Technical Field

This invention relates to a system, method and network for monitoring a device or a number of devices. In preferred embodiments the invention may be used to monitor the location and potentially the operation of a fleet of geographically distributed devices using both existing and additional low-cost components.

round art

Many businesses invest in equipment to assist in the performance of their core activities. For example, in a number of applications products supplied consumers need to be preserved or otherwise conditioned prior to sale.

These processes may need to be completed using equipment or devices which a business needs to distribute over a wide geographical area.

Similarly, production equipment may need to be distributed widely over a production facility.

These various types of devices need ongoing monitoring to meet the aims and the responsibilities of a business. In applications where large numbers of these devices are distributed widely in a variety of locations - and potentially where these locations may change periodically - accurate monitoring becomes problematic.

For example, in the beverage retailing field, beverage producers normally maintain ownership of fleets of drinks coolers which they deploy in retail premises. The retailer completes any purchase transactions required with customers, while the beverage producer maintains the drinks cooler and employs a staff of stockists who periodically visit the retail premises and restock the cooler. The beverage producer can also have a staff of sales agents and maintenance agents who again periodically visit these retail premises.

Beverage producers need to monitor and accurately locate large numbers of coolers to ensure that they can account for all the assets claimed in their accounting statements. This can be a difficult task as a cooler sited with a particular retailer may occasionally be swapped for another unit depending on the retailer's preferences, or due to changes in consumer demand at that particular location. The same issue also causes problems for cooler

maintenance and repair staff who can visit the retailer without a clear idea of the type or number of coolers on the premises, the maintenance history of these devices, and the stock of replacement parts they should carry with them. Beverage producers also find it difficult to manage their fleets of coolers and redistribute machines to where they are needed most without accurate up-to-date information on the location of all their various types of coolers.

In these circumstances beverage producers need to monitor their fleets of coolers, where the circumstances of the members of the fleet change relatively slowly over time. A beverage producer can therefore instigate a monitoring process which can also take some time to complete.

To a similar extent the same situations can occur in respect of production machinery located on large production sites. Various equipment and devices can migrate throughout the production facility over time, make it difficult to account these assets and also to effectively maintain and repair them.

Furthermore, with various forms of production machinery it is important to monitor the operation of these devices to ensure they are functioning effectively. The standard prior art approach for addressing this requirement is usually through a visual inspection of the machine itself or by an active manual query of a device's user interface system. In the case of location monitoring systems a number of prior art approaches have been tried previously.

Manual recording of device location has been attempted and found to be labour intensive, and also overly reliant on the diligence of workers who may not be motivated to perform the task effectively. The efficiency of this manual data capture process can be improved slightly using partially automated data capture systems such as RFID tag or barcode scanning technology - although these approaches are still reliant on the diligence of the workers asked to complete the scanning process.

An alternative approach which can be taken is a fully automated passive system. These systems can provide a device to be monitored with a location detection system (such as a GPS receiver) and a controlling microprocessor in combination with a connection to a wireless data transmission network. Although these passive wireless systems function effectively and can periodically and automatically report a device's location, the cost of the components they require and the potential ongoing network connection charges can be prohibitively costly. Furthermore, these systems are not effective when the device is located outside wireless network or location detection system coverage.

It is also known to use wireless electronic tag devices to monitor various pieces of equipment and personnel. For example, US patent 7852222 discloses a method and system of asset and personnel tracking using such wireless tags, where the tags used must pass through an access restricting gateway to be read. This system is configured so that movements of assets and personnel can be channelled only through these gateways, ensuring that a tag reader component of that will track any movements or personnel visits to an area. However these types of systems rely on the installation of these access restricting gateways in the areas in which assets are to be located or where tracked personnel visit. This approach is not necessarily practical than all potential applications where devices are to be monitored and still require the installation of relatively expensive dedicated reader components at each location where tags are to be read. In terms of beverage cooler fleet monitoring applications this type of approach will not necessarily suit all retail premises and can be costly to implement in terms of the dedicated hardware required.

An alternative form of wireless tag-based tracking system is disclosed in US patent 6624752, which focuses on applications where single articles are to be tracked. This patent describes the application of the wireless tag to possessions such as suitcases which issues an alert to a user handset or terminal when the tagged article enters or leaves an eerie and proximity to the user terminal.

Although useful in relation to the tracking of individual possessions, the approach described in this patent cannot be used practically for the monitoring of fleets of geographically distributed devices. The user handset employed is configured solely to focus on monitoring a specific tag or possession and needs to be reconfigured by user if a different possession is to be monitored. This type of system therefore cannot readily detect the presence of the members of a particular fleets of devices without prior knowledge of the fleet's individual members, nor distinguish between the various members of different fleets of devices deployed by different operators at the same location.

In respect of the monitoring of fleets of geographically distributed beverage coolers, this system is also unable to provide any operational information in terms of the activities or performance of the coolers being monitored. In this particular application there is a need to correctly identify a cooler's membership of a particular fleet operated by a specific owner, where members of the fleet are located at the same site as coolers from other fleets.

It would therefore be of advantage to have improvements over the prior which addressed the above issues.

In particular, improvements which allowed for the passive collection or capturing of device location information without needing to be triggered manually would be of advantage. Furthermore an improved method and/or system of monitoring which could be implemented using low-cost and potentially existing components and infrastructure would also be of advantage. It would also be of advantage to have improvements over the prior art which allowed the monitoring of a fleet of geographically distributed devices with a high latency communications network which could be implemented at relatively low cost. Improvements which also allowed the various members of a particular fleet of devices to be readily identified when at the same location as devices from other fleets would also be an

advantage.

Furthermore, improvements over the prior art which allowed for monitoring and collection of operational information from such devices would also be of advantage.

