Abstract:
A system and method are provided for determining a location of a mobile apparatus. The mobile apparatus can include a chassis, a communications module, and a controller including a processor and memory, wherein the processor is programmed to perform instructions that are stored in the memory. The instructions can include defining an offline perimeter surrounding the chassis, locating a chassis position in relation to the offline perimeter, and determining whether the chassis position is outside the offline perimeter. Upon making this determination, the processor is programmed to establish communication between the mobile apparatus and the central location via the communication module, receive an indication from a network that the chassis is located outside an online perimeter that is larger than the offline perimeter, and output a signal upon receiving the indication.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a system and method of geographically locating a mobile apparatus, such as, but not limited to, a mobile cleaning machine. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Mobile cleaning machines, such as floor cleaning machines, are generally known in the art. Many mobile cleaning machines can be commonly divided into two categories: a first category including mobile cleaning machines in which the operator is standing on the floor and walking behind the machine (“walk-behind” machines), and a second category including mobile cleaning machines in which the operator is sitting or standing on the machine itself (“ride-on” machines). Because of the mobility of such machines, it is possible for the machines to be stolen or to go missing. In some geographic locations, up to 20% of mobile cleaning machines go missing annually. 
         [0003]    Similar theft and loss issues are common with mobile and portable devices that, for example, are dedicated to a particular facility (e.g., building or other property) but that are susceptible to theft or loss based upon their mobile and portable nature. Examples of such other devices include forklifts, loaders, excavators, scissor lifts, lawnmowers, motorized carts, ATVs, and other wheeled or tracked vehicles. 
         [0004]    One solution to the theft and loss issues just described is the use of online geographical location systems. Online geographical location systems utilize online systems such as a global positioning system (GPS), a cellular network, or a radio communication network. GPSs utilize space-based satellites that communicate with a GPS receiver located on the mobile apparatus. The GPS satellites and GPS receiver communicate in order to geographically locate the GPS receiver, and thus the mobile apparatus. In contrast, geographical location systems utilizing cellular networks use the position of a cellular receiver located on the mobile apparatus relative to a plurality of cellular towers. For example, the process of triangulation or trilateration can be used to determine the position of the cellular receiver. Triangulation is the process of determining the location of the cellular receiver by measuring angles between the cellular receiver and two or more cellular towers, whereas trilateration is the process of determining the location of the cellular receiver by measuring the distances between the cellular receiver and two or more cellular towers. Geographical location systems utilizing a radio communication network use similar methods as those used with cellular networks, including but not limited to, triangulation and trilateration. 
         [0005]    Online geographical location systems typically require constant online communication. Constant online communication can result in excess drainage of the power source (e.g., the batteries powering the mobile apparatus). Such communication can also utilize communication resources regardless of whether the device being monitored is moving or the extent to which the device has moved. Further, constant online communication can result in excess expenses as a result of data charges. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for geographically locating a mobile apparatus, such as a cleaning machine in an improved manner, such as by reducing consumption of communications resources, reducing power usage, and/or reducing charges associated with communications performed in the locating process. 
         [0007]    In some embodiments, the present invention provides a mobile apparatus operable to communicate with a central location, wherein the mobile apparatus includes a chassis, a communications module, and a controller including a processor and memory, and wherein the processor is programmed to perform instructions stored in the memory. The instructions can include defining an offline perimeter surrounding the chassis, locating a chassis position in relation to the offline perimeter, and determining whether the chassis position is outside the offline perimeter. Upon making this determination, the processor is programmed to establish communication between the mobile apparatus and the central location via the communication module, receive an indication from a network that the chassis is located outside an online perimeter that is larger than the offline perimeter, and output a signal upon receiving the indication, wherein the signal reflects a location of the mobile apparatus outside of the online perimeter. 
         [0008]    Some embodiments of the present invention provide a method of geo-locating a mobile apparatus including a chassis, wherein the method includes defining an offline perimeter surrounding the chassis, monitoring the position of the chassis in relation to the offline perimeter, determining whether the chassis is located outside the offline perimeter, and upon this determination, the establishing communication between the mobile apparatus and a central location, defining an online perimeter surrounding the chassis, wherein the online perimeter has a larger area than the offline perimeter, monitoring the position of the chassis in relation to the online perimeter, determining that the chassis is located outside of the online perimeter, and outputting a signal that the chassis is located outside of the online perimeter, wherein the signal indicates a location of the mobile apparatus outside of the online perimeter. 
