Patent ID: 8650098

Claim:
A method of tracking an inventory of vehicle tracking devices, comprising: registering a tracking device with a supplier using the tracking device by transmitting an electronic installation message using the tracking device to an inventory tracking server when the inventory tracking device is installed, wherein: the tracking device was issued to an installer by the supplier and the supplier is different and remote from the installer; the electronic installation message comprises a unique identifier, assigned by the supplier, for the vehicle tracking device transmitting the electronic installation message; and the supplier maintains an inventory tracking server comprising at least one installer account, where an installer account comprises at least one unique identifier for vehicle tracking devices assigned to a particular installer by the supplier; verifying an inventory of tracking devices of the installer by the supplier based on the electronic installation message using the inventory tracking server, where verifying an inventory of tracking devices comprises identifying the installer's level of vehicle tracking devices based on the received serial numbers and the vehicle tracking devices assigned to the installer account associated with the installer by the supplier; and notifying the installer of a low inventory via an electronic message initiated by the supplier using the inventory tracking server when a set threshold is reached or exceeded.