# US 2018/0322814 A1 · Apparatus and method for monitoring the manipulation of a transportable object > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0322814 A1 - Document ID: US20180322814A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/779,308 - Filed: 2016-12-02 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-08 - Assignees: Harting It Software Development GmbH & Co. KG - Applicants: HARTING IT Software Development GmbH & Co. KG - Inventors: Gert HAVERMANN - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180322814A1 ## CPC - G09F 3/0335: {using RFID tags} - G09F 3/0329: {having electronic sealing means} - G09F 3/0347: {having padlock-type sealing means (padlocks in general E05B67/00)} - G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS ## Abstract The problem addressed by the disclosure is that of specifying an inexpensive, easily operable and largely automatable and reusable apparatus and a corresponding method for monitoring the manipulation of a transportable object. For example, the disclosure can be used to monitor the actuation of an opening flap of a transportation box without a current. For this purpose, the apparatus has the following: a magnetic data memory for storing an item of control information; a permanent magnet for destroying this control information; a mechanism for destroying the control information in the magnetic data memory by means of the permanent magnet; a data interface; a data connection between the magnetic data memory and the data interface for interchanging data between the magnetic memory and the data interface in a bidirectional manner. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1: A device for monitoring the manipulation of a transportable object, wherein the device comprises the following base elements: a magnetic data memory for storing an item of checking information; a permanent magnet for destroying the item of checking information; a mechanism for carrying out the destruction of the item of checking information of the magnetic data memory by the permanent magnet; a data interface; a data connection between the magnetic data memory and the data interface for the bidirectional data exchange between the magnetic memory and the data interface. ### Claim at position 2 (depends on 1) 2: The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the magnetic data memory is embodied in MRAM (“magnetoresistive random access memory”) technology. ### Claim at position 3 (depends on 1) 3: The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mechanism comprises at least one part, on which the permanent magnet is arranged and/or which mechanically interacts indirectly or directly with the permanent magnet and therefore the mechanism is capable of reducing the geometrical distance between the permanent magnet and the magnetic data memory, to thus destroy the item of checking information stored in the magnetic data memory. ### Claim at position 4 (depends on 3) 4: The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said part is an actuator, and wherein the device furthermore has a housing, in which or on which the base elements of the device are arranged, wherein the actuator is held so that it is movable in and/or on the housing. ### Claim at position 5 (depends on 4) 5: The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuator protrudes at least partially out of the housing for actuation and/or is actuable through a window of the housing. ### Claim at position 6 (depends on 5) 6: The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the mechanism furthermore has a spring element, the spring force of which counteracts an actuation of the actuator. ### Claim at position 7 (depends on 4) 7: The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mechanism furthermore has a locking element and a bracket, wherein the bracket has a curved region at a first end and a locking region at the other end, which is capable of interacting with the locking element for locking. ### Claim at position 8 (depends on 7) 8: The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the locking region of the bracket is formed by a toothed rack, which is distinguished in that it has teeth, which are spaced apart from one another by intermediate spaces, and in that the locking element has one or more counter teeth, which are capable of engaging in the intermediate spaces of the teeth of the toothed rack for locking. ### Claim at position 9 (depends on 8) 9: The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the actuator and the locking element are either jointly embodied in one piece, or mechanically locking and/or unlocking. ### Claim at position 10 (depends on 1) 10: The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprises, as a further element, a second data memory for separately storing the item of checking information, wherein the content of the magnetic data memory can be separately destroyed by the permanent magnet and the content of the second data memory can be maintained unchanged simultaneously. ### Claim at position 11 (depends on 10) 11: The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first and the second data memory each have a password protection. ### Claim at position 12 (depends on 1) 12: The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device comprises an RFID transponder or at least one RFID chip and an associated antenna. ### Claim at position 13 (depends on 1) 13: A system, comprising a device as claimed in claim 1, and furthermore comprising the transportable object to be monitored, wherein the transportable object has a manipulation-significant part. ### Claim at position 14 (depends on 13) 14: The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the object to be monitored is a transportation container and the manipulation-significant part is a closure, a cover, a door, a flap, or a lock, for opening the transportation container to be monitored for manipulation. ### Claim at position 15 (depends on 13) 15: The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the system furthermore comprises a separate monitoring unit, which has a reader and comparator for reading and comparing the content of the magnetic data memory and the second data memory and furthermore has an outputter for outputting an alarm display and/or an alarm message and/or an alarm signal, which are used to indicate a deviation of the content of the magnetic data memory from the content of the second data memory. ### Claim at position 16 (depends on 15) 16: The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the reader comprises an RFID reader. ### Claim at position 17 17: A method for monitoring the manipulation of a transportable object comprising the following steps: a) ensuring a geometrical distance sufficiently large for data storage in a magnetic data memory of the magnetic data memory from a permanent magnet; b) transmitting and writing an item of checking information from a monitoring unit into the magnetic data memory; c) transmitting and writing the item of checking information in a second data memory; d) transporting the object to a predefined intended location; e) reading out, transmitting, and comparing the content of the magnetic data memory to the content of the second data memory. ### Claim at position 18 (depends on 17) 18: The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein method step d.) is supplemented by the following method step: d2.) destroying the item of control information by reducing the distance between the permanent magnet and the magnetic data memory by using a mechanism, and wherein the method is supplemented after step e.) by the following step: f1.) If a difference is established in step e.) between the content of the magnetic data memory and the content of the second data memory, an item of information is output which states that a manipulation exists. ### Claim at position 19 (depends on 17) 19: The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the method is supplemented after step e.) by the following step: f2.) If a correspondence is established in step e.) of the content of the magnetic data memory to the content of the second data memory, an item of information is output which states that no manipulation exists. ### Claim at position 20 (depends on 17) 20: The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the item of checking information and/or in the second data memory takes place in an encrypted and/or password-protected manner. ### Claim at position 21 (depends on 17) 21: The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the data transmission and read procedures in method steps b.), c.), and e.) take place wirelessly. ### Claim at position 22 (depends on 21) 22: The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein for the wireless transmission of the data, an RFID reader communicates wirelessly with an RFID transponder, wherein the RFID transponder transmits data to the magnetic data memory and/or receives it therefrom via a data line. ### Claim at position 23 (depends on 17) 23: An integrated component for carrying out a method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the component comprises the following: the magnetic data memory for storing the item of checking information; the second data memory for retaining the item of checking information; a data interface for transmitting the item of checking information. ### Claim at position 24 (depends on 23) 24: The integrated component as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data interface is embodied as an RFID chip. ### Claim at position 25 (depends on 23) 25: The integrated component as claimed in claim 23, wherein the magnetic data memory is embodied in MRAM (“magnetoresistive random access memory”) technology. ### Claim at position 26 (depends on 23) 26: The integrated component as claimed in claim 23, wherein the second data memory is an EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, an F-RAM, or an S-RAM. ### Claim at position 27 (depends on 23) 27: The integrated component as claimed in claim 23, to wherein the integrated component additionally has a microprocessor. ### Claim at position 28 (depends on 23) 28: The integrated component as claimed in claim 23, wherein the integrated component is embodied as an integrated circuit.