Patent ID: 7394380

Claim:
A method for tracking objects, comprising: identifying and locating an object using a first method; identifying and locating a person using a second method; associating the object and the person; tracking the person from a first location to a second location; storing information associated with the person, the object, and track between the first location and second location; and using the collected information to locate lost objects; detecting a disassociation of the object from the person, identifying the location of the object upon the disassociation of the object from the person; issuing a warning if the object and the person improperly associated; issuing a warning if the second location is not the intended second location; generating a history of the location of the person when associated with the object; and using the generated history to determine the location of the object, wherein the first method comprises one of reading a bar code associated with the object and reading a radio frequency identification tag associated with the object, wherein the second method comprises reading an active radio frequency identification tag associated with the person, wherein the first location comprises a conveyor system, wherein the second location is within a transport vehicle, and wherein the second location within a transport vehicle is precisely determined.