Global equipment tracking system
First Claim
1. An equipment tracking system for providing configuration management control over a plurality of pieces of equipment, said system comprising:
- a plurality of sensors individually coupled to individual ones of the pieces of equipment, and wherein each sensor has a unique ID code associated therewith;
a plurality of collectors, wherein each collector is coupled to selected sensors, for communicating with each of the sensors, and for reading out the ID code of each of the sensors at selected times, and for storing sensor changes for those sensors that have changed since a prior reading;
a concentrator coupled to each collector of the plurality of collectors, for communicating with the plurality of collectors, and for causing the collectors to transmit the sensor changes thereto;
a communication link;
a computer having a database coupled thereto, which computer is coupled to the concentrator by means of the communication link, and wherein the computer comprises means for causing the concentrator to transmit the stored sensor changes to the computer for storage in the database.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An equipment tracking system that provides for configuration management control over a plurality of pieces of equipment. The system includes a plurality of sets of sensors, a plurality of collectors, each individually coupled to a selected set of sensors, a concentrator coupled to the plurality of collectors, and a computer having a database for storing sensor data is coupled to the concentrator by way of a communication link. Each sensor is attached to a piece of equipment, and each sensor has a unique ID code. Each collector is coupled to a selected set of sensors, and is adapted to read out the ID code of each of the sensors at selected times, and store the changes for those sensors that have changed since the prior reading. The concentrator communicates with the plurality of collectors and causes the collectors to transmit the changed information. The present invention provides a non-manpower intensive system for providing current and accurate configuration management of thousands of pieces of equipment in a geographically dispersed environment. The present invention provides an automated system that instantaneously detects both authorized and non-authorized changes to a physical hardware configuration of a geographically dispersed equipment environment. It automatically communicates configuration change information to a centralized database which correlates the changes. The system accounts for operational interrupts such as power and hardware failures, provides for information importing from external databases using property tag identifiers, and provides for report generation using the internal and external databases.
169 Citations
12 Claims
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1. An equipment tracking system for providing configuration management control over a plurality of pieces of equipment, said system comprising:
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a plurality of sensors individually coupled to individual ones of the pieces of equipment, and wherein each sensor has a unique ID code associated therewith; a plurality of collectors, wherein each collector is coupled to selected sensors, for communicating with each of the sensors, and for reading out the ID code of each of the sensors at selected times, and for storing sensor changes for those sensors that have changed since a prior reading; a concentrator coupled to each collector of the plurality of collectors, for communicating with the plurality of collectors, and for causing the collectors to transmit the sensor changes thereto; a communication link; a computer having a database coupled thereto, which computer is coupled to the concentrator by means of the communication link, and wherein the computer comprises means for causing the concentrator to transmit the stored sensor changes to the computer for storage in the database. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An equipment tracking system for providing configuration management control over a large number of pieces of equipment, said system comprising:
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a plurality of sets of sensors, wherein individual ones of the sensors in each set are coupled to individual ones of the pieces of equipment, and wherein each sensor has a unique ID code associated therewith; a plurality of collectors, wherein each collector is coupled to a selected set of sensors, for communicating with each of the sensors in the set of sensors, and for reading out the ID code of each of the sensors at selected times, and for storing sensor changes for the plurality of collectors for those sensors that have changed since a prior reading; a concentrator coupled to each collector in the plurality of collectors, for communicating with the plurality of collectors, and for causing the collectors to transmit the sensor changes thereto; a communication link; a computer having a database coupled thereto, which computer is coupled to the concentrator by means of the communication link, and wherein the computer comprises means for causing the concentrator to transmit the stored sensor changes to the computer for storage in the database. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification