Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 12/418,231, filed Apr. 3, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,834,766 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/185,854,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,551,089, filed Jul. 21, 2005, which is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 10/458,690, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,849 filed Jun. 11, 2003, which claims benefit of priority of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/394,263, filed Jul. 9, 2002, the respective disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     a. Field of Invention 
     The invention, generally designated the Assets Locating, Tracking and Surveillance System (ALTSS), relates generally to object or asset locating, tracking, and surveillance, and, more particularly to a method and apparatus for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of physical objects and evidence in environments such as police departments, law offices, and the Courts. 
     b. Description of Related Art 
     It is often necessary to locate and track objects in a timely and efficient manner. Many individuals place a premium on productivity and on minimizing wasted time by facilitating the identification, locating and tracking of objects of interest. This is especially true for the legal system, which often has problems managing physical evidence at various levels of the system. These levels include, for example, the crime scene itself, storage facilities and procedures at police headquarters, the office of the prosecutor, the defense, the Courts, and archival locations. The systems in use today for handling physical evidence range from honor systems and hand-written entries in logs to the more sophisticated bar code systems similar to those used by the New York City Police Department. It has been determined herein through interviews with senior officials of several police departments that the problems associated with locating and tracking evidence are significant. Police officials cite instances where police officers have kept critical evidence in police cars or in their homes for weeks, and sometimes several months. Officials cite many cases of lost evidence that could actually exist somewhere in the systems today. Many instances of evidence tampering and stolen evidence involving narcotics, money and other captured items are also prevalent. Lastly, officials also cite cases that they consider “inside jobs” and emphasize the need to reduce human responsibility in locating, tracking, and surveillance of physical evidence. 
     In a specific case involving the Oklahoma City bombing, a former US Deputy Attorney General stated that the prosecutor&#39;s team could have used an automatic locating and tracking system for managing the vast array of physical evidence during this high profile case. The probe of Timothy McVeigh and the bombing was a complicated operation resulting in reports, photographs, tapes, letters, and other physical objects that numbered in the millions. Three major sites were involved in managing the evidence: Washington, D.C., Denver, Colo., and Oklahoma City. Late in the McVeigh trial, the sudden discovery of nearly 3,100 pieces of physical evidence in Oklahoma City almost jeopardized the case against the conspirators. This type of discovery clearly brings into light the need for an automatic locating and tracking system for managing evidence. 
     In more recent development, a new law called “The Innocence Protection Act” is being enacted in Washington, D.C. and other areas of the country, and requires law enforcement to maintain certain documents and violent crime evidence that may later be subjected to DNA testing. Under the Innocence Protection Act, storage of documents and evidence may last as long as 60 to 70 years. Since convicts will most likely test the Government&#39;s compliance with this law at the 10, 15, 20, or 30-year marks, the new law has implications in that law enforcement will need better ways of tracking evidence during the collection and litigation processes. Law enforcement will also need better ways of locating, tracking and retrieving evidence years later. 
     Since current systems for tracking objects are inadequate for managing physical evidence and valued physical assets of the types discussed above, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of physical objects and evidence in environments such as police departments, law offices, and the Courts. Specifically, there remains a need for a method and apparatus for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of physical objects and evidence, which is economically feasible to manufacture, install and service, which is robust in design and which may be configured as needed for a desired aesthetic appearance. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The invention solves the problems and overcomes the drawbacks and deficiencies of prior art systems for tracking objects by providing a method and apparatus for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of physical objects and evidence. 
     Thus, an exemplary aspect of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of physical objects and evidence, which is economically feasible to manufacture, install and service, which is robust in design and which may be configured as needed for a desired aesthetic appearance. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which is simple to operate, yet provides users with the flexibility of describing and analyzing objects and related aspects thereof in sufficient detail. 
     Yet other aspects of the present invention are to provide a method and apparatus which is usable in a variety of environments, easily modifiable, secure, efficient in operation and user-friendly. 
     The present invention achieves the aforementioned exemplary aspects by employing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, computer programming and database applications, networking technologies, and hardware elements for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of objects. Alternatively, the present invention may employ laser and/or infrared technology, computer programming and database applications, networking technologies, and hardware elements for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of objects. The Assets Locating, Tracking and Surveillance System (ALTSS) of the present invention may provide one or multiple users the ability to perform a wide variety of standard and user-defined locating, tracking, and administrative functions. ALTSS may be used to locate and track merchandise, physical evidence, information carriers like files, folders or individual pieces of paper, and people, under certain conditions, in near-real time. It may be configured as part of a local area network, a wide area network, or the Internet. ALTSS may also be utilized by users who are interested in finding physical objects in a timely manner. Those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that other than physical evidence, the method and apparatus according to the present invention may be employed for locating, identifying, tracking, and surveillance of a wide variety of objects in environments such as warehouses, offices, department stores, etc. 
     The RFID technology employed by the present invention is a rapidly developing technology. A great deal of explanatory material is available from RFID product manufacturers such as Microchip, SCS, Intermec, and Texas Instruments. Specifically, RFID is a means of storing and retrieving data through electromagnetic transmission to a radio frequency compatible integrated circuit. A simple RFID system may be composed of three components: a scanner, a transponder, and a computer. The transponder may be composed of an antenna coil and silicon chips. The transponder may be an active or passive design depending on whether it contains a power source. The transponder may contain identifying information in its memory. A passive transponder may be energized by a time-varying electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) wave that may be transmitted by the scanner. When the RF field passes through the antenna coil, an AC voltage may be generated across the coil. This voltage may be rectified to supply power to the transponder. The information stored in the transponder may then be transmitted back to the scanner by a process called backscattering. Some transponders may include a “write” capability in that information such as a legal case number or case name may be placed in memory. The read range or distance between the transponder and the antenna of the scanner may vary from a few inches to approximately 25 feet. Transponders having their own power source can generate a read range beyond 25 feet. Scanners and transponders operate in the Very high frequency (VHF), Ultra high frequency (UHF), and low gigahertz bands, and many scanner transponder combinations have FCC Part 15 Certifications. 
