CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH USER INTERFACE

• US 20140143102A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: BELL, David
• Application Number:
  US13/682,333
• Publication Number:
  US 20140143102A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/30 Transportation; Communications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Systems and methods providing a user interface to facilitate at least the accessing, the reviewing, and the analyzing of owner asset transaction data. Embodiments of the present invention provide a controller having a communication device and a user interface. The communication device is operable to receive owner asset transaction data for a plurality of owner asset. The user interface is operable to facilitate access of the owner asset transaction data by a user and the investigation of discrepancies between the owner asset transaction data and, for example, industry standard transaction data.

Claims

1. A control system, comprising:

a communication device that is operable to communicate with a database comprising rail car hire receivable data generated by a rail car central clearing house and is further operable to receive selected rail car hire receivable data related to at least one of a plurality of owner rail cars, and the rail car hire receivable data is selected at least in part by user input;

a processor including a module that is operable to identify one or more rail car discrepancies in the rail car hire receivable data, wherein the one or more rail car discrepancies relate to one or more of rail car rate data, rail car time of use data, rail car distance traveled data, rail car payment data, rail car payee information, rail car type information, rail car cargo type information, rail car reclaims information, and rail car shipper/consignee information; and

a user interface that accepts user input from a user and that responds to the user input by accessing the database and displaying at least the selected set of rail car hire receivable data and the one or more identified rail car discrepancies.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the module is operable to compare the rail car hire receivable data to a set of industry standard rail car hire receivable data.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the module is further operable to determine a deviation in the rail car hire receivable data from the industry standard rail car hire receivable data.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the module is further operable to generate a claim based on the deviation in the rail car hire receivable data.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein the module is further operable to compare at least a portion of first rail car movement data as recorded in the rail car hire receivable data to at least one of second rail car movement data obtained from a source other than that from the car hire receivable data or to rail car time and location data.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a rail car transaction level request for an individual rail car related to a single, unique rail car transaction.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the user interface is operable to display the set of rail car hire receivable data by category, wherein the category includes one or more of a rail car fleet category, a rail car type category, or an individual rail car category.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the module is operable to generate rail car trending information based on one or more owner rail cars and in response to user input, and the user interface is further operable to display the rail car trending information.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of owner rail cars comprises a plurality of rail cars owned by a first entity and leased by the first entity to one or more second entities;

the rail car hire receivable data comprises information of lease payments by the one or more second entities for leasing the plurality of rail cars and information of lease rates for the one or more second entities to lease the plurality of rail cars; and

the control system generates a communication from the first entity to at least one of the second entities in response to a determination by the control system that one or more of the lease payments meet one or more designated criteria.

7. (canceled)

11. A method, comprising:

comparing rail car hire receivable data, received from a rail car central clearing house database, to at least one of modeled rail car transaction data or empirical rail car transaction data to identify a rail car discrepancy using a controller, wherein the rail car discrepancy relates to one of more of rail car rate data, rail car time of use data, rail car distance traveled data, rail car payment data, rail car payee information, rail car type information, rail car cargo type information, rail car reclaims information, and rail car shipper/consignee information; and

displaying selectably in response to an identified rail car discrepancy at least one of;

the rail car hire receivable data, the modeled rail car transaction data or the empirical rail car transaction data, and further displaying rail car discrepancy data associated with the detected rail car discrepancy using a user interface of the controller.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating and transmitting a claim based at least in part on the rail car discrepancy data.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying a claim history associated with the rail car hire receivable data, and the claim history including one or more of claims paid, claims outstanding, and claims denied.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising compiling the rail car hire receivable data based on one or more of rail car rate data, rail car time of use data, rail car distance traveled data, or rail car payment data.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising compiling the rail car hire receivable data based on one or more of rail car payee information, rail car type information, rail car cargo type, rail car reclaims information, and rail car shipment/consignee information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the detected rail car discrepancy is determined relative to at least one of a rail car rate, a rail car time of use, a rail car distance traveled, or a rail car payment.

17. A controller, comprising:

a communication device operable to retrieve rail car hire receivable data for at least one owner rail car from a rail car central clearing house database;

a processing device operable to receive and organize at least a portion of the rail car hire receivable data and expected rail car transaction data, and to generate rail car discrepancy data in response to discrepancies in the rail car hire receivable data relative to the expected rail car transaction data, wherein the rail car discrepancy data relates to one or more of rail car rate data, rail car time of use data, rail car distance traveled data, rail car payment data, rail car payee information, rail car type information, rail car cargo type information, rail car reclaims information, and rail car shipper/consignee information; and

a user interface configured for user interaction and operable to display at least a portion of the rail car hire receivable data, the expected rail car transaction data, and the rail car discrepancy data to allow investigation of details associated with a detected rail car discrepancy.

18. The controller of claim 17, wherein the processing device is further operable to generate a claim associated with the detected rail car discrepancy and to initiate the communication of that claim to a third party.

19. The controller of claim 17, wherein the processing device is operable to perform claims processing to at least track paid claims, outstanding claims, and denied claims associated with a plurality of owner rail cars.

20. The controller of claim 17, wherein the processing device is operable to calculate trends of cost over time associated with one or more of a plurality of owner rail cars, and the user interface is operable to present graphical depictions of the trends of cost over time.