Targeted impending arrival notification of a wirelessly connected location device

Description

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

[0001] 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 file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to communications and tracking systems that track the location, movement, and destination of vehicles or individuals.

Description of Related Art

[0003] Many businesses deliver packages to customers and may have one or a fleet of vehicles for such deliveries. A nearly universal problem for these businesses is tracking and planning the movement of the delivery people and vehicles. Fig. 1 shows a tracking system similar to that described in U.S. patent application No. 5,959,577, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The system of Fig. 1 includes multiple mobile units (also referred to herein as rovers) 110. Each rover 110 can be a handheld device that a delivery person carries or a device mounted in a vehicle. Each rover 110 contains a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a wireless device, and a control circuit. When activated, the GPS receiver receives signals from GPS satellites 120 and from the signal identifies the position (e.g., longitude and latitude) and velocity of a rover 110. The wireless device, typically a wireless modem, transmits the position and velocity information via a wireless network 130 and the Internet 150 to a service center 140.

[0004] Service center 140 receives and collects data from mobile units 110 and makes the collected data available to a user of a terminal 160. Terminal 160 is typically a computer that connects via the Internet 150 to a web site associated with service center 140. The user can view the data or send a query or message to service center 140 for relaying to a specific rover 110. In response to communications from terminal 160, service center 140 sends the query or message to the selected rover 110.

[0005] Although the system of Fig. 1 provides a convenient method for a business to track deliveries, the system is generally not accessible to the business' customers who may also be interested in knowing when a delivery will arrive. Additionally, the business expecting an arrival of a vehicle at a particular location such as a loading dock must periodically check the position of the vehicle to determine when the vehicle can be expected. This monitoring may be subject to errors since the vehicle while near the destination may be headed elsewhere. Accordingly, a possible improvement of the system of Fig. 1 would be to provide better information indicating expected arrival time and to provide such information not only to the business but also to customers without requiring the business or customers to constantly poll the position of the delivery vehicles.

[0006] US6,124,810 discloses a system for determining when a vehicle has arrived or departed from a location. A processor within the vehicle generates an indication or either an arrival or departure directly to a central facility or to a vehicle operator. The system of US6,124,810 does not overcome all of the problems outlined above.

Summary

[0007] According to the present invention, there is provided an alert generating method comprising: providing to a mobile unit over a wireless network service connection information that identifies conditions for an alert, monitoring in the mobile unit a position of the mobile unit, providing to a service center a signal indicating that the conditions for an alert are satisfied, and alerting a designated location from the service center by sending a message to a recipient at said designated location upon receiving the signal, characterised in that the mobile unit is linked to the Internet by the wireless network service connection, the Internet is linked to the service center, and said message is an email message and is sent to the recipient at said designated location over the Internet.

[0008] The invention also provides a system for alerting a recipient of a delivery, the system including a mobile unit comprising: a location system, a wireless device linking the mobile unit with a service center over a wireless network connection, and a control circuit wherein the control system automatically activates the location system to determine a current location of the mobile unit, determines whether the mobile unit has crossed a threshold, and activates the wireless device to send an alert signal if the mobile unit has crossed the threshold, wherein the control circuit comprises an alerting device, the service center is connected to the mobile unit over the wireless network connection to enable receipt of messages from the mobile unit and connected to the alerting device to enable the service center to activate the alerting device and send alerts, the service center maintaining contact information for the mobile unit, and in response to a signal from the mobile unit, the service center activates the alerting device to send an alert to a designated location identified in the contact information, characterised in that the mobile unit is linked to the Internet by the wireless network service connection, the Internet is connected to the service center, and the service center sends the alert by email to the designated location over the Internet.

[0009] A rover may identify a destination or travel threshold, periodically check the rover's location relative to the destination or threshold, and send an alert to a service center upon nearing the destination or crossing the threshold. Accordingly, the service center can alert a designated party when the rover nears a destination or when the rover leaves an alert area surrounding a location. The alerts can be relayed via an automated telephone message, a pager message, an e-mail message, or any other communication means. The alerts can be used for deliveries by directing an alert to a customer expecting a delivery or to a site expecting a vehicle for loading or unloading. In a private context, the alerts can automatically activate systems such as a home appliances or systems in anticipation of a resident's arrival.

[0010] The conditions for an alert typically include that the mobile unit is headed to a specific destination and is within an alert area surrounding that destination or the mobile unit has entered or left an alert area. The alert can be sent to a telephone, a pager, or an e-mail address.

[0011] A delivery method may include creating a list of destinations for deliveries. The list includes a threshold distance and other information for one or more destinations for which an alert should be generated. A next destination that a delivery vehicle is headed towards is selected from the list for the delivery vehicle, and the delivery vehicle monitors distance between the delivery vehicle and the selected destination. The delivery vehicle generates an alert when the distance is less than a threshold distance associated with the destination. More specifically, generating the alert may include sending a message from the delivery vehicle to a service center, looking-up a designated location that corresponds to the destination, and sending the alert from the service center to the designated location.

[0012] The mobile unit may include a location system, a wireless device, and a control circuit. In one mode, the control system periodically activates the location system to determine a current location of the mobile unit, determines whether the mobile unit has satisfied an alert condition (e.g., has entered or left an alert area), and activates the wireless device to send an alert signal if the mobile unit has satisfied the alert condition. The location system is typically a GPS receiver, and the wireless device is typically a wireless modem or telephone. The control circuit can determine whether the current location is within the alert area by determining whether a distance between the current location and a central point or destination in the alert area is less than or greater than a threshold distance associated with the alert area.

[0013] A communication connection may allow the service center to receive messages from a mobile unit, and the alerting device may allow the service center to send alerts. Generally, the service center maintains contact information for the mobile unit, and in response to a signal from the mobile unit, the service center activates the alerting device to send an alert to a designated location identified in the contact information. The contact information can be kept at the service center or forwarded from the mobile unit to the service center. The service center is generally Internet accessible to allow multiple, geographically disparate people to set the conditions for an alert and the designated location to which the alerting device sends the alert.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] 

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a tracking system.

Fig. 2 shows a tracking and impending arrival notification system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for generating an alert in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0015] Use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a tracking system automatically alerts a designated party before a mobile unit (or rover) arrives at a destination. Fig. 2 illustrates a system 200 implementing alerts in accordance with the invention. System 200 is similar to system 100 described above and includes rovers 210, GPS satellites 120, a wireless network service connection 130, a service center 240, an alerting device 250, the Internet 150, and terminal 160. Rovers 210 and service center 240 of Fig. 2 are similar to rovers 110 and service center 140 of Fig. 1. In particular, service center 240 communicates with and tracks multiple rovers 210, as describe above. However, rovers 210 and service center 240 have additional features for generating impending arrival alerts to designated locations 270. These additional features can be implemented in software or firmware performing the functions described further below.

[0017] Each rover 210 includes a communications package such as the iLM 2000 available from @Road, Inc. The communications package includes a GPS receiver 212, a control circuit 214, and a wireless device 216. GPS receiver 212 when activated interprets signals from GPS satellites 120 to identify the position and velocity of the rover 110. Control circuit 214 has a user interface including a keyboard or other input device for operator control of the communications package, a display or another output device for conveying information such as the status of the package and received messages, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit implements automated operation and commands from the operator or from service center 240.

[0018] Wireless device 216 and service connection 130 handle communications between service center 240 and rovers 210. Connection 130 can be any wireless service, whether analogue or digital, which supports data transfers between service center 240 and rover 210. For example, the communication can operate through a CDPD, AMPS, CDMA, GSM, or Nextel system, using both OEM modem modules internal to the rover or cellular phones that are separable from the rover and attached to the remainder of the communication package via a data cable. Although the communications package could use a removable or separate cellular telephone, this is not the ideal solution since removing the telephone disables the connection between the communications package and service center 240. The wireless service 132 preferably offers packetized data and direct connection to the Internet because these capabilities facilitate sporadic data transfers between rovers 210 and service center 240 with least use of the wireless resources and therefore the least cost to the operator of the communications package.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a method 300 of generating impending arrival alerts in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. An initial step 310 of method 300 is creation of a destination list that can be forwarded or downloaded to service center 240 and/or rover 210. Each rover 210 has a destination list, which contains a set of destination entries corresponding to the intended destinations of the rover 210. (The Appendix contains a C-language data structure for one embodiment of a destination list.) Each destination entry includes a location (e.g., an address or longitude and latitude of a destination), an alert condition, contact information for the alert or alerts, and any other information related to the destination, the alert, or the contact. Service center 240 can easily convert an address provided in a destination list to longitude and latitude values, which are commonly used in GPS systems. The alert condition typically includes threshold information, which is typically a distance or radius that defines an alert area around the destination. The alert condition may additionally include fields indicating circumstances for the alert. Typical circumstances surrounding an alert include whether the alert should be sent at all, a direction of traversal of the threshold that triggers an alert, an order of the destinations, and any time limitations on the alert. The contact information identifies designated location 270 and the method for contacting location 270 when an issuing an alert. The contact information can include, for example, a telephone number, a pager number, or IP address and port.