     In the case of physical evidence, a user may attach a passive transponder having a compact form factor to an item or box of evidence. The user may then input data into ALTSS via a database form and network browser, thus associating the transponder with a piece of evidence. The user may place the evidence into the system by placing it in an ALTSS container, which may be an oversized cabinet having the look of a large office file cabinet, or another area covered by the system. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drawers may be over six feet in depth and roll outward similar to the drawers of containers in a morgue. The containers may be built to handle the antennas and cables that are attached to the scanners. The antennas, which may be placed in the cabinets, may be small with a read range of 18 to 20 inches. The antennas may be circularly polarized and the transponders may be read in virtually any orientation to the antennas. Similar to radar operations, the antennas at the top of the drawers may divide the area of each drawer into sectors. Precise location of the evidence may depend on the characteristics and placement of the antennas. A transponder attached to evidence and moved into an antenna&#39;s field of view may be detected by the system. Data may be transmitted to the main computer and the system&#39;s back-end processing may then initiate. This processing may update the tracking tables for the evidence in the database. Antennas in the ceiling and doorways of an evidence storage facility may detect and track transponders attached to objects or people. The system&#39;s scanners may be connected to a local area network. Any number of users who have access privileges (i.e. on a need-to-know basis) and who are connected to the network may access ALTSS to locate and track evidence or objects. Remote authorized access to ALTSS in organizations in other cities may also be possible through a connection to the Internet. 
     Specifically, the invention provides a system for locating, identifying and tracking of at least one object or person. The system may include an active or passive transponder affixable to the object or person, a scanner for transmitting and receiving time-varying electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) signals, and an antenna for respectively transmitting and receiving the RF signals to and from the scanner and the transponder. The antenna may be strategically affixable within a facility for enabling the system to process data generated by the transponder, scanner and antenna to locate, identify and track the object or person having the transponder affixed to the object or person. The system may be configured such that the locating determines a position of the object or person, the identifying determines a characteristic by which the object or person is recognizable, and the tracking monitors the course of a moving object or person. 
     For the system described above, the system may further include a plurality of transponders, scanners and antennas. The system may also include at least one application server for processing the data and being logically connectable to the scanner, at least one user terminal and workstation for inputting the data into the system, and at least one database server for managing and storing the data in an enterprise database. The system may include at least one server for processing, managing and storing the data and being logically connectable to the scanner. The system may also include at least one network operatively connecting the scanner, workstation, application server and user terminal for thereby transmitting the data and providing access to the Internet. The network may be an enterprise network. The antenna may be affixed at an entrance of the facility, an exit of the facility, a wall of the facility, a ceiling of the facility and/or furniture within the facility. 
     For the system described above, the system may include a computer program for interrupting at least one of the scanners, and polling the interrupted scanner to determine whether the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner, a scanner affixed on a ceiling or wall of the facility, thereby designated a wall scanner, and/or a scanner for locating and tracking objects within a storage unit within the facility, thereby designated a unit scanner. If the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner and detects a transponder ID, the computer program may include code for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as entering or exiting the facility. If the scanner is a wall scanner and detects a transponder ID, the computer program may include code for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording movement of the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or recording movement of the detected transponder ID. 
     For the system described above, for each unit scanner, the computer program may include code for determining a number of active antennas operationally connected to the unit scanner, cycling through the active antennas and listing all corresponding transponder IDs for transponders in a field of view of the active antennas, reporting the transponder IDs found by each active antenna, and after all unit scanners have been evaluated, comparing a number of the reported transponder IDs with a number of all transponder IDs for transponders known to be in the storage unit. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is greater than the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit does not correspond to each of the reported transponder IDs, then designating the one known transponder ID as a missing transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the missing transponder ID as being removed from the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is equal to the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being unknown and new to the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is less than the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the reported transponder IDs with each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being at least one of unknown and new to the system, and if one of the reported transponder IDs corresponds to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. 
     The system may further include means for interrupting at least one of the scanners, and polling the interrupted scanner to determine whether the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner, a scanner affixed on a ceiling or wall of the facility, thereby designated a wall scanner, and/or a scanner for locating and tracking objects within a storage unit within the facility, thereby designated a unit scanner. If the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner and detects a transponder ID, the system may further include means for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as entering or exiting the facility. If the scanner is a wall scanner and detects a transponder ID, the system may further include means for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording movement of the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or recording movement of the detected transponder ID. 
     For each unit scanner, the system may further include means for determining a number of active antennas operationally connected to the unit scanner, cycling through the active antennas and listing all corresponding transponder IDs for transponders in a field of view of the active antennas, reporting the transponder IDs found by each active antenna, and/or after all unit scanners have been evaluated, comparing a number of the reported transponder IDs with a number of all transponder IDs for transponders known to be in the storage unit. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is greater than the number of reported transponder IDs, the system may further include means for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit does not correspond to each of the reported transponder IDs, then designating the one known transponder ID as a missing transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the missing transponder ID as being removed from the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is equal to the number of reported transponder IDs, the system may further include means for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being unknown and new to the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is less than the number of reported transponder IDs, the system may further include means for comparing each of the reported transponder IDs with each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being at least one of unknown and new to the system, and if one of the reported transponder IDs corresponds to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. The system may also be operable via the Internet. 
     For the system described above, the scanner may include a computer program and/or means for handling deterministic or stochastic polling requests to include stochastic polling requests generated by the scanner itself based on a random event, such as a new transponder entering one of the antenna&#39;s field of view. The system may also include a computer program and/or means for receiving and processing polling requests from the scanner based on event data, and polling the scanner reporting the event data. 
     The invention also provides a system for locating, identifying and tracking of at least one object or person. The system may include an active or passive transponder affixable to the object or person, a scanner for transmitting and receiving a laser and/or an infrared signal, and an antenna for respectively transmitting and receiving the laser and/or infrared signals to and from the scanner and the transponder. The antenna may be strategically affixable within a facility for enabling the system to process data generated by the transponder, scanner and antenna to locate, identify and track the object or person having the transponder affixed to the object or person, and the system being configured such that the locating determines a position of the object or person, the identifying determines a characteristic by which the object or person is recognizable and the tracking monitors the course of a moving object or person. 
     The invention yet further provides a method of locating, identifying and tracking of at least one object or person by means of a system. The method may include affixing an active or passive transponder to the object or person, providing a scanner, providing an antenna, if the transponder is passive, transmitting a time-varying electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) signal by means of the scanner, energizing the transponder by the RF signal, and transmitting information stored in the transponder back to the scanner. If the transponder is active, automatically transmitting the information stored in the transponder back to the scanner, processing the transmitted information to enable locating, identifying and tracking of the object or person, and/or configuring the system such that the locating determines a position of the object or person, the identifying determines a characteristic by which the object or person is recognizable and the tracking monitors the course of a moving object or person. 