It would also be of advantage to have an improved system and/or method of device monitoring which could also be used to access restricted information or functions of a device using the same facility which captured device location information. Furthermore, advantages would also be provided over the prior art with a monitoring facility which openly broadcast basic device operational information. Disclosure of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of monitoring a fleet of geographically distributed devices characterised by the steps of

a) circulating at least one user terminal around the locations of each of the fleet of devices to be monitored,

b) receiving with a user terminal the transmission of a public code by a device, said public code integrating device identity information specific to the broadcasting device, and

c) determining the geographical location of the user terminal with the user terminal, and

d) associating the device identity information with the user terminal

location information, and

e) transmitting the associated device identity information and user

terminal location information to a central data storage element.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a monitoring network for a fleet of geographically distributed devices, the network including

a plurality of device monitoring apparatus, each monitoring device apparatus being associated with a device to be monitored, and

at least one user terminal moving periodically from one device location to another device location, and

a central data storage element connected to said at least one user terminal by one or more communication networks,

wherein the user terminal is configured to determine the geographical location of the user terminal and to associate this location information with identify information extracted from a public code transmitted by a device monitoring apparatus, the user terminal being configured to transmit the associated device identity and user terminal location information to the central data storage element. According to a yet further aspect of the present invention there is provided a monitoring node of a monitoring network for a fleet of geographically distributed devices, the monitoring node including

a device monitoring apparatus associated with a device to be monitored, and a user terminal which periodically comes into proximity with the device monitoring apparatus,

the user terminal being arranged to determine the geographical location of the user terminal and to associate this location information with identify information extracted from a public code transmitted by a device monitoring apparatus, the user terminal being configured to associate the device identity information with the determined location information and to transmit the associated device identity and user terminal location information to the central data storage element.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of monitoring a device characterised by the steps of

a) receiving with a user terminal the transmission of a public code by a device, said public code integrating device identity information specific to the broadcasting device, and

b) capturing a device location with the user terminal, and

c) associating the device identity information with the captured device location information, and

d) transmitting the associated device identity information and device

location information to a central data storage element.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided ι method of monitoring a device substantially as described above wherein public code transmitted by a device integrates device operational

information.

According to a yet further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of monitoring a device substantially as described above further characterised by the additional subsequent steps of

e) initiating and completing an authentication process between the device and the user terminal, and

f) providing an authenticated user terminal access to privileged device information and/or privileged device functions. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a device monitoring apparatus which includes

a memory element arranged to store a public code of a device being monitored, the public code incorporating device identity information, and a transmitter arranged to transmit the public code stored by the memory element.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a device monitoring apparatus which includes

a memory element arranged to store a public code of a device being monitored, and

a transmitter arranged to transmit the public code stored by the memory element, and

a control element connected to at least one device sensor, said device sensor or sensor being arranged to provide device operational information to the control element,

wherein the control element is configured to update the public code stored by the memory element based on the device operational information received by the control element.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of computer executable instructions, the program of instructions including

at least one instruction to receive the transmission of a public code, said public code integrating device identity information, and

at least one instruction to determine the geographical location of the user terminal, and

at least one instruction to associate the device identity information with the user terminal location information, and at least one instruction to transmit the associated device identity information and user terminal location information to a central data storage element.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is provided an electronic device control element connected to at least one device sensor, said device sensor or sensors being arranged to provide device operational information to the control element,

the electronic controller being connected to a memory element of a device monitoring apparatus substantially as described above, wherein the control element is configured to update the public code stored by the memory element based on the device operational information received by the control element.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a beverage cooler which includes an electronic device control element substantially as described above.

The present invention is arranged to provide both a method, apparatus, system and network for monitoring a fleet devices. In further aspects of the present invention also encompasses the provision of computer readable media used to store computer executable instructions employed to

implement various components of this network. The network provided by the invention incorporates a number of nodes formed by a combination of a user terminal and device monitoring apparatus as described further below.

Additional aspects of the invention also provide an electronic device control element in addition to a beverage cooler which includes such an electronic control device.

Preferably this network allows for the monitoring of a fleet of geographically distributed devices, with communications propagating through the network with relatively high latency and relatively low reliability. In applications where changes to the circumstances of the devices making up these fleets occur relatively slowly these characteristics of the network provided are not necessarily detrimental and allow a low implementation cost network to be used.

The specifics of the monitoring facilities provided by the invention may vary in a range of embodiments depending on the characteristic of a device which is of interest. For example, in a primary preferred embodiment the location of a device may be monitored using the invention. In other embodiments operational information or parameters associated with a device may be monitored, in addition to or potentially instead of monitoring a device's location.

Reference in general will primarily be made to the monitoring facility provided by the invention focusing on the location of a device. However, those skilled in the art will obviously appreciate that other information or parameters relevant to a device may be monitored by the invention, and references to the monitoring of location should in no way be seen as limiting.

Reference in general throughout this specification will be made to a device to be monitored transmitting a public code. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention incorporates within its scope a monitoring network, a variety of nodes incorporated into this network, a method of monitoring a device, in addition to a device monitoring apparatus arranged to directly transmit public codes. References made to a device transmitting a public code should therefore be read as a reference to a monitoring

apparatus connected or associated with a device transmitting a public code which is particular to this device.

The invention may be used to monitor a range of devices and has specific utility where devices are likely to be moved from one site to another without accurate record-keeping. By way of example only reference is made throughout this specification to the invention being used to monitor at least the locations of a fleet of beverage coolers deployed over a wide area and within a variety of retail establishments. Again however, those skilled art will appreciate that a wide variety of alternative devices may be monitored using the invention, and references to beverage coolers throughout this specification should in no way be seen as limiting.

The invention provides a monitor apparatus which is to be connected to or integrated within a beverage cooler or any other equivalent device to be monitored. This form of monitoring apparatus can interact with a user terminal to form a node of the monitoring network provided by the invention.

Preferably a device monitoring apparatus is connected to each device making up the fleet of devices to be monitored.

A monitoring apparatus includes at least one transmitter arranged to wirelessly transmit a public code in the vicinity of the monitored cooler. This transmitter or transmitters may be formed by a range of well-known radio frequency communication components which can preferably allow the formation of wireless data transmission networks.

For example, in one preferred embodiment a monitoring apparatus may include a transmitter formed by a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver (transceiver) circuit. These circuits can be implemented very cost effectively in a single integrated circuit and are capable of wirelessly broadcasting a public code as required by the invention.

In a further embodiment a monitoring apparatus may include a Bluetooth low energy transceiver. However, in an alternative embodiment a monitoring apparatus may include a transmitter formed by a wireless Ethernet connection circuit or transceiver. Again, wireless Ethernet cards can provide the broadcasting transmitter required in conjunction with the invention using components which are commonly available and which can be obtained at relatively low cost.

Reference in general throughout this specification will however be made to a monitoring apparatus including Bluetooth circuitry and being capable of connecting with a further Bluetooth device to provide for the implementation of a wireless data transmission network. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a range of other forms of wireless communication network technology and protocols may be employed in conjunction with the invention in other embodiments.

In a preferred embodiment the public code is transmitted automatically and periodically by the monitoring apparatus. In such embodiments of the device monitoring apparatus may function as a form of beacon, automatically broadcasting an indication of its presence with the contents of its public code transmission. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that this various applications in which the invention is used will dictate the frequency at which such broadcast transmissions are made.

However in some alternative embodiments the user terminal may be configured to transmit a query to a device monitoring apparatus to solicit the transmission of a public code from the device monitoring apparatus. This query transmission can act as a polling signal, triggering the subsequent transmission of the public code of a monitoring apparatus.

In some further embodiments a device monitoring apparatus may be configured to transmit a public code only on receipt of valid user terminal identity information. In these applications the monitor apparatus may complete a validation process in respect of various user terminals, and be configured only to transmit its public code to a restricted set of user terminals. These user terminals may - for example - all be in possession of a common form of identity information indicating that they are associated with the same fleet of monitored devices, or alternatively may provide identity information particular to the specific user terminal involved.

The public code transmitted by a monitoring apparatus integrates identity information which is specific to a particular device to be monitored. This public code may be in contrast to prior art globally unique generic identifiers such as MAC addresses, which are commonly used by many connectivity systems. An application-specific public code allows irrelevant devices to be simply ignored, and application specific information to be conveyed without the need for a database connecting generic identifiers to specific

information.

This identity information can take a variety of forms in different

embodiments. In some alternative embodiments identity information may simply indicate the make, model, or a particular subcategory of cooler associated with a public broadcast. However in a preferred embodiment this identity information may incorporate an identifying code, asset number and/or serial number specific to a particular cooler. Integrating a unique identifying serial number into a broadcast public code allows for the ready identification of any cooler by the invention.

In a preferred embodiment the public code transmitted by a device monitoring apparatus also includes fleet identity information. This fleet identity information can be used to identify a set or collection of

geographically distributed devices which are all members of the same fleet. Fleet identity information can be used to highlight a device's membership of a particular fleet and therefore whether the device is to be monitored by a particular user terminal. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that fleet identity information may take various forms depending on the application of which the invention is used. For example, in some embodiments fleet identity information may consist of a specific code, set of alpha-numeric characters or data transmitted in the public code's of all fleet members. In other embodiments fleet identity information may be encoded into other information or data embedded in a public code. For example, in some embodiments the content of public codes may be encrypted with a particular encryption scheme or with a particular encryption key code, where the use of this particular scheme, the encryption code or a decryption key code provides the fleet identity information.

In a further preferred embodiment the user terminal is configured to extract fleet identity information from the public code and only to associate user terminal location information with device identity information when the extracted fleet identity information matches the identity of the fleet of geographically distributed devices being monitored.

As indicated above, the implementation of public code transmissions may be achieved in a number of ways in various embodiments.

For example, in one embodiment where a monitoring apparatus incorporates Bluetooth componentry, the Bluetooth friendly name code or Friendly ID of the Bluetooth component may be set to, form or include the monitoring apparatus public code. Bluetooth systems allow for the broadcast of readily discernible public codes as Friendly IDs, allowing the invention to be implemented using off-the-shelf Bluetooth components.

In another embodiment the public code transmitted in association with the invention may be embedded within or formed by a Bluetooth low energy advertising packet in accordance with the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol. This embodiment has the advantage of low energy consumption and simple implementation, In yet another alternative embodiment the public code transmitted in association with the invention may be embedded within the Bluetooth Service information.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that other fields within the Bluetooth standard which are allowed to be publicly transmitted and user defined may also be used.

In yet other embodiments the mechanisms used to transmit a public code may again vary depending on the form of the transmitter integrated into the monitoring apparatus. For example, in one further alternative embodiment wireless computer networking components may be employed within the monitoring apparatus, allowing the public code to be set to or integrated into the networking device's service set identifier (SSID). In yet another alternative embodiment a monitoring apparatus transmitter may be formed by an active or passive RFID chip, with the signal transmitted by the chip being set to the public code of the device to be monitored.

However, in a preferred embodiment public codes may be transmitted using Bluetooth components associated with both a user terminal and a monitoring apparatus.

For example, in one such embodiment the Bluetooth components of a monitoring apparatus may actively scan for any discoverable Bluetooth devices in the vicinity of a cooler. After discovering a nearby user terminal the coolers monitoring apparatus can make a request for any proprietary service identifier or UUID associated with the discovered terminal. The user terminals UUID can be customised under the Bluetooth communications protocol in accordance with the invention to provide a specific fleet identity information or code which can be unique to or associated with the owner of the cooler. Therefore, a customised UUID can be used to correctly identify a user terminal to a cooler monitoring apparatus. In such embodiments the receipt of a user terminal UUID with the correct information content can trigger the monitoring apparatus into setting up an insecure data connection with the user terminal . Once this insecure connection has been initialised, the monitoring apparatus will then transmit the coolers public code to the user terminal .

The process provided in accordance with these embodiments therefore allows coolers to actively seek out the presence of user terminals and for user terminals to operate in an initially passive role. This arrangement therefore preserves the battery lifespan of the portable user terminals employed in conjunction with the invention.

However in other embodiments the invention may be configured so that a device monitoring apparatus automatically and periodically transmits its public code. In various additional embodiments these public code

transmissions may be made in accordance with the Bluetooth low energy protocol, thereby allowing for the transmission of public codes without the need for a user terminal to have its identity validated or authenticated . Public codes may be automatically transmitted with the user terminal being configured to preferably retrieve or extract fleet identity information from public codes to assess whether the transmitting device is a member of a network to be monitored by the user terminal . The presence of the correct fleet identity information within a public code can therefore trigger the subsequent monitoring processes completed i n accordance with the present invention.

Reference in general will however be made to the present invention employing Bluetooth componentry which identifies a val id user terminal by its UUID and transmits public codes via insecure Bluetooth connections. Again however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in other embodiments alternative public code transmission methods may be employed. In a preferred embodiment the user terminal may be programmed or instructed to also associate device identity information with user terminal location information and a capture time for the user terminal location information. In these cases the associated information will be provided with a form of time stamp to indicate at what date and/or time the identified device was found to be at the location determined for the user terminal.

