AU2014273565A1 - Tracking system - Google Patents

Abstract

H:\tld\Intrwovn\NRPortbl\DCC\TLD\7218060 L.doc-8/12/2014 - 37 A tracking system, including a tracking including a receiver, a connectivity data card, 5 one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of (i) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (ii) generating device location data from the positional information; and (iii) transmitting device location data to a user device over 10 a communications network; and a user device including a visual display unit, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of (i) receiving device location data from the tracking device over the communications network; and (ii) generating an interface for display on the visual 15 display unit including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device. GPS Receiver 34 Memory Battery -- -- Processor Connectivity Data Card Wireless 33z Transmitter -,385 - Sensor3839 1/O Keypad Logic Figure 2

Description

TRACKING SYSTEM

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tracking system, a tracking device for a tracking system, a computer program for a user device, and a tracking service platform. For example, the system is operable to provide real-time and/or historical tracking of positional information relating to an asset via a user application, where the application receives data transmitted by a tracking device over a communications network.

Background of the Invention

Tracking systems provide a means for observing the behaviour of an entity or asset, and for reporting this behaviour to an external service. These systems are often deployed within a wide variety of real-world applications such as attendance monitoring, security and surveillance, and transportation asset management. In the latter application, the availability of accurate and reliable tracking information may be of critical importance. For example, tracking systems may be deployed by individuals to monitor and secure their personal vehicles, or by a company wishing to optimise the movements of its fleet vehicles in order to increase profits.

For the purpose of transportation based asset tracking, the tracking system is generally required to obtain and report information related to the geographical position of the vehicle. For example, a typical transportation asset tracking system might include a tracking device or unit for: a. receiving global positioning system (GPS) signals; b. generating positioning data based on the GPS signals; and c. transmitting the positioning data to a server over a wireless communication network.

The server may then relay the information to a user, an application or a service by which the user can receive and interpret the positioning data.

The tracker unit typically includes a housing which is adapted to be attached to the vehicle to be tracked.

Tracking systems have previously included: a. tracker units; b. GPS satellites; c. telecommunications satellites; d. communications towers; e. local communication networks; f. user devices; and g. a tracking system applications running on the user devices.

At regular intervals the tracker unit generates positioning data from signals received from the GPS satellites which indicates the geographical position of the vehicle and transmits a signal including the positioning data to the telecommunications satellites. The signal is received by a satellite, and relayed to one or more communications towers before arriving at an associated local communications network. The local network then typically transmits the signal to the relevant user's device where the tracking system application interprets the information and provides tracking information for the vehicle.

There are several desirable properties of a tracking system. Some examples of desirable properties are set out below: 1. the tracking device size should ideally be minimised such that the device is difficult to identify on the vehicle; 2. the tracking device should be easily and conveniently attachable to the vehicle; 3. the tracking device should operate with low power consumption, since a power efficient device is less costly to operate based off of the vehicle's power source, and requires a smaller battery; 4. asset information, including the vehicle's geographical position, should advantageously be transmitted accurately and in real-time; and 5. for applications demanding surveillance capability, the tracking device should advantageously be able to provide the vehicle with a unique and fixed identity.

With these desirable properties in mind, traditional tracking systems typically include devices which use cellular networks to transmit information obtained from Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. This allows the accurate and real-time tracking of parameters such as geographical position, the speed and direction of travel, fuel consumption, battery level, and geo-fencing related events. Many modern tracking systems also permit the transmission of additional information using the network's voice and SMS services. Delivering this complex functionality over the cellular network has significant disadvantages. A higher power consumption results from the increased hardware requirements necessary to frequently transmit the large amount of information, much of which is redundant for tracking only a vehicle's position. To compensate manufacturers are forced to either increase the device battery size, which increases visibility and decreases portability and usability, or to increase product costs by using components which are more power efficient.

Furthermore, to achieve transmission over the cellular network traditional tracking devices must use the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) communication model. This presents two additional problems. Firstly, access to the network is typically granted from a telecommunications provider on a subscription basis. This may be undesirable for a tracking system user due to the high costs associated with subscribing to the mobile phone network, and the unavailability of many of the provider's services across regional borders (without incurring additional "roaming" charges). Secondly, to connect to the mobile phone network tracking devices must contain subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. Tracking devices that rely on SIM cards to maintain network connectivity are susceptible to fraud and/or unauthorized use due to the ease with which the SIM card within the tracker may be removed or replaced. This limits the use of traditional tracking devices in applications where assigning a fixed and unique identity to a vehicle is critical.

It is generally desirable to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned difficulties, or at least provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a tracking system, including: (a) a tracking device including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (ii) generating device location data from the positional information; (iii) transmitting device location data to a user device over a communications network; and (b) a user device including a visual display unit, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving device location data from the tracking device over the communications network; and (ii) generating an interface for display on the visual display unit including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a tracking system, including: (a) a tracking device including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (ii) generating device location data from the positional information; (iii) transmitting device location data to a service over a communications network; (b) a service including one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the service to perform the steps of: (i) receiving device location data from a tracking device over the communications network; (ii) storing the device location for a tracking device; and (iii) transmitting device location data to a user device over the communications network; and (c) a user device including a visual display unit, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) requesting device location data for the tracking device over the communications network from the service; (ii) receiving device location data for the tracking device from the service over the communications network; and (iii) generating an interface for display on the visual display unit including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a tracking device for a tracking system, including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (a) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (b) generating device location data from the positional information; and (c) transmitting device location data to a service over a communications network.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a non-transient computer readable data storage, including stored thereon a computer program including a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user computer device, cause the device to perform the following steps of: (a) requesting device location data for a tracking device over a communications network from a service; (b) receiving device location data for the tracking device from the service over the communications network; and (c) generating an interface for display on a visual display unit of the user device including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a tracking service platform for a tracking system, including one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the service to perform the steps of: (a) receiving device location data from a tracking device over a communications network; (b) storing the device location for a tracking device; and (c) transmitting device location data to a user device over the communications network.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be further described, by way of nonlimiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a tracking system ;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an integrated circuit board of a tracking device of the system shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side perspective view of a tracking device of the system shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detailed schematic diagram of the system shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a process flow chart of the operation of a tracking platform service;