[0020] The destination list can be maintained in service center 240 or rover 210 or a combination of the two. However, keeping and manipulating the destination list at service center 240 has advantages. For example, a central dispatcher through terminal 160 and data connection 150 can organize destinations into an ordered destination list and download the list to service center 240. Since service center 240 is ideally Internet based, multiple people could access and manage the destination list via the Internet 150, even after rovers 210 have started their routes. End customers, who are anticipating a delivery, could also be given limited access to their destination entry to determine an estimated arrival time, schedule an alert immediately before arrival at their address, or change the contact information. Besides a web interface, the service center can also provide a telephone or e-mail interface for creating, changing, or reviewing a destination list.

[0021] Each destination entry is at least partially downloaded to rover 210, so that rover 210 at least has the destination and threshold information for the next destination. The destination location can be latitude and longitude (probably from geocoding the street address) as used in the GPS receiver. Generally, when service center 240 keeps the destination list, rover 210 does not require the contact information, but other information may be useful in rover 210. For example, text sent to rover 210 could indicate any information related to the destination, for example, a destination name and address that permits a driver/operator to more readily identify destinations when scrolling through the destination list. An appointment time associated with a destination provides the driver additional information for scheduling of deliveries.

[0022] Additional fields used by control circuit 214 in the communications package can indicate whether to generate an alert when the rover 210 crosses into the alert area, out of the alert area, or both. Generally, an alert is generated when rover 210 moves into the alert area to indicate an impending arrival. However, an alert can also be generated when rover 210 leaves an alert area indicating rover 210 is headed elsewhere, for example, possibly indicating that rover 210 is outside its intended range and may have been stolen or misdirected. Other information that can be included with a destination entry indicates an expiration time (when the entry is automatically deleted whether or not one or more alerts were generated), whether the entry should auto-delete after an alert is sent or is retained until its expiration time, and alternate contact information that may be indexed for use at different times.

[0023] In step 320, when rover 210 begins heading to the next destination, the operator/driver of rover 210 selects that destination for use in generating alerts. In particular, some alerts may only be issued if the alert is for the next destination. Other alerts could be issued regardless of the next destination. Optionally, the rover informs service center 240 of the selection. The selection of the destination can be automatic according to the order in the destination list or subject to the choice and judgement of the driver. If the list is downloaded to the rover 210 instead of being managed exclusively at service center 240, the in-vehicle system can display candidate destinations for the driver's selection. In some cases, the driver may override the order of destinations in the destination list because of traffic or other reasons not anticipated by the list's creators. Where the driver overrides the order, the rover 210 can send a message directing the service center to update the destination list to reflect the new order and update estimates of delivery times. The driver could even create new entries, although the limits of the user interface available on an in-vehicle system might make this difficult.

[0024] After rover 210 forwards or confirms the next destination, service center 240 in step 330 confirms the next destination and instructs the rover 210 to keep checking the location until rover 210 an alert condition is met, e.g., the rover enters an alert area for the selected destination. If necessary, service center 240 supplies a location for the selected destination and the alert conditions during step 330, but that information may have been previously downloaded into rover 210. In step 340, rover 210 determines whether rover 210 has crossed the boundary of the alert area. The appendix includes functions that record route hysteresis to determine whether a boundary has been crossed and whether the crossing direction is into or out of to the area within the boundary. In particular, if the alert condition indicates a bounding radius and a direction into the bounded area, the rover determines whether the rover has crossed from a distance from the destination that is greater than the bounding radius to a distance from the destination that is less than the threshold radius. Other more complicated threshold area descriptions could also be used. For example, the alert condition could identify an alert area other than a circle or include some variations based on the current or recent average speed of rover, but such identifications could significantly complicate the required calculations in rover 210.