In some embodiments the association of device identity and user terminal location information may be delayed until the geographical location of the user terminal is determined. The association of device identity information with location information may be delayed from the time at which the device identity information is received by a user terminal depending on the system employed by the user terminal to determine it's own location. For example, if GPS location systems are employed, the user terminal may not be able to determine this location information until it is moved to an area outside of a building with clear line of sight to the sky. Furthermore, in some instances delays may also be built into the operation of the user terminal, with multiple device identities being captured and then associated a short time later with a single user terminal location.

The present invention also implements a monitoring method in conjunction with a user terminal. The user terminal employed with the invention will have a portable configuration and include any communications circuitry required to allow it to receive the public code transmitted by a monitoring apparatus. This user terminal will also incorporate a location detection system of some form, allowing the user terminal to capture information pertaining to its current location in real time.

Preferably user terminals may be circulated around the fleet of devices be monitored by a maintenance, delivery or sale agent. For example, in some embodiments it is envisioned that the methods of the invention may be executed through a beverage cooler restocking agent carrying this form of user terminal with them as they complete their normal visits to a geographically dispersed fleet of coolers. The invention is arranged to operate in a passive manner, simply requiring the cooler stockist to carry the user terminal on their person without needing to take any other action. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that other types of personnel may also circulate user terminals when these personnel are tasked with circulating amongst the various locations of the fleet. Sales agents or device maintenance personnel may alternatively carry user terminals between these various geographically distributed sites in a number of embodiments.

In yet another alternative embodiment user terminals may be circulated around the fleet of devices to be monitored by members of the general public. In such instances user terminals possessed by the members of the general public may be provided with executable instructions which allow these user terminals to form a part of the a node making up invention's communications network. Members of the general public may be provided with an incentive to execute such instructions with their own user terminals, allowing the network provided by the invention to be implemented without the need to deploy a set of dedicated user terminals.

In a preferred embodiment the user terminal is formed by a portable programmable communications device. In a further preferred embodiment the user terminal may be formed by a programmable communications device running App software.

Preferably the user terminal is formed by a cellular telephone or smart phone.

For example, in a variety of embodiments a user terminal may be

implemented by a cellular phone, smart phone or any other similar form of 5

portable programmable communications device. The functions or processes to be performed by a user terminal may be encapsulated within an App run by a smart phone (or equivalent device) which also has access to the communications and networking components of the smart phone.

Smart phones are increasingly becoming everyday items which are carried by most people in their daily lives. The components employed in a smart phone are relatively complex and include a number of sophisticated

components - such as for example - Bluetooth circuits, GPS location receivers, wireless computer networking interfaces and cellular data network interfaces. Furthermore, these devices are normally possessed by a

beverage restocking agent and therefore can be harnessed to assist in the implementation of the invention without requiring the provision of a standalone dedicated user terminal. In further preferred embodiments it is envisioned that an accommodation may be made with a beverage restocking agent to run any control software required on their own personal smart phone to implement the invention.

Reference in general will also be made to the present invention

implementing a user terminal through the use of a smart phone carried by a beverage stocking agent, or any other equivalent personnel who periodically come into proximity to a device to be monitored. Again however, those skilled in the art should appreciate that other forms of user terminal may be employed in conjunction with the present invention, and references to the use of smart phones only throughout this specification should in no way be seen as limiting.

A smart phone can be used to facilitate the monitoring methodology of the invention in a number of ways in various embodiments. For example in one alternative embodiment a smart phone may be used to trigger the capturing of cooler information once it receives an appropriately formatted Friendly ID or advertising packet transmitted by a monitoring apparatus within its public code. In some such embodiments a smart phone may be programmed to extract fleet identity information from a friendly ID or advertising packet and to execute the further monitoring steps of the invention only if this fleet identity is the same as that of the fleet being monitored by the smart phone.

Alternatively, in some embodiments a smart phone may be configured to operate in an initially passive role with a cooler monitoring apparatus actively scanning for and retrieving the UUID's of smart phones in the vicinity of a cooler. In such embodiments a smart phone offering the correct UUID can then be transferred a coolers public code via an insecure Bluetooth connection.

As indicated above, software running on the smart phone involved may in some embodiments parse any received public codes to confirm whether the transmitting monitoring apparatus is being used to monitor a member of a particular fleet of coolers. The valid identification of such a cooler can then trigger the smart phone into competing further processes in conjunction with the present invention, such as capturing device location information in real time.

Alternatively, in other embodiments which rely on the smart phone

supplying the correct UUID to a cooler, the App running on the smart phone may immediately act to capture device location information on receipt of a public code.

Device location information may be formatted in a variety of ways depending on the form of a location detection system integrated into the smart phone.

For example, in one preferred embodiment where a smart phone integrates a GPS receiver, this device location information may take the form of GPS coordinates, or of latitude and longitudinal coordinates. In other

embodiments a smart phone may consider the signal strength of various cellular communications towers and approximately triangulate its current position based on these received signal strengths. In yet other embodiments device location information may be taken from an identification code of the cellular communications tower which a smart phone is presently connected to, or may be provided by a location services API within the smartphone software, using a combination of some or all of these methods

References in general will however be made to device location information being obtained through a GPS circuit or receiver integrated into a user terminal such as a smart phone. Again however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other implementations or arrangements of location detection systems and device location information may be employed in alternative embodiments.

The present invention is arranged to monitor a device's location by associating its identity information (as retrieved from its transmitted public code) with location information captured using a smart phone placed in proximity with the device. This association of information types may preferably be completed by a smart phone at the time at which the relevant location information is captured. Alternatively, time stamped records of when device identity information is received from a broadcast public code may be recorded in combination with time stamped location information for later comparison and association.

In a preferred embodiment the public code may include device operational informational, with the user terminal being configured to extract this device operational information and associate device identity information with the determined user terminal location information and the extracted device operational information. Once this information has been associated the user terminal can act to transmit the associated device identity information, device operational information and user terminal location information to the central data storage element. The present invention may also provide or include a connection to a central data storage element such as a database system or any equivalent technology. The associated device identity and location information captured using a monitoring apparatus and a smart phone can be transmitted or uploaded to any applicable database to provide a centralised monitoring facility.

Furthermore in a variety of embodiments transmissions may be made to two or more data storage elements, each being associated with different departments of the operator of fleet of devices. For example in some embodiments invention may facilitate the transmission of information to a database associated with a beverage cooler fleet maintenance department, and also to a database associated with a sales department.

