Abstract:
A method for establishing an association in a remote computer database between an asset and an electronic device monitoring the asset, while minimizing the chances of an error in the association. The method is capable of being implemented by one user largely automatically. Establishing the association enables reliable remote monitoring of the asset.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to the field of asset monitoring and association. More specifically it relates to establishing an association in a remote database between an asset and an electronic device monitoring the asset. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Accurate and timely information on the state or location of numerous physical assets is essential in certain businesses. This often requires constant monitoring of assets, compiling of inventories, and easy storage and retrieval of this information. Innovations such as satellite communication networks and the Global Positioning System (GPS) have enabled automatic remote monitoring of assets. 
     Remote monitoring of a physical asset can be accomplished with an electronic device associated with the asset and in communication with a remote database. The electronic device may comprise one or more sensors acquiring information about the asset, and a transceiver for transmitting this information to a remote monitoring station and the remote database, as well as receiving commands or information from either remote location. 
     When many such assets are being monitored simultaneously, each with its own electronic device, one must always know which device is associated with which asset. In many asset-monitoring systems this association is established once and stored in a remote database in a computer. Clearly, it is essential that this association be established accurately and easily. One way this has been done in the past involves the participation of two people—a first person located at the asset and a second person at a database location remote from the asset. The first person at the asset speaks to the second person at the remote location, perhaps over a telephone, and reads out information uniquely identifying the asset and information uniquely identifying the electronic device. The second person then manually enters this information into the remote computer and establishes the association. In this method there are many possibilities for error—the spoken words may be misunderstood or entered incorrectly, and it is difficult to verify the information. The error in association may not be discovered for some time after the association is set up, with undesirable consequences. 
     Previously disclosed methods and systems for remote asset monitoring do not specifically address the problem of associating assets and monitoring devices while minimizing the chances of error. U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,275 to Hughes et. al. discloses a method for associating circuit cards with storage locations by entering data into a handheld device, but without feedback or validation. U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2003/0101108 A1 to Botham et. al. discloses a method and system for taking, receiving, and reconciling physical inventory data against an asset management database from a remote location. The data to be associated—a serial number and an asset number—are already associated in a barcode on each item. Reconciliation of this data with that in the database is done manually, with no verification. U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,777 to Tennison et. al. discloses a system for collecting and reporting information concerning mobile assets using the GPS, but again does not address the accurate association problem. 
     There is thus a need for a less error-prone method for quickly establishing and verifying the association. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     More accurate association could be accomplished by a method in which a single individual person, located at the asset, establishes the association through direct communication with the remote computer containing the database. Where the database contains a list of valid identifiers for the assets and for the electronic devices, the validity of the information entered by the one individual person can be immediately checked before the association is established. It is desirable that at least some of the information concerning the electronic device and the asset be transmitted to the remote location automatically once the electronic device is installed at the asset. 
     The invention comprises a method for establishing an association in a database between an asset and an electronic device monitoring the asset. The method can be implemented by one individual user through the use of a portable device that might have a display, such as a screen, and a manual input, such as a keyboard. Once the association is established, the asset may be remotely monitored. A technical effect of the establishment of the association is the ability of a person to monitor the asset remotely. 
     The electronic device is in communication with a remote computer containing a stored database. The remote database initially contains information about the asset, such as an identification number, and information about the electronic device, such as a serial number. However, there is initially no information in the database that associates the asset with the electronic device. The database may initially contain information on many such assets and such devices, but no information associating any one asset with any one device. Using the invention, an individual user can establish these associations. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a flow chart illustrating the general method. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates one embodiment of the invention, associating a trailer with a GPS locator. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the method, not to be construed as limiting, is illustrated in the flowchart of  FIG. 1 . A user installs a monitoring electronic device at the asset and establishes  1  a communication channel between the electronic device and a remote database. The user, using a manual input on a portable device, enters  2  a set of information, at least some of which is unique to the asset, into the electronic device. Alternatively, at least some information in the set may be automatically entered  2 . One way this automatic entry could be implemented is through the use of radio frequency RFID (radio frequency identification) tags. The tag would wirelessly transmit the information to the electronic device. 
     This set of information is conveyed  3  to the remote database via the electronic device. In addition, the electronic device automatically transmits  3  a signature to the remote database, this signature being unique to the electronic device. One example of such signature is a serial number. At least some of this information on the asset and electronic device is automatically compared  4  to information already in the database. If the information being compared matches existing information in the database, the set of information and the signature are automatically associated  5  in the database. The remote computer sends a message back to the user, informing the user of the successful association. If any of the information being compared does not match existing information in the database, the association is not established. The computer sends a message informing the user of the nature of the problem. The message may also provide instructions to the user as to how to remedy the problem, perhaps including a means for returning to a previous information entry step. These messages may be conveyed to the user in many ways including, but not limited to, a display on the portable device or on the electronic device, or text messaging on a cellular telephone  42 . 
