Virtual Plan Room

• US 20140358815A1
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ron Bourque
• Original Assignee: Ron Bourque
• Inventors: Bourque, Ron
• Application Number:
  US13/905,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358815A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/342
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2291 User-Defined Types; Storage management thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/50 of still image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A modular, web-based document retrieval system is provided. The system allows for immediate access to all existing building plan drawings and documents for a site. The document retrieval system herein provides an efficient, organized and substantially automated solution for storing, tracking and accessing facility construction documents.

Claims

1. A method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings comprising the steps of:

identifying building plan drawings;

receiving the identified building plan drawings in scanned electronic format by at least one computer;

inputting information relating to each of the scanned building plan drawings into a computerized spreadsheet of the at least one computer, the inputted information comprising;

building name, drawing floor level, and drawing discipline;

populating a database using a computerized database population module, the database population module configured to generate a plurality of database entries based on the inputted information from the spreadsheet, the database population module further configured to associate the inputted information relating to each drawing with the scanned drawing;

repopulating the database using the computerized database population module upon receipt of new or updated building plan drawings;

providing computerized access to the database to an authorized user, the database being organizable based on the inputted information relating to the drawings, all information being accessible to the authorized user.

2. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving the identified building plans drawings comprises scanning the identified building plan drawings into at least one computer using a scanner in communication with the at least one computer.

3. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

organizing the building drawings firstly based on the building name, secondly based on the floor number, and thirdly based on drawing discipline.

4. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 wherein the step of inputting information relating to the scanned building plan drawings comprises the step of using a computerized processing module to automatically input the information relating to the scanned building plan drawings, the computerized processing module configured to use optical character recognition to identify the information relating to the scanned building plan drawing, extract the identified information, and input that information into the spreadsheet.

5. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 wherein the step of inputting information relating to the scanned building plan drawings comprises the step of the at least one computer using a computerized guidance module for instructing an operator to identify a region of one of the building plan drawings corresponding to one of the information relating to the building plan drawing;

and

filling in a field of the spreadsheet with the identified information using optical character recognition by the computerized guidance module.

6. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 further comprising the step of checking for errors and omitted information using a computerized error check module, the error check module identifying missing or improper information input into the spreadsheet and providing an output identifying the missing or improper information.

7. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 further comprising the step of checking for errors and omitted information using a computerized error check, the error check module identifying missing or improper information populated into the database and providing an output identifying the missing or improper information.

8. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 wherein the inputted information further comprises:

drawing title, drawing date, sheet number, project name, project number, and revision number.

9. The method of scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a visual output of the building site of which the building site drawings belong by displaying an aerial view of the site.

10. A method of accessing a building drawing of a set of site drawings using a computer comprising the steps of:

logging into a computer accessible building drawing access service by a user, the user using a computer to log in;

identifying a building site having a set of site drawings;

selecting the building site having the set of site drawings;

identifying a building by name of the building site;

selecting the building of the building site

identifying a floor of the identified building from a plurality of floors of the building;

selecting the floor;

identifying a drawing discipline for the selected floor of the selected building;

selecting the drawing discipline for the selected floor of the selected building;

identifying a desired building drawing; and

acquiring the desired building drawing.

11. The method of accessing a building drawing of a set of site drawings using a computer of claim 10 wherein the step of acquiring the desired building drawing comprises the step of purchasing the drawing and printing the drawing.

12. The method of accessing a building drawing of a set of site drawings using a computer of claim 10 further comprising the step of identifying the desired building drawing based on drawing information comprising:

drawing title, date, sheet number, project name, project number or revision number.

13. The method of accessing a building drawing of a set of site drawings using a computer of claim 10 further comprising selecting a second desired drawing of a different floor than that of the desired drawing.

20. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 13 wherein the computer further comprising an error tracking module in electronic communication with the storage unit, the error tracking module configured to identify missing or improper information populated into the spreadsheet, and configured to provide an output identifying the missing or improper information.

14. A system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings comprising:

a computer in communication with an electronic storage unit, the storage unit having a quantity of scanned building plan drawings, and a spreadsheet containing information relating to each building plan drawing;

a computerized data population module in communication with the computer and the storage unit, the data population module configured to automatically populate a database accessible to the computer with contents of the spreadsheet and building plan drawings, the computerized data population module also capable of supplementing the database with additional information provided by a second spreadsheet or an updated spreadsheet;

wherein the database is configured to be remotely accessible to a plurality of computerized users, the computerized users capable of sorting the building plan drawings based on the information related to the building plan drawings, and further capable of accessing and receiving the building plan drawings.

15. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 14 further comprising a scanning system, the scanning system comprising a computerized interface and a scanner device, the scanning system configured to convert paper building plan drawings into the scanned building plan drawings.

16. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 14 further comprising a computerized spreadsheet input module of the computer, the spreadsheet input module configured to extract a quantity of information from the scanned building plan drawings and record it to the spreadsheet.

17. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 16 further comprising a hand scanning device, and wherein the spreadsheet input module is configured to use optical character recognition to interpret a quantity of information relating to the building plan drawings scanned in using the hand scanning device.

18. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 16 wherein the spreadsheet input module is configured to automatically identify particular information relating to each building plan drawing, record this information using optical character recognition, and input the recording information into the spreadsheet.

19. The system for scanning, organizing, and providing access to building plan drawings of claim 15 wherein the information relating to each building plan drawing comprises a building name, building floor, and drawing discipline, and wherein the database is organized by building name, building floor, and drawing discipline.