Powers Secured System: Why is it Different and What is Protected?

A number of years ago Powers International decided to develop a container security solution that was more than just the use of communications and sensor hardware. Powers wanted an end-to-end system that exceeded the benefits and qualities of the U. S. Postal Service's Certified and Registered Mail. In effect, Powers developed a "chain-of-custody" system concept that monitors containers globally as if the containers were Certified and Registered letters. The intellectual property (IP) is embodied in 35 claims relating to the systems, processes, and computer program products for monitoring these transport containers. These containers include shipping containers, railcars, trailers and other enclosures used to store and transport products.

This chain-of-custody concept, incorporated in the Powers Secured® System PSS, does the following. First, it provides the electronic equivalence of a receipt showing evidence of shipping. This evidence is provided by a specialized electronic data key only usable with and by an authorized individual at the point of origin. That person is identified as the authorized person supervising the stuffing (loading) of the container, and verifying its contents. At the time the electronic data key is inserted into the PSS system in the container there is a data transfer of logistics and booking information from the shipper, information for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as necessary, and the activation of the system. Second, PSS provides a unique identifier for tracking which also allows the consignee or consignor not only to query the container but also allows the container to report independently any movement off its intended journey. Third, it offers the capacity to serve as a third-party record of the transaction recorded automatically by worldwide call centers. Fourth, PSS provides an electronic receipt of delivery, accomplished by the opening of the container by a person at destination approved and authorized to open the container, which is provided by another specialized electronic identification device usable only with and by an authorized individual at the point of destination. And fifth, it exceeds the security of Registered mail by offering breach detection into the container not just through the doors, but through any part of the container, by offering off-course alerts, and by offering other sensory information as needed by the user.

This end-to-end system of data transfer, monitoring, and control has patents now issued in 33 countries. The PSS is not just a device. It is a uniquely comprehensive system of control, transparency, and security that no other solution has matched. The use of the PSS enhances confidence that the container sent was the one received, that it contains the proper cargo, and that any unauthorized transshipment or unauthorized entry made en-route to its destination was detected and reported immediately through a global communications network of call centers.

PSS meets government standards such as the U.S. C-TPAT, the EU's AEO and other equivalent security programs and non-government standards such as the World Customs Organization's (WCO) guidelines to secure and facilitate global trade. All these new standards include a mandate of physical control from origin to destination, a genuine chain-of-custody process offered by the PSS. 

This concept is licensed by the World's leading Container Security Device Manufacturers, European Data Comm and Globaltrak.

* PLEASE CLICK ON THE SITES OF OUR LICENSEES WHOSE TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORT THE POWERS PATENT.