         [0009]    In some embodiments, the present invention provides a geo-location system for determining a location of a mobile apparatus, wherein the system includes a mobile apparatus having a mobile communications module, a central location including a network communications module and a positioning module, and a controller that has a processor and memory. The processor is operable to perform instructions stored in the memory to define an offline perimeter surrounding the mobile apparatus, locate a position of the mobile apparatus in relation to the offline perimeter, and determine whether the position is outside the offline perimeter. Upon the determination, the processor is operable to perform instructions to communicate with the network communications module via the mobile communications module, receive an indication from the central location that the mobile apparatus is located outside an online perimeter that is larger than the offline perimeter, and transmit a signal upon receiving the indication, wherein the signal is an indication of a location of the mobile apparatus outside of the online perimeter. 
         [0010]    Other aspects of the present invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a geographical location system embodying the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a cleaning machine used in conjunction with the geographical location system of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a control system of the cleaning machine of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating operation of the control system of  FIG. 3 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Before any embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. 
         [0016]    Although the invention is described herein in conjunction with a mobile cleaning machine (e.g., a floor scrubbing machine), the invention may apply to any mobile apparatus, including but not limited to a motor vehicle; a semi-truck trailer; a motorized cart; a forklift, excavator, loader, scissor lift, or other construction equipment; an all-terrain vehicle; a boat or other watercraft; a mowing device (e.g., a lawn mower), a dirt and debris pickup device (e.g., a vacuum), other wheeled or tracked vehicles. Some embodiments of the present invention also apply to other portable equipment and devices. 
         [0017]      FIGS. 1, 5, and 6  illustrates a geographical location (geo-location) system  100  that can be used in conjunction with, and to geographically locate, a mobile or portable apparatus. As illustrated, the mobile or portable apparatus is a cleaning machine  105 , although the geo-location system  100  can track other apparatus. The apparatus  105  will be referred to as a “cleaning machine” or purposes of description. 
         [0018]    The geo-location system  100  includes an offline geographical fence  110  (referred to as an “offline geo-fence” for purposes of description) and an online geographical fence  115  (referred to as an “online geo-fence” for purposes of description). The offline geo-fence  110  defines a first perimeter surrounding the cleaning machine  105 , and the online geo-fence  115  defines a second, larger perimeter surrounding the cleaning machine  105 . As illustrated, the first perimeter is circular and has a first diameter, and the second perimeter is also circular and has a second diameter. The illustrated first diameter of the offline geo-fence  110  is smaller than the second diameter of the online geo-fence  115 . Although the offline geo-fence  110  and the online geo-fence  115  are described and illustrated primarily as circular perimeters, with the first perimeter being smaller than the second perimeter, the geo-fences  115  can have perimeters of any regular or irregular shape. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary mobile cleaning machine  105  that can be used in conjunction with the system  100 . As illustrated, the cleaning machine  105  is a “ride-on” floor cleaning machine, although the machine  105  can take the form of a “walk-behind” cleaning machine. The cleaning machine  105  is configured to clean a surface such as a floor and includes, among other things, a frame or chassis  120 . The chassis  120  supports several components of the cleaning machine  105 , including but not limited to, a tank  125 , a brush unit  130 , and a suction element (e.g., a squeegee assembly)  135 . 
         [0020]    The tank  125  holds a liquid (e.g., cleaning solution including water and a cleaning agent) that is used by the cleaning machine  105  during operation. The brush unit  130  scrubs the surface to agitate and remove dirt or debris. The suction element  135  controls and draws liquid and debris up from the surface. 
