System and method for managing welding data

• US 10,307,853 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, William Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azad, Md
• Application Number:
  US14/747,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 700160
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/32 Accessories earthing connections H01R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/20 Education
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A method of managing welding data, including receiving, via a network, welding data from a data storage system, populating, via a processor, a user viewable dashboard page with one or more user input controls, receiving a user input via the user viewable dashboard page, and populating, via the processor, the user viewable dashboard page with graphical indicia representative of one or more subsets of welding data corresponding to the received user input. The welding data includes welding parameters associated with welding sessions performed by a plurality of welding operators. The user input controls include filter criteria, a search control, or any combination thereof. Each filter criterion of the filter criteria corresponds to a respective subset of the welding data. The user input includes a selection of one or more filter criteria from a user, a search string input via the search control, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method of managing welding data comprising:

receiving, via a network, welding data from a data storage system, wherein the data storage system comprises non-transitory computer readable media, wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters associated with welding sessions performed by a plurality of welding operators using a plurality of welding systems coupled to the network, and wherein the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch, or an aim of the welding torch;

populating, via a processor, a user viewable dashboard page with one or more user input controls, wherein the user viewable dashboard is displayed on an electronic display screen, wherein the one or more user input controls comprise one or more of filter criteria or a search control, wherein each filter criterion of the filter criteria corresponds to a respective subset of the welding data, and wherein at least one of the filter criteria or the search string input comprise times when the welding sessions were performed;

receiving a user input via the user viewable dashboard page, wherein the user input comprises a selection of one or more filter criteria from a user or a search string input via the search control; and

populating, via the processor, the user viewable dashboard page with graphical indicia representative of welding data corresponding to the received user input, wherein the graphical indicia comprise one or more comparisons of welding data associated with two or more welding operators.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise organizations associated with one or more of the plurality of welding operators.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise unique identifiers associated with each of the welding sessions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise one or more parameters associated with a welding procedure associated with each of the welding sessions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the filter criteria comprise two or more welding data types, and the welding data types comprise live welding, simulated welding, virtual reality welding, or augmented reality welding.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise training welding sessions and non-training welding sessions.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising exporting the one or more subsets of the welding data corresponding to the received user input to a removable storage medium coupled to the network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the welding data comprises arc parameters associated with live welding sessions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise a registration number corresponding to each welding operator of the plurality of welding operators.

10. A method of managing welding data comprising:

receiving, via a network, welding data from a data storage system, wherein the data storage system comprises non-transitory computer readable media, wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters associated with welding sessions performed with a plurality of welding systems coupled to the network, and wherein each welding session of the welding sessions is associated with a welding assignment performed by a welding operator;

populating, via a processor, a user viewable dashboard page with one or more user input controls, wherein the user viewable dashboard is displayed on an electronic display screen, wherein the one or more user input controls comprise one or more of filter criteria or a search control, and wherein each filter criterion of the filter criteria corresponds to a respective subset of the welding data;

receiving a user input via the user viewable dashboard page, wherein the user input comprises one or more of a first selection of one or more filter criteria from a user or a search string input via the search control; and

populating, via the processor, the user viewable dashboard page with graphical indicia representative of welding data corresponding to the received user input, wherein the graphical indicia comprise or more comparisons of welding data associated with two or more welding operators.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise one or more welding operators associated with the welding sessions.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the filter criteria comprises times when the welding sessions were performed.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the welding data comprises arc parameters associated with live welding sessions.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising:

receiving a second selection of a portion of the welding data and an edit input; and

changing a parameter of the welding data associated with the portion of the welding data via adjusting the portion of the welding data stored in the data storage system based on the edit input.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the filter criteria and the search string input comprise a registration number corresponding to each welding operator of the one or more welding operators.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic display screen includes a cover configured to protect the electronic display screen from welding emissions that may occur during a live welding operation.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the welding sessions comprise live-arc welding sessions and simulated welding sessions.

18. A welding monitoring interface comprising:

at least one user viewable dashboard page defined by computer executed code transmitted to an electronic display screen, the user viewable dashboard page comprising filter criteria selectable by a user and graphical indicia representative of welding data, wherein the welding data corresponds to one or more selected welding sessions associated with selected filter criteria, wherein the filter criteria comprises operator identifiers associated with welding operators and unique identifiers associated with welding sessions, wherein the graphical indicia further comprise one or more comparisons of welding data associated with two or more welding operators.

19. The welding monitoring interface of claim 18, wherein the filter criteria comprise times when the welding sessions were performed.

20. The welding monitoring interface of claim 18, wherein the filter criteria comprise two or more welding data types, and the welding data types comprise live welding, simulated welding, virtual reality welding, or augmented reality welding.

21. The welding monitoring interface of claim 18, wherein the electronic display screen includes a cover configured to protect the electronic display screen from welding emissions that may occur during a live welding operation.