WO2005017774A2

WO2005017774A2 - Reporting system for use on multiple types of display devices

Info

Publication number: WO2005017774A2
Application number: PCT/GB2004/003408
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ben L. Hooper; Peter Crinson
Original assignee: Tracker Network (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 2003-08-12
Filing date: 2004-08-09
Publication date: 2005-02-24
Also published as: WO2005017774A3; GB0318852D0; GB2405000A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a reporting system for reporting data on one or more objects, such as vehicle, on multiple types of display devices (100). The reporting system has a database (80) containing the data, (e. g. location data), a database query engine (50) for receiving a query and interrogating the database (80) using the query to return one or more items of data, a display generator (90) for receiving the one or more items of the data and using a device display identifier to generate display instructions for passage to a display device (100). The invention finds particular application for generating reports on the movement of the objects.

Description

REPORTING SYSTEM FOR USE ON MULTIPLE TYPES OF DISPLAY DEVICES

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a reporting system for reporting data of one or more objects such as persons or vehicles. The reporting system has a database containing the data and a database query engine for receiving a query and interrogating the database using the query to return one or more items of data.

Background to the Invention

Reporting systems as described above are known in the art. For example, the Applicant offers its own vehicle reporting system, which is available in the United Kingdom and in other countries. The system transmits a signal from a stolen car which can be located by a direction finding computer. This can help the user to recover the vehicle.

In UK patent application No. GB-A-2 345 136 a vehicle locating apparatus for locating the geographical position of a vehicle is taught. The position of a vehicle is relayed to a base station and the user can receive an audible speech message provided by a speech synthesiser which informs him or her of the location of the vehicle. This is convenient for a single vehicle which a single user wishes to locate. However, it does not allow, for example, a fleet manager to monitor a fleet of vehicles to find their position or to monitor their usage.

The Applicant also currently offers a fleet information management system for vehicle fleet operations called TRACKER Reporter. Customers are offered access to their vehicle data through a unique and secure area on a website. Access to this website is only through a PC workstation and presentation of the information is only optimised for a PC. This is convenient when the fleet manager, or his or her staff members, are in the office and have access to an Internet connection. However, when on the road, at home or in situations where an Internet-connected PC is unavailable, the user cannot obtain this information without 'phoning a central location. Similarly UK Patent Application No. GB-A-2 368 480 describes a vehicle tracking system for tracking the movement of a vehicle. Each vehicle is provided with a global position system (GPS) receiver to identify the vehicle's position from GPS signals. The vehicle is furthermore provided with an onboard diagnostics system which computes the vehicle's current position using dead reckoning techniques. An arbitrator arbitrates discrepancies between the two sets of positions. The data can be stored locally on board the vehicle and can also be transmitted to a network-based microcomputer or server. The data gathered is used to track the route of the vehicle and can be used for preparing expense forms.

This patent application fails, however, to teach any procedure by which a fleet manager can use the data gathered to monitor the fleet of vehicles.

There therefore remains a need to provide a reporting system such as a location monitoring system which can be used by a user whenever required.

Prior-art location monitoring systems are not only used in the United Kingdom, but are employed throughout Europe and indeed find application throughout the world. Many road haulage companies, for example, have fleets of heavy goods vehicles based in several countries and information about which must be accessed in several offices. Some of the users will be conversant in English, whilst others may not have such a good command of the language and would prefer to be able to access the system in their own mother tongue. It is impractical, however, to have separate databases in different languages because there is a risk that the data is different in the separate databases.

One method of solving this problem in another field is disclosed in US Patent No US- B-6 546 365 (Gajda et al) which discloses a subroutine to provide for reference to a translation table. Similarly PCT Application No. WO-A-02/06123 (Delaware Capital Formation) has an operating system for a machine which displays text during machine operation. The user operating system includes one or more lines of code that incorporate text using unique identifiers. A library is provided containing a plurality of lines of text in a first language for use by the user operating system, wherein each of the plurality of lines of text is referenced by one of the unique identifiers. A national language database stores a plurality of lines of text in a second language and similarly each of the plurality of lines of text is referenced by one of the unique identifiers. An editor specifies one of the first or second languages to be used.

This patent application describes the use of a national language system with respect to machines in an assembly line. The choice of the language used is flagged in the system registry and cannot be dynamically adjusted by different users depending on the interface used to the machine. Furthermore, there is no indication in this patent application that more than one user can simultaneously access the machine and be provided with instructions in their local language. The patent application furthermore does not relate to access to a database in which information is stored, but to instructions for the control of a machine.

There is therefore a need to provide a reporting system which is able to provide current and substantially simultaneous information from a database to a plurality of users in different languages.

Summary of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a reporting system usable by one or more users whenever and wherever required.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a multi-language reporting system.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a reporting system for monitoring the location of objects, such as vehicles.

