

30. The method of Claim 25, wherein the pass key is sent to an external device, that is with the intended receiver of the contents within the containment unit, identified by a specific network address, telephone number, or unique ID.

31. The method of Claim 25, wherein the state of the anti-tampering sub-unit may be communicated to an external device via at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

32. A method of unsealing the physical condition monitoring and alerting setup comprising the steps of: providing: a containment unit (CU) with an opening for receiving contents within; a network module for transmitting and / or receiving information / instructions from an external networked electronic device: a network module for transmitting information to an electronic external device and / or receiving information from an electronic external device; a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit, further comprising of an anti-tamper sensor, that can be programmed into one of the following states: open state, when an opening event is detected; ready to be sealed (RTBS) state, when a closing event is detected; sealed state, when a sealing event is detected; unsealed state, when an unsealing event is detected; and tampered state, when a tampering event is detected; and a memory module with any pass key stored on it; and a power source for providing power to the network module, the sensing module and the memory module.an external device with the pass key stored in memory; and configuring the external device to be able to detect the presence of the anti-tamper sensor (ATS); comparing pass key stored on the memory module to the pass key stored on the external device; and changing the state of the anti-tampering unit to unsealed.

33. The method of Claim 32, wherein the state of the anti-tamper sensor may be communicated to an external device via at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

34. A method of detecting that tampering has occurred in the physical condition monitoring and alerting setup comprising the steps of: providing: a containment unit (CU) with an opening for receiving contents within; a network module for transmitting information to an electronic external device and / or receiving information from an electronic external device; a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit, further comprising of an anti-tamper sensor, that can be programmed into one of the following states: open state, when an opening event is detected; ready to be sealed (RTBS) state, when a closing event is detected; sealed state, when a sealing event is detected; unsealed state, when an unsealing event is detected; and tampered state, when a tampering event is detected; and a memory module coupled to the sensing module; and a power source for providing power to the network module, the sensing module and the memory module.accessing the contents of a containment unit when the anti-tamper sensor is in the sealed state; and changing the state of the anti-tamper sensor from the sealed state to the tampered state.

35. The method of Claim 34, where in the change in the state to the digital sealing unit is alerted to an external device using at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

36. A method of detecting that tampering has occurred in the physical condition monitoring and alerting setup comprising the steps of: providing: a containment unit (CU) with an opening for receiving contents within; a network module for transmitting information to an electronic external device and / or receiving information from an electronic external device; a sensing module for sensing the physical condition of the containment unit, further comprising of an anti-tamper sensor, that can be programmed into one of the following states: open state, when an opening event is detected; ready to be sealed (RTBS) state, when a closing event is detected; sealed state, when a sealing event is detected; unsealed state, when an unsealing event is detected; and tampered state, when a tampering event is detected; and a memory module coupled to the sensing module; and a power source for providing power to the network module, the sensing module and the memory module. accessing the contents of a containment unit when the anti-tamper sensor (ATS) is in the sealed state; changing the state of the anti-tamper sensor from the sealed state to the tampered state; and37. The method of Claim 36, where the change in the state of the digital sealing unit is alerted to an external device using at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

38. A method of monitoring the status / ambient condition within or outside of the containment unit comprising of: providing: a containment unit (CU) with an opening for receiving contents within; a network module for transmitting and / or receiving information / instructions from an external device: a configurable sensing module with an anti-tamper sensor (ATS) with sensors for providing information on the physical state of the containment unit to the network module that is in the sealed state; a memory module coupled to the sensing module; a power source for providing power to the network module and the sensing module; and receiving a query to monitor the physical condition of a specific sensing module from an external device; and relaying the sensor information to the external device.

39. The method of Claim 38, where in the query from the external device is received through at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

40. The method of Claim 38, where in the information is relayed to the external device through at least one of the following methods: software application alerts, SMS, or email.

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