         [0021]    With continued reference to  FIG. 2 , the chassis  120  is coupled to and supported by a front castor wheel  140  and one or more rear wheels  145 . The illustrated cleaning machine  105  is driven by the rear wheels  145  and is steerable via the front wheel  140 , although the machine  105  can be driven with any suitable combination of drive and driven wheels. The wheels  145  are powered by one or more motors  150  ( FIG. 3 ). Although the cleaning machine  105  described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings includes the wheels  140 ,  145  for movement of the cleaning machine  105  over a surface, it will be appreciated that other types of devices can be used to move the cleaning machine  105 . These other types of devices can include, for example, powered or un-powered tracks. For the sake of simplicity, the term “wheel” as used herein and in the appended claims refers to any and all such moving elements. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  illustrates a block diagram of a control system  200  associated with the cleaning machine  105  of  FIG. 2 . The control system  200  includes a controller  205  that is electrically and/or communicatively connected to a variety of modules or components of the cleaning machine  105 . For example, the illustrated controller  205  is connected to motors  150  of the cleaning machine  105  (for driving wheels of the cleaning machine  105 , one or more pumps for moving fluid within the cleaning machine  105 , and the like), a power supply module  210 , a user interface module  215 , one or more sensors  220 , and a communications module  225 . Each of the motors  150 , the power supply module  210 , the user interface module  215 , the sensors  220 , and the communications module  225  is supported upon and coupled to the cleaning machine  105 . 
         [0023]    The controller  205  can include any suitable combination of hardware and software that is operable to, among other things, control the operation of the cleaning machine  105 . The exemplary controller  205  includes a plurality of electrical and electronic components that provide power, operational control and, in some cases, protection to the components and modules within the controller  205  and/or the cleaning machine  105 . For example, the controller  205  can include, among other things, a processing unit  230  (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or another suitable programmable device) and a memory  235 , and in some embodiments can be implemented partially or entirely on a semiconductor (e.g., a field-programmable gate array (“FPGA”)) chip, such as a chip developed through a register transfer level (“RTL”) design process. 
         [0024]    The memory  235  can include, for example, a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area and the data storage area can include one or more different types of memory, such as read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”) (e.g., dynamic RAM (“DRAM”), synchronous DRAM (“SDRAM”), etc.), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“EEPROM”), flash memory, a hard disk, an SD card, or other suitable magnetic, optical, physical, or electronic memory device. The processing unit  230  can be connected to the memory  235  for execution of software instructions that are capable of being stored in a RAM of the memory  235  (e.g., during execution), a ROM of the memory  235  (e.g., on a more permanent basis), or another non-transitory computer readable medium such as another memory or a disc. Software included in some implementations of the cleaning machine  105  can be stored in the memory  235  of the controller  205 , and can include, for example, firmware, one or more applications, program data, filters, rules, one or more program modules, and other executable instructions. In some embodiments, the controller  205  is configured to retrieve from memory and execute, among other things, instructions related to the control processes and methods described herein. As will be appreciated, the controller  205  can include additional, fewer, or different components. 
         [0025]    The illustrated power supply module  210  supplies a nominal voltage to the controller  205  and other components or modules of the cleaning machine  105 . More specifically, the illustrated power supply module  210  receives DC power from one or more batteries or battery packs (not shown), and outputs the nominal voltage to the controller  205  and the other components or modules of the cleaning machine  105 . The power supply module  210  can receive power from other grid-independent power sources (e.g., a generator, a solar panel, etc.) in some cases, or an AC voltage from which the nominal voltage is output to the controller  205  and the other components or modules of the cleaning machine  105 . 
         [0026]    In some embodiments, the power supply module  210  receives power from the cleaning machine  105  when the machine  105  is in operation and supplies the nominal voltage to the components and modules of the cleaning machines  105 . In these embodiments, one or more batteries or battery packs can be charged (e.g., using a high-speed charger) during operation of the cleaning machine  105 . When the cleaning machine  105  is not in operation, the power supply module  210  does not supply the nominal voltage to the components and modules of the cleaning machine  105 . Instead, the power supply module  210  receives power from the batteries or a battery pack and supplies the nominal voltage to the control system  200  (and possibly other components and modules of the machine  105 ). 
         [0027]    The user interface module  215  is used to control or monitor aspects of the cleaning machine  105 . For example, the user interface module  215  of the illustrated embodiment is operably coupled to the controller  205  to control operation of the cleaning machine  105 , and can include a combination of digital and analog input or output devices required to achieve a desired level of control and monitoring for the cleaning machine  105 . For example, the user interface module  215  includes a display (e.g., a primary display, a secondary display, etc.) and input devices (e.g., a touch-screen display, a plurality of knobs, dials, switches, buttons, etc.). The display can be, for example, a liquid crystal display (“LCD”), a light-emitting diode (“LED”) display, an organic LED (“OLED”) display, an electroluminescent display (“ELD”), a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (“SED”), a field emission display (“FED”), a thin-film transistor (“TFT”) LCD, or a reflective bistable cholesteric display (i.e., e-paper). The user interface module  215  also can be configured to display conditions or data associated with the cleaning machine  105  in real-time or substantially real-time. For example, the user interface module  215  can be configured to display the status of the cleaning machine  105 , the position and operational status (e.g., rotating or stationary, speed, etc.) of the brush unit  130 , a fluid level of the tank  125 , and the like. 
