초록 ▼

A system and method employing a combination of long-range and short-range asset location systems, preferable a GPS-based system combined with an RFID-based system. The short-range system regularly activates itself, or is remotely polled, to determine if the asset is within range of the short-range t

A system and method employing a combination of long-range and short-range asset location systems, preferable a GPS-based system combined with an RFID-based system. The short-range system regularly activates itself, or is remotely polled, to determine if the asset is within range of the short-range transceivers, and the long-range system is activated to determine the location of the asset when it is outside the range of the short-range transceivers. In at least some embodiments, the asset is an automobile equipped with both RFID and GPS-based transceivers.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for locating a physical object, comprising:detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;if the localized

1. A method for locating a physical object, comprising:detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, thensending a location request;receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; andstoring the secondary location information.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the localized location information is determined by a real-time location system.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location request is sent over a wide-area wireless network.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondary location information is received over a wide-area wireless network.6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount of time is one day.7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a vehicle.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical object has both an RFID transmitted and a GPS receiver.9. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, comprising:instructions for detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;instructions for, if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;instructions for, if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, thensending a location request;receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; andstoring the secondary location information.10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the localized location information is determined by a real-time location system.11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the location request is sent over a wide-area wireless network.13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the secondary location information is received over a wide-area wireless network.14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount of time is one day.15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the physical object is a vehicle.16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the physical object has both an RFID transmitted and a GPS receiver.17. An asset location system, comprising:means for detecting if localized location information corresponding to the physical object has been received, the localized location information corresponding to a location determined from a signal received from a short-range transmitter;means for, if the localized location information has been received, then storing the localized location information;means for, if no localized location information has been received for a predetermined amount of time, thensending a location request;receiving secondary location information corresponding to the physical object, the secondary location information corresponding to a location determined from global positioning satellites; andstoring the secondary location information.18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a real-time location system configured to receive a signal from the short-range transmitter and thereby determine the location of the physical object.19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for transmitting the location request over a wireless telephone network.20. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for receiving the secondary location information over a wireless telephone network.21. The system of claim 17, wherein the short-range transmitter is an RFID transmitter.