CargoSense, the ‘Visibility OS’ for sourcing logistics visibility data and unlocking its value through automated analysis and workflows, announced today that the company has been granted patent No. 11,386,387 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent, titled “Data collection system and interface,” covers the use of QR codes in the collection of geolocation data and other user-provided information related to the physical object or process that the QR code represents.

CargoSense CEO Rich Kilmer and CTO Ben Wilson are co-inventors on the patent. “The main goal with this invention was to drive the cost of measuring an industrial process, such as a shipment of freight, as close to zero as possible,” said Kilmer. “We’re thrilled that the USPTO recognized our solution to this problem as truly novel, and look forward to expanding the use of this technology in simplifying supply chain management.”

The focus of the invention was to give people with responsibility for a customer’s asset, but are not a part of a customer’s organization, a frictionless means of sending information back to the customer regarding the asset. This situation is prevalent in the highly fragmented global ecosystem around freight logistics, where goods being moved are in the custody of individuals that are several layers of operational management away from the shipper of those goods.

"A fundamental question with any freight visibility solution is how data gets sourced, and we obsess over that as a company," said Kilmer. "This patent is a reflection of that focus, and allows the gaps to be bridged seamlessly between the many parties involved with any supply chain process, in a way that no other solution offers."

In addition to the use of QR codes to provide identity and access control without requiring the registration of user accounts, the patent covers subsequent prompting for additional information after the geolocation has been captured and stored, such as workflow status updates and photos. In stark contrast with comparable approaches, the QR Sensor solution does not require a corresponding smartphone app to participate, and can be easily incorporated into existing document flows, such as purchase orders or bills of lading.

QR Sensor technology is already being utilized by CargoSense customers as part of visibility programs powered by the Visibility OS platform. These customers include major 3PLs for courier visibility, pallet pool managers for connected pallet identification, and others in data center construction for inbound visibility from suppliers for prebuilt materials.