These and other objects of the invention are solved by providing the reporting system with a display generator for receiving the one or more items of data and using a device display identifier to generate display instructions for passage to a display device. The device display indicator indicates the type of display device that is being used to display the information obtained from the database. The display generator can then generate appropriate display instructions in the appropriate code for display on the display device used. Since the generation of display instructions is made in real time, more than one user can simultaneously access the database using different types of display devices and will receive a tailored presentation on the user's own display device.

In order for the reporting system to generate the appropriate display instructions for the user, the device display identifier is passed to the display generator in a data packet with the query.

In a further aspect of the invention, the display generator includes a plurality of language tables and one of the plurality of language tables is selected by means of a language identifier. This allows the generation of a presentation on the user ' s display- device which is tailored to the user's preferred language. Again because the generation of display instructions is made in real time, more than one user using different language can access the same database.

The reporting system of the invention can be advantageously used for reporting data on the movement of objects, such as a heavy goods vehicle, train or boat.

The objects of the invention are further solved by a method for data on one or more objects which comprises: - a first step of sending from a display device a query;

- a second step of using the query to interrogate a database to return one or more items of data;

- a third step of generating display instruction using the one or more items of data; and

- a fourth step of using the display instructions to generate a presentation.

In accordance with the invention, a display device is also provided for displaying reports on the one or more objects. The display device includes a query generator for sending a query to a database query engine; a device display identifier which identifies the type of display device used and a presentation generator for receiving display instructions and generating a presentation for the display device.

Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a reporting system according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a flow diagram for the method of querying and displaying data according to the invention.

Fig. 3 shows one example of a presentation generated by the invention. Fig. 4 shows another example of a presentation for a different display device generated by the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Fig. 1 shows an outline of a reporting system 10 according to the invention. In the embodiment described, the reporting system 10 is used to monitor the location of a group of vehicles. The invention can, however, be used for generating reports from other data sources. The reporting system 10 comprises a server 20. The server 20 has a network interface 30 which connects to a network 40. The network 40 could be, for example, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, a fixed line telecommunications network or a mobile telecommunications network.

The server 20 has a database query engine 50 connected to the network interface 30. The database query engine 50 accepts queries passed in one or more web requests 60 received over the network 40 and analyses one or more of the web requests 60 to identify a query 70. The database query engine 50 processes the query and obtains queried data 75 from a database 80. In the example of the invention, the database 80 contains location data relating to the location of one or more objects. The objects could be, for example, people or vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles, local delivery vehicles, cars, boats, trains or ships. This list of objects is merely exemplary of the invention and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The data about the objects includes, but is not limited to, the position of an object at a certain time and the activity in which the object is involved (e.g. workshop, carrying load, empty movement). The data about objects is obtained from messages sent by the server 20 to the objects and answers received. For example, in the case of database 80 storing data about the movement of heavy goods vehicles, the database 80 receives data from vehicle units carried by the heavy goods vehicles. These vehicle units either send the data in an unsolicited manner or the data is pulled from the vehicles in response to a message sent from the server 20.

The database 80 returns the queried data 75 to the database query engine 50. The database query engine 50 receives the queried data 75 and passes it to a display generator 90. The display generator 90 uses the queried data 75 and generates one or more display instructions 95 for the creation of a presentation of the queried data 75 on a display device 100. The display device 100 is connected over the network 40 to the server 20.

The display device 100 could be, for example, a pc terminal, a mobile telephone, a WAP device, a handheld computer, a palmtop computer or even a games machine such as a PlayStation. This list of possible display devices 100 is merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting of the invention.

The display generator 90 knows which display instructions 95 should be generated for the display device 100 by use of a device display identifier 110 which is passed to the display generator 90 from the display device 100 as will be explained below.

The display generator 90 may optionally include a national language support module 120 for producing presentations on the display device 100 which are tailored to the user's preferred language. The national language support module includes a language reference table 130 which includes a plurality of sets of messages 140 in different languages. The display generator 90 uses a national language identifier 150 to indicate which set of messages 140 are to be used in generating the display for the display device 100.

The operation of the location monitoring system 10 will now be described with reference to Fig. 2.

In the first step 200, a user wishes to obtain information relating to one or more of a plurality of objects. The information could be related to the current position of the objects, e.g. the location of heavy goods vehicles on roads, the journey currently being taken by a local delivery vehicle, the recent down-time of vehicles due to maintenance work, or the current position of a yacht. The information that can be obtained is dependent on the data stored in the database 80 and any data analysis programs in the database query engine 50. The data analysis programs can, for example, take the queried data 75 and use the queried data 75 to provide reports for display on the display device. Such reports could include the utilisation of vehicles, current location of vehicles, etc.

The user accesses the reporting system 10 through a display device 100. The screen presentation on the display device 100 that is initially presented to the user depends on the capability of the display device 100. Fig. 3 shows, for example, the information available on a PC workstation 300. In this example, the user wishes to monitor a fleet of vehicles. The user access the website on the server 20 by sending in step 210 a web request 60 through a network 40 (in this case the Internet) and a default home page are sent to the PC workstation 300. In the exemplary embodiment shown on Fig. 3 the user is presented with a map 310, and several possible options 320 which the user can select using known means (e.g. mouse, cursor, keyboard, etc.). The user enters the website on the server 20 through input of a web address of URL at the appropriate line of the browser. This sends the web request 60 from the display device 100 to the server 20 through the network 40.

