Abstract:
A system and method are presented for identifying an object of value during a security assessment. The system includes an identification tag affixed to the object of value, an interrogator, and a data processing system. The identification tag stores information uniquely identifying the object of value. The interrogator includes a sensing antenna and electronic detection circuitry for exciting and reading back the identification information from the identification tag. The interrogator also includes a transmitter and a receiver. The data processing system includes a server, a data store coupled to the server, and a communication network coupling the server and the interrogator. When the interrogator transmits the identification information to the server, the server, in real-time, accesses the data store, retrieves information of interest to personnel performing the security assessment and transmits the information of interest to the interrogator for review by the personnel.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/646,177, filed Aug. 22, 2003, which claims the benefit of prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/405,523, filed Aug. 23, 2002, and prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/422,269, filed Oct. 29, 2002, each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety; and this application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/590,484, filed Jul. 23, 2004, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
       [0002]     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     The present dislcosure relates generally to systems and methods for identifying objects of value and in particular, to systems and methods for tagging and scanning objects and remotely accessing, in real-time, data related to the objects such as, for example, data indicating ownership and registration, hailing port or garage location, and manufacturer&#39;s description of the object of value, for example, a marine vessel, by authorities in the performance of terrorist threat detection, assessment and identification.  
         [0004]     Certain objects of value, for example, a marine vessel or vehicle, can be easily moved or transported from one location to the next and, as a result, pose a significant threat with regard to illegal or terrorist activity. Authorities such as, for example, federal, state and municipal authorities require a reliable system for identifying suspicious objects in the field through the remote, real-time access of a reliable source of information.  
         [0005]     The inventor has found that some authorities (e.g., federal and state authorities) maintain independent data stores of information regarding objects of value. However, the inventor has discover that there is no real-time, global access to all available information from these data stores for purposes of, for example, threat assessment and detection. Further, perceived deficiencies have been identified with regard to existing commercial products such as, for example, handheld optical and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanners and emitters, optically read and RFID registration stickers, which makes implementation of such technologies in the field by law enforcement and terrorist detection personnel more difficult.  
         [0006]     Accordingly, the inventor has realized that a need exists for a reliable and universal data store containing information regarding objects of value and for a system and method for remotely accessing the data store in real-time to permit authorities to locate and review, for example, identification information about an object of value that may be considered a security threat.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY  
       [0007]     In one aspect, there is provided a system for identifying an object of value during security assessment. The system comprises an identification tag, an interrogator, and a data processing system. The identification tag is affixed to the object of value and includes identification information uniquely identifying the object of value. The interrogator has a sensing antenna and electronic detection circuitry for exciting and reading back the identification information from the identification tag. The data processing system includes a server, a data store coupled to the server, and a communication network coupling the server and the interrogator. When the interrogator transmits the identification information to the server, the server accesses the data store, retrieves information of interest to personnel performing the security assessment and transmits the information of interest to the interrogator for review by said personnel.  
         [0008]     In another aspect, there is provided a system for identifying an object of value during security assessment. The system comprises an identification tag, a scanner, a control center, and a data processing system. The identification tag is affixed to the object of value, and stores identification information uniquely identifying the object of value. The scanner has circuitry for optically reading the identification information from the identification tag and a transmitter for transmitting the identification information. The control center is operatively coupled to the scanner for receiving the identification information transmitted therefrom. The data processing system includes a server, a data store coupled to the server, and a communication network coupling the server and the control center. When the control center transmits the identification information to the server, the server accesses the data store, retrieves information of interest to personnel performing the security assessment, and transmits the information of interest to the control center for review by the personnel.  
         [0009]     In yet another aspect, there is provided a method for providing information of interest to personnel conducting a security assessment of a vehicle. The method comprises: querying an identification tag affixed to the vehicle using a portable device, the identification tag storing identification information uniquely identifying the vehicle; receiving the identification information at the portable device in response to the querying; transmitting the identification information from the portable device to a data processing system, the data processing system including: a server, and a data store coupled to the server; wherein when the portable device transmits the identification information to the data processing system, the server accesses the data store, retrieves information of interest to personnel performing the security assessment and transmits the information of interest to the portable device for review by the personnel. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0010]     Referring now to the drawing wherein like items are numbered alike in the various Figures:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic depiction of a system for tagging, scanning, and identifying objects of value; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a schematic depiction of an alternative system for tagging, scanning, and identifying objects of value. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts one embodiment of a system  10  for tagging, scanning and identifying objects of value and in particular, to remotely access, in real-time, data related to the identification of ownership, location and description of the object of value, for example, a marine vessel, motor vehicle, or other type of vehicle. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the system  10  for tagging, scanning and identifying objects of value, which are shown generally at  20 , includes RFID tags  30  embedded or affixed to the objects  20 , a portable interrogator  40  having remote communication capabilities, as described below, for real-time access to information of interest to an operator  50  of the interrogator  40 . As used herein, real-time access means that the data is accessed substantially without delay (e.g., within a few seconds or less) upon the receipt of a request.  
         [0014]     The interrogator  40  includes a sensing antenna  42  and electronic detection circuitry  44 , as are generally known in the art, to excite and read back identification information  32  (via signals  60 ) stored on the RFID tags  30  of the objects  20 . The tags  30  may include identification information  32  such as, for example, vessel identification numbers (e.g., hull identification numbers, HIN), vehicle identification numbers (VIN), as are generally known. In one embodiment, the identification information  32  is automatically transmitted from each object of value  20  to the interrogator  40  as part of, for example, a vessel-to-vessel navigational beacon typically used for such purposes as collision avoidance.  
         [0015]     The interrogator  40  is coupled to a server  110  of a data processing system  100  through a communication network  120 . The interrogator  40  transmits the identification information  32  read back from the tags  30  to the server  110  via signals  130 . It should be appreciated that in one embodiment the signals  130  are encrypted or otherwise encoded to prevent manipulation. It should also be appreciated that it is within the scope of the present invention for the signals  130  to be bi-directional and transmitted via the communication network  120  over wired and/or wireless communication connections coupling the interrogator  40  to the server  110 . Accordingly, the data processing system  100  may, but need not, be located in proximity to the location of the interrogator  40 . The communication network  120  may be a part of a landline telephone network, mobile, cellular or other radiotelephone, telemetry and satellite communication networks as well as part of a global communication network such as, for example, the Internet, an intranet and/or an extranet.  
         [0016]     In one embodiment, the data processing system  100  includes a data processing system described in the aforementioned, commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/646,177, which tracks activities and documents related to transactions involving objects of value.  
         [0017]     Upon receipt of the identification information  32 , the server  110  invokes processes for retrieving information  140 , in real-time, including identification information  142  (e.g., vessel call sign, name and HIN, U.S. Coast Guard official number, or vehicle VIN), ownership and registration information  144  (e.g., current and previous state registration information), destination and previous locations or ports of call, hailing port, cargo  146  and/or passenger manifests for each voyage, manufacturer&#39;s description of the object (e.g., vessel make, model and dimensions including length, breadth, depth and tonnage), and other information of interest, for example, to authorized official supporting security and/or anti-terrorism initiatives. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the server  110  is coupled to a data store  112 . The data store  112  includes the aforementioned information  140 , e.g., identification, ownership and registration, destination, hailing ports, cargo and passenger manifests, and other information related to the objects  20  of interest. Once retrieved, the information  140  of interest corresponding to the subject vehicle is transmitted back (via signals  130 ) to the interrogator  40 .  
         [0018]     The information  140  stored within data store  112  may include information such as manufacturer, sales, title and registration information that permits authorized officers to track and/or evaluate a complete chain of title of the subject object, e.g., vessel, motor vehicle, or other vehicle. In one embodiment, the information  140  also includes financial information  148  so that the authorized officers may track and/or evaluate financial transactions involving the object of interest for potentially unusual transactions (e.g., cash sales, transactions involving suspect business entities, vessels with one-way navigational plans, etc.) that may of interest to the officers as they assess a potential security threat.  
