Computer system

• US 20080147849A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fourier Systems Limited
• Original Assignee: Fourier Systems Limited
• Inventors: Bruker, Dov
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/044 comprising hierarchical management structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A computer system including a computer network, a multiplicity of network enabled portable computers, each including at least one sensor for sensing an operational status aspect thereof and a communicator for providing status information via the network and a maintenance center communicating via the computer network with the multiplicity of portable computers and being operative for automatically receiving the status information and for providing maintenance directives based thereon.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a computer network;

a multiplicity of network enabled portable computers, each including at least one sensor for sensing an operational status aspect thereof and at least one communicator for providing status information based on an output of said at least one sensor via said computer network; and

a maintenance center communicating via said computer network with said multiplicity of portable computers and being operative for automatically receiving said status information and for providing maintenance directives based thereon.

2. A computer system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of an inverter current sensor operative to measure a current to an inverter and an inverter output voltage sensor operative to measure a high voltage output of said inverter.

3. A computer system according to claim 2 and wherein said status information comprises information related to functionality of at least one of said inverter and a display of said portable computer.

4. A computer system according to claim 1 and wherein said at least one sensor comprises at least one of a voltage sensor, a current sensor and a temperature sensor.

5. A computer system according to claim 1 and wherein said status information comprises information related to functionality of a battery of said portable computer.

6. A computer system according to claim 1 and wherein said computer network is at wireless computer network.

7. A computer system comprising:

a computer network;

a multiplicity of network enabled portable computers, each including at least one communicator for providing security status information received from said computer via said computer network; and

a security center intermittently communicating via said computer network with said multiplicity of portable computers and being operative for automatically providing a security indication in response to a security status information communication failure, of at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers, fulfilling predetermined criteria.

8. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said computer network is operative to permit transmission of security status information only within a predetermined geographical region.

9. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said predetermined criteria comprises the elapse of a predetermined time duration since a previous communication between said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers and said security center.

10. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers includes a security subassembly which is operative to disabled said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers in response to said security status information communication failure.

11. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers also comprises computerized watchdog functionality operative to disable said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers in response to said security status information communication failure.

12. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said computer network is operative to permit transmission of security status information from a remote geographical location over a secured network connection.

13. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said multiplicity of portable computers includes at least one biometric information enabled portable computer in communication with a biometric information input device, and wherein inputs received by said biometric information input device are employed to determine whether said at least one biometric information enabled portable computer is in possession of an authorized user thereof.

14. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said security indication comprises a report including identification of said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers.

15. A computer system according to claim 7 and wherein said computer network is a wireless computer network.

16. A distributed assessment system comprising:

a multiplicity of network enabled portable computers, each including at least one network communicator for receiving assessment materials, and providing assessment results via a computer network, each of said multiplicity of portable computers presenting said assessment materials to a person undergoing assessment; and

an assessment controller communicating via said computer network with said multiplicity of portable computers and operative to synchronize the timing of presentation of said assessment materials to multiple persons undergoing assessment using said multiplicity of portable computers.

17. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein said assessment controller is also operative to synchronize the timing of a window for receiving assessment inputs from said multiple persons undergoing assessment using said multiplicity of portable computers.

18. A distributed assessment system according to claim 17 and wherein said assessment controller is operative to synchronize the timing of said window by simultaneously presenting said assessment materials to said multiple persons using said multiplicity of portable computers and simultaneously terminating presentation of said assessment materials to said multiple persons using said multiplicity of portable computers.

19. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein said assessment controller is operative to synchronize the timing of presentation by simultaneously presenting said assessment materials to said multiple persons using said multiplicity of portable computers.

20. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein said assessment materials include multiple portions and said multiple portions of said assessment materials are presented to at least one of said multiple persons in a different order than the order presented to at least one other of said multiple persons.

21. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers includes a biometric information input device, and wherein said biometric information input device is employed to determine whether one of said multiple persons using one of said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers is authorized to use said one of said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers, prior to presenting said assessment materials to said one of said multiple persons.

22. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers receives said assessment materials at a different time than the time at which said assessment materials are received by at least one other of said multiplicity of portable computers.

23. A distributed assessment system according to claim 16 and wherein said computer network is a wireless computer network.

24. A distributed assessment system comprising:

a multiplicity of network enabled portable computers, each including at least one network communicator for receiving assessment materials and providing assessment results via a computer network, each of said multiplicity of portable computers presenting said assessment materials to a person undergoing assessment; and

an assessment controller communicating via said computer network with said multiplicity of portable computers and being operative to synchronize the timing of a window for receiving assessment inputs from multiple persons undergoing assessment using said multiplicity of portable computers.

25. A distributed assessment system according to claim 24 and wherein said assessment controller is operative to synchronize the timing of said window by simultaneously presenting said assessment materials to said multiple persons using said multiplicity of portable computers and simultaneously terminating presentation of said assessment materials to said multiple persons using said multiplicity of portable computers.

26. A distributed assessment system according to claim 24 and wherein said assessment materials include multiple portions and said multiple portions of said assessment materials are presented to at least one of said multiple persons in a different order than the order presented to at least one other of said multiple persons.

27. A distributed assessment system according to claim 24 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers include a biometric information input device, and wherein said biometric information input device is employed to determine whether one of said multiple persons using one of said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers is authorized to use said one of said at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers, prior to presenting said assessment materials to said one of said multiple persons.

28. A distributed assessment system according to claim 24 and wherein at least one of said multiplicity of portable computers receives said assessment materials at a different time than the time at which said assessment materials are received by at least one other of said multiplicity of portable computers.

29. A distributed assessment system according to claim 24 and wherein said computer network is a wireless computer network.

30. An interactive computer comprising:

at least one port enabling connection thereto of an external sensor for sensing an experimental parameter; and

interactive e-book software operative to prompt a user to conduct an experiment, to receive said experimental parameter from said external sensor and to display a visual representation of said experimental parameter.

31. An interactive computer according to claim 30 and wherein said external sensor comprises at least one of a thermocouple, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a motion sensor, a pH sensor, an electrical parameter sensor, a biometric sensor and an audio sensor.

32. An interactive computer according to claim 30 and also comprising at least one communicator operative to communicate with an experimentation control and logging server via a computer network.

33. An interactive computer according to claim 32 and wherein at least one of said experimental parameter and said visual representation of said experimental parameter is logged by said experimentation control and logging server.

34. An interactive computer according to claim 32 and wherein said computer network is a wireless computer network.

35. An interactive experimentation system comprising:

at least one network enabled interactive computer including;

at least one port enabling connection thereto of an external sensor for sensing an experimental parameter; and

interactive e-book software operative to prompt a user to conduct an experiment, to receive said experimental parameter from said external sensor and to display a visual representation of said experimental parameter; and

an experimentation control and logging server communicating with said at least one interactive computer via a computer network and being operative to log at least one of said experimental parameter and said visual representation of said experimental parameter.

36. An interactive experimentation system according to claim 35 and wherein said external sensor comprises at least one of a thermocouple, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a motion sensor, a pH sensor, an electrical parameter sensor, a biometric sensor and an audio sensor.

37. An interactive experimentation system according to claim 35 and wherein said computer network is a wireless computer network.