Notification management for monitoring system

• US 20060136583A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Whittlesey, George Schley III, Helmstetter, Barry Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,128 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31438 Priority, queue of alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0604 using filtering, e.g. reduction of information by using priority, element types, position or time

Abstract

Some embodiments include an event detector to subscribe to solution members of a condition definition, to receive changes to the solution members, and to evaluate a state of the condition definition a subscription manager to identify users associated with the condition definition, and a notification manager to determine a notification routing for each of the identified users.

Claims

1. A method to manage notifications related to a condition definition, comprising:

receiving a condition definition from a first user;

receiving a first instruction from the first user to provide the first user and a second user with access to the condition definition;

receiving a second instruction from the first user to subscribe the first user to the condition definition; and

receiving a third instruction from the second user to unsubscribe the second user from the condition definition.

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

detecting a change in the state of the condition definition; and

determining that the first user is subscribed to the condition definition; and

notifying the first user of the state change.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein notifying the first user of the state change comprises:

determining a notification routing associated with the first user; and

notifying the first user of the state change in accordance with the notification routing.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein receiving the first instruction from the first user comprises receiving a fourth instruction to provide a third user with access to the condition definition, the method further comprising:

receiving a fifth instruction from the third user to associate a notification routing with the third user.

5. A medium storing processor-executable process steps to manage notifications related to a condition definition, the process steps comprising:

a step to receive a condition definition from a first user;

a step to receive a first instruction from the first user to provide the first user and a second user with access to the condition definition;

a step to receive a second instruction from the first user to subscribe the first user to the condition definition; and

a step to receive a third instruction from the second user to unsubscribe the second user from the condition definition.

6. A medium according to claim 5, the process steps further comprising:

a step to detect a change in the state of the condition definition; and

a step to determine that the first user is subscribed to the condition definition; and

a step to notify the first user of the state change.

7. A medium according to claim 6, wherein the step to notify the first user of the state change comprises:

a step to determine a notification routing associated with the first user; and

a step to notify the first user of the state change in accordance with the notification routing.

8. A medium according to claim 5, wherein the step to receive the first instruction from the first user comprises a step to receive a fourth instruction to provide a third user with access to the condition definition, and the process steps further comprising:

a step to receive a fifth instruction from the third user to associate a notification routing with the third user.

9. An apparatus to manage notifications related to a condition definition, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing processor-executable process steps; and

a processor in communication with the memory and operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to;

receive a condition definition from a first user;

receive a first instruction from the first user to provide the first user and a second user with access to the condition definition;

receive a second instruction from the first user to subscribe the first user to the condition definition; and

receive a third instruction from the second user to unsubscribe the second user from the condition definition.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

detect a change in the state of the condition definition; and

determine that the first user is subscribed to the condition definition; and

notify the first user of the state change.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein notification of the first user of the state change comprises:

determination of a notification routing associated with the first user; and

notification of the first user of the state change in accordance with the notification routing.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein reception of the first instruction from the first user comprises reception of a fourth instruction to provide a third user with access to the condition definition, and the processor further operative in conjunction with the stored process steps to:

receive a fifth instruction from the third user to associate a notification routing with the third user.

13. A medium storing processor-executable process steps to provide:

an event detector to subscribe to solution members of a condition definition, to receive changes to the solution members, and to evaluate a state of the condition definition;

a subscription manager to determine users associated with the condition definition; and

a notification manager to identify a notification routing for each of the determined users.

14. A medium according to claim 13, the process steps to provide:

a notification handler to route a notification to each of the determined users based on the identified notification routing.

15. A medium according to claim 13, wherein the event detector is to receive a subscription to the condition definition from the subscription manager, and to notify the subscription manager of a change in the state of the condition definition, and

wherein the subscription manager is to identify users associated with the condition definition in response to the change in the state of the condition definition.

16. A medium according to claim 13, the process steps to provide:

an alert server to receive a plurality of condition definitions, a plurality of subscriptions to the condition definitions, and a plurality of notification routings associated with the plurality of subscriptions from a user, and to pass the plurality of condition definitions, plurality of subscriptions to the condition definitions, and plurality of notification routings associated with the plurality of subscriptions to the subscription manager.

17. A medium according to claim 16, wherein the alert server is to subscribe to the solution members, to receive the changes to the solution members, and to pass the changes to the event detector.

18. A medium according to claim 16, wherein the subscription manager is to store the plurality of condition definitions, plurality of subscriptions to the condition definitions, and plurality of notification routings associated with the plurality of subscriptions in a memory.

19. A medium according to claim 13, the process steps to provide:

an excursion logger to receive an indication of the change in the state of the condition definition from the event detector, and to log the change of state in a memory.