     For the method described above, the method may further include providing a plurality of transponders, scanners and antennas. The method may also include interrupting at least one of the scanners, and polling the interrupted scanner to determine whether the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner, a scanner affixed on a ceiling or wall of a facility, thereby designated a wall scanner, and/or a scanner for locating and tracking objects within a storage unit within the facility, thereby designated a unit scanner. If the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner and detects a transponder ID, the method may further include comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as entering or exiting the facility. If the scanner is a wall scanner and detects a transponder ID, the method may further include comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording movement of the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or recording movement of the detected transponder ID. For each unit scanner, the method may further include determining a number of active antennas operationally connected to the unit scanner, cycling through the active antennas and listing all corresponding transponder IDs for transponders in a field of view of the active antennas, reporting the transponder IDs found by each active antenna, and/or after all unit scanners have been evaluated, comparing a number of the reported transponder IDs with a number of all transponder IDs for transponders known to be in the storage unit. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is greater than the number of reported transponder IDs, the method may further include comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit does not correspond to each of the reported transponder IDs, then designating the one known transponder ID as a missing transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the missing transponder ID as being removed from the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is equal to the number of reported transponder IDs, the method may further include comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being unknown and new to the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is less than the number of reported transponder IDs, the method may further include comparing each of the reported transponder IDs with each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being at least one of unknown and new to the system, and if one of the reported transponder IDs corresponds to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. For the method described above, the system may be operable via a network browser and/or the Internet. 
     For the system and method described above, a computer program or other means may be provided for polling at least one scanner to determine whether the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner, a scanner affixed on a ceiling or wall of the facility, thereby designated a wall scanner, and/or a scanner for locating and tracking objects within a storage unit within the facility, thereby designated a unit scanner. 
     The invention also provides a system for locating, identifying and tracking of at least one object or person. The system may include an active or passive transponder affixable to the object or person, a scanner for transmitting and receiving time-varying electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) signals, and/or an antenna for respectively transmitting and receiving the RF signals to and from the scanner and the transponder. The antenna may be strategically affixable within a facility, and the system may include locating, identifying and tracking means for enabling the system to process data generated by the transponder, scanner and antenna to locate, identify and track the object or person having the transponder affixed to the object or person, with the locating means enabling location of a position of the object or person, the identifying means enabling identification of a characteristic by which the object or person is recognizable and the tracking means enabling tracking of the course of a moving object or person. 
     For the system described above, the system may also include at least one application server for processing the data and being logically connectable to the scanner, at least one user terminal and workstation for inputting the data into the system, and at least one database server for managing and storing the data in an enterprise database. The antenna may be affixed at an entrance of the facility, an exit of the facility, a wall of the facility, a ceiling of the facility, and/or furniture within the facility. The system may include a computer program for interrupting at least one of the scanners, and polling the interrupted scanner to determine whether the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner, a scanner affixed on a ceiling or wall of the facility, thereby designated a wall scanner, and/or scanner for locating and tracking objects within a storage unit within the facility, thereby designated a unit scanner. If the scanner is an entrance/exit scanner and detects a transponder ID, the computer program may include code for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as entering or exiting the facility. If the scanner is a wall scanner and detects a transponder ID, the computer program may include code for comparing known transponder IDs with the detected transponder ID, if one of the known transponder IDs does not correspond to the detected transponder ID, then recording movement of the detected transponder ID and/or indicating the detected transponder ID as being unknown, and if one of the known transponder IDs corresponds to one of the detected transponder IDs, then recording the detected transponder ID and/or recording movement of the detected transponder ID. For each unit scanner, the computer program may include code for determining a number of active antennas operationally connected to the unit scanner, cycling through the active antennas and listing all corresponding transponder IDs for transponders in a field of view of the active antennas, reporting the transponder IDs found by each active antenna, and after all unit scanners have been evaluated, comparing a number of the reported transponder IDs with a number of all transponder IDs for transponders known to be in the storage unit. 
     If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is greater than the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit does not correspond to each of the reported transponder IDs, then designating the one known transponder ID as a missing transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the missing transponder ID as being removed from the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is equal to the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit with each of the reported transponder IDs, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being unknown and new to the system, and if one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit corresponds to one of the reported transponder IDs, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna, 
     If the number of all transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit is less than the number of reported transponder IDs, the computer program may include code for comparing each of the reported transponder IDs with each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, if one of the reported transponder IDs does not correspond to each of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of said reported transponder ID, designating the one reported transponder ID as an unknown transponder ID, and/or indicating the object having the unknown transponder ID as being at least one of unknown and new to the system, and if one of the reported transponder IDs corresponds to one of the transponder IDs known to be in the storage unit, then recording a location of the object relative to the field of view of the corresponding active antenna. 
     The lexicon of key words for this application is as follows: Detecting—the act of determining the existence of an object in space and time; Identifying—the act of determining the characteristic or set of characteristics by which an object or thing (or person) is definitively recognizable or known; locating—the act of determining or specifying the position of an object or determining the place where something is or could be located; Tracking—the monitoring of the course of a moving object; Surveillance—the systematic observation of an assigned coverage region for the detection and tracking of objects or people. Further, surveillance includes the close, dedicated observation at all times of an object or person in one or more assigned coverage regions. 
     Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation without limiting the scope of the invention as claimed. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and together with the detail description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of the Assets Locating, Tracking and Surveillance System (ALTSS) according to the present invention, installed in a facility, for locating, identifying, tracking, and providing surveillance of objects and people, under certain conditions; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of the ALTSS apparatus of  FIG. 1 , illustrating how ALTSS can track evidence and a user; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of the ALTSS apparatus of  FIG. 1 , installed into a container for storing, locating, and tracking objects; 
         FIG. 4  is a side cutout view of the container of  FIG. 3 , illustrating an exemplary installation method of the ALTSS apparatus of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for polling scanners in a network and collecting data on detected transponders; 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for placing transponder readings from different scanners into a database; 
         FIGS. 7 ,  8 ,  9 , and  10  are flow charts of processes, consistent with this invention, for locating, identifying, and tracking objects; 
         FIG. 11  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for providing surveillance of objects in an area; 
         FIG. 12  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for detecting transponders and processing data from transponders attached to objects and people at the entrance and exit of a facility; 
         FIG. 13  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for employing ceiling antennas for detecting transponders and tracking transponders attached to objects and people in a facility; 
         FIG. 14  is an exemplary graphic user interface, consistent with this invention, for inputting data into and extracting information from ALTSS; 
         FIGS. 15 and 16  are illustrations of data outputs, consistent with this invention, resulting from the front-end processing of ALTSS; 
         FIG. 17  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for providing surveillance of individual objects; 
         FIG. 18  is an exemplary diagram of a network employing the ALTSS apparatus of the present invention; 
         FIG. 19  is a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for scanners in a network collecting event data from detected transponders and transmitting a request for polling to a back-end system is shown. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIGS. 1-19  illustrate an Assets Locating, Tracking and Surveillance System (ALTSS), hereinafter referred to as “ALTSS” or “the system”, according to the present invention, generally designated  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , ALTSS  20  for identifying, locating, tracking, and providing surveillance over physical evidence (also referred to as objects)  22  and people (also referred to as users)  24 , is illustrated as being installed in an exemplary facility  101 . Facility  101  may be divided into sectors in accordance with the radio frequency coverage (footprint) of antennas  102 , which are located in the ceiling (not shown) thereof. Other antennas, similar to antenna  102 , may be positioned in the ceiling as needed to cover remaining sectors of facility  101 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate in view of this disclosure that additional antennas (not shown) may be placed at various strategic locations, such as on top of furniture, at wall and/or ceiling corners etc., without departing from the scope of this invention. Antennas  102  may be connected to scanners  103 . In an exemplary embodiment, the read range of antennas  102  and scanners  103  from the ceiling downward may be approximately 18 feet. A transponder  104  (being attached to an object) or  105  (being attached to a person) entering the field of view of a ceiling antenna  102  may be detected by scanner  103 . One or more additional antennas  106  may cover the entrance and exit  112  of facility  101 . In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 1 , antennas  106  may be configured to provide a read range of less than four feet, or the width of entrance  112 . Accordingly, a transponder  104  or  105  entering the field of view of antennas  106  is detected by scanner  103 . Any movement by transponder  104  or  105  about facility  101  may be thereby detected and recorded by ALTSS  20 . As shown in greater detail in  FIGS. 2-4 , a container  107  may be equipped with small antennas  302  and a number of scanners  103  to locate, identify, and track transponder  104  and similar transponders that are attached to objects  22  placed inside container  107 . It is apparent that several containers  107  or shelves may be used in facility  101  to store objects. As shown in  FIG. 1 , scanners  103  may be connected to a local area network  108  by hard-wiring or wireless connections, for example. Local-area network  108  may provide access to Internet  109 . A data and application server  110  may be connected to network  108 . Server  110  may perform all back-end processing for ALTSS  20 . Front-end processing for ALTSS  20  may be performed at user terminals  111 . Any number of user terminals  111  may be attached to local area network  108  and provide access to ALTSS  20 . If granted access, a user at terminal  111  may use his/her network browser to determine the real-time status and location of any object  22  that has been detected by ALTSS  20  (past or present). Moreover, if granted access, a user may also use Internet  109  to determine the status and location of objects in other ALTSS systems in other cities around the world. ALTSS  20  may also automatically generate user-defined reports to supervisors or to specific user terminals  111  covering any time frame of system operations. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an alternative view of an evidence room is disclosed and illustrates how ALTSS  20  may track evidence  22  and user  24 . User  24  having access to facility  101  may have a small transponder  105  attached to his/her badge, for example. Once user  24  enters facility  101  through the field of antenna  106 , he/she is identified by ALTSS  20  and further tracked throughout facility  101  via antennas  102 . Any movement of transponder  104  on evidence  22  from one location to another within facility  101  would therefore be automatically tracked by ALTSS  20 . Evidence taken from facility  101  by user  24  through the field of antenna  106  is automatically associated with user  24  and is logged out of ALTSS  20  with that user. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 ,  FIGS. 3 and 4  specifically provide a closer look at container  107  which may be an oversized cabinet having the look of a large office file cabinet. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 3 , drawers  301  may be over six feet in depth and roll outward similar to the drawers of containers in a morgue. Those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that containers  107  may be designed to handle antennas  302  and associated cables attached to scanners  103 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , similar to radar operations, antennas  302  along the top of the drawers  301  may divide the area of each drawer  301  into small sectors. A transponder  104  attached to evidence  22  and moved into the field of view of an antenna  302  may be detected by ALTSS  20 . Data may then be transmitted to application server  110 , where the back-end processing of ALTSS  20  takes place (discussed in greater detail below). Antennas  302  along the top of drawers  301  may be small in size, having a read range of approximately 18 to 20 inches, for example. Antennas  302  may be circularly polarized and transponders  104  may be read in virtually any orientation to antennas  302 . The location of an object  22  in cabinet  107  would depend on the placement of antennas  302  inside the drawers. As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the location of object  22  in cabinet  107  can be resolved to one third of drawer  301 . 
     With specific reference to  FIGS. 5-13 , the back-end processing of ALTSS  20  will be discussed in detail below. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , to start the back-end process, a scanner communications session may be established between server  110  and each scanner  103  (step  502 ). Loop  1 , the main loop, may start and continue until all scanners  103  are disconnected manually or disconnected by means of a timing mechanism (step  504 ). As scanners  103  are polled, either sequentially or by a stochastically derived technique (to include a unilaterally initiated request for polling by scanner  103  based on some random event), ALTSS  20  may check the job of the selected scanner  103  at the moment. If scanner  103  deals with the surveillance of physical evidence, path “E” would be taken (step  506 ). If scanner  103  monitors the entrance or exit of an evidence room or facility, path “F” would be taken (step  508 ). If the scanner  103  is attached to antennas  102  that are located in the ceiling of facility  101 , path “G” would be taken (step  510 ). Otherwise, scanner  103  involves the locating and tracking of physical evidence  22  in ALTSS containers  107 . 