Figure 6 is a process flow chart illustrating the operation of a user application;

Figure 7 is a diagram of a user log in request interface;

Figure 8 is a process flow chart showing steps by which a user may log in via the tracking application;

Figure 9a is an illustration of a graphical display window for the selection of the tracking time interval;

Figure 9b is an illustration of a graphical display window for the definition of a custom tracking time interval;

Figure 9c is an illustration of a graphical display window for the selection of a display mode;

Figure 10a shows the steps performed for displaying real-time tracking information; Figure 10b shows the steps performed for displaying historical tracking information; Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating a computing device; and

Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the computing device shown in Figure 11.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

The tracking system 10 shown in Figure 1 is described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to use with vehicles. However, the tracking system 10 can also be used to track people, animals, or any other suitable movable asset of interest.

The system 10 includes: 1. a tracking device 12; 2. a geographical information source 14; 3. a communications network 16; and 4. a user device 18.

The tracking device 12 receives positional information from the geographical information source 14, such as a GPS satellite, and generates device location data representing the geographical location of the device 12. The device 12 includes a connectivity data card 33 (also known as a "smart card" or "nano-card") which is used to transmit device location data, with transmission occurring over the communications network 16, to the user device 18. Application software running on the user device 18 receives the device location data as input and generates a display that includes indicia indicating the position of the vehicle for the purpose of performing vehicle tracking. Reference to a position of the vehicle is to be understood to be a reference to a position of the tracking device.

Existing approaches to vehicle asset tracking typically use cellular mobile network capabilities, and specifically the SMS and/or voice services, to send and receive tracking information. In such systems, the tracking device must subscribe to a mobile network resulting in costly subscription fees, and must additionally incorporate the subscriber identity module (SIM) card model of communication. The use of a SIM card may result in security vulnerabilities as SIM cards are, by design, replaceable. This may permit the identity of the vehicle asset to be compromised by a third party, such as a thief.

The system 10 advantageously provides a tracking system which can monitor the location of an asset by generating device location data representing its geographical position, and transmitting this data on demand over the internet to any connected device 18 without SIM based mobile network access. The described tracking device 12, is also advantageous in ensuring a fixed vehicle identity via an embedded connectivity data card 33, and in the implementation of a dynamic power management process which reduces operational size and power consumption.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the tracking device 12 includes an integrated circuit board 30 including components configured to: 1. identify the vehicle asset to be tracked; 2. receive positional information (the receiver) from a geographical information source 14; 3. generate device location data (location data generator) from the positional information representing a location of the device 12; and 4. transmit data (the transmitter) including the device location data and data representing the vehicle's identity across an internet based communications network.

The components of the integrated circuit control board 30 include: 1. a processor 31; 2. an electrically storable memory 32; 3. a connectivity data card 33; 4. a geo-positional receiver 34; 5. a battery power source 35; 6. a wireless transmitter 36; 7. a G-Force sensor 37 for sensing vibration (to alert) and movement (speed measure) and for putting the device into "sleep mode" if it doesn't detect any movement for over 2 minutes, for example; 8. logic for a keypad 384; 9. an I/O controller 385; and 10. external connection interfaces 391 to 394.

The control board 30 is an integrated circuit board providing electrical connections between the processor 31, and the other circuit components 32-393. In the described embodiment a MediaTek MT6252 chip is implemented, supporting a ARM7-EJ 104 MHz processor 31 and a Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE communications transmitter 36.

When active, the device processor 31 issues signals to the geo-positional receiver 34 for the purpose of receiving positional information. Positional information obtained from the receiver 34 is stored in memory 32, which may be subsequently accessed by the processor 31 for generating device location data representing the location of the device 12. The GPS receiver 34 is preferably a MediaTek MT3326 GPS Receiver that is adapted to generate the device location data based on received positional information from the geographical information source 14, with wireless and RF transmission performed by the MT6252 control chip on-board components. . Alternatively, a more advanced U-Blox GPS received is used. A battery unit 35 provides power to the processor 31, memory 32, and communications receiver and transmitter 34, 36 components, and to any other active components on the control board 30. The battery unit 35 is preferably accessed by an external connector 391 for recharging.

The tracking device 12 includes a connectivity data card 33 which contains unique identification information specific to the tracking device 12, in addition to authentication information for authenticating transmissions from the tracking device 12 over the internet communications network 16. The connectivity data card 33 is preferably in communication with the processor 31. However, in alternative embodiments, the card 33 may be directly accessed by other components such as memory 32 and wireless transmitter module 36. The control board 30 also has attached a sensor chip 37 which communicates with processor 31, and which is operable to detect motion of the tracking device 12.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments of the tracking device 12 may include different variations of integrated circuit components and/or alternative component configurations. For example, the memory module 32 may be implemented as a set of individual modules of different memory types, battery unit 35 may be located externally or may possess "pass-through" functionality allowing the device to be operable from a permanent power supply, and other components may be used to implement the geo-positional receiver 34 and wireless transmitter 36 modules. In such alternative embodiments, the principles of the described invention are also applicable.

As particularly shown in Figure 3, the board 30 is enclosed by a durable physical housing 20, where the housing 20 is, for example, comprised of suitable materials such as plastic and/or metal. The tracking device 12 shown in Figure 3 is generally rectangular in shape, with dimensions of 34 x 34 x 15mm. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the device 12 may take a multitude of shapes (including, for example, cylindrical or pyramidal shapes) depending on the application requirements.

The device 12 includes interfaces 22, 24 and 26. The interface 22 is a push button switch On or Off. The interface 24 is mini-USB port for charging battery or supply of direct power (3.7v 500mA) from external source 12v to 220v - via transformer which is not part of the device. The third interface 26 is a tiny hole in the housing of device allowing a thin pin to push a micro switch to reboot the device. The housing enclosure 20 of the device preferably includes a vented section 28.. Preferably, the device 12 includes indicator display components (not shown), such as one or more LEDs, that can be activated to indicate condition events including, for example, the receiving or transmitting of data, or the triggering of alarm conditions (i.e. when the device is moved or tampered with) .

