# US 9,773,221 B1 · Machine or group of machines for monitoring location of a vehicle or freight carried by a vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,773,221 B1 - Document ID: US9773221B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 15/456,657 - Filed: 2017-03-13 - Granted: 2017-09-26 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-26 - Assignees: MacroPoint, LLC - Applicants: MacroPoint LLC - Inventors: Bennett H. Adelson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9773221B1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/0833: Tracking - G01S 19/13: Receivers - G01S 19/46: the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type - G06Q 10/0631: Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations - G06Q 10/08: Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management - G08G 1/13: the indicator being in the form of a map - G08G 1/20: {Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles} - G08G 1/205: {Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental} - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A machine or group of machines for monitoring location of at least one of a vehicle or freight carried by the vehicle includes a server comprising a central processing unit, a memory, a clock, and a server communication transceiver that receives location information of a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a GPS receiver, a microprocessor and a wireless communication transceiver coupled to the GPS receiver, the mobile device comprising the GPS receiver programmed to receive data sent by a plurality of GPS satellites, calculate location information of the mobile device comprising the GPS receiver and transmit the location information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for collecting data for processing network location information of distributed network entities, comprising: a circuit including one or more data collectors configured to receive information from a first source regarding the distributed network entities and to produce records based on the information including a first network location record associated with a first one of the distributed network entities; the circuit further configured to correlate the first network location record with data available from a second source, the second source corresponding to a location information provider which is a party or device other than any of the distributed network entities; the circuit further configured to augment data in the first network location record with data received from the second source including location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; a notice and consent component that indicates that consent was given to transmission of information including the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; and the circuit further configured to communicate the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to vehicles in a network. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to freight carried by vehicles in a network. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to mobile communications devices transported by vehicles in a network. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the circuit corresponds to hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information provider corresponds to one or more of: a wireless service provider to the distributed network entities, a third party obtaining the location information from the wireless service provider, and a party that has access to the location information, but is other than the wireless service provider or the third party that obtains the location information from the wireless service provider. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique utilizing GPS receivers that form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique that does not require GPS receivers to form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the location information is obtained through techniques including at least one: triangulation between radio towers, obtaining a range of locations corresponding to a transmission range of a single radio tower, advance forward link trilateration (AFLT), observed time difference (OTD), and Cell-ID (CID). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to communicate the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities to at least one of: a freight service provider, a party to whom the freight service provider provides freight services, or a party that provides location information services to the freight service provider or to the party to whom the freight service provider provides freight services. ### Claim 11 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for processing network location information of distributed network entities, the computer program performs a method when executed on a processor, the method comprising: receiving from a first source information regarding the distributed network entities and to produce records based on the information including a first network location record associated with a first one of the distributed network entities; correlating the first network location record with data available from a second source, the second source corresponding to a location information provider which is a party or device other than any of the distributed network entities; augmenting data in the first network location record with data received from the second source including location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; providing a notice and consent and for receiving and indication that consent was given to transmission of information including the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; and communicating the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to vehicles in a network. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to freight carried by vehicles in a network. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to mobile communications devices transported by vehicles in a network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the location information provider corresponds to one or more of: a wireless service provider to the distributed network entities, a third party obtaining the location information from the wireless service provider, and a party that has access to the location information, but is other than the wireless service provider or the third party that obtains the location information from the wireless service provider. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique utilizing GPS receivers that form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique that does not require GPS receivers to form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the location information is obtained through techniques including at least one: triangulation between radio towers, obtaining a range of locations corresponding to a transmission range of a single radio tower, advance forward link trilateration (AFLT), observed time difference (OTD), and Cell-ID (CID). ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, comprising computer code for communicating the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities to at least one of: a freight service provider, a party to whom the freight service provider provides freight services, or a party that provides location information services to the freight service provider or to the party to whom the freight service provider provides freight services. ### Claim 20 A machine or group of machines for processing network location information of distributed network entities, comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer code that, when executed in a processor or group of processors, performs a method, the method comprising: receiving from a first source information regarding the distributed network entities and to produce records based on the information including a first network location record associated with a first one of the distributed network entities; correlating the first network location record with data available from a second source, the second source corresponding to a location information provider which is a party or device other than any of the distributed network entities; augmenting data in the first network location record with data received from the second source including location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; providing a notice and consent and for receiving and indication that consent was given to transmission of information including the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities; and communicating the location information corresponding to the first one of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The machine or group of machines of claim 20, wherein the distributed network entities correspond to vehicles in a network, freight carried by vehicles in a network, or mobile communications devices transported by vehicles in a network. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The machine or group of machines of claim 20, wherein the location information provider corresponds to one or more of: a wireless service provider to the distributed network entities, a third party obtaining the location information from the wireless service provider, and a party that has access to the location information, but is other than the wireless service provider or the third party that obtains the location information from the wireless service provider. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The machine or group of machines of claim 20, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique utilizing GPS receivers that form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The machine or group of machines of claim 20, wherein the location information is obtained using a technique that does not require GPS receivers to form part of the distributed network entities. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The machine or group of machines of claim 20, wherein the location information is obtained through techniques including at least one: triangulation between radio towers, obtaining a range of locations corresponding to a transmission range of a single radio tower, advance forward link trilateration (AFLT), observed time difference (OTD), and Cell-ID (CID).