[0025] A decision step 350 determines whether rover 210 reached the threshold for an alert. If not, rover 210, typically after a delay, again determines whether it has reached the threshold for an alert. In step 350, when rover 210 determines that it has crossed the threshold in the target direction, rover 210 in step 360 sends an alert to service center 240. In step 370, service center 240 forwards the alert to designated location 270 using the contact information from the destination list. The designated location 270 can be the destination or to another location. For example, if the destination is a customer's home and the designated location 270 is the customer's work address, the customer upon receiving the alert can return home to accept the delivery. As noted above, the designated location 270 can change according to factors such as the time.

[0026] In system 200 of Fig. 2, service center 240 activates alerting device 250 to send the alert to designated location 270. Alerting device 250 is a communication device such as an automated telephone messaging system or an automated e-mail system. The alerted party can be alerted in a variety of ways, including but not limited to by e-mail, paging message, text message to a cellular phone, or a telephone call with a synthesized speech or recorded message.

[0027] Method 300 can be widely varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, instead of providing service center 240 with a destination list, rovers 210 can keep their own destination lists. When the operator/driver of a rover 210 selects the next destination in step 320, the communications device in the rover accesses threshold and contact information in the stored on board in the destination list. In step 360, when rover 210 sends an alert to service center 240, the rover forwards the contact information for designated location 270, and service center 240 forwards the alert to the designated location 270.

[0028] In another variation of method 300, a rover 210 sends an alert whenever the rover is near particular destinations regardless of whether any of these destinations is the next destination. For this variation, the rover in step 340 compares the current location to the location and threshold information of all destinations that are eligible for alerts, and in step 350 decides to issue an alert if conditions for the alert are met. For example, a rover can issue an alert if the rover leaves a designate area or range from its base location (indicating perhaps that the rover is misdirected or stolen). Each destination entry can include a tag number that identifies the destination, and the rover 210 incorporates the tag number in the alert message sent to service center 240. From the tag number, service center 240 decides where (e.g., which designated location) and how to send the alert.

[0029] In some cases, the alerted party might be the truck dispatcher (for example, to alert the dispatcher that a truck is returning to base or that the truck has crossed a perimeter, heading away, and might be stolen). Service center 240 can forward an alert from a rover 210 to multiple designated locations, for example, to a customer, and to the dispatcher to alert the dispatcher as to the progress of their drivers.

[0030] Arrival alerting systems such as described above can be employed in a variety of applications. In warehousing, an alert indicating an impending arrival allows a delivery manager to deploy resources to a particular loading bay, and even to call ahead to the driver tell them which bay has been allocated for the delivery. In construction, when a supply truck is about to arrive, the site manager can ready loading/unloading equipment and people, to minimize turn-around time. Similarly, if a truck is delayed, resources are not wasted waiting for arrival, and time is not consumed periodically polling the position of the truck.

[0031] For consumer delivery, the alert can go to a location other than the destination, for example, to alert a consumer at work or via the consumer's pager that an impending delivery is destined for the consumer's home. If the consumer is near enough to home, the consumer can return home to meet the delivery or ask the delivery driver to wait. Another consumer application is automated activation of household equipment such as heating or cooling systems or appliances when the resident nears home. Energy can be saved by leaving heating and cooling systems in a low power mode while the resident is away and activating the system so that the home is at a comfortable temperature when the resident arrives. Alternatively, an alert can activate a coffeepot so that the resident has freshly brewed coffee when arriving home. The full range of applications of the invention is of course not limited to these few examples.

[0032] Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application and should not be taken as a limitation. For example, although the above embodiments employ GPS devices to identify locations, other locating systems using, for example, triangulation based on terrestrial signals or landmarks are also suitable for use in the embodiments described above. Various other adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

APPENDIX

[0033] This appendix contains listings for functions and data structures in C programming language, for use in a rover in an embodiment of the invention such as described above. The functions typical would be periodically executed in a rover to check any alert conditions of entries in a proximity queue and update the proximity queue to remove expired entries.