The tracking system 10 operates based on receipt of positional information from the geographical information source 14 by the tracking device 12. As shown in Figure 4, the geographical information source 14 preferably include a plurality of global positioning system satellites that each broadcast positional information. Alternatively, the geographical information source 14 includes other satellite based navigation systems including the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Galileo, GLONASS, or Beibou-2. For ease of description, the system 10 is described below with reference to GPS satellites only.

When in the 'active' behaviour mode, the tracking device 12 receives signals from the GPS information source 14 at the GPS Receiver module 34. A variety of positional information is received by the GPS receiver 34 from each satellite 14a, 14b, ... 14n, including accurate satellite position and internal clock values. The navigation signals are transmitted at 50 bits per second on the standard LI coarse/acquisition code band with a carrier frequency of 1.57542 GHz using Carrier Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The system 14 includes N satellites, each of which encodes message data with a unique high-rate pseudo-random number (PRN). The GPS receiver module 34 is programmed with knowledge of the PRN sequences for the satellites in the GPS network 14. The receiver 34 selects N satellites to receive signals from based on their PRNs, and demodulates signals received by these satellites using their known LI carrier frequency. The demodulated signal produced is subsequently decoded using the PRN 'Gold Code' corresponding to the correct GPS satellite 1,2...N to produce N navigation data signals. Alternatively, the GPS receiver 34 may be unable to locate GPS satellites from which to receive the information signals due to out-dated PRN sequence data. In this case, the receiver 34 enters a search mode until a lock is obtained on a particular satellite. The set of gold code PRN sequences may then be obtained from the 'locked' satellite, and these codes may be stored by the receiver 34 in its own local memory

Given received and decoded navigation signals from the GPS satellites 1,2,...N, the processor 31 performs the steps of: 1. generating data representing the satellite positions and the times when the signals were transmitted from each; 2. generating data representing the distance from the receiver 34 to each GPS satellite 1-N is based on the difference between the transmission time and the receiving time; and 3. generating data representing its own position as at the intersection of the surfaces of the spheres centred at each satellite's position with radius equal to the GPS receiver-to-satellite distance.

The final location data, as extracted from a single GPS update, is stored in memory 32 by the processor 31. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the specific GPS receiver module used may implement additional techniques to improve the accuracy of the location data, such as carrier phase enhancement (CPGPS) and relative kinematic positioning (RKP).

Alternatively, the above-described processing steps are performed locally by the GPS receiver 34, with the final location data, as extracted from a single GPS update, transferred from the receiver 34 to memory 32 by the processor 31.

Alternative embodiments of the device 12 may implement various techniques to decipher the receiver's position (such as Least Squares or Bancroft).

The processor 31 performs a position update every Tu seconds, involving receiving broadcast positional information from the GPS satellites 14a, 14b, ... 14n and producing corresponding device location data. The update period may be varied based on implementation, but is set to Tu=15 seconds in the present embodiment. This ensures that accurate GPS positioning measurements are produced while maintaining power efficiency.

To further minimise power consumption the tracking device 12 employs an adaptive power management process based on state allocation. Acceleration sensor 37 constantly performs tracking device self-monitoring to detect changes in motion, and sends notifications to the processor 31 when the device is stationary. The processor 31 changes the device's internal state to 'sleep' when the tracking device 12 is stationary for the purpose of disabling further positional updates.

The tracker 12 is programmed to seek signals from satellites at certain intervals (for more accurate tracking of vehicle movement we recommend 10 to 15 seconds intervals). So every 15 seconds, for example, it comes into active mode of operation, "pinging" for satellite signal. This consumes power from a battery and data of monthly allocation, and if the tracker is in static position, it would transmit the same data again and again, wasting allocated resources without adding useful information. So the motherboard is equipped with a sensor (similar to the gamer pads) which detects shakes or accelerations, and if it detects none for programmed 2 minutes, which happens when a vehicle stops, it commands motherboard to stop pinging and go into "sleep mode" which conserves energy and data. During 'sleep' mode power to the GPS receiver 34 and the wireless transmitted 36 ceases resulting in conservation of battery life. Optionally, in some embodiments the processor may force the GPS receiver 34 to perform a location position update upon receiving a stationary motion notification from the sensor 37 prior to switching to the 'sleep' state in order to ensure that an accurate measurement of the vehicle's position is available while no further updates are being received.

In the described embodiment of the tracking device 12, the specific parameters determining the device behaviour, such as GPS satellite update frequency, and the threshold limits of sensor 37 for determining when the device 12 is considered to be stationary or moving, are controlled by a set of program instructions stored in a permanent section of memory 32. The user can modify or update these parameters and therefore customise the behaviour of the device by using the I/O module 385. Configuration proceeds by loading a tracking device program via a USB connection made between the I/O module connector 393 and a computer executing a tracking device customisation utility.

When 'active' the tracking device 12 transmits data to an external communications network 16 via the wireless transmitter module 36. The data transmitted to the network 16 includes the current device location data, as calculated by the GPS receiver unit 34 or the processor 31, and authentication information stored within the connectivity data card 33. The connectivity card 33 has: 1. a unique ID number and 2. a M2M multi-IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity).

These are different to IMSI on SIM cards as they are not connected to a particular one country Telco. Rather, like with Vodafone M2M card is used in the devices 12, it can work seamlessly and without incurring roaming charges in many countries. The device 12 alternatively includes any other suitable IMSI card which works in several countries instead of SIM tied up with a single Telco. The unique ID number and the M2M multi-IMSI uniquely identifies the tracking device 12, and the authentication information of the tracking system user which is required to access the network 16. Upon receiving an updated location measurement from the GPS receiver 34, the processor 31: 1. retrieves the identification and authentication information from the connectivity data card 33; 2. retrieves the device location data from memory 32; 3. transfers the connectivity data and device location data to the transmitter 36; and 4. issues control signals instructing the transmission of the combined authentication data and device location data (together referred to as "tracking data").

