Asset Tracking System Using Intelligent Tag Notifications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing asset tracking systems for intermodal shipping containers are costly, primarily because they require dedicated hardware and software, often track conveyances rather than individual cargo, and provide raw tracking data without contextual information, limiting their usefulness.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses tags associated with assets to track their location and generate intelligent services, including supply chain management statistics, by receiving event notifications and integrating them with enterprise data, thereby reducing user overhead and enhancing the relevance of tracking data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated hardware and software are purchased and maintained for asset tracking, then tracking functionality is achieved, but user costs and operational overhead increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service through automated event notifications that are automatically generated, processed, and distributed without requiring user intervention. The system autonomously handles data collection from tags, processes events through defined logic, and delivers notifications to appropriate recipients, eliminating the need for users to manually manage tracking operations or maintain complex hardware-software integrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides multi-functionality by handling multiple tracking scenarios through a unified platform. It supports various asset types (containers, vehicles, equipment), multiple notification channels (email, SMS, mobile app), diverse event types (location updates, temperature alerts, shock events), and various user roles (shippers, carriers, receivers), all through a single system that reduces the need for specialized dedicated solutions.
2Device complexity
If conveyance-level tracking is implemented instead of individual asset tracking, then system complexity is reduced, but tracking precision and usefulness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments tracking at the individual asset level by deploying unique tags on specific containers, vehicles, or equipment rather than tracking conveyances as whole units. Each tag independently reports events and location data for its specific asset, enabling precise individual tracking while using standardized tag technology that keeps system complexity manageable through modular, interchangeable components.
3Loss of energy
If raw tracking data is provided without contextual integration, then data processing costs are reduced, but data usefulness and actionable insights decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-processing and contextualizing tracking data before delivery to users. Event notifications are enriched with relevant context such as asset information, location details, temperature conditions, shock event severity, and compliance status. This preliminary enrichment occurs automatically as data flows through the system, so users receive ready-to-action intelligence without needing to invest significant resources in post-processing or data integration.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for monitoring and tracking assets and providing notifications to users are disclosed. In one aspect, a request to track an asset and enterprise data describing the asset are received, a tag is selected to associate with the asset, an event notification is received from the tag, and a user notification is generated from the event notification and the enterprise data. In another aspect, a request for a tag is received, a tag is selected in response to the request, a tag is routed to the origin location for the tag, a notification is received that the tag has arrived at a destination location, and the tag is routed from the destination location to a tag pool.