         [0028]    With continued reference to the illustrated embodiment, the sensors  220  include accelerometers  220   a,  position sensors  220   b,  and fluid level sensors  220   c.  The accelerometers  220   a  can sense acceleration of the cleaning machine  105  in a variety of directions (e.g., an x-direction, a y-direction, a z-direction, and the like). The position sensors  220   b  can sense the position of the cleaning machine  105  or the position of various components of the cleaning machine  105 , such as the position of the cleaning machine  105  relative to a fixed object (e.g., a wall), or the position of the brush unit  130  and/or the suction element  135  relative to the chassis  120  and/or the floor, or the speed of the cleaning machine  105  or rotational speed of the brushes. In one non-limiting example, the level sensors  220   c  sense a measurement of the fluid contained in the tank  125 . In another example, the level sensors  220  measure an angular position of the cleaning machine  105  relative to a vertical axis. Fewer or more sensors  220  can be provided on the machine  105  as desired. 
         [0029]    The illustrated communications module  225  is configured to connect to and communicate with other devices (e.g., a computer, another cleaning machine, etc.) through a network  240 . The network  240  can be, for example, a wide area network (“WAN”) (e.g., a global positioning system (“GPS”), a TCP/IP based network, a cellular network, such as, for example, a Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”) network, a General Packet Radio Service (“GPRS”) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) network, an Evolution-Data Optimized (“EV-DO”) network, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (“EDGE”) network, a 3GSM network, a 4GSM network, a Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (“DECT”) network, a Digital AMPS (“IS-136/TDMA”) network, or an Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (“iDEN”) network, etc.). 
         [0030]    The network  240  can be a local area network (“LAN”), a neighborhood area network (“NAN”), a home area network (“HAN”), or personal area network (“PAN”) employing any of a variety of communications protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc. Communications through the network  240  by the communications module  225  or the controller  205  can be protected using one or more encryption techniques, such as those techniques provided in the IEEE 802.1 standard for port-based network security, pre-shared key, Extensible Authentication Protocol (“EAP”), Wired Equivalency Privacy (“WEP”), Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (“TKIP”), Wi-Fi Protected Access (“WPA”), and the like. 
         [0031]    The connections between the communications module  225  and the network  240  are, for example, wired connections, wireless connections, or any combination of wireless and wired connections. Similarly, the connections between the controller  205  and the network  240  or the network communications module  225  are wired connections, wireless connections, or any combination of wireless and wired connections. In some embodiments, the controller  205  or communications module  225  includes one or more communications ports (e.g., Ethernet, serial advanced technology attachment (“SATA”), universal serial bus (“USB”), integrated drive electronics (“IDE”), CAN bus, etc.) for transferring, receiving, or storing data associated with the cleaning machine  105  or the operation of the cleaning machine  105 . 
         [0032]    The communications module  225  communicates, through the network  240 , with a central location or central control station  250  (referred to as the “central location” for ease of description). The central location  250  can be one or a combination of a centrally located computer, a network of computers, and one or more centrally located servers, and functions to store, interpret, and communicate data from one or more cleaning machines  105 . For example, the central location  250  can receive data from the cleaning machine  105  through the network  240 , interpret the received data, and communicate the interpreted data to a user. 
         [0033]    During normal operation, the controller  205  can be disconnected from the central location  250 . Disconnection from the central location  250  can significantly preserve battery power. Therefore, when applicable, it may be desirable to disconnect the cleaning machine  105  from the central location  250 . 