For the system 10 shown in Figure 4, transmission of the above described tracking data to the user device 18 uses a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) data network. The wireless transmitter module 36 preferably performs data transmission over 2G or 3G GSM bands. Data transmission proceeds using a packet oriented mobile data service. For example, the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) protocols may be used to provide access to a packet data transport network by which the tracking data can be transmitted. The wireless transmitter module 36 transmits the connectivity and device location data, encoded in the appropriate format, to a base transceiver station of the local GSM carrier network 42. The base station controller passes the encapsulated data to the appropriate packet switched network, for example GPRS, allowing transmission of the data to the internet 44. Following processing by one or more platform services (as described below), the tracking device data is delivered to the user device 18.

In the described system 10, data transmission over the GSM network requires authentication with a network provider. Authentication credentials such as client ID, device number, and service IDs are stored within the connectivity data card and are preferably presented to the local carrier network 42 to establish an initial connection. The tracking device 12 is therefore able to achieve data transmission to a remote user device without the need for an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and associated Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card. The transmitter 36 accesses only the packet switched service of the network to transmit vehicle location data from a local GSM carrier station 42 to the wider internet network 44 and subsequently to a user device 18. The skilled person in the art will recognise that other embodiments may involve data transmission over alternative packet switching protocols (such as EDGE) while still utilising the concepts described above.

As shown in Figure 5, the system 10 facilitates transmission of the vehicle tracking data from the local carrier network 42 to a tracking platform service 50, via an intermediate internet-based network 44a. The tracking platform service 50 performs processing of the data via separate connectivity 501, management 502, and presentation 503 services. The connectivity service 501 handles the initial interpretation of the data packets as transmitted through the internet network 44 from the GSM packet switching network 42. The service 501 performs operations including protocol transformation from the physical layer to the transportation layer, and decryption to recover the separate vehicle identification and positional data as transmitted by the tracking device.

The management service 502 receives the decoded identity and positional data from the connectivity service 501. Authentication may be performed to ensure that the vehicle identity (as recorded within the tracking device) corresponds to a registered user, and successful authentication allows the data to be stored for use.

The management service 502 preferably includes dedicated server devices, where vehicle device location data and identification data are stored and managed by a database. A database management system (DBMS), such as MySQL, is preferably employed to allow the entry and retrieval of records, each containing information about a registered tracking asset. The skilled person in the art will recognise that many different management service architectures are possible for permitting the storage and retrieval of vehicle tracking information. For example, in an embodiment of a purely real-time system the data may not be stored, but may instead be passed directly to the presentation service 503 following authentication.

The presentation service 503 provides an interface for data requests from the user application 52, as received via an intermediate internet-based network 44b, and handles the transmission of the tracking data to this application.

Figure 6 shows the steps performed by the application 52 stored in memory 53 on the user device 18 within a tracking system 10. Application start-up, at step 60, is performed when the user executes the application program 52 on the user device 18. The user application 52 is a mobile device application capable of running on a mobile communication device running Android or iOS, or other equivalent operating systems. Many alternative embodiments of the user device 18 or application 52 may exist based on the conversion or emulation of the user application program instructions. For example, the user device 18 may be a personal computer, a tablet, or an iPad having the application program stored in memory 53 thereon.

Application start-up, at step 60, results in generation, at step 61, of the graphical user interface (GUI) 700 shown in Figure 7. The log in GUI 700 includes an "ID" data box 702 and a "Password" data box 702. The user can enter user name and password into these boxes.

The login phase 61 involves the authentication of the user's tracking application 52 with the tracking platform service architecture, such that tracking data specific to the user's asset may be subsequently received. Figure 8 shows the process steps by which a user may log in via the tracking application 52. Identification details 80 are received from the user into the application log in window 700. The user information required for logging in include combinations of a public identifier string, such as a number, which is unique to each user of the system, and a private code or "password" known only by the individual user. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that many schemes for implementing the described ID and passcode based authentication system exist, and where varying levels of restriction may be placed on the format of the ID and passcode data values. For example, users may be assigned ID string and/or passcode values when registering with the system at the time of purchasing the tracking device 12, or may be given a degree of choice over these values.

Upon successful input of the login information 80, the user may submit a request to log into the tracking platform service 82. This is achieved by the use of the 'Log In' button 706 on the application log in window 700. Submission of the log in information involves transmission of the ID and passcode authentication information to the client application interface 84 of the tracking platform service. Encryption and/or encoding techniques may be utilised to perform authentication information transmission. An authentication certificate is received by the user application 52 in response to a successful authentication process. The client application interface 84 accepts a log in request and processes the received encoded authentication information as supplied by the user . This processing involves a logic module 86 which receives the decoded ID string and passcode information in the application data format, and converts the values into a native platform data type. The raw authentication data is passed to an authentication service 88. The authentication service 88 verifies the supplied authentication information by performing a search over the set of stored credentials 90 for all users registered with the system. If a registration exists within the stored credential set 90 corresponding to the user application ID string, then service 88 performs a verification of the passcode stored with the user supplied code. In the described embodiment the authentication service 88 and credential storage system 90 are implemented via a database system, with the authentication program performing verification by issuing commands to the DBMS in the query language Passcode information is converted to a hash value using a hashing algorithm before entry into the database. The skilled addressee will recognise that any one of a variety of hashing algorithms (such as, but not limited to, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2) may be used to similar effect within the embodiments described. Verification involves application of the identical hashing algorithm to the user supplied passcode value and subsequent comparison of the stored and calculated values. Alternative embodiments may utilise different service configurations, such as for example the implementation of the stored credentials data 90 on separate dedicated devices, or the use of different data query languages.