Claims

1. An alert generating method comprising:

providing to a mobile unit (210) over a wireless network service connection (130) information that identifies conditions for an alert;

monitoring in the mobile unit (210) a position of the mobile unit (210);

providing to a service center (240) a signal indicating that the conditions for an alert are satisfied; and

alerting a designated location (270) from the service center (240) by sending a message to a recipient at said designated location (270) upon receiving the signal;

characterised in that the mobile unit (210) is linked to the Internet (150) by the wireless network service connection (130), the Internet (150) is linked to the service center (240), and said message is an email message and is sent to the recipient at said designated location (270) over the Internet (150).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal from the mobile unit (210) is sent via the wireless network service connection (130).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alerting comprises telephoning the designated location (270).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the information that identifies the conditions for the alert, comprises downloading the information from the service center (240) to the mobile unit (210).

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising downloading a destination list, including the information that identifies the conditions for the alert, to a web site corresponding to the service center (240).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the information that identifies the conditions identifies an area around a destination for the mobile unit (210).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information that identifies the conditions indicates that the alert should be generated when the mobile unit (210) enters the area around the destination.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the information that identifies the conditions indicates that the alert should be generated when the mobile unit (210) leaves the area around the destination.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the information includes a location and a threshold radius that respectively correspond to a center and a radius of the area surrounding the destination.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a selected destination for the mobile unit (210), wherein the information that identifies the conditions for the alert, requires that the selected destination be a destination that is identified in the information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein an operator of the mobile unit (210) selects the selected destination when the mobile unit (210) is directly proceeding to the selected destination.

12. The method of claim 1, the method being employed in conjunction with a delivery service, wherein providing the conditions for an alert comprises:

creating a list of designations for deliveries at the service center (240), the list including a threshold distance for one or more designations for which an alert should be generated;

downloading a portion of the list of designations to a mobile unit (210) installed in a delivery vehicle, the downloading being effectuated over the wireless network service connection (130); and

selecting a destination from the list as a next designation for a delivery vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises, prior to the alerting:

sending a message from the delivery vehicle to the service center (240), the message including a tag identifying the destination; and

looking up a designated location that corresponds to the destination.

14. A system for alerting a recipient of a delivery, the system including a mobile unit (210) comprising:

a location system (212);

a wireless device (216) linking the mobile unit (210) with a service center over a wireless network connection (130); and

a control circuit (214) wherein the control system automatically activates the location system (212) to determine a current location of the mobile unit (210), determines whether the mobile unit (210) has crossed a threshold, and activates the wireless device (216) to send an alert signal if the mobile unit (210) has crossed the threshold; wherein

the control circuit comprises an alerting device;

the service center (240) is connected to the mobile unit (210) over the wireless network connection (130) to enable receipt of messages from the mobile unit (210) and connected to the alerting device to enable the service center (240) to activate the alerting device and send alerts, the service center maintaining contact information for the mobile unit (210); and

in response to a signal from the mobile unit (210), the service center (240) activates the alerting device to send an alert to a designated location (270) identified in the contact information;

characterised in that the mobile unit (210) is linked to the Internet (150) by the wireless network service connection (130), the Internet (150) is connected to the service center (240), and the service center (240) sends the alert by eNail to the designated location (270) over the Internet.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the location system (212) is a GPS receiver.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the wireless device (216) is a wireless modem.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the wireless device (216) is an attached data-capable cellular telephone.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuit (214) determines whether the mobile unit (210) has crossed the threshold by determining whether the current location of the mobile unit (210) is within an alert area.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the control circuit (214) calculates a distance between the current location and a central point in the alert area and determines whether the distance is less than a threshold distance associated with the alert area.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the service center (240) comprises a server that permits internet access to the service center for setting of the designated location (270) to which the alerting device sends the alert.

Ansprüche

1. Warnungserzeugungsverfahren, das folgendes umfaßt:

Bereitstellen einer Information, die Bedingungen für eine Warnung identifiziert, über eine drahtlose Netzdienstverbindung (130) für eine Mobileinbeit (210),

Überwachen einer Position der Mobileinheit (210) in der Mobileinheit (210),

Bereitstellen eines Signals, das anzeigt, daß die Bedingungen für eine Warnung erfüllt sind, für ein Dienstleistungszentrum (240) und

Warnen eines gekennzeichneten Standorts (270) von dem Dienstleistungszentrum (240) aus, durch Senden einer Nachricht an einen Empfänger am gekennzeichneten Standort (270) auf Empfangen des Signals bin,

dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Mobileinheit (210) durch die drahtlose Netzdienstverbindung (130) mit dem Internet (150) verbunden ist, das Internet (150) mit dem Dienstleistungszentrum (240) verbunden ist und die Nachricht eine E-Mail-Nachricht ist und über das Internet (150) an den Empfänger am gekennzeichneten Standort (270) gesendet wird.

