SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CAPTURING, MANAGING, SHARING, AND VISUALISING ASSET INFORMATION OF AN ORGANIZATION

• US 20120046978A1
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edifice Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Edifice Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Cartwright, Kathryn
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/288 Entity relationship models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A system for semantically modeling relationships and dependencies between groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities according to an industry specific manner. An exemplary system includes a user interface device, a relational database and a processor. The processor receives relationship information and receives attributes with associated measurements for the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities for the corporation from the user interface device. The attributes with associated measurements are formatted according the specific industry of the corporation. The processor generates a three dimensional (3D) visualization of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities and allows a virtual walkthrough of the 3D visualization as presented on the display device based on user entered commands from the user input device.

Claims

1. A system for semantically modeling relationships and dependencies between groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities according to an industry specific manner, the system comprising:

a user interface device comprising a user input device and a display device;

a relational database; and

a processor in data communication with the database and the user interface device, the processor configured to;

receive relationship and dependency information between groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities for a corporation from the user interface device;

receive attributes with associated measurements for the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities for the corporation from the user interface device, wherein the attributes with associated measurements are formatted according the specific industry of the corporation; and

store the relationship and dependency information and the attributes with associated measurements into the relational database.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of data transmission devices, each of the plurality of data transmission devices configured to be associated with one of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities for the corporation, wherein the plurality of data transmission devices comprises data of the associated one of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities; and

a plurality of data collection devices in signal communication with the processor and the plurality of data transmission devices, the plurality of data collection devices configured to retrieve the data from the plurality of data transmission devices,

wherein the data transmission devices and data collection devices comprise at least one of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, antenna, readers or concentrators,

wherein the processor enters the data received from the data collection devices into the relational database.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute a plurality of data Application Program Interfaces (APIs), the executed APIs integrate data received from the data collection devices into a comprehensive view of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities based on the relational database.

4. A system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to create at least one of a graphical or text based report regarding one or more of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities, wherein the report includes at least one of absolute values, ranges or comparative values of at least a portion of the attributes, wherein the report is at least one of a filtering, sorting, or ordering of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to calculate return on investment based on the asset data, wherein the asset data comprises at least one of cost to replace or cost of ownership.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to define one or more perimeters within which each of the assets are located and to identify the assets within the one or more perimeters.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the database comprises a supplier database configured to store all assets in an individual group and across all groups.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote access device that is in data communication with the processor via a public or private data network, wherein the remote access device comprises at least one of a mobile device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer or a desktop computer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a graphical user interface that provides a three dimensional (3D) visualization of the groups, enclosures, assets, and support entities.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to:

modify records of the assets, enclosures, groups, and support entities;

display values of the attributes; and

edit the values of the attributes within the relational database.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to semantically map the received attributes from disparate sources and the supplier database, wherein the semantically mapped attributes provide context to the received attributes and the attributes’

relation to assets, enclosures and groups.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to uniquely identify a location of an asset and physical orientation based on data received using at least one of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, a Real-time Locating System (RTLS) or Global Positioning System (GPS).

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to uniquely identify asset identifiers to associate, capture, monitor and timestamp, data with other data pertaining to the asset within the system.

14. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to share asset information comprising at least one of a physical asset component data, financial data, contractual data and utilization data;

and permit the management, display and analysis of asset information on a single user interface.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a user to perform at least one of a query, an interrogation, a forecast, a what if scenario and to perform modeling of return on investment based on any change to assets, enclosure and groups.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a means for automating delivery attributes of assets from a supplier to the processor.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to provide trending information and analysis of the user'"'"'s industry as compared to the user'"'"'s specific asset deployments.

18. The system of claim 9, wherein the 3D visualization comprises annotation of groups with at least one of bounds, extents, photographs and related media elements, wherein the 3D visualization comprises at least one of a diagrammatic image or a figurative image.

19. The system of claim 9, wherein the user interface allows a user to perform at least one of browse, find, create, update or delete information associated with the assets, the enclosures, the groups, and the support entities, and the relationship information.

20. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a remote access device configured to access the processor via a public or private data network.

21. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to perform an audit of attributes.

22. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to synchronize at least all the information for each asset and show via the graphical user interface changes to status of an asset.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a unique identifier based on a user defined asset search, wherein when the unique identifier that is presented on the graphical user interface, the unique identifier provides a visual indication of the presence and location of all assets that match the user defined asset search.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to allow a virtual walkthrough of the 3D visualization as presented on the display device based on user entered commands from the user input device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to display asset attributes based on a user entered selection signal from the user input device during the virtual walkthrough.