The web request 60 includes a parameter "HTTP_USER_AGENT" which is sent to the server 20 and indicates the type of user agent or browser which the user is running on the display device 100. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the user is running an Internet Explorer browser on a PC workstation and thus the parameter "HTTP_USER_AGENT" will indicate that the Internet Explorer browser is running on the display device 100 and that any display instructions returned to the display device 100 must use a format suitable for interpretation by the Internet Explorer browser system.

Fig. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of the display device 100. In this case, a mobile telephone using a WAP browser 400 is used as a display device 100. The user sends the web request 60 to the server 20 over the network 40 which in this case will be a combination of a mobile telecommunications network and the Internet or a Wide Area Network. The parameter "HTTP_USER_AGENT" will in this case indicate that a WAP browser is being used by the user and that any display instruction should use a format suitable for interpretation on a WAP display.

In step 220 the server 20 extracts the query from the information sent from the display device 100 as one or more web requests 60. The query could be made by selecting either an item on the display device 100 or by entering parameters into a displayed box, or by a combination of the above. The user sends the query to the server 20 which then extracts the query from the web requests 60 and passes the query to the database query engine 50. It is possible that the user must send several web requests to the server 20 in order to allow the database query engine 50 to correctly construct the query.

The database query engine 50 retrieves the queried data 75 in step 230 from the database 80 and returns the queried data to the display generator 90 in step 240.

In step 250, the display generator 90 generates with the help of "HTTP_USER_AGENT" parameter appropriate display instructions 95 which will allow the presentation of the information which the user seeks on the display device 100. These display instructions 95 are passed over the network in step 260 to allow the generation of the presentation on the display device 100.

In the event that the "HTTP_USER_AGENT" parameter contains no value or a value that is not recognised by the web server 20, then the default value for the presentation instructions is basic HTML which can be read by most display devices 110.

The display generator 90 can also take into account that different types of display devices 100 can only display different amounts of content. A browser on the PC workstation 300, for example, can display substantially more information than the WAP interface 400. In order to take this into account, the reporting system 10 has different content types available which are indicated by a further parameter. The foregoing is considered illustrative of the principles of the invention and since numerous modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation described. All suitable modifications and equivalents fall within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. Reporting system for reporting data on one or more objects comprising: a database containing data, a database query engine for receiving a query and interrogating the database using the query to return one or more items of the data, a display generator for receiving the one or more items of the data and using a device display identifier to generate display instructions for passage to a display device.

2. The reporting system of claim 1 , wherein the query is passed from the display device to the database query engine.

3. The reporting system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the device displays identifier is passed to the display generator in a data packet with the query.

4. The reporting system of any of the above claims, wherein the display generator further includes one or more language tables and one of the one or more language tables is selected by means of a language identifier.

5. The reporting system of claim 4, wherein the selected one of the plurality of language tables is used in the generation of display instructions.

6. The reporting system of any of the above claims further comprising a display device having the device display identifier associated therewith and receiving said display instructions to generate a location presentation.

7. The reporting system of any of the above claims, further including a default device display identifier used as a display device identifier in the event that no device display identifier or that a non-supported device display identifier is received from the display device.

8. The reporting system of any of the above claims, wherein the data is location data representative of the location of the object.

9. The reporting system of any of the above claims, wherein the display instructions generate reports on the movement of the one or more objects.

10. Method for reporting data on one or more objects comprising: - a first step of sending from a display device a query; - a second step of using the query to interrogate a database to return one or more items of the data; - a third step of generating display instructions using the one or more items of the data; and - a fourth step of using the display instructions to generate a presentation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third step further includes a selection of language-related instructions from one of the one or more language databases.

12. The method of one of the claims 10 or 11, wherein the third step includes the use of a device display identifier to generate the display instructions.

13. The method of one of the claims 10 to 12, wherein the data is location data representative of the location of the object.

14. The method of any of the claims 10 to 13, wherein the presentation is a report on the movement of the one or more objects.

15. Display device for displaying reports of one or more objects comprising: - a query generator for sending a query to a database query engine; - a device display identifier; - a presentation generator for receiving display instructions adapted to the display device using the device display identifier and generating a presentation.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein the display instructions are generated using one or more items of data returned by the database query engine and the device display identifier.

17. The display device of one of claims 15 or 16, further including one or more language tables and a language identifier.

18. The display device of claim 17, wherein the presentation generator additionally uses the language identifier and one of the one or more language tables to generate the presentation.

19. The display device of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the presentation generator generates a report on the movement of the one or more objects

20. The system and method as substantially described in the description with reference to the drawings.