Patent ID: 11924278
Assignee: FEDEX CORPORATE SERVICES INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC H  A  B  G | IPC A  B  G  H

Claim 39:
40. A system for securely monitoring a shipping container for an environmental anomaly using elements of a wireless node network, the shipping container maintaining at least a plurality of sensor-based ID nodes, the system comprising:
a subset of the sensor-based ID nodes, wherein each within the subset of the sensor-based ID nodes being disposed in different locations within the shipping container, wherein each within the subset of the sensor-based ID nodes comprising
an ID node processor,
an environmental sensor coupled to the ID node processor, the environmental sensor operative to generate sensor data related to an environmental condition proximate the respective sensor-based ID node within the shipping container, wherein the environmental sensor on at least one of the subset of the sensor-based ID nodes comprises a chemical sensor, and
a wireless radio transceiver coupled to the ID node processor, the wireless radio transceiver being operative to broadcast the sensor data in response to a sensor data broadcast command from the ID node processor; and

a command node mounted to the shipping container, wherein the command node further comprising
a command node processor,
a command node memory coupled to the command node processor, the command node memory maintaining at least command node container management program code, and a plurality of security credentials where each of the security credentials are specific to a respective one from the subset of the sensor-based ID nodes,
a wireless transceiver-based communication interface operatively coupled to the command node processor, the wireless transceiver-based communication interface being configured to communicate with each from the subset of the sensor-based ID nodes and communicate with the external transceiver associated with the transit vehicle,

wherein the command node processor is programmatically configured, when executing the command node container management program code, to be operative to
identify which of the sensor-based ID nodes is one of a plurality of trusted sensors disposed within the shipping container based the security credentials, the identified ones of the sensor-based ID nodes being confirmed sensor-based ID nodes;
monitor, via the wireless transceiver-based communication interface, only the confirmed ones of the sensor-based ID nodes for sensor data broadcast from each of the confirmed sensor-based ID nodes while disregarding any sensor data broadcast from those of the sensor-based ID nodes not identified as being confirmed sensor-based ID nodes;
detect the environmental anomaly for the shipping container based upon the sensor data monitored from at least one of the confirmed sensor-based ID nodes;
in response to detecting the environmental anomaly, initiate a mediation response related to the detected environmental anomaly.