2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Signal von der Mobileinheit (210) über die drahtlose Netzdienstverbindung (130) gesendet wird.

3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Warnen umfaßt, den gekennzeichneten Standort (270) telefonisch anzurufen.

4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Bereitstellen der Information, welche die Bedingungen für eine Warnung identifiziert, umfaßt, die Information von dem Dienstleistungszentrum (240) zu der Mobileinheit (210) herunterzuladen.

5. Verfahren nach Anspruch 4, das ferner umfaßt, eine Zielliste, welche die Information einschließt, die die Bedingungen für die Warnung identifiziert, auf eine Web-Seite herunterzuladen, die dem Dienstleistungszentrum (240) entspricht.

6. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Information, welche die Bedingungen identifiziert, ein Gebiet um ein Ziel herum für die Mobileinheit (210) identitiziert,

7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei die Information, welche die Bedingungen identifiziert, anzeigt, daß die Warnung erzeugt werden sollte, wenn die Mobileinheit (210) in das Gebiet um das Ziel eintritt.

8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei die Information, welche die Bedingungen identifiziert, anzeigt, daß die Warnung erzeugt werden sollte, wenn die Mobileinheit (210) das Gebiet um das Ziel verläßt.

9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei die Information einen Standort und einen Schwellenradius einschließt, die einem Zentrum bzw. einem Radius des Gebiets entsprechen, welches das Ziel umgibt.

10. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, das ferner umfaßt, ein ausgewähltes Ziel für die Mobileinheit (210) auszuwählen, wobei die Information, welche die Bedingungen für die Warnung identifiziert, erfordert, daß das ausgewählte Ziel ein Ziel ist, das in der Information identifiziert wird.

11. Verfahren nach Anspruch 10, wobei ein Bediener der Mobileinheit (210) das ausgewählte Ziel auswählt, wenn sich die Mobileinheit (210) unmittelbar an das Ziel begibt.

12. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Verfahren in Verbindung mit einem Lieferdienst eingesetzt wird, wobei das Bereitstellen der Bedingungen für eine Warnung folgendes umfaßt:

Erzeugen einer Liste von Bestimmungen für Lieferungen am Dienstleistungszentrum (240), wobei die Liste eine Schwellenentfernung für ein oder mehrere Ziele einschließt, für die eine Warnung erzeugt werden sollte,

Herunterladen eines Teils der Liste der Bestimmungen zu einer in einem Lieferfahrzeug eingebauten Mobileinheit (210), wobei das Herunterladen über die drahtlose Netzdienstverbindung (130) ausgeführt wird, und

Auswählen eines Ziels von der Liste als nächste Bestimmung für ein Lieferfahrzeug.

13. Verfahren nach Anspruch 12, wobei das Verfahren vor dem Warnen ferner umfaßt:

eine Nachricht von dem Lieferfahrzeug an das Dienstleistungszentrum (240) zu senden, wobei die Nachricht ein Kennzeichen einschließt, welches das Ziel identifiziert, und

einen gekennzeichneten Standort nachzuschlagen, der dem Ziel entspricht.

14. System zum Warnen eines Empfängers einer Lieferung, wobei das System eine Mobileinheit (210) einschließt, die folgendes umfaßt:

ein Ortungssystem (212),

eine drahtlose Vorrichtung (216), welche die Mobileinheit (210) über eine drahtlose Netzverbindung (130) mit einem Dienstleistungszentrum verbindet, und

einen Steuerkreis (214), wobei das Steuerungssystem automatisch das Ortungssystem (212) aktiviert, um einen gegenwärtigen Standort der Mobileinheit (210) zu bestimmen, welcher bestimmt ob die Mobileinheit (210) eine Schwelle überschritten hat, und welcher die drahtlose Vorrichtung (216) aktiviert, um ein Warnsignal zu senden falls die Mobileinheit (210) die Schwelle überschritten hat, wobei