The authentication service 88 indicates a successful authentication to the logic module 86 if both the user supplied ID and passcode match an entry in the credentials set 90. On notification of successful authentication from the authentication service 88, the logic module 86 prepares a certificate to be used for validating the user application's future requests for tracking data. In the described embodiment, the certificate is characterised by a PRN which is uniquely assigned among all user applications presently validated with the tracking platform service. The logic module 86 records the user's authentication ID as assigned to the generated PRN code, and passes this encapsulated information to the client application interface 84. The client application interface performs the necessary encoding, and transmits the certificate to the user application. On authentication failure, the logic module 86 indicates the failure to verify the user's authentication information to the client application interface 84. The client application interface 84 notifies the user application of the unsuccessful log in attempt in this case.

Following a successful log in 61, the tracking application 52 generates the GUI 900 shown in Figure 9a which allows the user to configure parameters controlling the acquisition and display of tracking information for their vehicle asset. The GUI 900 includes a time interval table which allows the user to select one of the following options: a. Today 902 b. Past three days 904; and c. Customise 906.

The user may select the tracking mode 62 by providing an indication to the application of the temporal range over which the tracking information should be displayed. The user can define a time interval for which tracking data will be gathered and displayed by selecting one of the above pre-configured options. For example, selecting the 'Past three days' option 904 will indicate that tracking should be performed to display all data received from the user's tracking device over the past three days.

Alternatively, selection of the "Customise" button 906 generates the "Select Start Time" GUI 914 shown in Figure 9b which allows the user to define an arbitrary interval to display tracking data. The GUI 914 include function buttons 916, 918 that allow the user to select a date and time for which the tracking is to start. Similar functionality may be provided for allowing the user to choose an end time.

The GUI 900 also includes a function button 908 to enable real-time tracking and a confirmation button 910 to execute the selected options. On selection of the button 908, the application 52 generates the "Select Display Mode" GUI 924 shown in figure 9c which allows the user to indicate that the application 52 should continuously obtain and display tracking data as the data is received from the user's associated vehicle device 12. The real-time tracking functionality may be activated as a 'standalone' mode of operation, or in combination with the display of tracking information relating to a past time interval, with the interval of selected as described above.

Figures 10a and 10b respectively show the steps performed by the application 52 for displaying real-time and historical tracking information. The display of real-time tracking information involves a repetitive process of obtaining tracking data, at step 641, and updating, at step 642, the displayed information on the display 55 of the device 18 based on the newly acquired data. The process continues until the user elects to return to the parameter configuration screens, or to exit the application 65.

Historical tracking information may be displayed via a single request to obtain the tracking data for the relevant time interval 641, and by displaying the acquired data 642. The real-time tracking display process may then be engaged if selected by the user, and if allowed for the tracking time interval selected. Alternatively, the historical information may remain displayed until the user elects to return to the parameter configuration screen or to exit the application 65. Many possible embodiments exist for achieving this type of operation, including the display of multi-path tracking data over 'historical' and 'live' time intervals, and enforcing restrictions on the application to prevent real-time tracking in conjunction with historical tracking involving intervals that do not include the present time.

Real-time and historical tracking are separate buttons on PC display of on phone's app: Tracking (mean now) and Play (which opens another window to select the dates: From and Till).

The tracking application of the described embodiment includes functionality allowing the user to select the display mode 63 for the tracking data. As shown by way of example in Figure 9c, a visual tracking display mode option 926 is provided, wherein the tracking data is processed to display the geographical position of the vehicle over time in the form of a path on a map. The client application uses map data obtained from an external mapping service, where the service used may vary based on the platform of the application and the regional jurisdiction in which it is being operated. Functionality provided by the visual tracking display mode 626 includes, but is not limited to, automatic and user adjustable map scaling, scrolling and zooming of map regions, and path tracing allowing the user to inspect information associated with data recorded at instants along the.

The tracking application program also provides a statistical tracking display 632 mode option 928 for user selection. The statistical tracking display mode processes the tracking data accumulated over the desired time period to produce a set of aggregated statistics which are displayed to the user. The statistics calculated may include, but are not limited to, total distance travelled, distance travelled per hour, distance travelled per day, average speed, maximum speed, distance between start and end locations, time taken to reach the final recorded destination from the start location, and the time that the vehicle was stationary. The aggregated statistics are reported back to the user via a textual display window, as exemplified in Figure 9c. In the described embodiment the visual tracking display 631 and statistical tracking display 632 modes are mutually exclusive. The user may navigate between modes using menu driven functionality. A 'custom' display mode option is available 930, which may present the user with forms of visual and statistical information simultaneously. The skilled person in the art will recognise that other embodiments may include additional functionality to process the visual and/or statistical information. For example, the application may issue a reminder to the user when a vehicle service is due based on the total distance travelled or hours driven, or display an alert if the vehicle moves in to, or out of, a pre-determined area (i.e. a geo-fence).

Figure 11 illustrates the process of obtaining tracking data from the tracking platform service for the display functionality of the described embodiment. The user application 80 performs display tracking 802 by sending a request for tracking data corresponding to a given time interval. The time interval over which data is requested may be a fixed historical interval, and/or the continuous present in the case of real-time tracking. The user application 80 encapsulates the interval of request with an authentication certification identifying the user of the application, and transmits the request to the tracking platform service 81. The client application interface 810 receives the request and performs decoding and extraction of the certificate and temporal request parameters. The request and certificate information is passed in the native platform data type to the logic module 811. The logic module 811 checks the authentication certificate via communication with the authentication service 815 to ensure that the request is issued by a validly authenticated user. Positive verification of user authentication is followed by retrieval of all tracking data within the requested time interval from the data storage source 812. To minimise the transfer of redundant data the logic module 811 may receive an indication of the last time instant when a position update was received. The logic module 811 is operable to retrieve only the tracking data recorded at dates later than the last indicated update time, and within the requested time interval. The tracking data information is concatenated and encapsulated with the authentication certificate by the logic module 811 in the native data format before transmission to the presentation layer. The client application interface 810 transmits the data back to the user application 80. Decoding of the received information allows the tracking data to be extracted and used by the display tracking 802 service to update the user application display, as shown in Figure 10.

