The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 04, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 07, 1995
Kenneth B Welles, II, Scotia, NY (US);
Irfan Ali, Niskayuna, NY (US);
Daniel D Harrison, Delanson, NY (US);
General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US);
Abstract
A local area network (LAN) of tracked mobile assets which are temporarily located in an area having a high density of mobile assets, such as a railway yard, employs a stationary master tracking unit that is responsible for communicating with mobile tracking units affixed to the mobile assets and transmitting information to a central station. The stationary master tracking unit may be mounted at an elevation, as on a pole, and single or multiple stationary master tracking units may exist in the same vicinity. Each stationary master tracking unit has a constant supply of power and communicates with the central station by way of either satellites or dedicated land line connection. A protocol is provided for communicating between the Stationary master tracking unit and the mobile tracking units. The protocol provides a mechanism for acquiring new mobile tracking units entering the railway yard and a mechanism for releasing mobile tracking units leaving the railway yard.