der Steuerkreis eine Warnvorrichtung umfaßt,

das Dienstleistungszentrum sowohl über die drahtlose Netzverbindung (130) mit der Mobileinheit (210) verbunden ist, um einen Empfang von Nachrichten von der Mobileinheit (210) zu ermöglichen, als auch mit der Warnvorrichtung verbunden ist, um zu ermöglichen, daß das Dienstleistungszentrum (240) die Warnvorrichtung aktiviert und Warnungen sendet, wobei das Dienstleistungszentrum die Kontaktinformation für die Mobileinheit (210) verwaltet, und

das Dienstleistungszentrum (240) als Reaktion auf ein Signal von der Mobileinheit (210) die Warnvorrichtung aktiviert, um eine Warnung an einen gekennzeichneten Standort zu senden, der in der Kontaktinformation identifiziert wird,

dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Mobileinheit (210) durch die drahtlose Netzdienstverbindung (130) mit dem Internet (150) verbunden ist, das Internet (150) mit dem Dienstleistungszentrum (240) verbunden ist und das Dienstleistungszentrum (240) die Warnung per E-Mail über das Internet an den gekennzeichneten Standort (270) sendet.

15. System nach Anspruch 14, wobei das Ortungssystem (212) ein GPS-Empfänger ist.

16. System nach Anspruch 14, wobei die drahtlose Vorrichtung (216) ein drahtloses Modern ist.

17. System nach Anspruch 14, wobei die drahtlose Vorrichtung (216) ein angeschlossenes datenfähiges Mobiltelefon ist.

18. System nach Anspruch 14, wobei der Steuerkreis (214) bestimmt, ob die Mobileinheit (210) die Schwelle überschritten hat, durch, Bestimmen ob der gegenwärtige Standort der Mobileinheit (210) innerhalb eines Warngebiets liegt.

19. System nach Anspruch 18, wobei der Steuerkreis (214) eine Entfernung zwischen dem gegenwärtigen Standort und einem Mittelpunkt im Warngebiet berechnet und bestimmt, ob die Entfernung geringer ist als die dem Warngebiet zugeordnete Schwellenentfernung.

20. System nach Anspruch 14, wobei das Dienstleistungszentrum (240) einen Server umfaßt, der dem Dienstleistungszentrum einen Internetzugang ermöglicht, um den gekennzeichneten Standort (270) einzustellen zu dem die Warnvorrichtung die Warnung sendet.

Revendications

1. Procédé de génération d'alerte comprenant :

la mise à disposition d'une information qui identifie des conditions pour une alerte pour une unité mobile (210) au moyen d'une connexion de service de réseau sans fil (130),

la surveillance d'une position de l'unité mobile (210) dans l'unité mobile (210),

la mise à disposition d'un signal qui indique que les conditions pour une alerte sont satisfaites pour un centre de service (240); et

l'alerte (270) donnée depuis le centre de service (240) à une localisation désignée en envoyant un message à un destinataire à ladite localisation désignée (270) suite à la réception du signal,

caractérisé en ce que l'unité mobile (210) est liée à l'Internet (150) au moyen de la connexion de service de réseau sans fil (130), l'Internet (150) est lié au centre de service (240) et ledit message est un courriel et est envoyé par Internet (150) au destinataire à ladite localisation désignée (270).

2. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel le signal en provenance de l'unité mobile (210) est envoyé via la connexion de service de réseau sans fil (130).

3. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel l'alerte comprend le fait de téléphoner à la localisation désignée (270).

4. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel la mise à disposition de l'information, qui identifie les conditions pour l'alerte, comprend le déchargement de l'information depuis le centre de service (240) sur l'unité mobile (210).

5. Procédé selon la revendication 4, comprenant en outre le déchargement d'une liste de destinations, qui inclut l'information qui identifie les conditions pour l'alerte, sur un site web qui correspond au centre de service (240).

6. Procédé selon la revendication 1, dans lequel l'information, qui identifie les conditions, identifie une zone autour d'une destination pour l'unité mobile (210).

7. Procédé selon la revendication 6, dans lequel l'information, qui identifie les conditions, indique que l'alerte doit être générée lorsque l'unité mobile (210) entre dans la zone autour de la destination.

8. Procédé selon la revendication 6, dans lequel l'information, qui identifie les conditions, indique que l'alerte doit être générée lorsque l'unité mobile (210) quitte la zone autour de la destination.

