SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WORKORDER MANAGEMENT

• US 20110295638A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EFC Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GVM, Inc.
• Inventors: DEARBORN, Jeffrey Allen, HUNT, Aaron Dale
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining

Abstract

A system and method for managing workorders from a single location is provided. The system includes functionality to create workorders, to transmit workorders to equipment at a job site, e.g., an agricultural field, and to log the results of a completed workorder.

Claims

1. A method for managing workorders comprising:

creating a workorder for a predetermined location on a first computer, the workorder including at least one action to be completed at the predetermined location by a predetermined piece of equipment;

transmitting the workorder from the first computer to a second computer separate from the first computer, the second computer being associated with at least one of the predetermined piece of equipment or an operator of the predetermined piece of equipment;

performing the at least one action from the workorder with the predetermined piece of equipment;

storing log data associated with the performance of the at least one action in the second computer; and

transmitting the stored log data and an indication of completion of the workorder from the second computer to the first computer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a workorder comprises storing the workorder on the first computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the at least one action from the workorder comprises monitoring a status of the predetermined piece of equipment in completing the workorder at the first computer.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a workorder comprises:

selecting the predetermined location;

selecting the predetermined piece of equipment; and

selecting the at least one action to be completed.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein selecting the predetermined location comprises selecting a bounded area from a map.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising reviewing the stored log data and the indication of completion of the workorder at the first computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one action from the workorder includes a plurality of actions and creating a workorder comprises defining a plurality of jobs to complete the plurality of actions, each job of the plurality of jobs involving at least one of a different action of the plurality of actions or a different area of the predetermined location from the other jobs of the plurality of jobs.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a workorder comprises creating a workorder to take one or more agricultural field data samples from the predetermined location.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the agricultural field data samples comprises at least one of soil samples, tissue samples or nematode samples.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a workorder comprises creating a workorder to apply a prescription to the predetermined location.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein creating a workorder comprises creating a workorder for a chemical application or fertilizer application to the predetermined location.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the workorder comprises transmitting a plurality of workorders from the first computer to the second computer associated with the predetermined piece of equipment, the plurality of workorders include a plurality of actions to be completed at a plurality of predetermined locations.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing directions to the predetermined location to the second computer.

14. A system comprising:

a first computer;

a piece of equipment at a remote location from the first computer, the piece of equipment comprising a second computer; and

a workorder management system comprising;

a first computer algorithm executable by a microprocessor from the first computer, the first computer algorithm being configured to permit a user to create a workorder for the piece of equipment and transmit the workorder to the second computer with the piece of equipment; and

a second computer algorithm executable by a microprocessor from the second computer, the second computer algorithm being configured to permit an operator to retrieve the transmitted workorder from the first computer, integrate additional information into the transmitted workorder and transmit information on the completed work order to the first computer.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the workorder comprises information on at least one action to be completed by the piece of equipment and information on a predetermined location where the piece of equipment is to perform the at least one action to be completed.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the at least one action to be completed comprises at least one of an action to take one or more agricultural field data samples from the predetermined location, an action to apply a prescription to the predetermined location or an action for a chemical application or fertilizer application to the predetermined location.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the piece of equipment comprises a global positioning system device, the global positioning system device being configured to provide position information to the second computer and the position information from the global positioning system device is used by the second computer algorithm to guide the piece of equipment to a predetermined location in a workorder.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the second computer algorithm is configured to transmit information relating to a partial completion of the transmitted workorder by the piece of equipment to the first computer.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the workorder comprises a plurality of jobs having a plurality of actions for a predetermined location, each job of the plurality of jobs relating to at least one of a different action of the plurality of actions or a different area of the predetermined location from the other jobs of the plurality of jobs.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the transmitted information on the completed workorder includes an indication that the workorder has been completed and log data collected during completion of the workorder.