     One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIG. 2 . This embodiment is to be understood as exemplary and not limiting the scope of the invention. In this embodiment the asset is a trailer  10  of the type used to transport or store goods, and what is monitored is the physical location of the trailer  10 . An electronic device  12  attached to the trailer  10  is a combination of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver  15  and a transceiver  20 . The transceiver  20  enables communication with a remote computer  65  through a communications satellite system  30 . The computer  65  contains a stored database  25 . The GPS receiver  15 , when powered, continuously receives and processes signals from the GPS satellites  55 , from which the location of the GPS receiver  15  can be determined. Once the GPS receiver is attached to the trailer  10 , and the particular GPS receiver  15  is correctly associated with the particular trailer  10  in the database  25 , the location of the trailer  10  can be continuously monitored. A technical effect of this embodiment is the ability of a person to continuously monitor the trailer  10 . 
     The association is established by an individual user  50  using a portable handheld electronic device  35  having a screen display  45 . The user  50  may enter information manually by using a keyboard  37  on the handheld device  35  or by selecting items in a menu appearing on the display  45 . The keyboard  37  could be a physical keyboard  38  or a virtual keyboard  39  appearing on a touch-sensitive screen integrated with the display  45 . 
     The handheld device  35  is connected to the transceiver  20  by a cable  40  that establishes an electronic communication channel between the handheld device and the transceiver. Alternatively, a wireless communication channel could be established using a medium such as radio or infrared light, and a short-range wireless connectivity standard, such as one associated with the trademark BLUETOOTH®. The user  50  may enter some initial information manually into the handheld device  35  before connecting the cable  40 . This initial information could include the user&#39;s name or other information unique to the user or information unique to the company installing and associating the electronic device with the trailer  10 . Once the cable  40  is connected, this initial information may be conveyed to the transceiver  20  and then via the communication satellite system  30  to the database  25 . This initial information may be retained through multiple associations of trailers and electronic devices. In particular, this information may be stored for a set period, say 24 hours, then automatically erased. Alternatively, the initial information may be erased at a particular time of day, say midnight, thus making the handheld device ready for use by a different user the following day. 
     Once the cable  40  is connected, the user  50  may enter additional information unique to the trailer  10  into the handheld device. This information may include identification numbers uniquely identifying the particular trailer  10 , such as a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) or a number assigned by the owner of the trailer  10 . The user  50  may then issue a command from the handheld device  35 , which results in the manually entered information being transmitted from the handheld device  35  through the cable  40  to the transceiver  20 , then through the communication satellite system  30  to the remote database  25 . At the same time, the transceiver  20  automatically transmits to the database  25  information in the form of a signature that is unique to the particular combination of transceiver  20  and GPS receiver  15 . An example of such a unique signature would be a serial number. 
     The database  25  initially contains lists of valid information of the type transmitted in this embodiment. For example it may contain lists of valid trailer numbers  60  and valid serial numbers for the electronic device. Once the information for the particular trailer  10  and electronic device  12  is transmitted to the database  25  it is automatically compared to the lists already in the database  25  to check the validity of the incoming information. If the information being compared is found to be invalid for any reason, such as not being present in the lists, being in an incorrect format, typing mistakes by the user  50 , a malfunction of any component in the communication channels or electromagnetic interference, a message to that effect is generated by the computer  65  and transmitted back to the display  45 . The message may include instructions to the user  50  on how to correct the problem or provide a means, such as a virtual button, for returning to a previous step and re-entering information. 
     If the information being compared is determined to be valid, an association is automatically established in the database  25  between the information unique to the trailer  10  and the information unique to the electronic device  12 . A message is generated by the computer  65  and transmitted back to the display  45  informing the user  50  that the association has been successful. At that point the user  50  may disconnect the cable  40  and handheld device  35  from the transceiver  20 , take the handheld device and cable to another trailer equipped with another electronic device and repeat the procedure to establish a new association. Once the association is established, a customer can determine the location of the trailer  10  by reading the GPS location determined by the GPS receiver  15 . 
     Other capabilities may be included in this exemplary embodiment. In addition to the GPS receiver  15 , other sensors may be installed on the trailer  10  to monitor other variables and transmit these variables to the display  45  or the remote database  25 . Examples of such variables are battery voltages powering the transceiver  20 , load-balance, temperature within the trailer  10 , a unique identifier for a tractor  11  hooked to the trailer, and whether a door is open or closed. As another capability, once the handheld device  35  is connected to the transceiver by the cable  40  the user could initiate automatic diagnostic tests on the GPS system  15 , transceiver  20 , the satellite communication  30 , or any sensors present, to insure proper operation before beginning the association process. The results of these tests could be presented to the user  50  on the display  45  along with instructions on how to correct any detected problems. 
     Other embodiments of the invention can be used in many other situations to establish the association needed for remote monitoring. One example, not to be construed as limiting, would be the remote monitoring of the supply of liquid helium necessary for cooling the superconducting magnets in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine in a hospital. In this case a particular transceiver, having a unique serial number, receiving signals from a liquid-level sensor, would have to be associated with one particular MRI machine. The liquid level could then be remotely monitored and a replenishing supply could be shipped to the hospital once the level went below a predetermined value. 
     Another embodiment, not to be construed as limiting, would be the monitoring of shipping containers  13 . Such containers  13  are used to transport goods by being attached to various marine or land transportation modes, such as ships, barges, over-the-road chassis, and rail cars. 
     It is to be understood that the descriptions and embodiments described above are exemplary, and are not to be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. Alternatives, modifications, and variations, which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of this invention is to be defined by the following claims.