     For those scanners  103  involved with the locating and tracking of physical evidence  22  (with transponder  104  attached) in container  107 , scanner  103  may first determine the number of active antennas  302  that are attached (step  512 ). Scanner  103  may then cycle through each antenna  302  and list all transponders  104  in the antenna&#39;s field of view (step  514 ). On command, scanner  103  may report the specific transponders  104  found by each antenna  302  (step  516 ). 
     As shown next in  FIG. 6 , Loop  2 , an internal loop (step  610 ), is started and each reported ID for transponder  104  (also referred to as transponder ID  104 ), along with the attendant ID for antenna  302  (also referred to as antenna ID  302 ), may be placed in a buffer (step  620 ). This information may then be moved into a temporary database table (step  630 ). Loop  2  continues until all detected transponder IDs  104  and antennas IDs  302  involved are recorded in the temporary table (step  640 ). Scanner  103  may then end its report of transponder IDs  104  and antenna IDs  302  (step  650 ). The system may then go to the next scanner  103 , note the timer position, and start Loop  1  (step  660 ). Loop  1  may continue until all scanners have reported their findings (step  504 ). 
     ALTSS  20  may then populate a table, designated the old table, with all transponder IDs  104  that have been attached to items of evidence and entered therein at an initial time (step  670 ). A separate table, designated the evidence status table or new table, may contain the processed results and adjustments of evidence IDs and transponder IDs  104  from the last complete cycle of scanners  103 . The system may then compare the number of transponder IDs  104  detected and placed in the temporary new table with the number of transponder IDs  104  known to be in the system at an initial time (i.e. those in the old table) (step  680 ). 
     Continuing from step  680  into  FIG. 7 , if the number of transponder IDs  104  in the old table is greater than the number in the temporary table (step  710 ), ALTSS  20  may then start Loop  3  (step  720 ). If not, ALTSS  20  may follow path “C”. During Loop  3 , which is another internal loop and is explained in greater detail below, ALTSS  20  may select one transponder ID  104  from the old table and compare it with each transponder ID  104  of the new table (step  730 ). If there is a match (step  740 ), ALTSS  20  may update the location of the evidence in an evidence location table based on the location of the sensing antenna (step  760 ). ALTSS  20  may then set appropriate flags in the location table if, for example, the physical evidence is being placed back into the system (step  770 ). ALTSS  20  may also enter the date and time and comments in appropriate system logs (step  780 ). If there is not a match (step  750 ), ALTSS  20  may set appropriate flags and make entries in the logs indicating that evidence  22  is now outside container  107 . Loop  3  may be repeated until all old and new transponder IDs and evidence IDs  104  are accounted for (step  790 ). 
     Continuing from  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 8 , when ALTSS  20  follows path “C”, it encounters a decision statement that asks whether the number in the old table is equal to the number in the new table (step  810 ). If the answer is yes, the system starts Loop  4  (step  820 ). If the answer is no, the system follows path “D”. During Loop  4 , another internal loop, ALTSS  20  may select one transponder ID  104  from the old table and compare it with each transponder ID  104  of the new table (step  830 ). If there is a match (step  840 ), ALTSS  20  may update the location of the evidence in the evidence location table based on the location of the sensing antenna  302  (step  850 ). Appropriate flags, dates, and times may be set in the table and comments may be made in the logs if evidence leaves or enters ALTSS  20  (steps  860  and  870 ). Loop  4  may be repeated until all old and new transponder IDs  104  are accounted for (step  890 ). If a match is not found during the comparative process, alarms and reports may be generated and entries may be made in the logs (step  880 ). Loop  4  may be repeated until all transponder IDs are accounted for (step  890 ). 
     Continuing from  FIG. 8  to  FIG. 9 , if ALTSS  20  follows path “D”, it encounters a decision statement that asks whether the number in the old table is less than the number in the new table (step  910 ). If the answer is yes, ALTSS  20  may start Loop  5  (step  920 ). If the answer is no, ALTSS  20  may proceed into a safety mode in which alarms and reports are generated and comments are made to logs (step  930 ). ALTSS  20  may then return to Loop  1 , the main loop (step  940 ). During Loop  5 , ALTSS  20  may select one transponder ID  104  from the new table and compare it with each transponder E)  104  of the old table (step  950 ). If there is a match (step  960 ), ALTSS  20  may then update the location of the evidence in the evidence location table based on the location of sensing antenna  302  (step  970 ). Again, appropriate flags, dates and times may be set in the table and comments may be made in the logs if evidence  22  equipped with a transponder  104  enters the system (steps  980  and  990 ). Loop  5  may be repeated until all known transponder IDs are accounted for (step  992 ). If a match is not found at step  960 , ALTSS  20  may attempt to determine the validity of the transponder ID and/or generate alarms and reports and place comments in the logs (step  998 ). After accounting for the location and status of all transponder IDs and making adjustments to tables, ALTSS  20  may clear the temporary database table (step  994 ) and return to Loop  1  (step  996 ). 
       FIG. 10  provides a more detailed look at the actions inside Loop  3  involving steps  720  to  790  above. Specifically, if the number of transponder IDs  104  in the old table is greater than the number in the new table (step  1010 ), ALTSS  20  may establish a for loop (Loop  3 ) with a counter that is based on the number of transponder IDs  104  in the old table (step  1012 ). ALTSS  20  may then select one transponder ID  104  from the old table and establish a separate inner loop to compare that transponder ID  104  with each of the transponder IDs  104  from the new table (step  1014 ). If the old transponder ID  104  matches the new transponder ID  104  (step  1016 ), ALTSS  20  may update the location of evidence  22  in the evidence location table based on the physical location of the sensing antenna  302  (step  1018 ). The flags in the evidence location table may be checked to determine whether evidence  22  is being returned to the system. If so, appropriate flags may be changed (step  1020 ). Appropriate comments may also be made automatically in the location table and in separate log tables (step  1030 ). If the old transponder ID  104  does not match any of the new transponder IDs  104  at step  1016 , the flags for the old transponder ID  104  may be checked in the evidence location table (step  1040 ). The first flag being set to zero would indicate evidence  22  being removed from containers  107  (step  1050 ). The flag may be changed to indicate this action and updated entries may be made to the evidence location table and logs (steps  1060  and  1070 ). If the first flag is not set to zero, a second flag may be checked (step  1080 ). The second flag being null would indicate transponder  104  being attached to a new piece of evidence now entering ALTSS  20 . To reflect this action, appropriate flags may be set for transponder  104  and the associated piece of evidence  22  in the location table (step  1090 ). The physical location of evidence  22  may be updated in the location table and comments may be made in the system logs (step  1092 ). If the second flag is not null, ALTSS  20  may generate an alarm indicating a deviation therein requiring management attention (step  1094 ). Loop  3  may be repeated until all transponders  104  are accounted for (step  1096 ). 
