Method and apparatus for site management
First Claim
1. An apparatus enabling an operator to remotely manage a liquid storage and dispensing system, comprising:
- a) a site controller for receiving information from said liquid storage and dispensing system, wherein said information may correspond to data relating to a failure in said system and converting said information to one or more text strings; and
b) a site monitor linked to said site controller and a webserver, said site monitor including means for;
i) determining if said information is a sales transaction;
ii) if said information is not a sales transaction, finding a match between said text strings and any one of a plurality of stored evaluation messages corresponding to said information; and
iii) initiating a particular set of responses based on said match, including automatically informing said operator of said system failure.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for monitoring and maintenance of unattended robot liquid storage and dispensing sites, including a site controller and site monitor. The site monitor continuously appends text strings received from the site controller to HTML text log files and HTLM text report files and simultaneously compares the stored text strings representing site events to be monitored with evaluation messages. