U.S. patent application number 17/467233 was filed with the patent office on 2022-03-31 for system and method for increasing asset utilization using satellite aided location tracking.
The applicant listed for this patent is SkyBitz, Inc.. Invention is credited to John McKethan.
Application Number | 20220101255 17/467233 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-03-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220101255 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McKethan; John |
March 31, 2022 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCREASING ASSET UTILIZATION USING SATELLITE
AIDED LOCATION TRACKING
Abstract
A system and method for increasing asset utilization using
satellite aided location tracking. Smart sensor technology
incorporated into mobile tracking hardware affixed to an asset can
be used to support decision processes related to management of
multiple assets. Automated decision processes based on customized
business rules can operate on asset positions at various defined
landmark locations and customized geographical areas.
Inventors: |
McKethan; John; (Coppell,
TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SkyBitz, Inc. |
Herndon |
VA |
US |
|
|
Appl. No.: |
17/467233 |
Filed: |
September 5, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
16840082 |
Apr 3, 2020 |
11120393 |
|
|
17467233 |
|
|
|
|
16100314 |
Aug 10, 2018 |
10614409 |
|
|
16840082 |
|
|
|
|
13960041 |
Aug 6, 2013 |
|
|
|
16100314 |
|
|
|
|
12574163 |
Oct 6, 2009 |
8510180 |
|
|
13960041 |
|
|
|
|
61103049 |
Oct 6, 2008 |
|
|
|
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/08 20060101
G06Q010/08; G06Q 10/06 20060101 G06Q010/06 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a computer implemented
operations module via a communication network, a request for asset
assignment from an asset transporter; determining, for a plurality
of customer defined landmark areas, a ranked list of assets in the
plurality of customer defined landmark areas based on a customer
defined weighting of a plurality of rules, the plurality of rules
including a landmark specific threshold that relates to a target
number of assets that are presently located in one of the plurality
of customer defined landmark areas; selecting an asset from the
ranked list of assets; and transmitting, via a communication
network, an identification of the selected asset to the asset
transporter.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rules includes a
turn time target that identifies a target amount of time between an
arrival and departure of an asset from a landmark area.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rules includes a
rule based on a revenue generated per landmark area for a given
time period.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rules includes a
rule based on a number of asset idle days at a landmark area.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rules further
includes a threshold that relates to a target number of assets that
are presently located in a customer defined geographic area, the
customer defined geographic area including a plurality of customer
defined landmark areas.
6. An asset pool management method, comprising: receiving, by a
computer implemented operations module via a communication network,
a definition of a geographical area for monitoring; receiving, via
a communication network, a target number of assets for the
geographical area; identifying a number of assets that are located
within the geographical area at a given point in time; and
generating an alert when the identified number of assets is greater
than a threshold variance from the target number of assets.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the geographical area is a
landmark location.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the geographical area is a
customized geographical area that includes a plurality of landmark
locations, each of the plurality of landmark locations having
associated therewith a respective target number of assets.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifying comprises
identifying a number of assets that are located within the
geographical area based on arrival reports that are generated after
an asset has remained in a no motion state for greater than a
predefined percentage of a period of time.
10. The method of claim 6, wherein said generating comprises
generating an alert if the identified number of assets is greater
than a threshold variance above the target number of assets.
11. The method of claim 6, wherein the generating comprises
generating an alert if the identified number of assets is greater
than a threshold variance below the target number of assets.
12. A method, comprising: receiving, by a computer implemented
operations module via a communication network, a request for asset
assignment from an asset transporter; selecting an asset from a
ranked list of assets, wherein the ranked list of assets is based
at least in part on a landmark specific threshold that relates to a
target number of assets that are presently located in a customer
defined landmark areas; and transmitting, via a communication
network, an identification of the selected asset to the asset
transporter.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ranked list of assets is
further based on a threshold that relates to a target number of
assets that are presently located in a customer defined geographic
area, the customer defined geographic area including a plurality of
customer defined landmark areas.
Description
[0001] This Application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 16/840,082, filed Apr. 3, 2020; which in turn is a continuation
of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/100,314, filed Aug. 10, 2018; which
in turn is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/960,041,
filed Aug. 6, 2013; which in turn is a continuation of U.S.
application Ser. No. 12/574,163, filed Oct. 6, 2009; which in turn
claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/103,049,
filed Oct. 6, 2008. Each of the foregoing applications is
incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety, for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to monitoring and
tracking and, more particularly, to a system and method for
increasing asset utilization using satellite aided location
tracking.
Introduction
[0003] Tracking mobile assets represents a growing enterprise as
companies seek increased visibility into the status of movable
assets (e.g., dry van trailers, refrigerated trailers, flatbed
trailers, cargo containers, intermodal rail containers, frac tanks,
ISO containers, chassis, roll off bends, tank trailers, rail cars,
etc.). Visibility into the status of movable assets can be gained
through mobile terminals that are affixed to the assets. These
mobile terminals can be designed to generate position information
that can be used to update status reports that are provided to
customer representatives.
[0004] Mobile terminals can report this position information to a
centralized location via a wireless communication network such as a
satellite communication network. In general, satellite
communication networks provide excellent monitoring capabilities
due to their wide-ranging coverage, which can span large sections
of a continent.
[0005] Management of these movable assets is key to producing a
high return on investment. What is needed therefore is a mechanism
for enabling an enterprise to monitor, track and optimize asset
utilization.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited
and other advantages and features of the invention can be obtained,
a more particular description of the invention briefly described
above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof
which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that
these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and
are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope, the
invention will be described and explained with additional
specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings
in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a satellite network in
communication with a mobile terminal on an asset.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of an optimized asset
process.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an asset pool management
and geographical balancing process.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface for
reporting.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a round trip turn time
process.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Various embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail
below. While specific implementations are discussed, it should be
understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A
person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other
components and configurations may be used without parting from the
spirit and scope of the invention.
[0013] Tracking mobile assets (e.g., trailers, containers, rail
cars, etc.) represents a growing enterprise as companies seek to
improve cost, safety and service. The tracking of these assets can
be accomplished using mobile tracking hardware that can be affixed
to the asset.
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an asset tracking system
that includes operations gateway 102, communicating with mobile
terminal 120 on an asset. Communication between operations gateway
102 and mobile terminal 120 is facilitated by satellite gateway 104
at the ground station and satellite modem 122 in mobile terminal
120. Both satellite gateway 104 and satellite modem 122 facilitate
communication using one forward and one return link (frequency)
over communications satellite 106.
[0015] In one embodiment, the satellite communication is
implemented in a time division multiple access (TDMA) structure,
which consists of 57,600 time slots each day, per frequency or
link, where each slot is 1.5 seconds long. On the forward link,
operations gateway 102 sends a message or packet to mobile terminal
120 on one of the 1.5 second slots. Upon receipt of this message or
packet, mobile terminal 120 would then perform a GPS collection
(e.g., code phase measurements) using global locating system (GLS)
module 124 or to perform sensor measurements and transmit the data
back to operations gateway 102 on the return link, on the same
slot, delayed by a fixed time defined by the network. In one
embodiment, the fixed delay defines a length of time that enables
mobile terminal 120 to decode the forward packet, perform the data
collection and processing, and build and transmit the return
packet.
[0016] In one embodiment, mobile terminal 120 can be configured to
produce periodic status reports. In this configuration, mobile
terminal 120 would wake up periodically, search for its assigned
forward slot, perform data collection and processing, and transmit
the status report on the assigned return slot. In another
embodiment, mobile terminal 120 can be configured to produce a
status report upon an occurrence of an event (e.g., door opening,
motion detected, sensor reading, etc.). In this configuration,
mobile terminal 120 would wake up upon occurrence of an event,
search for an available forward slot, perform data collection and
processing, and transmit the status report on the return slot
corresponding to the identified available forward slot.
[0017] Upon receipt of a status report from mobile terminal 120,
operations gateway 102 passes the information to operations center
112. Operations center 112 can then use the received GPS collection
to calculate a position solution. This position solution along with
any other status information (both current and historical) can be
passed to a customer via the Internet. A detailed description of
this communications process is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,158,
entitled "System and Method for Fast Acquisition Position Reporting
Using Communication Satellite Range Measurement," which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0018] In one embodiment, mobile terminal 120 can also collect
sensor measurements from sensors that are positioned at various
points on the asset being tracked. In meeting the demand by
customers for greater visibility into the status of assets, various
sensor types can be used. For example, volume sensors, temperature
sensors, chemical sensors, radiation sensors, weight sensors, light
sensors, water sensors, truck cab ID indicators, odometer sensors,
wheel sensors, etc. can be used to report the condition of cargo
being transported, an environment of the asset, a condition of a
service vehicle, etc. In general, these various sensors can be used
to report status information or the occurrence of one or more
events at the service vehicle to the mobile terminal for
transmission to the centralized facility. The position information
along with any sensor information can then be reported to the
centralized facility periodically, upon request, or upon an
occurrence of a detected event at the asset location.
[0019] As illustrated in FIG. 1, one of the sensors that can be
used is adaptive motion sensor 126, which enables motion-activated
location tracking. In general, adaptive motion sensor 126
determines whether an asset is moving or not. Together with the
mobile terminal processor and GLS 124, adaptive motion sensor 126
can determine the arrival and departure times of an asset. When an
asset begins to move, adaptive motion sensor 126 detects the motion
by measuring vibration signals. Adaptive motion sensor 126 then
sends a signal to the mobile terminal processor informing it that
motion has started. The mobile terminal processor then records the
time motion started, and signals to GLS 124 to collect code phase
measurements.
[0020] The start time and the codephase measurements are sent over
the satellite back to the operations center 124 where the codephase
measurements are used to solve for a geographical position, and the
start time is used to generate the departure time. Conversely, when
adaptive motion sensor 126 determines motion has stopped it will
again inform the mobile terminal processor to collect time and
codephase measurements, and send the information back to operations
center 112. Operations center 112 then solves for position, and the
stop time is used to generate the arrival time. The arrival and
departure times along with their associated geographical locations
can be supplied to the user via the Internet.
[0021] In the motion-activated location tracking, adaptive motion
sensor 126 has a layer of filtering that is capable of filtering
out unwanted starts and stops such that mobile terminal 120 only
transmits true arrival and departure information. For example,
mobile terminal 120 can be configured to only transmit starts or
stops when the change in motion detected by adaptive motion sensor
126 is maintained for a configurable percentage of time. In this
manner, only accurate arrival and departure time information is
transmitted by mobile terminal 120 using filtered results of
adaptive motion sensor 126. This layer of filtering saves on
unwanted transmissions, and hence power, bandwidth, and cost.
[0022] The mobile terminal can be configured to transmit a position
report after the actual arrival or departure times when the motion
sensor has reached its "no-motion" or "motion" times, respectively.
The "motion" and "no-motion" times can be separately configurable,
for example, from one minute up to two hours. For example, if the
"motion" time is set at 15 minutes, then the mobile terminal will
only transmit departure time information at the expiration of the
15-minute "motion" time period should the motion condition be valid
for greater than a configurable percentage of time. This
configurability can be used to allow more time to exit an area of
interest, or allow more time at rest stops along the way. Once the
motion sensor has determined that the mobile terminal has entered a
"motion" state, the mobile terminal can then be configured to
transmit status reports periodically (e.g., once every X
minutes/hours).
[0023] The user-configurable "motion sensitivity" can be
implemented as the percentage of time the asset needs to remain in
motion during the "motion time" to signal motion. This is useful,
for example, in maintaining a motion condition while stopped at a
traffic light or a rest stop. Conversely, the user-configurable
"no-motion sensitivity" can be implemented as the percentage of
time the asset needs to remain in no-motion during the "no-motion"
time to signal no-motion. This is useful, for example, in
maintaining a no-motion condition while moving a trailer within a
yard. A detailed description of this communications process is
provided in U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,925, entitled "System and Method
for Reporting a Status of an asset," which is incorporated herein
by reference in its entirety.
[0024] In the present invention, the tracking mechanism provides
movement information that can be used in automated decision
processes that relate to asset location and utilization, thereby
saving considerable fuel, equipment, and man-hour cost. In one
example, the asset location information can be used to correlate
value to pertinent landmark information. More generally, alert
information can be generated when asset utilization is not
optimized by geographical area or balanced for optimal regional
requirements.
[0025] One example of a decision process support (DPS) tool
application is an optimized asset application. This optimized asset
application is based on a set of one or more customized business
rules. In one embodiment, these customized business rules are
established by a user through a web interface based application. In
one example, an asset optimization application can include weighted
business rules such as the following: Asset Distance from Truck,
Asset Distance from Load Point, Asset Idle Time (or
non-utilization), Asset Pool Assignment--Landmark (e.g., target
number of assets assigned to Landmark), Pool Location Idles Days
Target, Pool Location Turn-time (i.e., arriving to leaving time)
Target, Asset Group Assignment, Trailer Status--Empty or Loaded,
Cost per Mile Traveled, Revenue per Asset Day (e.g., based on value
of freight), Revenue per Landmark, and Landmark Status (Pool
Status) On/Off or Assigned Weight.
[0026] Each business rule can be assigned a weight by importance
and can be used to measure and recommend the best assets for the
job requirement. In one embodiment, the job requirement details to
be measured are as follows, Truck position, Load point position
(Origin), End point position (Destination), Asset positions,
Distance, and Cost and Profitability.
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an example workflow process based on a
set of weighted business rules. As illustrated, the process begins
at step 202 where a driver drops a trailer at a location and needs
a new trailer assigned to him for the next job. At step 204, the
load planner then selects the landmark location of the driver
(e.g., 4-5 letter code). The location of the driver and origin of
the job (i.e., load at point) are then provided to the DPS tool at
step 206. The DPS tool then measures, at step 208, all trailer
locations, driver positions, load destinations, distance from all
assets against the business rules setup by the customer. At step
210, the list of sorted assets are then returned to the load
planner (e.g., via XML). This list of assets is sorted based on the
business rules defined for the customer. Finally, at step 212, the
load planner selects the asset for the job and dispatches it to the
driver.
[0028] As noted above, various business rules can be defined that
relate to asset-specific statistics as well as asset-pool
statistics. An example of an asset-specific statistic is a distance
from an asset (e.g., trailer) to an asset transporter (e.g.,
truck). It is a feature of the present invention that business
rules can be custom defined for individual landmark areas. These
landmark areas can be defined by the customer in identifying a
pooling area (e.g., trailer yard) for a plurality of assets.
[0029] The adaptive motion sensor technology in the mobile
terminals affixed to the assets enables accurate assessments of
activity in relation to a defined landmark area. For example, the
filtering of results produced by the adaptive motion sensor can
more clearly identify when an asset has actually arrived at a
destination defined by a landmark area. For example, only after an
asset has achieved a no-motion condition for greater than a defined
percentage of a period of time would the asset considered to be
stopped. If the location of the stopped position is within a
landmark boundary area, then the asset would be considered to have
arrived at that landmark area. The time of arrival can be
considered the time that the asset was first determined to have
entered into a no-motion state.
[0030] This tracking mechanism is in contrast to perimeter crossing
mechanisms that can only determine when an asset has crossed a
geographic boundary threshold, which is distinct from the actual
arrival point. Simple motion sensing is also inaccurate due to the
potential for multiple starts and stops within a defined landmark
area (e.g., movement within a trailer yard).
[0031] The statistics generated by assets within a landmark area
can represent asset-pool statistics that can drive a business rule
analysis for such a landmark area. As would be appreciated, the
business rule can be separately and individually customized for
each landmark area.
[0032] As an example, consider a business rule that relates to a
turn-time target for a given pool location. This turn-time target
can be defined as a target amount of time (e.g., days/hours)
between an arrival and departure of an asset from a landmark area.
Again, the arrival and departure times generated from a
conventional boundary crossing methodology would yield inaccurate
and inconsistent results. Statistics regarding the turn time of
assets that enter and leave the landmark area can be used to
determine the efficiency of an asset pool assigned to that landmark
area. If the turn-time statistics indicate a result greater than a
threshold, then the DPS tool can elevate assets in that landmark
area for immediate or near-future assignment. Conversely, if the
turn-time statistics indicate a result significantly less than a
threshold, then the DPS tool can prevent assets in that landmark
area from immediate or near-future reassignment.
[0033] As another example, consider an asset pool assignment for a
landmark area. This asset pool assignment can identify a target
number of assets for a given landmark area. If the number of assets
at a given landmark area exceeds the threshold, then the DPS tool
can elevate one or more assets in that landmark area for immediate
or near-future assignment.
[0034] As these examples illustrate, the selection of assets to be
assigned can be based on more than individual asset statistics. In
the present invention, management of pools of assets is enabled.
This area represents another example of a DPS tool application that
relates to an asset pool management and geographical balance
application.
[0035] In one embodiment, this application is designed to provide
the user with near-real-time asset balance information based on the
end user target pool and geographical goals. The application also
leverages the GLS and adaptive motion sensor features described
above, in having near-real-time updates of asset movement
integrated with the DPS tool. With this integration, the customer
can view network imbalances as they happen, thus providing the user
with the ability to take corrective action to counteract such
network imbalances.
[0036] In one embodiment, the DPS tool provides the end user with
the ability to designate target asset quantities by Customer
Pool--Landmark Location, or Customized Geographical Area, which can
include multiple Landmark Locations within the Customized
Geographical Area. The tool can display this information at two
levels, Landmark level and Geographical level and can provide
alerts when locations exceed a predetermined imbalance
threshold.
[0037] For example, an end user landmark location or customized
geographical area can have a target pool of 10 trailers. When the
location or area exceeds 120% of the user defined target an alert
is generated. Similarly, when the location or area drops below 80%
of its user defined target an alert is generated. Alerts can also
be generated based on the monitoring of other statistics such as
average idle asset days at location or area per month, average cost
per idle asset day, average asset turn-time, etc.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates an example reporting process that
incorporates asset pool management and geographical balance. As
illustrated, the process begins at step 302 where a user defines
landmark locations and/or customized geographical area using the
setup tools.
[0039] In one embodiment, the setup tools are provided through a
web driven graphical user interface. In general, the graphical user
interface can enable the user to define a landmark location or
customized geographical area using drawing tools that define an
area using specified shapes, points, lines, etc. Where the
graphical user interface is used to define a customized
geographical area, the user can also provide inputs that select
multiple landmark locations instead of defining an actual
contiguous region. These multiple landmark locations can be
specified using a pointing tool or through the selection from a
graphical listing.
[0040] In this process, landmarks locations can be associated with
one or more customized geographical areas. As such, the customized
geographical areas can be mutually exclusive or can overlap in some
fashion. In general, the customized geographical areas can be used
to define separate regions that have independent significance from
a monitoring perspective.
[0041] At step 304, the asset locations and movements are monitored
via the asset tracking system. In one embodiment, the relevance of
asset locations can be based on whether an asset is inside or
outside of a defined landmark location or customized geographical
area.
[0042] As noted above, the adaptive motion sensor technology in the
mobile terminals affixed to the assets enables accurate assessments
of an asset's location relative to a defined location or area. This
accuracy is enabled by the filtering of adaptive motion sensor
results to identify when an asset has actually arrived at a
destination defined by a location or area. This processing and
analysis is distinct from conventional boundary crossing mechanisms
that can only infer, for example, that an asset has arrived at a
destination location.
[0043] Based on this tracking data, the DPS tool can perform
near-real-time balancing analysis of landmark locations and
customized geographic areas at step 306. More specifically, the DPS
tool can determine a number of assets that have arrived and are
currently located within each landmark location and customized
geographic area. This determined number of assets within each
landmark location and customized geographic area can represent the
pool of assets associated with each landmark location and
customized geographical area.
[0044] Based on this analysis, the DPS tool can then compare the
determined pool of assets within each landmark location and
customized geographical area to any thresholds defined relative to
a target pool of assets for each landmark location and customized
geographical area. The customer can define a target pool of assets
for each landmark location and customized geographical area. This
target pool of assets can represent the customer's desires for an
allocation of asset resources across the various landmark locations
and customized geographical areas.
[0045] Using the determined pool of assets within each landmark
location and customized geographical area, the DPS tool can then
determine whether a threshold has been crossed relative to a target
pool (e.g., over 120% or below 80%). If a threshold has been
crossed, then a near-real-time alert can be generated by the DPS
tool and provided to the customer at step 308. This alert can
signal to the customer that a geographical imbalance exists amongst
the assets and that an asset pool management adjustment may need to
be made. As part of the reporting process, the DPS tool can also be
designed to provide the customer with periodic reports (e.g., via
email, voice messages, text messages, or the like) that can detail
the current asset pool levels.
[0046] Asset pool management statistics can also be retrieved for
the defined landmarks and/or customized geographical areas using a
graphical user interface such as that illustrated in FIG. 4. In one
embodiment, asset pool management statistics can be displayed
visually using heat maps or other graphical illustrations that
provide an indication of the relative measure of a measured
statistic as compared to one or more thresholds. As would be
appreciated, the asset pool management and geographical balancing
process can be based on the number of assets alone or in
combination with other statistics such as average idle asset days
at location or area per month, average cost per idle asset day,
average asset turn-time, etc. In general, any set of one or more
statistics that provide an indication of asset utilization and
non-utilization can be used to drive an asset pool management and
geographical balancing application.
[0047] Another example of a DPS tool application is an evaluation
of an asset turn-time between a departure and a return to a defined
landmark location. This round trip asset turn-time bears some
similarity to the turn-time within a landmark location.
[0048] To illustrated this feature of the present invention,
reference is now made to the flowchart of FIG. 5 as applied to an
application directed to border crossing asset management. As
illustrated, the process begins at step 502 where a landmark
location is defined. This landmark location can be defined at a
border crossing point into and out of a country (e.g., border
crossing between the United States and Mexico).
[0049] At step 504, an asset's departure from the border landmark
location would be monitored. In effect, the report received from
the border landmark location would log the start date and time that
the asset enters Mexico. In one embodiment, this start time can be
used to start a turn-time timer. At step 506, an asset's reentry
into the United states would trigger a second report that logs the
end date and time that the asset departs Mexico. This end date and
time can then be used at step 508 to identify a round trip
turn-time for the trip across the border.
[0050] In the example noted above, the round trip turn-time is
based on exit and reentry to a particular landmark location. As
multiple border crossings exist, landmark locations can be defined
for each of the multiple border crossings. The multiple border
crossings can then be grouped together as a customized geographical
area. As noted above, the customized geographical area need not be
contiguous. In this example, the round trip turn-time for the cross
border trip can be based on exit and reentry to the customized
geographical area.
[0051] Based on the determined round trip turn-times for a
plurality of assets, the DPS tool can provide performance reports
by Asset Turn-time by Trip, Average Asset Turn-time, Average Fleet
Turn-time Performance, etc. For example, the report can specify
that XYZ customer had 24 asset arrivals in a particular month and
the average trailer turn-time in and out of Mexico for that
location for the month was 8.73 days.
[0052] In addition to the above, the DPS application can also
associate a landmark location with a trailer destination in Mexico.
Turn-time performance for that landmark location can then be
generated to distinguish the destination turn-time from the actual
travel time.
[0053] Moreover, the user can also designate areas of Mexico that
are no travel areas for their assets. The no travel areas can be
designated using landmark or customized geographical areas. Alerts
can also be set up for notifications as assets enter the no travel
areas allowing the end user to identify a potential problem.
Similarly, the user can designate preferred travel areas that are
normally used by their assets. Thus, if an asset leaves those
designated areas, an alert is generated and sent to the user.
[0054] Another example of a DPS tool application is a detention
billing application. With this application, customers can set up
detention billing rules for a landmark location or customized
geographical area. For example, the detention billing rules can
include, Landmark Free Days--free days asset can dwell at a
landmark location or customized geographical area, Detention
billing threshold--when an asset exceeds this number of days of
detention at a landmark location or customized geographical area
then billing begins, and Dollar amount to be billed per day. The
user can also can set up an alert by landmark location or
customized geographical area, with a customized message field, that
sends an email or other message to key personnel stating that a
detention billing event is about to begin. The end user can define
when the alerts are to be sent. For example, 1-10 days before the
detention event is to occur, each day during the detention event,
or not to exceed number of alerts.
[0055] In one example, the detention billing module provides the
end user with a report at the end of each month for detention
billing purposes. The report can include landmark location or
customized geographical area arrival and departure dates and time
for all assets, Each asset idle time at the landmark location or
customized geographical area for the month, Total number of idle
days at the landmark location or customized geographical area,
Total number of idle days above free time, Amount billed per idle
day above free time, and Total amount to be billed for the month at
the landmark location or customized geographical area.
[0056] These and other aspects of the present invention will become
apparent to those skilled in the art by a review of the preceding
detailed description. Although a number of salient features of the
present invention have been described above, the invention is
capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out
in various ways that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in
the art after reading the disclosed invention, therefore the above
description should not be considered to be exclusive of these other
embodiments. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and
terminology employed herein are for the purposes of description and
should not be regarded as limiting.
* * * * *