Mobile Item Tracking System with Location-Based Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distribution and delivery systems, items or containers often become misplaced, making it difficult to reintroduce them into the processing path due to lack of destination information and processing history, leading to inefficiencies and delays.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a mobile computing device with a display and capture device to scan computer-readable codes, convert them into digital identifiers, and retrieve associated information from a memory circuit, providing real-time tracking and location-based outputs to ensure items are properly routed and handled.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If items are tracked without real-time information systems, then the system complexity is reduced, but the ability to quickly locate and reintroduce misplaced items deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously tracking and recording item locations, destinations, and processing history before items are misplaced. This advance preparation ensures that when an item is lost, its information is already available in the database, enabling immediate reintroduction without time-consuming manual searches.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses digital copies of item information (barcodes, RFID tags, database records) to represent physical items throughout the distribution network. These information copies allow the system to track and locate items without physically following them, reducing the time to identify misplaced items while adding manageable system complexity through standardized tagging and database infrastructure.
2Reliability
If detailed tracking information is stored for each item, then the ability to reintroduce misplaced items improves, but the information storage and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system divides item information into segmented, modular data elements including unique identifiers, current location, destination, processing history, and status. This segmentation allows the system to store only essential routing information for each item rather than comprehensive details, reducing overall data volume while maintaining sufficient accuracy for reliable reintroduction of misplaced items.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces database systems and network infrastructure as intermediaries between physical items and tracking requirements. These intermediaries efficiently store, retrieve, and manage item information, reducing the processing burden on individual distribution centers while maintaining high reliability of routing data through centralized information management.
3Loss of information
If real-time tracking systems are implemented, then operational visibility improves, but the cost and complexity of the system increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tracking system is designed with universal, multi-functional components including standardized barcodes and RFID tags that serve multiple purposes: identification, location tracking, destination specification, and status monitoring. This universality reduces overall system complexity by using a single integrated information framework rather than separate specialized systems for each tracking function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service tracking where items carry their own identification information through barcodes and RFID tags, and distribution centers automatically update location and status data when items are scanned or processed. This automated self-reporting reduces the need for manual tracking operations and simplifies the overall system architecture while maintaining comprehensive real-time visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for tracking items. A system for tracking an item is configured to scan the item for a computer readable code and convert the computer readable code into a digital identifier associated with the item. The system includes a controller circuit configured to receive authentication information from the mobile computing device, receive a request from the mobile computing device, comprising the digital identifier and a request for information relating to the item. When the memory has the information, the controller circuit obtains the information from the memory and generates an output comprising the digital identifier and the information for display. The output is based on a comparison of a location of the mobile computing device and an expected location of the item.