In some embodiments the user terminal transmits associated information to a remote data store using an e-mail transmission.

In some embodiments the user terminal transmits associated information to a remote data store using a short message service or SMS transmission.

In some embodiments the user terminal transmits associated information to a remote data store using a HTTP or FTP transmission.

For example, in various embodiments a smart phone acting as a user terminal may be configured to e-mail, SMS or otherwise connect to and transmit to a remote data storage element associated device identity and location information at the time at which this data is compiled or associate together. In other cases a smart phone may collect a batch of device identity and location data pairs and supply this batch of data in a single transmission to a remote data storage system. In yet other embodiments a smart phone may be physically connected to an upload cradle and interface to allow this information to be periodically collected and supplied to a central database system.

Reference throughout this specification will however be made to a smart phone being configured to e-mail device identity and location information to a remote database system immediately on collection and association.

Such a database may maintain information on devices' latest known locations and preferably of operating history as discussed further below. This database may be queried to identify parameters such as last known location of missing devices, or operating history parameters to assist in fleet management. For example, a cooler with a consistently low door opening count is likely to be generating low sales and should possibly be relocated .

As the rate of change of device locations and operating patterns is typically very low, it is not necessary to have real-time information. An information capture system with high latency is therefore acceptable, as is a low data capture frequency associated with infrequent visits or low reliability of the data capture process.

In a preferred embodiment a public code transmitted in respect of a device may also integrate operational information particular to this device. This operational information may encompass a wide range of variables and parameters for the device being monitored, and will vary depending on the particular application in which the invention is employed. As the public code transmitted in accordance with the invention can be read by any appropriate user terminal this operational information will therefore be easily and readily accessible. This aspect of the invention can allow for a quick assessment of basic operational summary or key parameters related to the operation of a device without a user needing to authenticate themselves to the cooler to access privileged information. Furthermore in various embodiments operational information transmitted by a monitoring apparatus may also be collected and transmitted on to a central data storage element.

In some embodiments this operational information may include a count of beverage cooler cabinet door opening events.

In some embodiments this operational information may include

measurements of beverage coolers interior cabinet temperature.

In yet further embodiment's operational information may include a device fault code, where these fault codes can identify undesirable operating conditions or events in respect to a device being monitored. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these fault codes and their associated meaning will vary depending on the application in which the invention is used and the particular form of the device being monitored. For example, in the case of beverage cooler monitoring applications and exemplary set of numeric fault codes and their meanings are set out below:

00 Normal 01 Compressor 02 Condenser fan operation failure failure

03 Evaporator 04 Lighting 05 Door sensor failure system failure failure

06 Condenser 07 Sensor 1 08 Sensor 2 blocked failure failure

09 Sensor 3 10 Sensor 4 11 Excessive failure failure compressor duty cycle

12 Overvoltage 13 Under voltag 14 maximum limit exceeded limit exceeded current exceeded • 15 Defrost time • 16 Under • 17 Controller limit exceeded temperature limit internal error exceeded

In a preferred embodiment the identification and/or operational information to be conveyed may be encrypted within the broadcast public code. Access to the information is thus restricted to recipients or smartphones with the necessary decryption codes. As indicated above fleet identity information may also be provided by identifying the method of encryption used or the encryption or decryption key code used.

In a preferred embodiment a device monitoring apparatus provided by the invention may facilitate the periodic or potentially real-time dynamic updating of public codes. In such embodiments the monitoring apparatus may integrate a memory element normally used to store a public code, in addition to a transmitter substantially as described above.

In a further preferred embodiment a device monitoring apparatus dynamically updates the public code with updated operational information. In such embodiments a monitoring apparatus may also include a control element or microprocessor connected to one or more sensors associated with the device being monitored. These sensors can be used to provide the control element with specific operational information from the device being monitored. This arrangement of a monitoring apparatus can therefore allow a device's public code to be periodically rewritten based on the operational state of the device.

In a preferred embodiment the user terminal performs an authentication process with the device monitoring apparatus to gain access to privileged information and/or functions provided by the device monitoring apparatus. Preferably a user terminal may be used to initiate an authentication process with a cooler or other similar device being monitored. This authentication process can validate the credentials of a smart phone or equivalent user terminal and give this device access to privileged information and/or privileged functions of the cooler. An authenticated smart phone can therefore function as an effective user interface tool while maintaining the security of any associated cooler. A smart phone can be employed for its attractive display and a capacitive touchscreen to easily allow information to be extracted from a cooler and displayed to the phone user, and also for commands to be issued by the phone user to the cooler.

For example, in one preferred embodiment where a monitoring apparatus is provided using a Bluetooth technology, this authentication process may be completed by the pairing of the Bluetooth circuit of the monitoring apparatus with the Bluetooth components of an authenticated smart phone.

The present invention may provide many potential advantages of the prior art.

The present invention may allow for the monitoring of a variety of devices with a passive method requiring no manual labour input. Simply by bringing the components employed by the invention in the vicinity of a device to be monitored information of interest can be captured and stored using the invention.

The invention may also facilitate the ready identification of the particular members of a specific fleet of devices. In various embodiments of the components of the invention can extract and recognise a specific form of Fleet identity information to trigger the subsequent monitoring processes to be provided by the invention. Conversely, if a public code transmission is received without the correct fleet identification information no further action need to be taken to monitor the associated transmitting device. The invention can allow information transfer to occur within the automated identification and bonding processes needed to initiate a wireless connection. This eliminates the need to fully establish a full secure connection, and thus any need for a mutual device authentication process. Manual intervention, or possession of prior authentication information by one or both devices, can therefore be avoided in such embodiments.

The invention may also utilise relatively low cost components - such as Bluetooth chips for example - in combination with the existing

infrastructure, such as nearby personnel's own personal smart phones or equivalent communications devices. The invention may make use of this existing equipment which is already carried and owned by personnel tasked with visiting the devices being monitored, substantially reducing the costs involved with the components required to implement the invention.

The invention may also provide real-time operational information in respect of a device quickly and without the need to authenticate a user. In particular embodiments the invention may effectively publish key operational information pertinent to a device to allow problems with specific devices to be quickly identified and isolated.

Brief description of the drawings

An example embodiment of the invention is now discussed with reference to the drawings in which :

• Figure 1 shows a block schematic diagram of the components

employed within a monitoring apparatus in a preferred embodiment, and

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of monitoring a device as provided in a preferred embodiment, and • Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of monitoring a device as provided in an alternative embodiment.

