Communication method and system

• US 20050138120A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Drakar Toule Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Drakar Toule Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Brathall, Lars, Soerdalen, Ole Jakob, Gundersen, Lars
• Granted Patent: US 7,664,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of the marine vessel. The technical information concerns an equipment or system associated with, or installed on, the marine vessel. A communication session on the logged in computer is initiated. An address is selected from an address list of one or more technical specialists associated with the equipment. A message is sent to a remote address. A communication session on a remote computer system is initiated at the remote address with the logged in computer.

Claims

1. A method to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with, or installed on, said marine vessel, by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel, comprising:

initiating a communication session on said logged in computer,

selecting an address from an address list of one or more technical specialists associated with the equipment,

sending a message to a remote address,

initiating a communication session on a remote computer system, at the remote address with said logged in computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling between said logged in computer and the remote computer system immediate messaging and/or conferencing in the communication session.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

making available a GUI of an application running on said logged in computer as a shared entity on the remote computer system.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

making available a GUI of an application running on the remote computer system as a shared entity on said logged in computer.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

making available a GUI of an application running on said logged in computer for the remote computer system to take over control enabling said logged in computer to be interrogated and/or controlled from the remote computer system.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling immediate messaging and/or conferencing in the communication session between said logged in computer and a plurality of remote computer systems.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

enabling immediate messaging and/or conferencing of technical information about a plurality of equipment and/or equipment systems associated with said marine vessel.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said logged in computer is comprised as a Remote Monitoring and Control Server.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said logged in computer is connected to an Asset Optimisation server.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said technical information is maintenance information.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said technical information is diagnostic information stored locally and based on any of:

reports, conditions, events, alarms.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said equipment or system associated with said marine vessel is installed onboard said marine vessel.

13. A The method according to claim 1, wherein said equipment or system associated with said marine vessel is installed in the vicinity of said marine vessel.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said equipment or system associated with said marine vessel is installed underwater or on the seabed in the vicinity of said marine vessel.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting said technical information to and from the marine vessel at least in part by wireless means.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the wireless means comprises satellite communication using a system including any of:

Inmarsat, VSAT, QSAT, NORSAT, L-band, Leo, Iridium.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the wireless means comprises a radio telephone system such as any of AMPS, NMT, TACS, CDMA or TDMA based systems, D AMPS, GSM, PDC, CDPD, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000, WCDMA, IMT2000.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein said technical information is transmitted in part formatted suitable for an Internet standard which may be any of:

HTML, a HTML derivative, I-MODE, WAP, WDML.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication is transmitted in an encrypted form, including and not limited to IPsec.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the communication is transmitted in an encrypted form dependent on transmission in part by means of frequency hopping.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the communication is transmitted in an encrypted form dependent on a protocol according to a telephone standard including any of:

AMPS, NMT, TACS, CDMA or TDMA based systems, D AMPS, GSM, PDC, CDPD, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000, WCDMA, IMT2000.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the remote location is any of:

on land , in another marine vessel, in another part of the same vessel.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user is any authorized one of:

operator, technician, maintenance person or other authorized person on the marine vessel, a diver in the water.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the option to communicate is activated by means of selecting a graphical representation associated with said equipment or system of said marine vessel displayed by said logged in computer.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the option to communicate is activated by means of selecting a text based option associated with said equipment or system of said marine vessel displayed by said logged in computer.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising:

selecting by means of the graphical representation displayed on said logged in computer an option to obtain technical information about a said equipment or system.

27. The method according to claim 23, wherein the graphical representation associated with said equipment or system is associated by computer program means of said onboard control system with information about technical support for the equipment such as the address through which contact with the technical specialist may be made.

28. The method according to claim 23, wherein the address is selected from a list of addresses in a predetermined manner.

29. The method according to claim 23, wherein the graphical representation associated with said equipment or system is a software entity which is in most instances a container for one or more aspects.

30. The method according to claim 23, wherein the software entity is embodied as an aspect.

31. The method according to claim 1, wherein the address for the technical specialist is provided by an aspect of the selected equipment in said onboard control system.

32. The method according to claim 1, wherein said technical information comprises economic evaluations of maintenance options based any of said technical information.

41. A computer program product to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with said marine vessel which when run on a computer or microprocessor causes said computer or microprocessor to carry out a method according to claim 1.

42. The computer program product according to claim 41 embodied in a computer readable medium.

33. A system to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with said marine vessel, said system comprising:

a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel, wherein

said logged in computer comprises a software means for providing immediate messaging and/or conferencing,

said communication means comprises a wireless communication means for transmitting and receiving information.

34. The system according to claim 33, wherein said logged in computer is comprised as a Remote Monitoring and Control Server.

35. The system according to claim 33, wherein said logged in computer is connected to an Asset Optimisation server.

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein the Asset Optimisation server is connected to data logger server.

37. The system according to claim 33, wherein the wireless means comprises means for satellite communication using a system including any of:

Inmarsat, VSAT, QSAT, NORSAT, L-band, Leo, Iridium.

38. The system according to claim 33, wherein the wireless means comprises means communication using a radio telephone system such as any of AMPS, NMT, TACS, CDMA or TDMA based systems, D AMPS, GSM, PDC, CDPD, GPRS, EDGE, CDMA2000, WCDMA, IMT2000.

39. An interface to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with, or installed on, said marine vessel, by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel, comprising:

a software means for providing immediate messaging and/or conferencing arranged with computer program code suitable to provide a GUI running on said computer on said marine vessel to run on a computer at a remote location.

40. A web site to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with said marine vessel, comprising:

means to receive and transmit said technical information sent to and/or between a user by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel and a technical specialist located at a remote location.

43. A data signal for providing technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with said marine vessel, comprising:

a part of said technical information transmitted between a user onboard said marine vessel by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel and a technical specialist located at a remote location.

44. A method to provide technical information from a marine vessel to a remote location, said technical information concerning an equipment or system associated with, or installed on, said marine vessel, by means of a computer connected and logged in to a communication means of said marine vessel, comprising:

initiating a communication session on said logged in computer,

selecting an address from an address list of one or more technical specialists associated with the equipment,

sending a message to a remote address,

initiating a communication session on a remote computer system at the remote address with said logged in computer,

identifying via said remote location the user who is communicating,

retrieving via said remote location maintenance contract details for the communicating user,

receiving said technical information at said remote location, and

providing assistance with maintenance and operations by means of technical specialists selected according to the service level agreements comprised in the communicating user'"'"'s maintenance contract.