       FIG. 11  is a flow diagram (path “E”) of the case in which a dedicated scanner  103  is associated with the surveillance of physical evidence in an area. The first decision point along path “E” may be whether scanner  103  is set for dedicated surveillance of objects  22  (step  1110 ). If so, the system may move to step  1120 . If scanner  103  does not find the proper transponders “x”  104  (that are attached to evidence  22 ) in its field of view, ALTSS  20  may activate alarms, generate reports, and make entries in the logs (step  1150 ). If the transponders “x”  104  are found, the next decision point may be whether special hidden transponders “y”  104  are detected by the system (step  1130 ). If evidence  22  is moved in a certain direction, the special transponders “y”  104  may be exposed to the scanner&#39;s antennas (either  102  or  302 ). Assuming that transponders “y”  104  are not detected, the system may move to the next decision point (step  1140 ). If evidence  22  is moved in a different direction, special transponders “w”  104  may be exposed to antennas  102  or  302 . Exposure of transponders “y” or “w”  104  may sound alarms and generate reports (step  1150 ). Otherwise, ALTSS  20  may update the status and timestamps of the evidence location table and the system logs as required (step  1170 ). ALTSS  20  may then set the scanner&#39;s next polling cycle and return to Loop  1  (steps  1160  and  1180 ). It should be noted that the dedicated surveillance scanner(s)  103  may be polled more frequently than the other scanners  103 . 
       FIG. 12  (path “F”) shows the case in which polled scanner  103  is associated with the detection of transponders  104  or  105  at the entrance or exit  112  of an evidence handling facility  101  (step  1202 ). The current invention assumes that all users having access to facility  101  would wear prominently exposed badges. As discussed above, attached to the badge of a user  24  may be a small transponder  105  that may be detected by properly placed system antennas  106  at the entrance and exit  112  of facility  101 . If a door antenna  106  detects transponders  104  or  105  in its field of view, ALTSS  20  may place transponder IDs  104  or  105  and their date-time stamps (in terms of thousands or millions of seconds) in a buffer and then in a special table via actions similar to the actions taken in Loop  1  (step  1204 ). Data on detected transponders  104  or  105  may be placed in the buffer according to the time that the detection takes place. Those transponders  104  or  105  that enter the field of view of a given antenna  102  or  302  first, may be detected first according to their times of arrival in thousands or millions of a second, for example. ALTSS  20  may then begin Loop F- 1  (step  1206 ), and then check to see whether the last transponder  104  or  105  in the special table has been handled (step  1208 ). If not, a transponder ID  104  or  105  may be selected from the special table (step  1210 ) and a separate inner loop may be established for comparing the transponder ID  104  or  105  with the transponder IDs  105  associated with users  24  having access to facility  101  (step  1212 ). If a match occurs (step  1214 ), ALTSS  20  may check a flag for that user  24  in the users&#39; table to determine if user  24  is entering or exiting facility  101  (step  1216 ). A user  24  entering facility  101  will have the flag set to zero. Once inside entrance  112 , the flag may be set to one. The location of user  24  at entrance  112  may also be recorded (step  1218 ). Loop F- 1  may be repeated if more than one transponder is detected at entrance  112  (step  1220 ). If the next transponder  104  or  105  being examined does not match a transponder ID  105  associated with a user  24  (step  1214 ), a separate inner loop may be established for comparing the transponder ID  104  or  105  with the transponder IDs  104  associated with all physical evidence  22  in the system (step  1222 ). If there is not a match (step  1224 ), ALTSS  20  may generate an alarm and send a report to management. An entry may also made in the system logs of ALTSS  20  (step  1226 ). If there is a match, ALTSS  20  may check a flag for that piece of evidence  22  in the evidence location table to determine if evidence  22  is entering or leaving facility  101 . A piece of evidence  22  entering facility  101  would have its table flag set to zero (step  1228 ). Next, a series of processes may be taken to associate evidence  22  entering or leaving facility  101  with a user  24  entering or leaving facility  101 . Essentially this is done by linking user  24  with the item of evidence  22  where the transponder-detected times between the user and evidence are minimal when compared with the transponder-detected times between the evidence in question and any other user entering facility  101  in a given timeframe (step  1230 ). ALTSS  20  may then make appropriate entries in the system logs (step  1230 ). When all detected transponders in the special tables have been handled, all special tables may be cleared (step  1232 ), and ALTSS  20  may return to Loop  1  (step  1234 ). 
       FIG. 13  (path “G”) shows the case in which the polled scanner  103  is associated with ceiling antennas  102 . As discussed above, antennas  102  may be much larger than antennas  302  used in ALTSS containers  107 , and include a much greater read range. Antennas  102  may be circular polarized antennas so that the orientation of transponders  104  or  105  is not a factor. A transponder  104  passing within the field of view of antenna  102  would therefore be detected. Similar to radar operations, facility  101  may be divided into sectors and each antenna  102  may cover one of the sectors. Thus, any movement of a transponder  104  or  105  from one sector to another may be detected and tracked. The ceiling scanner  103  may cycle through each antenna  102  and list all transponders  104  or  105  in the antenna&#39;s field of view. If a ceiling antenna  102  detects transponders  104  or  105  in its field of view (step  1302 ), ALTSS  20  places the transponder IDs  104  or  105  and the transponders&#39; times of detection in a special table via actions similarly to the actions taken in Loop  1  (step  1304 ). ALTSS  20  may then begin Loop G- 1  (step  1306 ) and check to see whether the last transponder  104  or  105  in the special table has been handled (step  1307 ). If ALTSS  20  has handled the last transponder  104  or  105 , it may clear the special table (step  1340 ) and return to Loop  1  (step  1342 ). If not, one transponder ID  104  or  105  may be selected from the special table (step  1308 ) and a separate inner loop may be established that compares the transponder ID  104  or  105  with the transponder IDs  105  associated with users  24  having access to facility  101  (step  1310 ). If a match occurs (step  1312 ), ALTSS  20  may check a flag for that user in the users&#39; table to determine if user  24  has properly entered facility  101 . ALTSS  20  may then record the time and location of user  24  in the users&#39; table based on the sector covered by the sensing antenna  102  (step  1314 ). Another flag may be set for user  24  in the users&#39; table that indicates that a certain ceiling antenna  102  has detected the presence of the user (step  1316 ). ALTSS  20  may then place any further comments in the logs (step  1318 ) and repeat Loop G- 1  as required (step  1320 ). If there is not a match during the next iteration of the loop (step  1312 ), a separate inner loop may be established that compares transponder ID  104  or  105  in question with the transponder IDs  104  associated with all physical evidence  22  (step  1322 ). If there is not a match (step  1324 ), ALTSS  20  may generate an alarm and report to management (step  1326 ). If there is a match, ALTSS  20  may check a flag for that piece of evidence  22  in the evidence location table to determine if the evidence is checked out of the ALTSS containers  107 . Another flag may be set in the evidence location table to indicate that a ceiling antenna  102  has detected the presence of the evidence (step  1328 ). According to the detected transponder times in hundreds of a second, for example, transponder ID  105  representing the user and transponder ID  104  representing evidence may be linked at the sector location (step  1330 ). ALTSS  20  may then record the location and/or time of. evidence  22  in the evidence location table based on the sector covered by sensing antenna  102  (step  1318 ). When all transponder IDs in the special table have been handled, the special tables may be cleared (step  1340 ), and ALTSS  20  may return to Loop  1  (step  1342 ). 
     It should be noted that all actions of user  24  with ALTSS  20  and the system responses to those actions occur via the front-end. The back-end processing of ALTSS  20  occur in the background, and are preferably configured to be out of reach of the user. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 14 , an exemplary graphic user interface  1400  is disclosed. User interface  1400  may be a form to input data into ALTSS  20 , to delete data from ALTSS  20 , and to query information about operations in ALTSS  20 . In an exemplary embodiment, user interface  1400  may be created with Oracle 9i or later software, but may likewise be created with appropriate software from other software vendors, such as Microsoft or Sun (JAVA), so long as user interface  1400  can interact with the underlying database. Those skilled in the art would also appreciate in view of this disclosure that the labels assigned to the blocks on user interface  1400  are for exemplary purposes only, and may be changed according to the needs of a specific user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , the first block may be labeled “Folder Id”  1402 , and may be used to assign the identification number to evidence of object  22  or to an asset. In the case of evidence, the identification number may be assigned to a piece of physical evidence. The number may normally be a sequential number that is automatically presented by the system for assignment to the next object. User  24  may accept the number or choose a different number. The next block on the right may be labeled “Tag Id”  1404 , which may be a unique transponder number that identifies transponder  104  or  105  in ALTSS  20 . ALTSS  20  may present transponder IDs  104  or  105  in the form of a list of values to user  24 . By accepting this number, user  24  assigns transponder ID  104  to numbered object  22  identified by first block  1402 . The next block may be labeled “Folder Name”  1406 . For evidence, the information contained in block  1406  may represent, for example, a case name such as “Dillinger.” The next block to the right may be labeled “Date of Last Action”  1408 , which may be the date and time of the last action involving object  22 . An action may include, for example, object  22  being moved from ALTSS  20  or being moved to another container  107 . The next block may be labeled “Comments”  1410 , and may be used for cryptic comments about a case. The next block may be labeled “Drawer Id”  1412 , and may provide the location of the evidence by sector and drawer number. For example, block  1412  may contain “Sector  2 - 2 ” which means sector two of drawer two. The next block may be labeled “Surveillance of object” or “Place under Surveillance”  1414 . By checking block  1414 , user  24  may place object  22  in question under surveillance. User  24  may place one, some, or all objects  22  in the system under surveillance. Additional details about this surveillance approach are discussed in reference to  FIG. 17  below. Skipping the row of buttons in the center of  FIG. 14  for the moment, the next data block may be labeled “Cabinet Id”  1416 . The information may represent the cabinet number of cabinet  107  containing drawer  301  indicated in the “Drawer Id” block above (see  1412 ). The last block may be labeled “Cabinet Location”  1418 , which is self-explanatory. 
     Normally, ALTSS  20  may set user interface  1400  for input of new data by a user. Only the first three blocks may be used to enter an object or piece of evidence  22  into ALTSS  20 . The “Folder Id” may be given by ALTSS  20 . The next “Tag Id′ may be presented by the system and chosen by user  24 . User  24  may then enter the name of object  22  into ALTSS  20 . By clicking the button labeled Save, user  24  may place object  22  into ALTSS  20 . User  24  may then physically attach transponder  104  to object  22  and place object  22  into container  107 . ALTSS  20  may then electronically locate and track object  22  while it is in the system. 
     To find the location or status of an object or piece of evidence  22 , user  24  may click the Enter Query button  1420  to place ALTSS  20  in the query mode. If user  24  knows the “Folder Id”  1402 , “Folder Name”  1406  or an alias, then user  24  may enter any or all of this information at user interface  1400  and click on the button “Execute Query”  1420 . The specific location of object  22  or its status and other information may be displayed at user interface  1400 . Those skilled in the art would appreciate in view of this disclosure that the buttons labeled “next record” (&gt;), “prior record” (&lt;), Save, Exit, and Clear are all standard buttons on a user interface, and therefore, these buttons will not be described in further detail. 
     At the bottom of user interface  1400 , the button labeled Folder Details  1424  may cause additional information to appear concerning the subject of a query. For example, suppose a query is run on the location of a piece of physical evidence in the case of John Dillinger, in order to obtain some additional information about this individual, user  24  may click Folder Details button  1424 .  FIG. 15  shows the new form  1500  that is displayed with additional information about John Dillinger  1502 . 