• Figure 4 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of

monitoring a device as provided in a further alternative embodiment. · Figures 5 through 9 show a number of possible network configurations provided in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Best modes for carrying out the Invention

Figure 1 shows a block schematic diagram of the components employed within a monitoring apparatus in a preferred embodiment. Figure 1 illustrates a monitoring apparatus 1 provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The monitor apparatus 1 includes a control element or microprocessor 2 connected to a transmitter, formed in this embodiment by a Bluetooth communications circuit 3, and a memory element, formed in this embodiment by internal memory of the microprocessor 2.

In the embodiment shown the microprocessor memory is used to store a public code which is to be supplied by the microprocessor 2 to the Bluetooth chip 3 for subsequent transmission to a nearby Smart Phone. The

microprocessor 2 also has the ability to rewrite or reprogram the public code stored within memory. In all cases the public code stored within memory includes a unique identifying serial number for a device monitored using the monitoring apparatus 1. This serial number may be a globally unique number such as a MAC address or equivalent, or may be an end-product serial number or asset identifier provided by the manufacturer or product owner.

The microprocessor 2 also includes communications links and connections to a range of external components, formed in this embodiment by an input conditioning system 4 connected to a number of cooler sensors 5. These sensors 5 can communicate to the monitoring apparatus microprocessor 2 a range of different forms of cooler operational information.

In the embodiment shown the microprocessor 2 is arranged to write the cooler's current internal temperature and door opening count into the public code stored by its internal memory.

Figure 2 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of monitoring devices provided in accordance with the embodiment to that discussed with respect to figure 1.

This monitoring method starts to cycle through its operational process and stage 1 as shown in figure 2.

At stage 1 the Bluetooth communications circuit of a cooler scans for nearby remote devices. If no device responds, this process waits for a period which is selected to be less than the minimum period normally spent adjacent to a cooler, then continues to loop through the test completed by stage 1. The waiting period minimizes scans and therefore power consumption.

At stage 2 any remote device which responded at stage 1 is polled with a request to provide its proprietary service identifier or UUID.

At stage 3 the UUID is parsed by control software running on the cooler microprocessor to determine if it is the same as the UUID expected from the Bluetooth enabled smart phone App of a stocking agent's employer. If the correct UUID is not detected this process returns to stage 1. At stage 4 the cooler microprocessor sets up an insecure wireless connection with the App running on the stocking agent's smart phone. At this stage the insecure connection is used to transmit the cooler's public code to the smart phone App.

At stage 5 the smart phone App analyses the received cooler public code and extracts an identifying serial number for the monitored cooler and any included cooler status information.

At stage 6 the extracted serial number is assessed and compared against any other serial numbers extracted by the same App in the last 60 minutes. If this serial number has been considered by the App in the last 60 minutes this process returns to stage 1.

At stage 7 the smart phone App retrieves location information using a GPS receiver integrated into the smart phone.

At stage 8 the smart phone App associates and stores together the retrieved GPS location coordinates captured at stage 7 in combination with the serial number and status information extracted at stage 5.

At stage 9 the smart phone App triggers the transmission of the associ set of device serial number identity, status information and location information to a remote centralised database system. The execution of stages 7, 8 or 9 can be delayed depending on the equipment used to implement the invention, and steps 1-6 can be executed for multiple coolers before these later stages are completed. For example in some instances information transmitted from the public codes of a collection of callers sited at one location may be collated and then the app can retrieve a single GPS location to be associated with this information once a good GPS signal is available. In other cases transmissions to a remote centralised database may be deferred until a connection to a preferred communications system is available.

Figure 3 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of monitoring devices provided in accordance with an alternative embodiment to that discussed with respect to figures 1 and 2.

This monitoring method starts to cycle through its operational process and stage A as shown in figure 3.

At stage A the Bluetooth communications circuit of a smart phone possessed by a beverage cooler stocking agent scans for nearby devices and requests the friendly ID of any responding device. If no Friendly ID is received this process waits for a period which is selected to be less than the minimum period normally spent adjacent to a cooler, then continues to loop through the test completed by stage A again.

At stage B the received Friendly ID is parsed by an App on the smart phone to determine if it is formatted or encrypted in the same way as the transmitted Friendly IDs of the coolers of the stocking agent's employer. If a valid public code format is not detected this process returns to stage A. At stage C the correctly formatted Friendly ID is analysed by the App on the smart phone. This App extracts a serial number for the monitored cooler and any included cooler status information from the received Friendly ID.

At stage D the extracted serial number is assessed and compared against any other serial numbers extracted by the same App in the last 60 minutes. If this serial number has been considered by the App in the last 60 minutes this process returns to stage A.

At stage E the smart phone App retrieves location information using a GPS receiver integrated into the smart phone.

At stage F the smart phone App associates and stores together the retrieved GPS location coordinates captured at stage E in combination with the serial number and status information extracted at stage C.

At stage G the smart phone App triggers the transmission of the associated set of device serial number identity, status information and location information to a remote centralised database system.

The App employed in the embodiment of figures 3 is formed from a number of functional modules and can be used to implement both the monitoring method discussed above, in addition to a secure wireless user interface for a cooler. These various functions of the App as provided in this embodiment are discussed in further detail below:

Asset tracking function The asset location tracking function will read the following information from the cooler:

1. Fleet Identity / Owner ID (allow 2 characters)

2. Model ID (allow 2 characters)

3. Serial Number (allow 9 characters)

4. Operational Status Code (allow 4 characters)

5. Operating statistics (use remaining characters as permitted by the protocol)

Items 1-3 are fixed for any given cooler, items 4 and 5 are adjustable by the cooler. As discussed above these items are encoded in the Bluetooth Friendly Name of the cooler, in addition to a checksum.

The asset tracking function has the following configurable settings :

• Email l · Email2

• Owner ID

• Callout Code Range (max/min)

• Colour scheme (from predetermined selection)

The smartphone App will run in the background, periodically scanning for visible Bluetooth devices. When a device is identified which has a Friendly Name which;

• fits the expected format above, • has the correct Owner ID, and

• has a valid checksum the App will send an email containing the information from the Friendly Name, together with a geotag and timestamp, to a predetermined email address (Emaill). When the Status code is within a predetermined range (Callout Code Range), an email with the same information is also sent to a second (service dept) address (Email2).

