TW201610871A - Method and system for tracking assets - Google Patents

Abstract

A system is disclosed that comprises: a plurality of wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122), each associated with a respective asset (110, 120); a plurality of mobile device software applications 160, each executed by a respective mobile device (130, 132, 140, 150) and adapted to detect the wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122) when the respective mobile device (130, 132, 140, 150) is within wireless communications range of the wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122); and a database software application 182 executed by a computer system 180 and adapted to store data relating to the plurality of wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122) and the assets (110, 120) associated with the wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122). The plurality of mobile device software applications 160 is adapted to cause a respective mobile device (130, 132, 140, 150) to transmit data to the database software application 182 in response to detection of the plurality of wireless tags (112, 114, 116, 122). The transmitted data comprises a substantially unique identifier of a detected wireless tag (112, 114, 116, 122) and a location of the respective mobile device (130, 132, 140, 150).

Description

Asset tracking method and system thereof

The present invention relates to detecting, authenticating, and tracking assets, and more specifically, wireless methods and systems for tracking assets.

A variety of methods and systems have historically been implemented to detect and track the location of assets, particularly high-priced movable assets such as motor vehicles and marine vessels. These methods and systems have also proven useful in the reduction of insurance risks and the recovery of stolen assets.

One common device that prevents the theft of motor vehicles is a vehicle immobilizer, which typically communicates with an onboard vehicle computer using a digital code to control theft prevention of the vehicle. While vehicle immobilizers have proven to be highly efficient in reducing the risk of vehicle theft for more than a decade, such systems have become increasingly susceptible to being cracked (eg, by digital key programming).

Another known device that prevents vehicle theft is tracked by the Global Positioning System (GPS). Significant disadvantages of such systems include: • The labor for installation is dense and expensive because of the power circuit that is connected to the vehicle. • Expensive because it has a link to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) network. • Expensive because the connection to the GPS remote control service must be maintained. • Can be cracked by the use of radio frequency (RF) jammers. • Can be cracked by the use of GPS scammers. • Highly intrusive vehicle driving privacy because of reporting vehicle location, time speed, etc. • Possible sources of information for driving traffic accidents in sin vehicles. • Cannot act outside the scope of a specific mobile phone and/or data network.

Due to one or more of the aforementioned shortcomings, GPS-based vehicle tracking has gradually been phased out over a relatively short period of time. However, GPS-based tracking is still widely used for fleet management purposes, such as freight, postal, sales force management, and taxi fleets.

Yet another conventional method of preventing vehicle theft is the use of micro-marking. The micro-point anti-theft method disperses a number (eg, thousands) of copies of vehicle data, typically a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), in a semi-random fashion in the main components of the vehicle and/or On the main components of the vehicle. Therefore, it is practically impossible to illegally disengage a vehicle or rebirthing a vehicle as all major components of the vehicle carry identification information related to the original vehicle. However, a significant disadvantage of the micro-point theft prevention method is that the identity of the stolen vehicle cannot be established remotely (e.g., at a distance).

More recently, GPS tracking systems have been tried as devices for measuring vehicle usage and as a means of estimating insurance risk. Insurance for centralized GPS tracking systems is often inserted into the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD), which virtually eliminates the cost of installation. The GPS device can provide complete real-time reporting of the position, speed, acceleration, steering angle, slip angle, RPM, gear used, engine temperature, fuel usage, etc. of the insurance company and/or the owner's vehicle.

The unpredictable prestige vehicle market and its associated high-margin insurance policies have circumvented the use of GPS-based insurance risk assessment and monitoring. However, such methods and systems are more successful in relation to low value and low protection insurance markets.

However, although highly invasive (and potentially guilty based on GPS insurance risk assessment), such an approach cannot identify the driving of the vehicle and/or determine how many occupants are in the vehicle or whether the driving is registered on the insurance policy. It is really in the vehicle when the vehicle is being driven.

In the above discussion, there is a need for improved methods and systems for detecting, locating, identifying, and/or tracking assets such as motor vehicles and boats. Such methods and systems should ideally be relatively inexpensive, easy to install, remotely report the location and identity of the asset, non-excessively threaten the privacy of the asset operator and/or entry into traffic violations. Crime risk, as well as information that can provide identification of the vehicle operator and/or other occupants of the vehicle.

One aspect of the present invention provides a system comprising: a plurality of wireless tags, each associated with an individual asset; a plurality of mobile device applications, each executed by an individual mobile device, and in individual actions The device adapts to detect wireless tags when in the wireless communication range of the wireless tag; and a database application executed by the computer system and adapted to store data relating to a plurality of wireless tags and assets associated with the wireless tags. In response to detecting a plurality of wireless tags, a plurality of mobile device applications are adapted to cause individual mobile devices to transmit data to the database application. The transmitted data contains the substantially unique identification code of the detected wireless tag and the location of the individual mobile device.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method comprising: wirelessly detecting a wireless tag associated with an asset using a mobile device; and causing the mobile device to transmit data to a database application hosted by the remote computer system. The data contains the substantially unique identification code of the detected wireless tag and the location of the mobile device.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer readable storage medium having a mobile device application recorded therein, the mobile device application being executable by a mobile device, the mobile device application comprising: Wirelessly detecting the encoding of the wireless tag associated with the asset; and encoding the data to the database application hosted by the remote computer system. The data contains the substantially unique identification code of the detected wireless tag and the location of the mobile device.

A few embodiments of methods and systems for detecting, identifying, and/or tracking assets are described in the following text. The readers of the ordinary skill in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the invention in any way. For example, certain embodiments are described herein below in connection with a reference motor vehicle and/or marine vessel. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in this way, and that other types of assets may be the subject of such detection, identification, and/or tracking.

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a wireless Bluetooth tag that includes small, low cost, active or passive devices capable of transmitting unique or substantially unique identification numbers. By way of example, a particular commercially available Bluetooth tag has a range of 150–300 m (line of sight) that can be reduced to 15–30 m when installed on or in an asset such as a motor vehicle or marine vessel. range. The label preferably conforms to the Bluetooth low energy standard to promote longer label life.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for short-haul data exchange using short-wavelength ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio waves from fixed and mobile devices in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz. The recent availability of relatively inexpensive Bluetooth wireless tags makes such tags ideal for implementing embodiments of the present invention, as those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other wireless tags can alternatively be implemented in place of Bluetooth wireless tags. .

Preferably, the label is dimensioned no more than 50 mm in diameter and 20 mm in thickness to aid in installation and in hidden and secret locations in assets such as motor vehicles. For asset detection, identification, and tracking purposes, labels can be self-adhesive to facilitate easy attachment to assets. Multiple tags can be attached to a single asset or to a component part of the same asset. Excellently, the label can be installed by the user, thus avoiding the need for costly professional installation.

The tag may include a digital processor, a memory, an instant clock, a timing clock, a power status monitor, a signal strength monitor (ie, a signal received by the tag), and a sensor including, but not limited to, an accelerometer, a swivel Instruments, thermometers, hydrometers, magnetometers, immersion sensors, etc. The memory can, for example, be executed to load or store data received from the sensor and/or wirelessly from other devices.

A sensor with agglomeration and a particular wireless tag that is used to implement embodiments of the present invention is a Texas Instruments CC2541 Sensor Tag that includes a hygrometer, an accelerometer, a temperature immersion, and a magnetic sensor.

The tag can be configured to transmit data in a particular interval (typically one second or less) or only in response to an interrogation request that receives a suitable encoding. The response tag provides a significantly greater degree of security for obvious reasons. A tag may, for example, transmit information about its unique or substantially unique identity, its group identity (when the tag is assigned as a tag group, for example, when multiple tags are associated with a common asset) ), and sensor data according to a fixed interval or in response to appropriate coding requirements.

An example of a Bluetooth low energy label for use in performing embodiments of the present invention is a label provided by Stick and Find (Stick NFind) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The StickNFind tag is available in a variety of sizes and operational configurations. When transmitted at a rate of once per second, one of the relatively new tags is waterproof and has a nine-year life cycle. Further details on these tags are available on the web page at the URL https://sticknfind.com or http://bluvision.com.

Embodiments of the present invention utilize mobile devices such as mobile phones and portable computers. The unique electronic identification code associated with the mobile device enables the device to be used as a proxy server for the owner or user of the device. Such devices may include sensors including, but not limited to, azimuth/position sensors (eg, GPS), ambient temperature sensors, accelerometers, magnetometers, gyroscopes, and supportable data connections, Such as but not limited to: mobile data, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPRS, 4G, etc. In the case where the mobile device includes a portable computer, the mobile device may include a sensor such as, but not limited to: an azimuth/position sensor (eg, GPS), a body temperature sensor, a heart rate sensor (including irregularities) Rhythm sensor), degree of hydration sensor, skin conduction sensor, and respiratory rate sensor (including irregular rate sensor).

Embodiments of the invention utilize computer applications for mobile devices, including portable computers such as laptop computers and laptop computers, portable digital assistants (Portable Digital Assistants, PDAs), such as Apple iPad ^TM tablet and Samsung Galaxy ^TM, smart phones such as Apple iPhone ^TM and Samsung S4 ^TM, as well as portable computers such as Apple iWatch ^TM and Nike Fitness Tracker ^TM. Mobile applications, which typically downloaded to the mobile device from the preservation of computer servers (eg, Apple iPhone ^TM situation in iTunes ^TM), so that the mobile device scans to detect Bluetooth Bluetooth band label registration. The registered Bluetooth tag is a tag executed by the method and system of the present invention to detect, identify, and/or track assets associated with the tag and the mobile device application has been taught or programmed to detect, authenticate, and/or Or tracked assets.

In a particular embodiment, a fixed device is used in addition to the mobile device to operate the mobile device application. This may, for example, provide coverage of areas that require constant coverage, which may not always be provided solely by the mobile device. An example of a Bluetooth reader for a fixed reader implementing an embodiment of the present invention is sCUBE Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Scanner to Wi-Fi Gateway, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. And provided by Find (StickNFind). Further details on sCUBE BLE Scanner to Wi-Fi Gateway are available on the web at https://sticknfind.com or http://bluvision.com.

Embodiments of the present invention utilize a database application, typically hosted in a computer server, to record and store information about registered wireless tags and assets associated with and/or attached to those tags. The database application typically stores a unique or substantially unique identification number associated with each registered tag and information associated with the asset associated with each registered tag. Such information may include, but is not limited to: • the manufacturing number, model and/or serial number of the asset, • one or more photographs of the asset, • the location of the asset, • the age, color and/or size of the asset, • Any identifying characteristics of the asset, and • the identity and/or contact details of the owner of the asset.

Other tags used to perform embodiments of the present invention include Apple iBeacon. The Apple iBeacon program enables the determination of the distance between the iBeacon (and hence the associated asset) and the mobile device used to detect and/or read the iBeacon.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a system 100 for detecting, identifying, and/or tracking assets in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, three Bluetooth tags 112, 114, and 116 are attached to the motor vehicle 110 and a Bluetooth tag 122 is attached to the vessel 120. The smart phones 130, 132, 140, and 150 each execute a mobile device application 160 that scans the Bluetooth band to detect registered Bluetooth tags. The smart phone 130 is a mobile device application 160 that operates within the range of the Bluetooth tag 112 and operates on the smart phone 130 to thereby detect and identify the Bluetooth tag 112. The smart phone 132 is within range of the Bluetooth tags 114 and 116, and the mobile device application 160 operating on the smart phone 132 thus detects and identifies the Bluetooth tags 114 and 116. The smart phone 140 is within the scope of the Bluetooth tag 122, and the mobile device application 160 operating on the smart phone 140 thus detects and identifies the Bluetooth tag 122. The smart phone 150 is not within the wireless communication range of any of the Bluetooth tags 112, 114, 116, and 122, and the mobile device application 160 operating on the smart phone 150 is thus unable to detect or recognize the Bluetooth tags 112, 114, 116. And any of the 122.

The remote computer server 180 hosts the database application 182 for recording and storing data relating to registered Bluetooth tags and assets associated with those Bluetooth tags. The entry to the repository is created in the database application 182 for each Bluetooth tag registered in the system 100. Computer server 180 is coupled to the internet, GSM telephone network, and/or any other applicable communication network to facilitate communication with a variety of mobile or fixed location communication devices. Specifically, each of the smart phones 130, 132, 140, and 150 can communicate with the computer server 180 to transmit the mobile device application 160 operating on the smart phones 130, 132, 140, and 150. Detect and/or identify information related to registered Bluetooth tags.

When the registered Bluetooth tag is detected by one of the smart phones 130, 132, 140, and 150, the mobile device application 160 operating on the smart phone records the data related to the current location of the Bluetooth tag. , which represents the location of the asset associated with the Bluetooth tag (eg, attached tag). The data recorded by the mobile device application 160 typically includes, but is not limited to: • a unique or substantially unique identification number of the Bluetooth tag, • current time, • current GPS, LBS or other location of the mobile device, and • The identity of the mobile device or its holder/operator.

The data recorded by the mobile device application 160 is transmitted or uploaded to the computer server 180 as quickly or conveniently as possible. The uploaded data is processed and the relevant records in the database application 182 are updated to reflect the relevant location of the relevant Bluetooth tag and its associated assets.

Ideally, the mobile device application 160 is downloaded to thousands or even hundreds of thousands of smart phones (or other mobile devices) for detecting, identifying, and/or tracking registered assets to promote substantial coverage. The registered assets are those associated with the registered Bluetooth tag.

As described above, the database application 182 maintains an up-to-date record of the asset and its current location based on remote detection, identification, and/or tracking of the Bluetooth tags associated with (or attached to) those assets. An authorized user of system 100 can remotely query the database application 182 (e.g., via the Internet, a GSM network, or any other suitable communication network) to determine the current location of a particular registered asset.

When the mobile device is outside of the communication range for communicating with the computer server 180 hosting the database application 182, the mobile device application 160 continues to acquire and store the asset representation actions from the Bluetooth tags associated with those assets. / or status information. Once the mobile device returns to the communication range, the stored or buffered data is uploaded to the database application 182. The Bluetooth tag can also be programmed to store the identity and location of other non-participating mobile devices encountered (ie, mobile devices that do not have the mobile device application 160 but have Bluetooth enabled functionality), and the participating mobile devices enter This information is sent to the communication range or when the transmission is initiated from the Bluetooth tag.

To preserve mobile device resources, such as battery power and processing power, and to limit the cost of data transfer, the mobile device application 160 can process and/or buffer data collected from the tags in accordance with a predetermined algorithm. The mobile device application 160 can also transmit data to the database application 182 based on a particular reference, for example, based on the location of the mobile device, the amount of data collected, the resource status, and the like.

The mobile device application 160 can include contextual information for filtering algorithms. In an example relating to marine vessel assets, the GPS or LBS location data of the mobile device indicates that the mobile device is in a navigable waters, a boat club, a boat docking area, a launch ramp, a tank farm When the gas station, docking station, etc. are within a certain distance (for example, 1 km), the mobile device only scans for the Bluetooth tag. In another example, when the GPS or LBS location information of the mobile device indicates that the mobile device is traveling at a speed below a certain threshold speed, the mobile device only causes the Bluetooth tag to be scanned. This is because the Bluetooth transmission cannot be accurately received or captured above a certain speed. Other contextual data filtering conditions include, but are not limited to, when the battery of the mobile device has been fully charged during a specific time of day and/or night (so that the mobile device application is operational and its holder does not When affecting the performance of the mobile device, when the Bluetooth tag in the asset is registered to the same entity, such as a specific mobile device, when the processing of the mobile device and/or the memory is loaded below a certain threshold level, And random times during the day and/or night.

The mobile device application 160 can include a data filtering algorithm. In one example, in which the mobile device application 160 receives the same location information from one or more Bluetooth tags in a fixed location for a period of time, the mobile device application 160 may only store a reference copy of the last accepted material. Or version. The mobile device application 160 will report the change in location or status to the database application only if the location of one of the mobile devices changes by more than a certain threshold or when there are some other changes in the data uploaded by the Bluetooth tag. Program 182. For example, the mobile device application 160 can detect the Bluetooth tag and report the detection of the Bluetooth tag to the database application 182, as well as the identity of the mobile device application 160 and the location of the mobile device application 160 ( For example, from GPS, LBS, or both). If the location of the mobile device remains relatively unchanged (eg, as defined by the user setting threshold) and the mobile device application 160 detects a repetitive signal from the Bluetooth tag, then the mobile device application 160 will not report the blue The presence of the bud tag until any of these times: the location of the mobile device changes, the mobile device application 160 no longer detects the Bluetooth tag, the data changes produced by the optional sensor within the Bluetooth tag, and/or Or different Bluetooth tags enter the range. This is called an exception report. In addition, the mobile device application 160 is capable of buffering changes in location or status information until transmission is feasible or desirable. For example, if the mobile device is operating outside of the mobile data network, the mobile device application 160 will buffer the change in location or status information until the mobile device returns to the mobile data network and can transmit information. When you go to the database application 182.

In another filter algorithm application, when the multi-action device application 160 simultaneously receives data related to one or more Bluetooth tags, the database application 182 will record by: • Bluetooth tag identity, • Blue The location of the bud tag, such as the average of multiple GPS location data, and • the identity of all mobile devices that simultaneously send Bluetooth tag data to compress the data.

In yet another filtered data algorithm, in which the database application 182 receives multiple reports of an asset, which is apparently a long period of inactivity, the database application 182 is periodically compressed by a record, for example: • The location of the asset, • The first condition of the asset at a location (with a margin of error set by the system user), • The last known situation of the asset at the location (with a margin of error set by the system user) And • the identity of all mobile devices that send out the Bluetooth tag data and the time reported by the mobile device.

As discussed herein, computer system 180 can accept raw, filtered, compressed, agglomerated and/or buffered Bluetooth tags, location, time, mobile devices from a plurality of mobile devices deployed with mobile device application 160. Identify and other information. Computer system 180 has the ability to filter and process data to enhance system performance and/or add additional functionality to the system. Computer system 180 can, for example: • compress data in which the same wireless tag is simultaneously reported by a large number of mobile devices, • triangulate information from a large number of mobile devices to produce an estimate of the location of the asset, • In the case where there are a large number of mobile devices and wireless tags in the communication range, the message is sent to the mobile device application indicating that it no longer provides the report unless there is a change in location or a change in the state of the wireless tag.

After processing the data, computer system 180 updates database application 182 with the wireless tag, location, and mobile device identification accepted from mobile device application 160. Computer system 180 also determines if any assets associated with the wireless tag are reported to have been stolen. If the mobile device application 160 detects an asset that appears to be stolen, the alert is optionally sent to the police, security company, and/or other suitable organization (eg, via email, sms, mms, etc.). The alert may include asset identification data retrieved from the database application 182, such as wireless tag identification material, and the manufacturing number, model number, serial number, photo, etc. of the asset.

The data collected by a plurality of mobile device applications 160 (optionally augmented by a fixed application executing a similar application) can be used to create a large dynamic database that provides information related to: • Assets primarily resident Places, • where the asset is experienced (historical location information), • where the asset is often operated, • how often the asset is used (eg, daily, weekly, etc.), • who has been in the asset or operated the asset ( Identifying data through mobile devices) • The existence, location and course of action of the stolen assets, • The course of action of the mobile device executing the mobile device application, which generally reflects the location of the owner of the mobile device.

The database can be used to assess insurance risk or to verify the existence of an insurance risk model. Finely, the data is collected from the colocation results of the mobile device and its associated assets. When the asset is a motor vehicle or a marine vessel, the collected data forms a course of vehicle or vessel use, where the sample rate in time and space is highly variable. Since the data is sampled by time and space, the data cannot be used as a mechanism for convicting participants of suspected traffic violations (unlike GPS-based insurance risk estimates, which expose participants to high risk of conviction). The database can also be used to expose insurance fraud, where vehicles or vessels are reworked and so on.

The database can also be used as a frequent flyer/loyalty system measurement. The current frequent flyer/loyalty system is only sensitive to actual sales, ie the current frequent flyer/loyalty system can only start when there is a transaction and when the customer surrenders the membership card for member identification and information scanning Record customer related information. The current frequent flyer/loyalty program cannot identify the presence of member program members in the vicinity of a retail store, nor can it estimate the number of times a member visits the retail store without purchasing a product or service.

Information from the database application 182 can be used to determine the retail visit history of the consumer at a particular point of consumption. In addition, when information from an existing frequent flyer/loyalty program is combined with information from the database application 182, a determination of the purchase rate for each visit by a particular consumer is possible.

In one particular embodiment: • The mobile device application 160 constantly scans the Bluetooth band for a registered Bluetooth tag having a specific UUID and unique "primary" and "secondary" numbers, which are used as authentication for each The serial number of the other asset. • When the appropriate Bluetooth signal is detected, the mobile device application 160 records: - the complete identity of the Bluetooth tag, - time, - GPS and / or LBS position, - speed measured by GPS, - read from the mobile device The accelerometer taken, - the identity of the mobile device, and/or - any other information transmitted by the tag, such as, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, and/or acceleration. • The mobile device application 160 optionally filters the recorded data. • The mobile device application 160 optionally buffers the filtered data. • The mobile device application 160 then transmits or uploads the recorded or buffered data to the database application 182. • The database application 182 processes the uploaded data to determine if: - the asset has been flagged or noted as being stolen, and/or - whether the asset has been detected within the geographic limits of the asset being allowed to roam. • If the database application 182 determines that the asset is reported to be flagged or noted as being stolen and/or the asset is operated outside of its allowed geographic extent, then the database application 182 sends an alert via email, sms, etc. . • A particular version of the mobile application 160 can accept information from the database application 182 and distribute it to trusted users such as police. These versions receive and display alerts received from the database application 182.

In another high security embodiment: • The mobile device application 160 constantly transmits a coded Bluetooth signal that searches for responses from registered Bluetooth tags. • The Bluetooth tag is programmed to: - Scan the appropriate coded Bluetooth signal. - When the tag receives a suitable encoded Bluetooth transmission, the Bluetooth tag transmits a signal containing the encoded (specific) UUID and the unique "primary" and "secondary" numbers, the number of which is used as the serial number to identify the asset. - When the appropriate Bluetooth signal is detected, the mobile device application 160 records: 2 the complete identity of the Bluetooth tag, 2 time 2 GPS and / or LBS position 2 speed measured by GPS 2 accelerometer from the mobile device Read value, 2 identity of the mobile device, 2 any other information transmitted by the tag, such as, but not limited to, temperature, humidity, and/or acceleration. • The mobile device application 160 optionally filters the recorded data. • The mobile device application 160 optionally buffers the filtered data. • The mobile device application 160 then transmits or uploads the recorded or buffered data to the database application 182. • The database application 182 processes the uploaded data to determine if: - the asset has been flagged or noted as being stolen, and/or - whether the asset has been detected within the geographic limits of the asset being allowed to roam. • If the database application 182 determines that the asset is reported to be flagged or noted as being stolen and/or the asset is operated outside of its allowed geographic extent, then the database application 182 sends an alert via email, sms, etc. .

The mobile device can be used as a proxy server to present the presence of a particular person (eg, the owner of the vehicle) while the Bluetooth tag can be used as a proxy server to present the presence of the vehicle or other asset/item. The connection of the two proxy servers enables the tag to be used as a proximity switch to activate activities, operations, and/or resources on the mobile device. Such a connection corresponds to when a particular person is in or near the vehicle. Restricted data collection in this manner can be advantageously used to exclude information collected by the system regarding actions of a particular person when not engaged in activities associated with the vehicle.

This system can be further refined to ensure that data collection only occurs when the vehicle is in operation. This can be achieved by various means including: (i) activating the position detection system (eg, GPS on the mobile device) based on determining the proximity of the Bluetooth tag for the mobile device and setting only for the vehicle Initiating data collection to determine if the vehicle is moving; and (ii) interrogating the accelerometer and/or other sensors on the Bluetooth tag or mobile device to detect proximity to the Bluetooth tag for the mobile device Only the vehicle is set to start data collection under action to measure parameters such as acceleration consistent with the moving vehicle.

Such selective processes advantageously reduce the energy loss of the mobile device. Further, the sampling process of the mobile device and the tag sensor (both in time and space) provides a lower resolution level of monitoring parameters that can advantageously provide less intrusion to the monitoring user or owner.

When the Bluetooth tag is associated with a motor vehicle or marine vessel and both the Bluetooth tag and the mobile device are registered as the same owner, and the mobile device detects that the vehicle or vessel is in motion (eg, using GPS, LBS, and/or from In the case of accelerometer data of a mobile device, it can be inferred that the so-called insurance risk assessment purpose is that the owner of the mobile device may be in the vehicle or vessel. This means for collecting driving-related information for insurance risk assessment purposes, which cannot be replicated by the use of the GPS tracking system, which is only sensitive to the identity of the vehicle, its position, speed, status, and the like.

The mobile device can identify the Bluetooth tag registered as the same owner as the mobile device and the level of the asset associated with the Bluetooth tag by: • referencing (encrypted) the action in the registration details of the owner containing the mobile device Memory storage in the device, along with registration details for all Bluetooth tags registered with the owner, • Login database application to determine what Bluetooth tags are to be registered by the owner of the mobile device.

It is important for the mobile device to know which Bluetooth tag is registered by the owner; in a particular embodiment, the mobile device determines when it is close to the blue associated with the registered asset, such as a motor vehicle or marine vessel. Bud label. When the mobile device further detects ownership of the Bluetooth tag in accordance with the ownership of the mobile device, the mobile device causes the information to be collected in a manner that provides an understanding of the extent to which the vehicle is being driven. For example, a mobile device can collect, for example, a sample of a random 1-hour continuous drive history, including: • a location that has been visited, • a speed that is derived from GPS and/or LBS during a trip, • through a Bluetooth The acceleration that the tag is recorded by the mobile device.

In a particular embodiment, the Bluetooth tag records an event, such as an acceleration event, along with the time of the event. The information so recorded is related to the mobile device data record to determine if the vehicle is driven and the owner's mobile device is not connected to the Bluetooth tag.

The mobile device application 160 can be executed in the foreground or background depending on the availability of processing resources available on the mobile device and/or user/operator settings. When executed in the foreground mode, the mobile device application 160 is granted priority resources by the mobile device operating system, and the application performance continues to operate, accepting available power, and the like. The mobile device application 160 operating in the background mode is processed differently than the foreground mode. The general background mode features include: • a pause in execution of the mobile device application 160 to leave the mobile device application 160 in the storage, • periodically operating the mobile device application 160 in the background mode for a short period of time and then temporarily executing, The mobile device application 160 is left in memory, • the mobile device application 160 is enabled to execute in the background, provided that the mobile device application 160 conforms to predetermined specific settings and audited categories (such as GPS navigation applications), • enables The mobile device application 160 executes in the background with restricted (and unpredictable) resources.

The ability of "trusted users" (eg, police, insurance companies, security companies, etc.) is designed to operate in a foreground mode process. The pattern of the process is immediately available to the trusted user when the stolen asset is identified.

In the case where both the wireless tag and the mobile device are owned by the same user, the mobile device application 160 desirably operates in the foreground. When approached by the wireless tag and the mobile device, and the speed input from the GPS subsystem of the mobile device is initiated, the mobile device application 160 uses GPS data from the mobile device (which includes position and speed) and optionally from the wireless tag. Accelerometer data instantly samples the driver's driving habits. Because the information is limited to a small sample over time, it is not enough to swindle driving in traffic violations such as speeding.

The standard version of the mobile device application 160 can operate in either foreground or background mode or a combination of both. The background process enables the mobile device application 160 to operate in an unobtrusive manner that does not interfere with the operation of the user of the mobile device. The background mode process will also create data that can be intermittent, as a resource for the operating system to limit the application. The fact is that information can be viewed intermittently as a shortcoming to find large amounts of data. However, the fact that data collection is intermittent is very valuable when seeking to protect the privacy of users or operators. For example, a large number of incomplete witnesses of assets (such as motor vehicles) are sufficient to identify: • where the motor vehicle is most likely to reside, • where the motor vehicle is usually driven • the frequency at which the motor vehicle is used • if the motor vehicle is Stealing, where the stolen assets were detected.

The above information is sufficient for the insurance company to verify where the motor vehicle is parked, where the motor vehicle is being used, and how often the motor vehicle is used. The above information, along with other actuarial information, can be used as a model for assessing insurance risks and/or verifying insurance risks. The above information can also be used to locate stolen assets. Unlike GPS tracking and vehicle telematics services, the above information is not sufficient to swindle operators or drive traffic violations such as speeding.

As discussed herein, embodiments of the present invention provide a low cost and convenient means of collecting material for purposes such as estimating, verifying, and evaluating insurance risks. The devices described herein advantageously increase user privacy without compromising the quality of the collected data and preserving mobile device energy (ie, batteries) and other energy sources. In embodiments where the mobile device includes a portable computer, the data can be further collected, filtered, processed, compressed, and stored for estimating, verifying, and pricing health and life insurance risks.

The system of an embodiment of the invention can be deployed according to three main configuration models. Each configuration model provides a different tradeoff between the speed of the system configuration and the data collection potential.

The fastest way to deploy the system is through the Trusted User model, which enables law enforcement and other Trusted Users such as committee inspectors, yacht club captains, tank operators and terminal operators to download mobile device Trusted User applications. The version of the program. The Trusted User application enables trusted users to be notified when an suspected stolen asset is detected. The Trusted User configuration model enables the system to be deployed using only a small number of mobile devices. If the tagged or stolen asset associated with the wireless tag is detected by the Trusted User application, the Trusted User application notifies the police, the relevant insurance company, and/or the trusted user. The Trusted User configuration model also provides a level of data collection on the location and course of action of the tagged asset.

The second configuration model is the Consumer Model. Each participating consumer downloads a copy of the consumer mobile device application to their mobile device. If the stolen assets are detected by the system, the participating consumers will not be able to see them, only the law enforcement and insurance companies will be the parties to this information. The Consumer Model provides relatively more information about the location and movement of assets, however, the likelihood of detecting stolen assets and the amount of data collected by the Consumer Model is a function of the number of consumers participating. It is obvious that as the number of participating consumers increases to a large number (assuming 50,000 participating consumers) and the number of assets tagged with wireless tags increases in one location, then the action of tagging assets marked with unlimited tags is detected. The possibilities of device applications are greatly increased. The system is said to have achieved "critical mass" when the number of participating consumers and the number of assets tagged with wireless tags are sufficient to create assets and the amount of mobile device history and status data.

The third configuration model performs the use of fixed readers and is deployed in strategic locations such as oil depots, parking lots, shipping, departure ramps, and the like. Fixed readers have the disadvantage that they need to be physically deployed at a single point and require electrical and data connections. This incurs cost, complexity, and long lead times. However, a fixed reader can play a key role in that it can also be added to the Trusted User and Consumer Models as a temporary system until the Consumer Model reaches critical mass and/or as a persistent collection device that ensures data from strategic locations.

3A and 3B together illustrate an architectural block diagram of a general purpose electronic device 301 including embedded components, along with the methods that can be performed therein. In particular, the general purpose electronic device 301 can be used to practice a mobile device that executes the mobile device application 160 with reference to an embodiment of the present invention, as described herein. The electronic device 301 can be, for example, a mobile phone, a portable media player, or a digital camera in which processing resources are limited. However, the methods described in the text can also be performed on high-end devices such as mobile (portable) personal computers, such as laptops and notebooks, as well as other such devices with significantly larger processing resources.

As seen in FIG. 3A, the electronic device 301 includes an embedded controller 302. Therefore, the electronic device 301 can be referred to as an "embedded device." In the present embodiment, controller 302 has a processing unit (or processor) 305 that is bidirectionally coupled to internal storage module 309. The storage module 309 can be formed by a non-volatile semiconductor read only memory (ROM) 360 and a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) 370, as seen in FIG. 3B. RAM 370 can be a combination of either electrical, non-electrical, or both electrical and non-electrical memory.

The electronic device 301 includes a display controller 307 that is coupled to a video display 314, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. Display controller 307 is configured to display a graphical image on video display 314 in accordance with an indication received from embedded controller 302 with display controller 307 coupled thereto.

The electronic device 301 also includes a user input device 313 that is typically formed by a button, keyboard, or similar control. In some embodiments, the user input device 313 can include a touch sensitive panel physically in contact with the display 314 to assemble to form a touch screen. Such touch screens are thus operable as a form of a graphical user interface (GUI), as opposed to a prompt or menu driven GUI that is typically used in conjunction with a keyboard-display combination. Other forms of user input devices may also be used, such as a microphone for voice commands (not shown) or a joystick/thumb wheel (not shown) for easy guidance of the menu.

As seen in FIG. 3A, the electronic device 301 also includes a portable memory interface 306 coupled to the processor 305 via a connection 319. The portable memory interface 306 allows the complementary portable memory device 325 to be coupled to the electronic device 301 as a source or destination for data, or to supplement the internal storage module 309. Examples of such interfaces allow for coupling to portable memory devices, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory devices, Secure Digital (SD) cards, and Personal Computer Memory Cards (Personal Computer Memory Cards). International Association, PCMCIA), CD and disk.

The electronic device 301 also has a communication interface 308 to allow the device 301 to couple to the computer or communication network 320 via the connection 321 . The connection 321 can be wired or wireless. For example, the connection 321 can be a radio frequency or an optical. Examples of wired connections include Ethernet. Further, examples of wireless connections include Bluetooth local interconnection, Wi-Fi (including standard procedures based on IEEE 802.11 family), Infrared Data Association (IrDa), and the like.

Typically, electronic device 301 is configured to perform some specific functions. Embedded controller 302, possibly conjugated to further specific functional components 310, is provided to perform a particular function. For example, device 301 can be a mobile phone handset. In this case, component 310 can represent components that are needed for communication in a mobile phone environment. When the device 301 is a portable device, the specific functional component 310 can be represented by a Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), an MPEG-1 standard audio layer 3 Several encoders and decoders of the type (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, MP3).

The methods described herein may be performed using embedded controller 302, where the operations of FIG. 2 are performed as one or more application programs 333 executable in embedded controller 302. The electronic device 301 of FIG. 3A performs the described method. Specifically, referring to FIG. 3B, the steps described are affected by instructions carried in software 333 in controller 302. The software instructions can be formed into one or more encoding modules, each for performing one or more specific tasks. The software can also be divided into two separate parts, wherein the first part and the corresponding coding module perform the described method, and the second part and the corresponding coding module are in the first part User interface with the user.

The software 333 of the embedded controller 302 is typically stored in the non-electrical ROM 360 of the internal storage module 309. The software 333 stored in the ROM 360 can be updated when needed from a computer readable medium. Software 333 can be loaded and executed by processor 305. In some examples, processor 305 can execute software instructions that are located in RAM 370. The software instructions can be loaded into RAM 370 by processor 305 initiating a copy of one or more encoding modules from ROM 360 to RAM 370. Alternatively, the software instructions of one or more of the encoding modules may be pre-installed by the manufacturer in the non-electrical area of the RAM 370. After one or more encoding modules have been placed in RAM 370, processor 305 can execute software instructions for one or more encoding modules.

The application 333 can be supplemented to the encoded user on one or more CD-ROMs (not shown) and read through the portable memory interface 306 of FIG. 3A, prior to the internal storage module 309 or The portable memory 325 is stored. In another alternative, the application 333 can be read by the processor 305 from the network 320 or loaded into the portable storage medium 325 within the controller 302 or from other computer readable media. Computer readable storage medium refers to any non-transitory tangible storage medium that participates in providing instructions and/or materials to controller 302 for execution and/or processing. Examples of such storage media include floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, hard disk drives, ROM or integrated circuits, USB memory, magneto-optical disks, flash memory, or computer readable cards. Such as PCMCIA cards, etc., whether these devices are internal or external to device 301. Examples of temporary or non-tangible computer readable transmission media that may also participate in the provision of software, applications, instructions, and/or data to device 301 include radio or far infrared transmission channels and networks to another computer or network. The Internet connection of the device of the road, and the Internet or internal network including email transmission and information records recorded on the webpage. A computer readable medium having such a software or computer program recorded thereon is a computer program product.

The second portion of the aforementioned application 333 and its corresponding encoding module can be executed to practice one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to give or otherwise present the display 314 of Figure 3A. Through the processing of the user input device 313 (eg, a keyboard), the user of the device 301 and the application 333 can manipulate the interface in a functionally adaptive manner to provide controlled commands and/or input to the GUI(s). application. Other forms of the functional adaptive user interface can also be implemented, such as an audio interface that is output through a microphone (not shown) using voice prompt characters and a user voice command that is input through a microphone (not shown).

FIG. 3B depicts in detail an embedded controller 302 having a processor 305 for executing an application 333 and an internal storage 309. The internal storage 309 includes a read only memory (ROM) 360 and a random access memory (RAM) 370. The processor 305 is capable of executing an application 333 stored in one or both of the connected memories 360 and 370. When the electronic device 301 starts booting, the system program residing in the ROM 360 is executed. The application 333 that is permanently stored in the ROM 360 is sometimes referred to as "firmware." Execution by the firmware of the processor 305 can perform a variety of functions including processor management, memory management, device management, storage management, and user interface.

Processor 305 typically includes a number of functional modules including a control unit (CU) 351, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 352, and local or internal memory that includes a set of registers 354 that typically contain primitive data elements. 356, 357, along with an internal buffer or cache memory 355. One or more internal bus bars 359 interconnect these functional modules. Processor 305 also typically has one or more interfaces 358 for communicating with external devices through system bus 381, which uses connection 361.

Application 333 includes a sequence of instructions 362 through 363 that may include conditional branch and loop instructions. Program 333 may also include material that is used in the execution of program 333. This information can be stored as part of the instruction or at a separate location 364 within ROM 360 or RAM 370.

In general, processor 305 is given a set of instructions that are executed internally. This set of instructions can be organized into modules that perform particular tasks or process events that occur specifically in the electronic device 301. Typically, application 333 waits for an event and subsequently executes the encoded module associated with the event. The event may be triggered in response to input from the user via the user input device 313 of FIG. 3A when detected by the processor 305. Events can also be initiated in response to other sensors and interfaces in the electronic device 301.

The execution of a set of instructions may require numerical variables to be read and modified. Such numerical variables are stored in the RAM 370. The present invention uses input variables 371 that are stored at locations 372, 373 known in memory 370. Input variables 371 are processed to produce output variables 377 stored in known locations 378, 379 in memory 370. The mediation variable 374 can be stored in an additional memory location in locations 375, 376 of memory 370. Alternatively, some mediation variables may only be present in the scratchpad 354 of the processor 305.

Execution of the sequence of instructions is accomplished in processor 305 by extracting repeated applications of the execution cycle. The control unit 351 of the processor 305 maintains a register called a program counter that contains the address in the ROM 360 or RAM 370 of the next instruction to be executed. At the beginning of the extraction execution cycle, the contents of the memory address indexed by the program counter are loaded into the control unit 351. The instructions are then loaded into a subsequent process of control processor 305, which causes, for example, data to be loaded from ROM memory 360 into processor register 354, content to be processed by the algorithm and another register. The contents of a combined temporary register, the contents of a temporary register to be written to a location stored in another temporary register, and the like. At the end of the extraction execution cycle, the program counter is the endpoint that is uploaded to the next instruction in the system code. Depending on the instruction that was just executed, this may involve incrementing the value contained in the address of the program counter or downloading the new address of the program counter to achieve the branching operation.

As described below, each step or subroutine in the program of the method is associated with one or more sections of the application 333 and is repeatedly processed by the extraction execution cycle in the processor 305 or in the electronic device 301. Similar program operations are performed by other independent processor modules.

4A and 4B depict a general purpose computer system 400, along with which the methods described herein can be performed. In particular, general purpose computer system 400 can be utilized to implement computer system 180 executing database application 182, which is described with reference to embodiments of the present invention, as described herein.

As can be seen in FIG. 4A, the computer system 400 includes: a computer module 401; input devices such as a keyboard 402, a cursor device mouse 403, a scanner 426, a camera 427, and a microphone 480; and a printer 415, The display device 414 and the output device of the loudspeaker 417. The Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) transceiver device data machine 416 can be used by the computer module 401 to communicate with the communication network 420 via the connection 421 to communicate with the communication network 420. Communication network 420 can be a wide-area network (WAN) such as the Internet, a cellular telecommunications network, or a private WAN. When connection 421 is a telephone line, data unit 416 can be a conventional "dial-up" modem. Additionally, data line 416 can be a broadband data machine when connection 421 is a high capacity (e.g., cable) connection. The wireless data modem can also be used for wireless connection to the communication network 420.

The computer module 401 typically includes at least one processor unit 405 and a memory unit 406. For example, the memory unit 406 can have a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) and a semiconductor read only memory (ROM). The computer module 401 also includes a number of input/output (I/O) interfaces including: an audio-video interface 407 coupled to the video display 414, the microphone 417, and the microphone 480; coupled to the keyboard 402, mouse 403, sweep An 426, a camera 427, and optionally an I/O interface 413 of a rocker or other human interface device (not shown); and an interface 408 for the external data machine 416 and the printer 415. In some embodiments, the data machine 416 can be incorporated into the computer module 401, for example, within the interface 408. The computer module 401 also has a local network interface 411 that allows the computer system 400 to be coupled to the regional communication network 422 via a connection 423, also referred to as a local area network (LAN). As depicted in FIG. 4A, the regional communication network 422 can also be coupled to the wide area network 420 via a connection 424, which can typically include a so-called "firewall" device or similarly functional device. The local network interface 411 can include an Ethernet circuit card, a Bluetooth wireless configuration, or an IEEE 802.11 wireless configuration; however, several other types of interfaces can be implemented for the interface 411.

The I/O interfaces 408 and 413 can provide either or both of serial or parallel connectivity, the former typically being performed in accordance with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard and having a corresponding USB connector (not shown) ). A storage device 409 is provided and typically includes a hard disk drive (HDD) 410. Other storage devices such as a floppy disk drive and a tape drive (not shown) can also be used. The disc drive 412 is typically provided as a non-electrical resource for the material. Portable memory devices, such as optical discs (eg, CD-ROM, DVD, Bluray DiscTM), USB-RAM, portable external hard drives, and floppy disks, for example, can be used as A suitable source of information for system 400.

Components 405 through 413 of computer module 401 are typically communicated through interconnected bus bars 404 and in a conventional manner for the operation of computer system 400 known to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, processor 405 is coupled to system bus 404 using connection 418. Similarly, memory 406 and optical drive 412 are coupled to system bus 404 by connection 419. Examples of the computer in the configuration described may be implemented include IBM-PC's and compatible, Sun Sparcstations, Apple Mac ^TM or similar computer system.

The methods and/or database applications 182 described herein can be executed as one or more application programs 433 executable in computer system 400. In particular, the steps and methods described herein can be affected by instructions 431 (see FIG. 4B) that are carried in software 433 in computer system 400. Software instructions 431 can be formed as one or more encoding modules, each for performing one or more specific tasks. The software can also be divided into two separate parts, wherein the first part and the corresponding coding module execute the database application 182, and the second part and the corresponding coding module are in charge in the first part The user interface between the share and the user.

The software can be stored in a computer readable medium, including the storage devices described below, for example. The software is loaded into computer system 400 from a computer readable medium and then executed by computer system 400. A computer readable medium having such software or a computer program recorded on the computer readable medium is a computer program product. The use of computer program products in computer system 400 prioritizes the superior equipment used to track assets.

Software 433 is typically stored in HDD 410 or memory 406. The software is loaded into the computer system 400 from a computer readable medium and executed by the computer system 400. Thus, for example, software 433 can be stored on an optionally readable disk storage medium (eg, CD-ROM) 425 that is read by optical disk drive 412. A computer readable medium having such a software or computer program recorded thereon is a computer program product. The use of computer program products in computer system 400 prioritizes the devices used to track assets.

In some examples, application 433 can be supplemented to a user encoded on one or more CD-ROMs 425 and read through a corresponding driver 412, or alternatively can be accessed by a user from network 420 or 422. Read. Still further, the software can also be loaded into computer system 400 from other computer readable media. Computer readable storage medium refers to any non-transitory tangible storage medium that provides instructions and/or information for recording to computer system 400 for execution and/or processing. Examples of such storage media include floppy disks, tape, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray disc (Blu-ray ^TM Disc), a hard disk driver, ROM or integrated circuit, USB memory, magnetic disc, or a computer with Card reading, such as a PCMCIA card, whether these devices are internal or external to the computer module 401. Examples of computer readable transmission media that may also participate in the provision of software, applications, instructions, and/or data to computer module 401, including radio or far infrared transmission channels, and networks to another A connection to a computer or a device containing a network, and an internet or intranet including e-mail transmissions and information records recorded on a web page.

The second portion of the aforementioned application 433 and the corresponding encoding module can be executed to practice one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) to accommodate or otherwise be displayed on the display 414. Through the operation of typically keyboard 402 and mouse 403, the computer system 400 and the user of the application can manipulate the interface in a functionally adaptive manner to provide controlled commands and/or input to applications associated with the GUI(s). Other forms of the functional adaptive user interface can also be performed, such as using the voice prompt character to output the audio interface output through the microphone 417 and the user voice command input through the Michael Wind 480.

FIG. 4B is a detailed architectural block diagram of the processor 405 and a "memory" 434. Memory 434 represents a logical assembly of all of the memory modules (which include HDD 409 and semiconductor memory 406) that are accessible by computer module 401 in FIG. 4A.

When the computer module 401 begins to power up, the power on self test (POST) program 450 executes. The POST program 450 is typically stored in the ROM 449 of the semiconductor memory 406 of Figure 4A. A hardware device such as ROM 449 that stores software is sometimes referred to as a firmware. The POST program 450 tests the hardware in the computer module 401 to ensure proper functionality and typically checks the processor 405, memory 434 (409, 406), and basic input output system software (BIOS) 451, also typically Stored in ROM 449 for the correct process. Once the POST program 450 has successfully operated, the BIOS 451 launches the hard disk drive 410 of Figure 4A. Activation of the hard disk drive 410 causes the bootstrapping loader 452 residing on the hard disk drive 410 to be executed by the processor 405. The load process system 453 enters the RAM memory 406 where the process system 453 begins operation. The process system 453 is a system level application executed by the processor 405 to perform a variety of high level functions including processor management, memory management, device management, memory management, application interface, and a general user interface.

The process system 453 manages the memory 434 (409, 406) to ensure that each program or application operating on the computer module 401 has sufficient memory that is not executed in conflict with memory allocated to other programs. Moreover, the different types of memory available in the system 400 of Figure 4A must be suitably used so that each program can operate efficiently. Thus, aggregate memory 434 is not intended to describe how a particular section of memory is allocated (unless otherwise stated), but instead provides an overview of the memory accessible by computer system 400 and how it is used.

As shown in FIG. 4B, processor 405 includes several functional modules including control unit 439, arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 440, and local or internal memory 448, sometimes referred to as cache memory. The cache memory 448 typically includes a number of storage registers 444-446 in the scratchpad area. One or more internal bus bars 441 functionally interconnect these functional modules. Processor 405 also typically has one or more interfaces 442 for communicating with external devices through system bus 404, which uses connections 418. Memory 434 is coupled to bus bar 404 using wire 419.

Application 433 includes a sequence of instructions 431 that may include conditional branches and loop instructions. Program 433 can also include material 432 that is used for execution of program 433. Instructions 431 and data 432 are stored in memory locations 428, 429, 430 and 435, 436, 437, respectively. Depending on the relative size of the command 431 and the memory locations 428-430, the particular instructions can be stored in a single memory location, as described by the instructions displayed at the memory location 430. Alternatively, the instructions can be segmented into sections, each section being stored in a separate memory location, as described by the instruction sections displayed in memory locations 428 and 429.

In general, processor 405 is given a set of instructions that are executed. The processor 1105 waits for subsequent inputs, to which the processor 405 responds by executing another set of instructions. Each input may be provided from one or more of a number of resources, including data generated by one or more of the input devices 402, 403, data received from external resources that span one of the networks 420, 402, The data retrieved from one of the storage devices 406, 409, or the data retrieved from the storage medium 425 inserted into the corresponding reader 412, are all described in Figure 4A. Execution of a set of instructions can result in the output of data in some cases. Execution may also involve storing data or variables to memory 434.

The configuration disclosed herein uses an input variable 454 that is stored in a corresponding memory location 455, 456, 457 within memory 434. The configuration disclosed herein produces an output variable 461 that is stored in a corresponding memory location 462, 463, 464 within memory 434. The mediation variable 458 can be stored in memory locations 459, 460, 466, and 467.

Referring to the processor 405 in FIG. 4B, the registers 444, 445, 446, the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 440, and the control unit 439 cooperate to implement each instruction required to be practiced in the instruction set constituting the program 433. A sequence of micro-processes of the "extract, decode, and execute" loop. Each of the extraction, decoding, and execution loops includes: an extraction process that extracts or reads instructions 431 from memory locations 428, 429, 430; a decoding process in which control unit 439 determines which instruction is to be fetched; The control unit 439 and/or ALU 440 execute the instruction.

Thereafter, further extraction, decoding, and execution loops for the next instruction can be performed. Similarly, a storage period can be implemented whereby control unit 439 stores or writes a value to memory location 432.

Each step or subroutine in the procedures described herein is associated with one or more sections of the program 433, and by the scratchpad area 444, 445, 447, ALU 440, and Control unit 439 executes, which acts together to implement the extraction, decoding, and execution loops for each instruction in the set of instructions for the indicated segment of program 433.

The embodiments described herein are excellent in providing low cost devices for tracking assets that include assets that are mobile, transferable, and/or self-propelled.

The embodiments described herein are excellent in enabling the tracking of assets that use wireless tags without the need for a dedicated wireless tag reader. Instead, the embodiments described herein advantageously leverage the off-the-shelf and/or use the vast deployment base of existing mobile devices to report the current location of registered wireless tags, thereby enabling registration associated with these registration tags. Assets can be tracked. The present invention advantageously provides a vast network of wireless tag readers with correspondingly large coverage without incurring any hardware costs associated with wireless tag readers.

The embodiments described herein advantageously provide low cost devices that generate large databases of ownership, location, movement history and status of assets, such as motor vehicles and marine vessels, in the following manner: • Do not threaten asset operators or own Privacy • Does not arbitrarily risk the risk of an operator or owner of the asset being associated with a violation, such as a traffic violation • assisting in the assessment and/or verifying the insurance risk profile.

Embodiments described herein further provide low cost devices that quantify individual behavior related to assets, such as motor vehicles and marine vessels, in the following manner: • Use of linked assets with one or more specific individuals • Provision of assets related to the assets Operator Information • Does not threaten the privacy of the asset operator or owner • Does not riskly arbitrarily risk the operator or owner of the asset associated with the violation, such as traffic violations • assisted assessment and/or Verify the insurance risk file.

Embodiments described herein further provide low cost devices that quantify individual behavior related to assets, such as motor vehicles and marine vessels, in the following manner: • Use of linked assets with one or more specific individuals • Provision of operations related to the assets Information • Does not threaten the privacy of the asset operator or owner • Does not risk proportionally risking the operator or owner of the asset being associated with a violation, such as traffic violations • Assisting in assessment and/or verification Insurance risk file.

The embodiments described herein are excellent in assisting in the recovery and/or insurance risk assessment and/or verification of stolen assets by tracking and/or recording the history of assets and current movements (ie, locations).

The embodiments described herein enable the detection, identification and location of assets such as motor vehicles and marine vessels. Certain embodiments enable the speed and/or acceleration of a vehicle, such as a motor vehicle and/or a marine vessel, to be determined by the mobile device application 160 and transmitted to the database application 182. The speed and/or acceleration information may be determined based on data recovered from an in-vehicle GPS receiver (ie, an aggregated mobile device) or from a sensor (eg, an accelerometer, etc.) incorporated into the mobile device or wireless tag. . The mobile device application 160 can be further adapted to the identity of the mobile device or the identity of the owner of the mobile device to the database application 182. Information from the driveline computer system of the vehicle may preferably not be collected as this may be excessively intrusive. The embodiments described herein provide information regarding the position, speed and/or acceleration of the insured vehicle and/or information regarding the position, speed and/or acceleration of the insured driver. Particular embodiments are estimates that can provide where the vehicle is typically being used, where the vehicle is typically stored, and whether the registered driver/operator is present on the vehicle in use.

The computer system 180 can further execute the software code to check the data accepted from the mobile device application 160 for an asset store stored on the computer system 180 to determine if the asset associated with the particular wireless tag has been flagged for theft. The computer system 180 can further execute the software code to check the material accepted from the mobile device application 160 for an asset store stored on the computer system 180 to determine if the asset associated with the particular wireless tag is within an allowed geographic extent or region. It is operated outside. In either case, computer system 180 can report the stolen assets or assets that are operated outside of their permitted range or area to the owner, police, insurance company, and the like. Such reports can be, for example, via SMS, email, and the like.

Data recovered from wireless tags located on mobile vehicles and data retrieved from portable computers (ie, users located in mobile vehicles) can be advantageously used to distinguish between human movement and vehicle movement (eg, cross-correlation of transmitted data) ), thus providing specific data filtering for the needs.

Materials recovered from the portable computer, as described herein, can be processed to identify particular human behavior or conditions. For example, information obtained from a portable computer can be used to identify sleep, poisoning or the effects of a particular substance, or even a heart attack, before a collision or accident. This information is of great value to insurance companies.

In a particular embodiment, the system can be used to detect and alert various units involved in the context of a traffic accident. In this case, a Bluetooth tag sensor (eg, an accelerometer and/or gyroscope) is used to detect the occurrence of an accident. Relevant sensor data is relayed from the Bluetooth tag to the mobile device for processing, where appropriate alerts (along with GPS location data) are transmitted to the relevant units via the voice or data server of the mobile device (eg, emergency services) , insurance companies, etc.).

The above description is only illustrative of the embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention. Rather, the foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments provides a description of the implementation of one or more embodiments of the invention. A variety of changes can be made in the function and configuration of the elements and/or features without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

110‧‧‧ motor vehicles
112, 114, 116, 122‧‧‧ Bluetooth tags
120‧‧‧ ship
130, 132, 140, 150‧‧‧ smart phones
160‧‧‧Mobile device application
180‧‧‧Computer server
182‧‧‧Database application
210, 220‧‧‧ steps
301‧‧‧Electronic device
302‧‧‧ Controller
305, 405‧‧‧ processor
306‧‧‧Portable Memory Interface
307‧‧‧ display controller
308‧‧‧Communication interface
309‧‧‧Internal storage module
310‧‧‧ functional components
313‧‧‧ Input device
314‧‧‧Video display
319, 321, 361, 418, 419, 421, 423, 424‧‧ ‧
320‧‧‧Network
325‧‧‧Portable Memory
333‧‧‧Applications
351, 439‧‧‧ control unit
352, 440‧‧‧Arithmetic logic unit ALU
353‧‧‧DSP
354, 444-446‧‧‧ register
355‧‧‧Cache memory
356, 357‧‧‧ elementary data components
358‧‧" interface
359‧‧‧Internal busbar
360, 449‧‧‧ROM
362, 363, 431‧‧ instructions
364‧‧‧ separated location
370‧‧‧RAM
371‧‧‧ Input variables
372, 373, 375, 376, 378, 379, 428, 429, 430, 435, 436, 437, 455, 456, 457, 459, 460, 462, 463, 464, 466, 467‧‧
377‧‧‧ Output variables
874, 1358‧‧‧Mediating variables
381‧‧‧System Bus
400‧‧‧ computer system
401‧‧‧Computer Module
402‧‧‧ keyboard
403‧‧‧ Mouse
404‧‧‧ busbar
406, 434, 448‧‧‧ memory
407‧‧‧Audio-Video Interface
408, 413, 442‧‧ interface
409‧‧‧Storage device
410‧‧‧hard disk drive
411‧‧‧Local network interface
412‧‧‧Disc drive
414‧‧‧Video display
415‧‧‧Printer
416‧‧‧External Modulation Demodulator
417‧‧‧Amplifier
420‧‧‧Network
422‧‧‧Regional communication network
425‧‧‧Disk storage media
426‧‧ ‧Scanner
427‧‧‧ camera
432‧‧‧Information
433‧‧‧Applications
450‧‧‧POST program
451‧‧‧BIOS
452‧‧‧ Bootloader
453‧‧‧Process System
454‧‧‧ input variables
461‧‧‧ Output variables
480‧‧‧Microphone
1341‧‧ ‧ busbar

A few embodiments of the invention are described herein, by way of example only with reference to the drawings, in which:

1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flow chart of a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

3A and 3B are schematic block diagrams including a computer system in which embodiments of the present invention may be implemented;

4A and 4B are schematic block diagrams of a computer system including embodiments in which the present invention can be implemented.

110‧‧‧ motor vehicles

112, 114, 116, 122‧‧‧ Bluetooth tags

120‧‧‧ ship

130, 132, 140, 150‧‧‧ smart phones

160‧‧‧Mobile device application

180‧‧‧Computer server

182‧‧‧Database application

Claims (46)

A system comprising: a plurality of wireless tags, each associated with a different asset; a plurality of mobile device applications, each of which is executed by a mobile device, and adapted to be in the plurality of mobile devices The wireless communication of the wireless tag detects the plurality of wireless tags; and a database application is executed by a computer system and adapted to store the plurality of wireless tags and the plurality of wireless tags Information relating to the asset; wherein the plurality of mobile device applications are adapted to cause the individual mobile device to transmit the data to the database application in response to the detecting of the plurality of wireless tags, the transmitted data comprising Detecting a substantially unique identification code of the wireless tag and a location of the individual mobile device. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless tags each comprise a Bluetooth tag. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless tags each comprise a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile devices comprise a mobile phone. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mobile devices comprise a smart phone. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset comprises a movable asset. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset comprises one or more of a moving vehicle and a marine vessel. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag further comprises one or more sensors, and the wireless tag is adapted to transmit data generated by the sensor to the mobile device application. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device application is adapted to filter the data received from the wireless tag prior to transmitting the data to the database application. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless tag is registered in the database application before being detected by the mobile device application. The system of claim 1, wherein the database application is adapted to identify and report an abnormal location or status of the individual asset. The system of claim 1, wherein the database application is adapted to compile a history of locations or states of the individual assets. A method comprising: wirelessly detecting a wireless tag associated with an asset using a mobile device; and causing the mobile device to transmit data to a data hosted by a remote computer system based on the detection of the wireless tag a library application that includes at least one substantially unique identification code of the detected wireless tag and a location of the mobile device. The method of claim 13, wherein the wireless tag comprises a Bluetooth tag. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless tag comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag. The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone. The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile device comprises a smart phone. The method of claim 14, wherein the asset comprises a movable asset. The method of claim 14, wherein the asset comprises one or more of a moving vehicle and a marine vessel. The method of claim 14, wherein the wireless tag further comprises one or more sensors, and the wireless tag is adapted to transmit data generated by the sensor to the mobile device. The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile device further causes the data received from the wireless tag to be filtered prior to transmitting the data to the database application. The method of claim 14, further comprising registering the wireless tag with the database application prior to being detected by the mobile device. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying and reporting an individual abnormal location or state of the asset. The method of claim 14, further comprising compiling a history of location or status information associated with the individual asset. A computer readable storage medium having a recorded mobile device application executable by a mobile device, the mobile device application comprising: for wirelessly detecting an association with an asset An encoding of a wireless tag; and a code for transmitting data to a database application hosted by a remote computer system based on detecting the wireless tag, the data comprising at least one substantially detected wireless tag A unique identification code and a location of the mobile device. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the mobile device application further comprises: filtering the data received from the wireless tag before transmitting the data to the database application coding. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the wireless tag comprises a Bluetooth tag. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the wireless tag comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile phone. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the mobile device comprises a smart phone. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more of the plurality of wireless tags further comprise one or more sensors. The system of claim 31, wherein the one or more sensors are selected from the group consisting of: a humidity sensor; an accelerometer; a temperature sensor; an immersion sensor; and a magnetometer. Group of devices. The system of claim 31, wherein the mobile device application is adapted to determine one or more of position, velocity and acceleration based on data received from the one or more sensors. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device application is adapted to determine one or more of position, velocity, and acceleration based on data received from an onboard GPS receiver. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device application is adapted to determine and transmit the identity of the individual mobile device or the identity of an owner of the individual mobile device to the database application. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless tags and the assets of the asset associated with the wireless tag include a history of a plurality of locations associated with the wireless tag and/or the individual asset. data. The system of claim 1, further comprising an application interface (API) for causing a third party system to extract data from the database application. A system as claimed in claim 1, further adapted to check the material from the mobile device application for an asset register to determine whether the asset associated with the wireless tag is tagged or stolen. The system of claim 1, further adapted to check the material received from the mobile device application for an asset register to determine if the asset is operated outside of an allowed geographic range. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless tags comprise Apple iBeacons. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a portable computer. The system of claim 41, wherein the mobile device comprises: a body temperature sensor; a heartbeat sensor; a hydration sensor; a skin conduction sensor; and a respiratory rate sensor. One or more sensors of the group of sensors. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile device comprises a portable computer. The method of claim 43, wherein the mobile device comprises: a body temperature sensor; a heartbeat sensor; a hydration sensor; a skin conduction sensor; and a respiratory rate sensor. One or more sensors of the group of sensors. The computer readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the mobile device comprises a portable computer. The computer readable storage medium of claim 45, wherein the mobile device comprises a body temperature sensor selected from the group consisting of a body temperature sensor; a heartbeat sensor; a hydration sensor; a skin conduction sensor; and a respiratory rate sense One or more sensors of the group of sensors consisting of the detectors.