         [0019]     It should be appreciated that the inventor has found that existing data stores such as, for example, the U.S. Coast Guard&#39;s vessel tracking data bases, are not always current. As such, one aspect of the present invention is to agglomerate information with respect to objects (e.g., vessels and other vehicles) from a number of heretofore independent sources such as state registration and manufacturer data bases, to provide an accurate and comprehensive source of past and current information (as described above) regarding object ownership and operation.  
         [0020]     Preferably, the interrogator  40  includes a display device or monitor such that the information  140  retrieved from the data store  112  and transmitted back to the interrogator  40  may be visually or graphically presented to the operator  50  of the interrogator  40 . For example, the interrogator  40  may be implemented in a portable computing device form factor such as, for example, a personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld or laptop computer and the like. The interrogator  40  permits the display of the information  140  retrieved and transmitted back to personnel in the field that are assessing a perceived security threat. In one embodiment, the field personnel may include, for example, federal, state and municipal law enforcement, transportation security personnel, port authorities and US Customs and Immigration personnel. It should be appreciated that the system  10  may include a plurality of interrogators  40  for use by different field personnel.  
         [0021]     It should be appreciated that while illustrated in  FIG. 1  as a single data store, the data store  112  may include a plurality of data stores. In one embodiment, the plurality of data stores includes third party data stores such as, for example, data stores maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard including vessel registration information.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2  depicts another embodiment of a system  10 ′ for tagging, scanning and identifying objects of value and in particular, to remotely access, in real-time, data related to the identification of ownership, location and description of the object of value, for example, a marine vessel, motor vehicle, or other vehicle. In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , the system  10 ′ for tagging, scanning and identifying objects of value, shown generally at  20 ′, includes optical bar code tags  30 ′ affixed to the objects  20 ′, a portable handheld scanner  40 ′, as is generally known in the art, having remote communication capabilities for real-time access to information of interest to the operator  50  of the scanner  40 ′. The scanner  40 ′ includes circuitry for optically reading identification information  32 ′ (via signals  60 ′) stored within the bar coded tags  30 ′ of the objects  20 ′. In one embodiment, the tags  30 ′ include identification information  32 ′ such as, for example, vessel identification numbers (e.g., hull identification numbers), vehicle identification numbers (e.g., VIN numbers), as are generally known.  
         [0023]     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the scanner  40 ′ transmits (via signals  80 ) the identification information  32 ′ to a control center  90  located in close proximity to the scanner  40 ′. Upon receipt of the transmitted signals, processes within the control center  90  transmit the identification information  32 ′ to the data processing system  100  and, in particular, the server  110  therein. It should be appreciated that the control center  90  may coordinate and direct collection of identification information (such as information  32 ′) from a plurality of personnel using scanners similar to scanner  40 ′ during a coordinated security assessment operation. As described above, the server  110 , upon receipt of the identification information  32 ′, invokes processes for retrieving information  140 , in real-time, including the identification information  142 , the ownership and registration information  144 , the destination and previous locations or ports of call, the cargo  146 , and other information of interest to authorized official supporting security and/or anti-terrorism initiatives. The server  110  transmits the information  140  to the control center  90 . Personnel at the control center may evaluate the information for a coordinated response thereto and/or transmit the information  140  to the scanner  40 ′ for exhibition to the personnel  50  operating the scanner  40 ′.  
         [0024]     It should be understood that any of the features, characteristics, alternatives or modifications described regarding a particular embodiment herein may also be applied, used, or incorporated with any other embodiment described herein. For example, the system  10  of  FIG. 1  may include one or more scanners  40 ′ in addition to, or in lieu of, the one or more interrogators  40 , with the scanners  40 ′ and/or interrogators  40  communicating with the server  110  via the network  120 . Similarly, the system  10 ′ of  FIG. 2  may include one or more interrogator  40  in addition to, or in lieu of, the one or more scanners  40 ′, with the interrogators  40  and/or scanners  40 ′ communicating with the server  110  via the control center  90 . It is also contemplated that, in system  10 ′, some interrogators  40  and/or scanners  40 ′ may communicate with the server  110  via the control center  90  and the network  120 , while others may communicated with the server  110  directly via the network  120 .  
         [0025]     It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.