In normal asset tracking operation there is no need for the App to interact with the Beverage refiller agent, although the App may allow the agent to optionally append a message to the data package associated with a particular cooler if, for example, they have noticed a cosmetic defect needing maintenance attention.

In order to achieve acceptable battery life, constraints can be placed on the frequency of Bluetooth scans. In the embodiment shown these constraints can include:

• Intervals between Bluetooth scans (scanning only need be frequent enough to ensure that a cooler is usually identified in the time taken to reload it (- 30 seconds is probably frequent enough)

• Geofencing: Scanning can be disabled at home and office locations

• Speed based: Scanning can be disabled while driving or while stationary for long periods

• Time based: Scanning can be disabled during non-working hours · Battery based: Scanning can be disabled when battery is low. In alternative embodiments scanning can be undertaken by the cooler, with the smart phone only transmitting when polled by a cooler.

Performance Monitoring function The App is arranged to:

• Show model and serial codes of those visible coolers which have the correct Owner ID, and allow the user to select one to connect with

• Pair with the selected cooler

• Automatically query the cooler for instantaneous performance data

Show the basic performance and setting data on a "home screen":

• Allow the user to select advanced information to display

Fault Finding function

Once a cooler has been selected and paired with the App, the App will allow authorized users access from a Home screen to a fault finding submenu system. Within this function, the App will display fault codes which the cooler is sending, and a plain-language translation of each.

Configuration function

Once a cooler has been selected and paired with the App this will allow authorised users access from the Home screen to a configuration submenu system. Within this function, the App will allow basic and advanced operational parameters for the cooler's refrigeration and energy management functions to be set.

Figure 4 shows a flow chart of the steps executed in a method of monitoring devices provided in accordance with an alternative embodiment to those discussed with respect to figures 1, 2 and 3.

This monitoring method starts to cycle through its operational process and stage I as shown in figure 4.

At stage I the Bluetooth communications circuit of a smart phone possessed by a beverage cooler stocking agent listens for nearby devices transmitting Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packets. If no packets are received, this process waits for a period which is selected to be less than the minimum period normally spent adjacent to a cooler, then continues to loop through the test completed by stage I again.

At stage II the received advertising packet is parsed by an App running on the smart phone to determine if it contains Fleet identification information identifying it as a cooler belonging to the fleet of the stocking agent's employer. If a valid identifier is not detected this process returns to stage I.

At stage III the correctly formatted advertising packet is analysed by the App on the smart phone. This App extracts a serial number for the monitored cooler, and any included operational status information, from the received advertising packet. At stage IV the extracted serial number is assessed and compared against any other serial numbers extracted by the same App in the last 60 minutes. If this serial number has been considered by the App in the last 60 minutes this process returns to stage I.

At stage V the smart phone App retrieves location information using a GPS receiver integrated into the smart phone.

At stage VI the smart phone App associates and stores together the retrieved GPS location coordinates captured at stage V in combination with the serial number and status information extracted at stage III.

At stage VII the smart phone App triggers the transmission of the associ set of device serial number identity, status information, and location information to a remote centralised database system.

Figure 5 shows a monitoring network as provided in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 also illustrates a typical operation pattern of the network. Retail stores 101-107 are located in a geographic region. Within these stores are a fleet of coolers 111-116 owned by beverage distributor A, and a fleet of coolers 121-126 owned by beverage distributor B. On a typical day, a beverage restocking agent employed by company A leaves company A's factory 131, and follows route 132 to restock coolers in stores 101-103. A second agent follows route 133 to restock stores 103-104. This illustration is simplified - a typical daily route would involve 10 or more stores. The agent following route 132 enters store 101 to restock cooler 111. On entering proximity to cooler 111, the agent's smartphone App detects the public code transmitted by cooler 111, and identifies this as belonging to the fleet of distributor A. Although cooler 112 located in the same store is not being restocked today, the agent is in proximity to cooler 112 while restocking cooler 111, so similarly the App detects the public code

transmitted by cooler 112, and identifies this as also belonging to the fleet of distributor A. The App then identifies its own geo-location using the

Smartphone's location services API, and sends an email containing this location and the information embedded in the public codes of coolers 111 and 112, to an email address associated with software running on distributor A's server 134. This software adds the updated information to distributor A's asset database, and takes any necessary actions where exceptions are noted. These actions can include notifying distributor A's maintenance department 135 if the received information from cooler 111 or 112 includes a fault code.

The agent following route 132 then moves on to store 102 to restock cooler 113. A similar process occurs when the vicinity of cooler 113 is entered, resulting in the asset database being updated again. This store also contains cooler 121, belonging to distributor B. Although the agent's smartphone receives the public code of cooler 121, the fleet identifier embedded in this code does not match that expected by the App version on the agent's smartphone, so the information is discarded and not transmitted to the asset database.

A similar sequence occurs in store 103, and then the agent returns to factory 131.

At the same time another restocking agent of distributor A is following route 133. During the traversal of this route, the agent enters proximity to distributor A's coolers 115 and 116, resulting in emails being generated as above. Cooler 123's information is ignored by the agent's smartphone App, as it belongs to the wrong fleet. As this agent's phone does not have a data plan, the emails are not sent until the agent re-enters the corporate Wi-Fi network on returning to factory 131, at which point all the day's emails are sent and the asset database update as described above takes place.

Also at the same time, a restocking agent of distributor B follow route 142 from distributor B's factory 141, to refill coolers 122, 124, and 125.

Messages are generated for these coolers in a similar process to that described above, however this distributor has chosen to configure the App differently, and uses text messaging rather than email to transmit the messages, avoiding the need for delivery people to have data plans.

Distributor B has also chosen to have maintenance alerts sent directly to the maintenance department rather than generated by the asset database software run by their server 144. If a fault is identified in, for example, cooler 124, a text message to the maintenance department 145 is

automatically generated and sent by the App. This text includes the cooler's model number, serial number, fault code, the geolocation of the smartphone (and hence the cooler), and the contact details of the restocking agent (in case maintenance want to contact him directly, for example to ask questions or get him to make minor corrections when next visiting that cooler).

During the day, distributor B also installs a new cooler 126 in store 107 (via route 143). The cooler's control system has been pre-programmed on manufacture with it's owner ID, model ID, and serial number. The cooler delivery person has a smartphone with distributor B's version of the App, and when the cooler is switched on, the App receives cooler 126's public code, identifies it as belonging to distributor B's fleet, and sends a text as described above to distributor B's asset tracking software in server 144. This software, as well as updating the database with the new cooler's details also identifies it as a previously unknown cooler in a previously unpopulated location, and sends emails to sales 146 and restocking departments 147, instructing them to include this store and cooler in their routine rounds in future. If the cooler was a relocated existing cooler rather than a new one, the database would also have identified the location from which it was removed, checked for other coolers in this location, and if none were found, advised the restocking department 147 to remove the old store from their rounds.

In this instance cooler 123 is not being restocked today, and therefore its information is not updated. It will be updated when next restocked. Cooler 121 has not been include in a route run by one of distributor B's restocking agents due to a paperwork error and is no longer being restocked by distributor B. After a predetermined period of 14 days of its information not being updated, the asset tracking database software sends an email to the relevant department advising of the "missing" cooler and requesting them to visit its last known location to see if it is still present, if so to add it to the distribution rounds, and if not to initiate theft follow-up procedures.

Figures 6 through 9 show a number of possible network configurations provided in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

In the embodiment of figure 6, a fleet of coolers 201 transmits public codes which can be received by any member of a fleet of App-equipped

smartphones 202. The smartphone fleet is much smaller than the cooler fleet, and each smartphone is circulated round a subset of members of the cooler fleet during the normal business of the smartphone owners. Public codes are received by the smartphones when within range of a cooler.

The smartphones are able to transmit data extracted from the public codes to software running on a server 203. Transmission is by email, text message, direct internet connection, or other means, and can occur immediately after receipt of a public code or can be delayed to allow for gathering location information or until suitable connectivity (such as to internet or cellular networks) is available. The server 203 in this instance is located within the facilities of the cooler fleet owner or can be managed by a third party (such as a cloud-based service) who collates the information and stores it on a database. This database may be interrogated by employees of the cooler fleet owner using their computers 204, or the software on the server may "push" information such as alerts or reports to the computers 204 via email or other means.

A smartphone 205 which is not part of the smartphone fleet 202, but which is running a different version of the App (such as a phone associated with another cooler fleet owner) can receive and decode the public codes of the cooler fleet. However smartphone 205 is unable to transmit the information to server 203 or to any other server (for example that of the other cooler fleet owner) because it has not received the correct fleet code information for the version of the App it is running.

In the alternative network topology shown in figure 7, the cooler fleet 301 communicates with the smartphone fleet 302, and the smartphone fleet 302 with the server 303, as described above. However in this embodiment the smartphones are also able to transmit information directly to the computers 304. This capability would typically be used for exception alerts, and may have the benefit, for example, of allowing alerts to be transmitted by a more rapid method than routine updates - for example an alert may be sent immediately by text message while a routine update to the asset database waits until the smartphone encounters the corporate Wi-Fi network.

In another alternative topology shown in figure 8, the server is eliminated altogether, and all information is sent directly from smartphones 402 to specified computers or users. 404. This may be suitable where the fleet is small enough that an email folder provides adequate searchability without the need for a database. Alternatively it may be suitable when the fleet owner is primarily interested in exception alerts, such as for maintenance callouts, and does not want the expense of installing and maintaining an asset tracking database. In a further alternative topology, as shown in Figure 9, the fleet of

smartphones 502 is large compared to the fleet of coolers 501. Any given smartphone is expected to encounter a cooler only occasionally, and many smartphones may not encounter a cooler at all. Communication from the smartphones 502 to the server software 503 and computers 504 is as described for the embodiment of Figure 6, but may alternatively be as per figures 7 or 8, or some alternative configuration in other embodiments. This topology is typical of when the App is run on smartphones belonging to members of the general public as they go about their daily business.

Members of the public may be incentivised to download and run the App by a competition, location-based marketing benefits, social media or other features associated with the App. In such a configuration there is no planning of the routes followed by smartphones, and there is the possibility that some of the coolers 501 will never be encountered by App-equipped smartphones and thus will not be tracked. Conversely coolers which are located outside pre-planned restocking routes, such as those which have been misplaced or stolen, are more likely to be randomly encounter and thus relocated.

It should be noted that multiple networks such as those described above can operate independently in the same general physical space. This would commonly be the case where several beverage distribution companies operate in the same city and sell through the same stores. It should also be noted that multiple independent networks can share aspects of their hardware in common. For example distributors may outsource database management to a common provider, in which case the same server may be used, or they may outsource maintenance to a common provider, in which case one or more of the computers or users notified by the server software may be common. Individual smartphones may also simultaneously run multiple different versions of the app associated with different fleets, and thus may participate in several networks. This may be the case for example in the crowdsourcing example of Figure 9, where members of the public may be running several beverage brands' Apps. Figures 10a, 10b show a summary report compiled by the asset tracking database implemented by the server 134 shown with respect to figure 5. The asset tracking database captures cooler location and identity information in combination with a capture time, a count of cabin door openings per week and a record of the amount of time the cooler spends in a power saving mode.

This location and operational information is combined with restocking information to identify the coolers which are performing well or badly, which may need to be moved or reconfigured by the maintenance

department.

As can be seen from figures 10a, 10b the information captured can allow for identification of coolers which:

· are performing well or badly

• need to be re-stocked more frequently

• are configured with an overly aggressive or overly conservative energy saving scheme

• are overloaded or not performing effectively

· have not been located recently

• have been moved recently from one location to another

In the preceding description and the following claims the word "comprise" o equivalent variations thereof is used in an inclusive sense to specify the presence of the stated feature or features. This term does not preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present invention comprise data media in the form of any combination of magnetic or optical storage media, EEPROM, static and dynamic RAM, and carrier media including electrical and optical signals.

Embodiments of the present invention comprise a software product, or carrier medium carrying instructions to perform any of the methods described herein in perform any of the processes performed herein, or to perform processes which configure hardware to perform processes or provide the apparatus described herein. For example, the instructions may be source or object code, or compiled firmware, or instructions in Varilog or VHDL.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and further and additional embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader from the examples illustrated with reference to the drawings. In particular, the invention may reside in any combination of features described herein, or may reside in alternative embodiments or combinations of these features with known equivalents to given features. Modifications and variations of the example embodiments of the invention discussed above will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departure of the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.