     Referring back to the main user interface  1400  of  FIG. 14 , when user  24  clicks the button labeled Assets  1426 , ALTSS  20  may present a table containing a list of all objects or evidence  22  that are being handled. When user  24  clicks the button Resources  1428 , ALTSS  20  may present a series of tables containing the resources of the system, such as transponders, scanners, antennas, drawers, cabinets, network devices, and other devices.  FIG. 16  shows an example of a table for transponders IDs  104  or  105  ( 1602 ). Referring back to the main user interface  1400  of  FIG. 14 , when user  24  clicks the button Users  1430 , ALTSS  20  may present a listing of all users having access to the system. When user  24  clicks the button Histories  1432 , ALTSS  20  may present a series of tables of system logs, listing all operations within the system. After a period of operations, it is apparent that a great deal of information will be stored in the system&#39;s database. By clicking on the button Reports  1434 , user  24  may be presented with a parameter form, by which he/she can select the kinds of information he/she wants to view. For example, user  24  may want to see the objects entering and leaving facility  101  during a time period. Alternatively, user  24  may want to know the individuals entering facility  101  during a time period and the items taken from the facility. User  24  may also want to know the items logged outside of ALTSS  20  beyond a specific time period. These kinds of reports and more can be generated automatically by ALTSS  20  and sent to a designated user terminal (for example, the terminal of a supervisor). 
       FIG. 17  expands the discussion for the case in which a user wants to provide surveillance on a particular object at surveillance block  1414  ( FIG. 14 ). When user  24  selects surveillance block  1414 , ALTSS  20  enables the surveillance procedure for object  22  (step  1702 ) and sets appropriate flags in the database (step  1704 ). ALTSS  20  then sets other flags in the database when object  22  is moved. If object  22  under surveillance has not moved (step  1706 ), ALTSS  20  encounters a time delay before checking again for any movement (step  1708 ). If object  22  has moved, ALTSS  20  may generate an alert message to user  24 , identifying the object and its surveillance location (step  1710 ). ALTSS  20  may then place appropriate entries in the system logs and start a timer for each object  22  (step  1712 ). After a time delay (step  1714 ), the system may check for any response or action caused by the message (step  1716 ). If no response or action has been taken, ALTSS  20  may send a second alert message (steps  1718  and  1710 ). After two alert messages have been sent, or a response to a message has been received, or some action has been taken, ALTSS  20  may cease to send alert messages concerning object  22  (step  1720 ). 
     For the ALTSS  20  apparatus and method described above, having more than one scanner  103  in the system requires that the scanners  103  be networked.  FIG. 18  is an exemplary diagram of such a network employing the ALTSS  20  apparatus of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 18 , an Ethernet local area network  108  may tie together application server  110 , database server  1804 , user terminals  111 , and a number of scanners  103 . Those skilled in the art would appreciate in view this disclosure that Ethernet  108  may be an enterprise network having many attached components in addition to those shown here. Scanners  103  may be nodes on Ethernet  108 , and may be connected to the network, for example, via a RS-232 to Ethernet converter, which is a third party device server. Scanners  103  and application server  110  may operate in a peer-to-peer mode, with each carrying out its many functions. 
     User terminals  111 , workstations  1802 , applications server  110 , and database server  1804  may employ a logical three-tier architecture. The client tier (user terminals  111  and workstations  1802 ) may contain the Web browser that displays the application (see  FIG. 14 ) and handle the front-end processing for the user. The middle tier, being the application server  110 , may store the application logic and server software where the back-end processing for the invention takes place. The database tier may be the database server  1804  for storing and managing enterprise data  1806 . 
     For a large enterprise network  108 , a user  24  may employ a router to partition the network into a smaller logical sub-network of ALTSS components. This allows the sub-net to be fast and efficient in handling traffic for ALTSS  20 . The local area network  108  may provide access to the Internet  109 . For example, assuming that ALTSS  20  is located in a distant city  1808  and that a user  24  of ALTSS  20  located in a city in Maryland has permission to access ALTSS  20  files in an organization in the distant city, just as user  24  does to access any Web page over Internet  109 , user  24  may use his/her browser to gain access to ALTSS  20  files in distant city  1808 . After user  24  logs on to the distant site, a form&#39;s applet, for example (i.e.  FIG. 14 ) and requested data may be presented to user  24  at his/her terminal as if user  24  were physically located at the distant site. 
     Referring next to  FIG. 19 , a flow chart of a process, consistent with this invention, for scanners in a network collecting event data from detected transponders and transmitting a request for polling to a back-end system is shown. 
     As shown in  FIG. 19 , to start the back-end process, a scanner communications session may be established between server  110  and each scanner  103  (step  1902 ). Loop  1 , the main loop; may start and continue until all scanners  103  are interrupted, disconnected manually, or disconnected by means of a timing mechanism (step  1904 ). Polling of the scanners may be accomplished by the back-end system in a deterministic or stochastic manner. Scanners  103  may unilaterally initiate requests for polling by scanner  103  based on some random event, such as the detection of a new transponder in an antenna&#39;s field of view (step  1906 ). Scanner  103  involves the locating and tracking of physical evidence  22  in ALTSS containers  107 . 
     Loop  2 , an internal loop (step  1906 ), may start and each reported ID for transponder  104  (also referred to as transponder ID  104 ), along with the attendant ID for antenna  302  (also referred to as antenna ID  302 ), may be placed in a buffer (step  1908 ). This information may then be moved into a temporary database table (step  1910 ). Loop  2  continues until all detected transponder IDs  104  and antennas IDs  302  involved are recorded in the temporary table (step  1812 ). Loop  1  may continue until all scanners have reported their findings (step  1904 ). 
     ALTSS  20  may then populate a table, designated the old table, with all transponder IDs  104  that have been attached to items of evidence and entered therein at an initial time (step  1914 ). A separate table, designated the evidence status table or new table, may contain the processed results and adjustments of evidence IDs and transponder IDs  104  from the last complete cycle of scanners  103 . The system may then compare the number of transponder IDs  104  detected and placed in the temporary new table with the number of transponder IDs  104  known to be in the system at an initial time (i.e. those in the old table) (step  1916 ). Continuing from step  1916 , if the number of transponder IDs  104  in the old table is not equal to the number in the temporary table (step  1920 ), ALTSS  20  may follow path “C” as shown in  FIG. 7 . If yes, ALTSS  20  may follow the path beginning with step  720  of  FIG. 7 . Alternatively, ALTSS  20  may also enter comments in logs and generate report in the location table (step  1922 ), start Loop  3  (see  FIG. 7 ), and may also unilaterally report an event data to the server  110  to initiate polling (step  1924 ). 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Technology Category: g