In the described embodiment the data storage service 812 is implemented using the MySQL DBMS to store and retrieve records corresponding to tracking data collected from the tracked asset at a particular time instant. Alternative embodiments may involve the use of other architectures to implement the data storage 812, such as file storage or customised data structures.

Tracking data is received from the tracking device via the connectivity service 501 of the tracking platform service 81. A network interface service 814 receives the physical data from the internet network 816. This may involve wireless or physical transmission media according to the embodiment of the tracking platform service, and internet communications network. The network interface service 814 performs protocol conversion and passes the received data packets to the tracking data processing service 813. The tracking data processing service 813 firstly identifies the user to whom the tracking information within the packets belongs. User identification is performed using the known mapping between the transmitted vehicle identifier, as stored within the connectivity data card of a user's tracking device, and the authentication ID registered for this user. The tracking data processing service 813 constructs a data storage request in the native platform data type, and submits the data storage request to the data storage service 812. The data storage service 812 receives the request to add new tracking data for a given user, and stores this newly received tracking information for the user.

Figure 11 refers to a block diagram of a communications device 1000 operable to execute the user tracking application. Those skilled in the art will recognise that the following descriptions relate to the generic architecture and configuration of a computing device which may be implemented in accordance with the embodiments described above. Other configurations exist which may involve execution of the tracking application in combination with other modules or devices.

As shown in Figure 12, the communications device 1000 which implements the user application includes a computing device 1001 comprising of a central system bus 1002, a removable memory 1003, a memory system 1004, a processing unit 1005, a networking module 1006, display interfaces 1007, and I/O device interfaces 1008. The processing unit 1005 may be any microprocessor which performs the execution of sequences of machine instructions, and may have architectures consisting of a single or multiple processing cores. The processor 1005 issues control signals to other computing device 1001 components via the system bus 1002, and has direct access to at least some form of the memory system 1004.

The memory system 1004 provides internal media for the electrical storage of the machine instructions required to execute the user application. The memory system 1004 may include random access memory (RAM), non-volatile memory (such as ROM or EPROM), cache memory and registers for fast access by the processing unit 1005, and high volume storage subsystems such as hard disk drives (HDD). Individual memory system components, such as the high volume storage subsystems, may include separate interfaces and/or buses to the main system bus in order to increase data transfer efficiency. A removable memory system 1003 may be implemented in the form of flash drives or removable high volume storage devices. A portion of the non-volatile memory within the memory system 1004 may contain a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) which includes routines facilitating the communication of data and control signals between computer device 1001 components. The memory system 1004 and removable memory 1003 store processor executable instructions for one or more programs and data, including an operating system 1016, one or more application programs 1015, and program data 1014. The one or more application programs may include the user application demonstrated in Figures 9 (a-d), and/or the subservices provided by said user application. Program data 1014 may include data instructions and results produced or used by the user tracking application. More generally, application programs 1014 may include methods, data structures or other software services that define data or perform functions. The program data 1014, the individual instructions of an application program 1015, and the operating system 1016 may reside in portions of the memory system 1004, including the registers, cache, main memory, and high volume storage, or in the removable memory 1003. The skilled person in the art will appreciate that many embodiments of the memory system 1004 exist, allowing for variation in the distribution of program data and instructions between the individual memory subsystems.

The system bus 1002 provides a means by which data may be exchanged between the components of the computer 1001. The system bus allows the processing unit 1005 to issue control signals to other components, including memory system 1004, for the purpose of transferring data. The system bus 1002 may be of varying structure, and may possess one or more sub-buses, such as a memory bus interconnecting the memory system 1004 components and/or a peripheral bus such as AGP or PCI.

The I/O device interface 1008 provides a means by which the user can interact with the computing device 1001, application programs 1015, and data 1014 using input devices 1012 such as a mouse and keyboard. Other external user input devices 1012 which may be connected include a microphone, an IR remote control, game controller devices, and gesture systems. The user may additionally interact with the computing device 1001 and its application programs 1015 and data 1014 using on-board input devices such as a touchpad or touch screen. The I/O device interface 1008 also provides a means for the computing device 1001 to instruct output peripherals 1013, which may include printers, audio devices, and imaging devices.

The display device interface 1007 may include one or more dedicated graphics interfaces, which transmit graphics and video signals between the computing device 1001 and display devices 1011. The display devices 1011 may consist of external displays, such as CRT, LCD, LED or plasma monitors or TVs, or on-board displays.

The computing device 1001 is operable in a networked environment via the connection of a networking system 1006 to the components. The network subsystem 1006 enables the logical connection of the computing device 1001 to other networks or computing devices through a wireless or wired transmission media. Connections to networks or other computing devices are formed via communication subsystems such as wireless transceivers 1009 and/or physical interfaces 1010. The computing device 1001 may establish such connections through the use of specialised networking equipment, such as a router, or may connect directly to other communications networks or devices possessing similar transceivers 1009 or interfaces 1010. In a networked environment the programs 1015 and data 1014 of the computing device 1001 may be stored, partially or fully, within the memory system of one or more remote devices.

The computer system 1001 may exchange information with connected networks and other communications devices. Protocols such as the IEEE 802.xx family may be used for exchanging information wirelessly with, for example, a computer, portable device, printer, scanner, or any other device or location associated with a wireless identity. This includes devices connected over technologies such as WiFi, WiMax and Bluetooth, and in the form of either structured or ad-hoc communications.

Advantageously, the device 12 has the following benefits: 1. it is smaller in size than any other devices; 2. as the size of tracking device depends on processors, which consume power, the smaller size means also smaller battery 3. the management software has a power saving mode which is activated when it recognises if the device was about to transmit the same data (longitude and latitude position) and will ignore it and stop transmission (saving power);

Each tracking device 12 is usually programmed to transmit its geo-position at certain intervals, say each 10 to 20 seconds. Each "transmission session" (called pinging) consists of receiving a signal from a satellite and transmitting this data to the nearest land tower (usually belonging to one of Telco providers who issued a SIM card for a particular tracker) and it consumes a lot of power. The pinging occurs at longer intervals, say 1 to 2 minutes when the tracker 12 is moving slowly, and faster when the tracker will move say in the car at speed of 60km/h - achieving in both cases accurate travelling. This solution was found in series of innovative engineering steps: (a) decreased size of a battery (at 520mAh only, which is four times smaller than a battery used in many trackers); (b) programming frequent pinging for high accuracy of mapping routes (at 10 to 15 seconds, for example); (c) building the power management software, which in simple terms "put device to sleep" if a tracker is not moving (which is recognized by transmitting few times the same GEO position). Then as soon as the tracker is moved the motherboard is woken up from the sleep - which we achieved by putting "accelerating chip" into the motherboard which reacts instantly on any "disturbance". (d) the battery can power the tracking device 12 up to 5 days before the need to recharge it. This way we achieved significant reduction in size of device, power and data transmission volume and at the same time maintaining high accuracy and low cost of data transmission. (e) Importantly, the device 12 includes a micro data chip designed for remote data transmission of remote equipment, called M2M (or Machine-to-Machine). In previous tracking devices, only SIM cards were used to transmit and received the data from tracking devices. The major disadvantage of using such cards is a limitation of their use - only by subscription to one of Telco's in any given country (with minimum "Plan" for 24 months, like with use of SIM cards in mobile phones), its relatively high cost (min $30 a month) and incurring high roaming charges if a device is taken into another country. (f) The motherboard for tracking device 12 has been designed to accept M2M data-card. The main elements traditionally involved in streaming data for M2M cards are sensors, which are designed with intention to send data wirelessly as telemetry to a wireless network and to a computer connected to the Internet. The "sensors" were substituted with the motherboard, which after communicating with satellite produced a stream of data - telemetry (longitude and latitude in our case), and thus feeding M2M card with information which it sends wirelessly to wireless network and further to Internet connected PC or Smartphone. (g) Replacing SIM card with M2M card has the following benefits: (i) decreased the size of motherboard; (ii) reduced power consumption (resulted in smaller battery); (iii) dramatically reduced data transmission (resulting in reduction of cost for using wireless network); and (iv) avoided necessity of subscription to any particular Telco in any particular country or in any country.

This made the tracker 12 a truly global device without the need to change cards or pay excessive roaming charges. The concept of putting M2M communication card into the device 12 made another unexpected benefit to the device securing it from the theft and re-birthing.

The data card is soldered into the motherboard. As such, it is difficult to remove and replace with another card (as is possible with a SIM card and a mobile telephone’). So M2M card in the device 12 adds a level of security.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (75)

1. Claims Defining the Invention

   1. A tracking system, including: (a) a tracking device including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (ii) generating device location data from the positional information; (iii) transmitting device location data to a user device over a communications network; and (b) a user device including a visual display unit, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving device location data from the tracking device over the communications network; and (ii) generating an interface for display on the visual display unit including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.
2. 2. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the connectivity data card is a "smart card" or "nano-card" configured to transmit said device location data over the communications network to the user device.
3. 3. The system claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the connectivity data card stores identification information unique to the tracking device.
4. 4. The system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the unique identity information stored by the connectivity data card includes a device serial number and authentication information for connecting to a network.
5. 5. The system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the unique identity information includes a M2M multi-International Mobile Subscriber Identity.
6. 6. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one or more geographical information sources are Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.
7. 7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tracking device further includes a battery in electrical communication with the receiver, the connectivity data card, and the one or more computer processors.
8. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the battery is chargeable by an external connector.
9. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the external connector is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector.
10. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the external connector is a car-jack connector.
11. 11. The system of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the tracking device includes an acceleration sensor for generating acceleration data representing acceleration of the tracking device.
12. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the step of transmitting device location data to the user device over a communications network also includes the step of transmitting acceleration data to the user device.
13. 13. The system of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the tracking device is operable to transmit data wirelessly via a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.
14. 14. The system claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the tracking device includes a fastener for coupling the device to a vehicle.
15. 15. A tracking system, including: (a) a tracking device including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (ii) generating device location data from the positional information; (iii) transmitting device location data to a service over a communications network; (b) a service including one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the service to perform the steps of: (i) receiving device location data from a tracking device over the communications network; (ii) storing the device location for a tracking device; and (iii) transmitting device location data to a user device over the communications network; and (c) a user device including a visual display unit, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (i) requesting device location data for the tracking device over the communications network from the service; (ii) receiving device location data for the tracking device from the service over the communications network; and (iii) generating an interface for display on the visual display unit including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.
16. 16. The system claimed in claim 15, wherein the connectivity data card is a "smart card" or "nano-card" configured to transmit said device location data over the communications network to the service.
17. 17. The system claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the connectivity data card stores identification information unique to the tracking device.
18. 18. The system of any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the unique identity information stored by the connectivity data card includes a device serial number and authentication information for connecting to a network.
19. 19. The system of any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the unique identity information includes a M2M multi-International Mobile Subscriber Identity.
20. 20. The system of any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the one or more geographical information sources are Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.
21. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the step of generating device location data from the positional information includes receiving geographical information from four GPS satellites using simultaneous equations.
22. 22. The system of any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the tracking device further includes a battery in electrical communication with the receiver, the connectivity data card, and the one or more computer processors.
23. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the battery is chargeable by an external connector.
24. 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the external connector is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector.
25. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the external connector is a car-jack connector.
26. 26. The system of any one of claims 15 to 25, wherein the tracking device includes an acceleration sensor for generating acceleration data representing acceleration of the tracking device.
27. 27. The system of claim 26, wherein the step of transmitting device location data over a communications network also includes the step of transmitting acceleration data.
28. 28. The system of any one of claims 15 to 27, wherein the tracking device is operable to transmit data wirelessly via a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.
29. 29. The system claimed in any one of claims 15 to 28, wherein the tracking device includes a fastener for coupling the device to a vehicle.
30. 30. The system of any one of claims 15 to 29, wherein the service is a tracking platform service.
31. 31. The system claimed in claim 30, wherein data stored by the tracking platform service includes the device location data of the tracking device according to the data most recently received from the tracking device.
32. 32. The system of claims 15 to 31, wherein communication between the user device and the service involves the transmission of authentication information by the user device to the service.
33. 33. The system of any one of claims 15 to 32, wherein the user device receives the data generated by the tracking device in real-time.
34. 34. A tracking device for a tracking system, including a receiver, a connectivity data card, one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to perform the steps of: (a) receiving positional information from one or more geographical information sources; (b) generating device location data from the positional information; and (c) transmitting device location data to a service over a communications network.
35. 35. The device claimed in claim 34, wherein the connectivity data card is a "smart card" or "nano-card" configured to transmit said device location data over the communications network to the service.
36. 36. The device claimed in claim 34 or claim 35, wherein the connectivity data card stores identification information unique to the tracking device.
37. 37. The device of any one of claims 34 to 36, wherein the unique identity information stored by the connectivity data card includes a device serial number and authentication information for connecting to a network.
38. 38. The device of any one of claims 34 to 37, wherein the unique identity information includes a M2M multi-International Mobile Subscriber Identity.
39. 39. The device of any one of claims 34 to 38, wherein the one or more geographical information sources are Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites.
40. 40. The device of claim 39, wherein the step of generating device location data from the positional information includes receiving geographical information from four GPS satellites using simultaneous equations.
41. 41. The system of any one of claims 34 to 40, wherein the tracking device further includes a battery in electrical communication with the receiver, the connectivity data card, and the one or more computer processors.
42. 42. The device of claim 41, wherein the battery is chargeable by an external connector.
43. 43. The device of claim 42, wherein the external connector is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector.

