	US 12,204,465 B2
	Intelligent Bluetooth beacon I/O expansion system
Neil Charles Cawse, Oakville (CA); Darren Marc Lohmann Beams, Oakville (CA); Stephen Michael Fox, Oakville (CA); and Cong Zhu, Oakville (CA)
Assigned to Geotab Inc., Oakville (CA)
Filed by Geotab Inc., Oakville (CA)
Filed on Feb. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/172,255.
Application 14/121,847 is a division of application No. 13/506,478, filed on Apr. 23, 2012, granted, now 8,918,547.
Application 17/172,255 is a continuation of application No. 16/404,227, filed on May 6, 2019, granted, now 10,922,245.
Application 16/404,227 is a continuation of application No. 14/756,054, filed on Jul. 27, 2015, granted, now 10,942,871.
Application 14/756,054 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/121,847, filed on Oct. 24, 2014, granted, now 9,128,867.
Prior Publication US 2021/0165749 A1, Jun. 3, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 13/10 (2006.01); G08C 17/02 (2006.01); H04W 4/02 (2018.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.01); H04W 4/38 (2018.01); H04W 4/44 (2018.01); H04W 4/80 (2018.01)

CPC G06F 13/102 (2013.01) [G08C 17/02 (2013.01); H04W 4/027 (2013.01); H04W 4/029 (2018.02); H04W 4/38 (2018.02); H04W 4/44 (2018.02); H04W 4/80 (2018.02)]

16 Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a vehicular telemetry hardware system disposed on a vehicle, a receiver disposed on the vehicle and configured to communicate with the vehicular telemetry hardware system, and a wireless beacon device attached to each object of a plurality of objects, wherein the wireless beacon device is configured to communicate one or more messages to the receiver when the wireless beacon device is within a communication range of the receiver, and the wireless beacon device comprises a microprocessor, memory and wireless radio module; and

determining a number of objects located with the vehicle using the receiver and the wireless beacon devices, wherein the objects comprise packages or equipment, and determining the number of objects located with the vehicle comprises:

identifying a first plurality of wireless beacon devices within the communication range of the receiver disposed on the vehicle at a first vehicle location, wherein each first wireless beacon device of the first plurality of wireless beacon devices is attached to an object of the plurality of objects;

for each first wireless beacon device of the first plurality of wireless beacon devices within the communication range of the receiver at the first vehicle location:

determining whether the first wireless beacon device is located within a geofence associated with the vehicle at the first vehicle location; and

determining that the first wireless beacon device is associated with the vehicle at the first vehicle location when the first wireless beacon device is located within geofence associated with the vehicle at the first vehicle location;

identifying a second plurality of wireless beacon devices within the communication range of the receiver disposed on the vehicle at a second vehicle location, wherein each second wireless beacon device of the second plurality of wireless beacon devices is attached to an object of the plurality of objects; and

for each second wireless beacon device of the second plurality of wireless beacon devices within the communication range of the receiver at the second vehicle location:

determining whether the second wireless beacon device is located within the geofence associated with the vehicle at the second vehicle location; and

determining that the second wireless beacon device is associated with the vehicle at the second vehicle location when the second wireless beacon device is located within the geofence associated with the vehicle at the second vehicle location; and

determining that an object of the plurality of objects is located with the vehicle when i) a wireless beacon device attached to the object is determined to be associated with the vehicle at the first vehicle location, and ii) the wireless beacon device attached to the object is determined to be associated with the vehicle at the second vehicle location.