Computer system and method for process safety management

• US 5,800,181 A
• Filed: 12/23/1996
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Heinlein, Philip David, Mack, Gary Lee, Ingersoll, Carl Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafer, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rovnak, John Edmund
• Application Number:
  US08/773,474
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 434/322, 434/350, 434/323, 364/468.16, 707/9, 707/104
• US Class Current: 434/322
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/10 Text processing natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30; processing or translation of natural language G06F40/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A computer network for gathering information and reaching consensus in a multi-user collaborative environment for Process Safety Management (PSM). Comments and ideas are gathered simultaneously from team members in a meeting, using the network. Apparatus is provided for storing these inputs and retrieving them from a database, and for printing them in predefined formats. The system provides for team members to submit their ideas-anonymously in a meeting so that people uncomfortable with speaking in front of a group can freely share their ideas. The system automatically records input so ideas are not lost or misrecorded. The input is converted from the first database into a format for word processing to produce the required documents, into a format for a project management system to schedule the work to complete PSM documentation, and into a format to produce flow charges of the process being analyzed.

Claims

1. A computer network system, comprising:

a facilitator workstation with a facilitator display and data input means for inputting data into the system including preloaded data;

multiple participant workstations with participant displays and data input means for inputting data into the system, and each workstation having means to control the functions of the workstation;

team display means communicating with the facilitator workstation for displaying several thousand characters of text simultaneously to a plurality of participants;

network means for communication between the facilitator workstation and a plurality of the participant workstations;

automatic means to control the communication between the facilitator workstation and a plurality of the participant workstations, and to control the functions of the facilitator workstation;

collection means to automatically collect data from a plurality of participant workstations simultaneously input at a plurality of input means and to display the preloaded data along with the received data simultaneously to a plurality of participants, and to provide for revising the data to resolve any inconsistencies in the received data;

database means for storing and retrieving data;

means for categorizing and organizing the data collected from the participants by the collection means and transmitting the organized data to the database means;

word processing means for additional input and organization of the data transmitted to the data base into one or more documents;

means for retrieving the data from the database and further organizing the data for use in the word processing means;

means for inputting, and storing, questions prior to a group meeting for subsequent retrieving and displaying during a group meeting; and

education means for presenting in a group meeting depending on input at the facilitator workstation, the previously loaded questions using team display means.

2. A method for using a computer network for education, comprising the steps of:

pre-loading questions and example answers into a computer network for display during a group meeting;

selecting members of a group for participation in a facilitated, automated group meeting;

in a group meeting inputting commands into a facilitator workstation to display questions one at a time simultaneously to a plurality of members of the group; and

for each question performing the steps of;

simultaneously inputting answers into multiple member workstations;

displaying the pre-loaded answer along with a plurality of the answers input into the member workstations, to all the members of the group; and

reaching consensus on the best answer to the question.

3. The process of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

loading the questions and displayed answers into a word processor data base;

editing the questions and answers depending on the consensus reached to create a report; and

printing copies of the report for members of the group from the word processor data base and distributing the copies.