         [0034]    In some constructions, the controller  205  can connect with the central location  250  periodically at least to communicate machine usage data to the central location  250 . In some exemplary embodiments, the controller  205  attempts connection with the central location  250  at predetermined time periods (e.g., every one minute, every five minutes, every ten minutes, etc.). After the controller  205  successfully connects with the central location  250  (when the machine  105  is in operation or not in operation), the communications module  225  can send a message to the central location  250  through the network  240  requesting geographical positioning information, and the online geo-fence  115  is activated. The controller  205  may fail to connect with the central location  250  for a variety of reasons, such as but not limited to the cleaning machine  105  being positioned 1) within the offline geo-fence  110 ; 2) in an out-of-network area; or 3) in an area where connection to the central location  250  is impossible. 
         [0035]    When disconnected from the central location  250 , the controller  205  defines the offline geo-fence  110  surrounding the cleaning machine  105 . In some embodiments, the offline geo-fence  110  is defined using information from the sensors  220  along with a plurality of mathematical functions. After the offline geo-fence  110  is defined, the controller  205 , along with the sensors  220 , continually tracks the location of the cleaning machine  105  in relation to the offline geo-fence  110 . If the cleaning machine  105  exits the offline geo-fence  110 , the controller  205  automatically establishes (or re-establishes) communication with the central location  250 . 
         [0036]    When the communication link between the controller  205  and central location  250  has been enabled, the central location  250  geographically locates the cleaning machine  105  and can define the online geo-fence  115  around the cleaning machine  105 . Thereafter, the central location  250  can continually track the location of the cleaning machine  105  relative to the online geo-fence  115 . The location of the cleaning machine  105  can be tracked using one of the methods discussed above (e.g., GPS, utilization of a cellular network, utilization of a radio network, etc.). If the cleaning machine  105  exits the online geo-fence  115 , the central location  250  can output a signal, indication, alert, or other communication (referred to as a “signal” for descriptive purposes) to one or more users that the cleaning machine  105  has exited the online geo-fence  115 . The signal to one or more users can take the form of one or more of an e-mail, a text message, a phone call, and other digital messages. 
         [0037]    The signal can also or instead be communicated to the cleaning machine  105 . Upon receiving a signal from the central location  250 , the cleaning machine  105  can deactivate completely, or partially deactivate while still providing geographical location information to the central location  250 . For example, the location information can be communicated to the central location  250  via the user interface module  215 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process  300  of geographically locating the cleaning machine  105 . It will be appreciated that steps in the process  300  can differ or vary from what is described below and illustrated in the figures while remaining consistent with a system that can track the location of an apparatus. 
         [0039]    With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the controller  205  defines an offline geo-fence  110  around the cleaning machine  105  at Step  305  (or alternatively, an offline geo-fence is at least partially defined by an individual setting up or configuring the cleaning machine at a facility or other location, such as by inputting a perimeter of the offline geo-fence into the memory  235  of the controller  205  via the UI module  215 ). At step  310 , the controller  205  determines the location of the cleaning machine  105  in relation to the offline geo-fence  110  at Step  310 . The controller  205  determines whether the location of the cleaning machine  105  is inside the offline geo-fence  110  at Step  315 . If the cleaning machine  105  is inside the offline geo-fence  110 , the process  300  proceeds back to Step  315 . 
         [0040]    If the cleaning machine  105  is not inside the offline geo-fence  110  (i.e. the machine  105  is outside the offline geo-fence  110 ), the controller  205  activates the communications module  225  at Step  320 . At Step  325 , the controller  205  sends a message to the central location  250  through the network  240  requesting geographical position information for the machine  105 . The central location  250  determines a position of the cleaning machine  105  at Step  330  and, at Step  335 , the central location  250  defines an online geo-fence  115  around the cleaning machine  105  based on preset information. For example, the online geo-fence  115  can be predefined based on the location of the cleaning machine  105  in relation to one or more cell towers (e.g., defining a cell location or cell ID of the cleaning machine  105 ) or based on one or more distances from a predefined central point. In the cell tower example, a cellular or other signal can be used to ping or locate the cleaning machine  105  relative to the online geo-fence  115 . If the cell location or cell ID changes, the system can determine that the cleaning machine has moved outside the online geo-fence  115 . The online geo-fence  115  can be defined using only a cell location or cell ID associated with the cell tower, or based on a distance from the cell tower (e.g., within a predefined distance from the cell tower). 