    43. The device of claim 42, wherein the external connector is a car-jack connector.
44. 44. The device of any one of claims 34 to 43, wherein the tracking device includes an acceleration sensor for generating acceleration data representing acceleration of the tracking device.
45. 45. The device of claim 44, wherein the step of transmitting device location data over a communications network also includes the step of transmitting acceleration data.
46. 46. The device of any one of claims 34 to 46, wherein the tracking device is operable to transmit data wirelessly via a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.
47. 47. The device claimed in any one of claims 34 to 46, including a fastener for coupling the device to a vehicle.
48. 48. Non-transient computer readable data storage, including stored thereon a computer program including a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user computer device, cause the device to perform the following steps of: (a) requesting device location data for a tracking device over a communications network from a service; (b) receiving device location data for the tracking device from the service over the communications network; and (c) generating an interface for display on a visual display unit of the user device including indicia indicating a position of the tracking device.
49. 49. The storage claimed in claim 48, wherein the tracking device includes connectivity data card is a "smart card" or "nano-card" configured to transmit said device location data over the communications network to the service.
50. 50. The storage claimed in claim 48 or claim 49, wherein the connectivity data card stores identification information unique to the tracking device.
51. 51. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 50, wherein the unique identity information stored by the connectivity data card includes a device serial number and authentication information for connecting to a network.
52. 52. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 51, wherein the unique identity information includes a M2M multi-International Mobile Subscriber Identity.
53. 53. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 52, wherein the service is a tracking platform service.
54. 54. The storage claimed in claim 53, wherein data stored by the tracking platform service includes the device location data of the tracking device according to the data most recently received from the tracking device.
55. 55. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 54, wherein the user device receives the data generated by the tracking device in real-time.
56. 56. The storage claimed in any one of claims 48 to 55, wherein the step of requesting device location data for a tracking device over a communications network from a service involves authentication of a user with the service.
57. 57. The storage of claim 55 or claim 56, wherein the step of requesting device location data for a tracking device over a communications network from a service is for a specified time interval.
58. 58. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 57, wherein said indicia indicating a position of the tracking device includes a position displayed on a map.
59. 59. The storage of any one of claims 48 to 57, wherein the device location data is received from the service in real-time from the tracking device.
60. 60. The storage claimed in claim 59, wherein the device location data is displayed in real-time.
61. 61. A tracking service platform for a tracking system, including one or more computer processors, non-transient data storage including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the service to perform the steps of: (a) receiving device location data from a tracking device over a communications network; (b) storing the device location for a tracking device; and (c) transmitting device location data to a user device over the communications network.
62. 62. The service claimed in claim 61, wherein the device location data is received from the tracking device via a connectivity data card.
63. 63. The service claimed in claim 62, wherein the connectivity card is a "smart card" or "nano-card" configured to transmit said device location data over the communications network to the service.
64. 64. The service claimed in claim 61 or claim 62, wherein the connectivity data card stores identification information unique to the tracking device.
65. 65. The service of any one of claims 61 to 64, wherein the unique identity information stored by the connectivity data card includes a device serial number and authentication information for connecting to a network.
66. 66. The service of any one of claims 61 to 65, wherein the unique identity information includes a M2M multi-International Mobile Subscriber Identity.
67. 67. The service of any one of claims 61 to 66, including the step of receiving acceleration data from the tracking device representing acceleration of the tracking device.
68. 68. The service of any one of claims 61 to 67, wherein the service is operable to receive data wirelessly via a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network.
69. 69. The service claimed in claim 68, wherein data stored by the tracking platform service includes the device location data of the tracking device according to the data most recently received from the tracking device.
70. 70. The service of claims 61 to 69, including the step of receiving authentication information from the user device.
71. 71. The service of any one of claims 61 to 70, wherein the user device receives the data generated by the tracking device in real-time.
72. 72. The tracking system claimed in any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein the connectivity card is a M2M data chip.
73. 73. The tracking device claimed in any one of claims 34 to 47, wherein the connectivity card is a M2M data chip.
74. 74. The storage claimed in any one of claims 48 to 60, wherein the connectivity card is a M2M data chip.
75. 75. The service claimed in any one of claims 61 to 70, wherein the connectivity card is a M2M data chip.