9. Procédé selon la revendication 6, dans lequel l'information inclut une localisation et un rayon de seuil qui correspondent de façon respective à un centre et à un rayon de la zone entourant la destination.

10. Procédé selon la revendication 1, comprenant en outre la sélection d'une destination sélectionnée pour l'unité mobile (210), dans lequel l'information, qui identifie les conditions pour l'alerte, nécessite que la destination sélectionnée soit une destination qui est identifiée dans l'information.

11. Procédé selon la revendication 10, dans lequel un opérateur de l'unité mobile (210) sélectionne la destination sélectionnée lorsque l'unité mobile (210) est en train de passer directement à la destination sélectionnée.

12. Procédé selon la revendication 1, le procédé étant utilisé en conjonction avec un service de délivrance, dans lequel la mise à disposition des conditions pour une alerte comprend :

la création d'une liste de désignations pour des délivrances au niveau du centre de service (240), la liste incluant une distance de seuil pour une ou plusieurs désignations pour lesquelles une alerte doit être générée ;

le déchargement d'une partie de la liste de désignations sur une unité mobile (210) qui est installée dans un véhicule de délivrance, le déchargement étant effectué au moyen de la connexion de service de réseau sans fil (130) ; et

la sélection d'une destination à partir de la liste en tant que désignation suivante pour un véhicule de délivrance.

13. Procédé selon la revendication 12, dans lequel le procédé comprend en outre, avant l'alerte :

l'envoi d'un message depuis le véhicule de délivrance au centre de service (240), le message incluant une caractéristique qui identifie la destination ; et

la recherche d'une localisation désignée qui correspond à la destination.

14. Système pour alerter un destinataire d'une délivrance, le système incluant une unité mobile (210) comprenant :

un système de localisation (212) ;

un dispositif sans fil (216) qui relie l'unité mobile (210) avec un centre de service au moyen d'une connexion de réseau sans fil (130) ;

un circuit de commande (214), dans lequel le système de commande active de manière automatique le système de localisation (212) pour déterminer une localisation courante de l'unité mobile (210), il détermine si l'unité mobile (210) a dépassé un seuil et il active le dispositif sans fil (216) à envoyer un signal d'alerte si l'unité mobile (210) a dépassé le seuil, dans lequel

le circuit de commande comprend un dispositif d'alerte ;

le centre de service (240) est connecté à l'unité mobile (210) au moyen de la connexion de réseau sans fil (130) pour permettre la réception de messages en provenance de l'unité mobile (210) et est connecté au dispositif d'alerte pour permettre au centre de service (240) d'activer le dispositif d'alerte et d'envoyer des alertes, le centre de service maintenant une information de contact pour l'unité mobile (210) ; et

en réponse à un signal en provenance de l'unité mobile (210), le centre de service (240) active le dispositif d'alerte pour envoyer une alerte à une localisation désignée (270) qui est identifiée dans l'information de contact,

caractérisé en ce que l'unité mobile (210) est reliée à l'Internet (150) au moyen de la connexion de service de réseau sans fil (130), l'Internet (150) est connecté au centre de service (240) et le centre de service (240) envoie l'alerte par courriel à la localisation désignée (270) au moyen de l'Internet

15. Système selon la revendication 14, dans lequel le système de localisation (212) est un récepteur GPS.

16. Système selon la revendication 14, dans lequel le dispositif sans fil (216) est un modern sans fil.

17. Système selon la revendication 14, dans lequel le dispositif sans fil (216) est un téléphone mobile lié présentant une capacité de données.

18. Système selon la revendication 14, dans lequel le circuit de commande (214) détermine si oui ou non l'unité mobile (210) a dépassé le seuil en déterminant si la localisation courante de l'unité mobile (210) est à l'intérieur d'une zone d'alerte.

19. Système selon la revendication 18, dans lequel le circuit de commande (214) calcule une distance entre la localisation courante et un point central dans la zone d'alerte et détermine si la distance est inférieure à une distance de seuil qui est associée à la zone d'alerte.

20. Système selon la revendication 14, dans lequel le centre de service (240) comprend un serveur qui permet un accès par Internet au centre de service pour l'établissement de la localisation désignée (270) à laquelle le dispositif d'alerte envoie l'alerte.

Drawing