Method and Apparatus For Tracking or Tracing The Movement of Shipping Containers

A method of monitoring the security of shipping containers, wherein a covert device is placed on a shipping on a shipping container, the covert device comprising a primary satellite receiver responsive to external satellite signals to obtain positional information;

• a secondary receiver for obtaining coarse positional information from terrestrial radio signals;
• a memory;
• and a processor for processing the available positional information to obtain a fix in response to an event and store the fix in association with the event in memory, wherein the processor is configured to use the information from the secondary receiver to assist in obtaining an estimate of position from the signals from the satellite receiver;
• the method comprising:
• receiving data from the memory via a communications link;
• and
• providing access to the data over the Internet to permit clients to ascertain the security status of their shipping containers.

A security system for a shipping container, comprising:

• a covert device for attachment to the shipping container to track or trace the movement thereof, comprising a primary satellite receiver responsive to external satellite signals to obtain positional information;
• a secondary receiver for obtaining coarse positional information from terrestrial radio signals;
• a memory;
• and a processor for processing the available positional information to obtain a fix in response to an event and store the fix in association with the event in memory, wherein the processor is configured to use the information from the secondary receiver to assist in obtaining an estimate of position from the signals from the satellite receiver, wherein the covert device is dimensioned for concealment within the door seal of the shipping container;
• at least one detector for installation within the container responsive to an integrity breach and configured for wireless communication with the covert device;
• and
• a transmitter for sending data to a remote user over a communications link.