         [0041]    When the online geo-fence  115  is defined by one or more predefined distances relative to a cell tower or another central point, the geo-fence  115  can be defined by a radial distance from the central point. Other exemplary online geo-fences  115  can be defined by polygonal shapes or non-uniform distances relative to the central point. Although the offline geo-fence  110  is illustrated as circular in  FIGS. 1 and 6 , and the online geo-fence  115  is illustrated as circular or square in  FIGS. 1 and 6  respectively, it will be appreciated that the offline geo-fence  110  and the online geo-fence  115  can have any size and shape. The offline geo-fence  110  and the online geo-fence  115  can have the same shape (e.g., concentric shapes) or different shapes (e.g., a round or circular offline geo-fence  110  and a trapezoidal online geo-fence  115 , etc.). In addition, the center of the offline geo-fence  110  and the online geo-fence  115  can share a common central point or have different central points. 
         [0042]    The central location  250  tracks the position of the cleaning machine  105  at Step  340  and, at Step  345 , the central location  250  determines whether the cleaning machine  105  is within the online geo-fence  115 . If the cleaning machine  105  is within the online geo-fence  315 , the process  300  proceeds to Step  340  and continues to track the position of the cleaning machine  105 . If the cleaning machine  105  is not within the online geo-fence  115  (i.e. the machine  105  is outside the online geo-fence  115 ), the central location  250  outputs a signal at Step  350 . For example, the signal can be or include an indicator of the location of the cleaning machine  105 . 
         [0043]    When the offline geo-fence  110  is defined by the perimeter of a building, for example, the controller  205  activates the communications module  225  upon the cleaning machine  105  leaving the building. Upon activation, the communications module  225  sends a message to the central location  250  through the network  240  requesting geographical positioning information. The online geo-fence  115  also is activated. 
         [0044]    The geo-location system  100  defines a perimeter or area in which a cleaning machine can be used, and triggers a notification when the machine  105  is outside the perimeter. The overall perimeter is defined by the offline geo-fence  110  that encompasses a first area, and the online geo-fence  115  that encompasses a second, larger area. In some embodiments, the first area is defined by mathematical function (e.g., a polygon) and acts as a sub-fence within the larger, second fenced area. The offline geo-fence  110  works off the machine  105  and knowledge of the specific location of the machine  105 . That is, when the machine  105  is in the first area, no machine location data is or need be communicated between the machine  105  and the central location  250 . Instead, data need only be sent when the machine  105  leaves the first area. 
         [0045]    The illustrated system  100  activates the online geo-fence  115  after the machine  105  leaves the first area defined by the offline geo-fence  110 , and then actively monitors (e.g., continuously or at predetermined intervals) the machine&#39;s location. The system can notify the central location  250  or appropriate personnel when the machine  105  is located outside the offline geo-fence  110 , when the machine  105  is outside the online geo-fence  115 , or both. In some circumstances, the system can deactivate the machine  105  after the machine has left the first area, the second area, or both so that loss of the asset (i.e. the machine  105 ) can be avoided. 
         [0046]    With the geo-location system  100 , the need to transmit data through a third-party communications system, such as a GPS, cellular network, and the like, only exists when the machine  105  is located outside the offline geo-fence, which in some cases can be set so that any movement of the machine  105  outside of the offline geo-fence is (or is most likely) unauthorized. Until that point, communication is not required between the machine  105  and the central location  250  regarding the location of the machine  105 . Even if location data communication is provided, (e.g., when the central location  250  is owned and/or controlled by personnel located within the perimeter defined by the offline geo-fence  110 ), the need and expense associated with a third-party communications system would only exist if, for example, the machine is stolen or otherwise moved from the within the offline geo-fence  110  without authorization. 
         [0047]    The illustrated online geo-fence  115  encompasses and is larger than the offline geo-fence  110 , although the offline and online geo-fences  110 ,  115  can coincide and have the same or substantially the same perimeter. In other words, the offline and online geo-fences  110 ,  115  can be the same. In such cases, as soon as movement of the machine outside of the offline geo-fence  110  is detected, the online geo-fence  115  is activated, and actively monitors (e.g., continuously or at predetermined intervals) the machine&#39;s location while also sending a signal to indicate that the machine  105  has left the online geo-fence  115  and/or automatically triggering deactivation of the machine  105 . In such embodiments, movement of the machine  105  through a larger online geo-fence is not required before provide notification to appropriate personnel and/or authorities that the machine  105  has been moved outside of an acceptable area (e.g., a facility or other property boundary). 
         [0048]    Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.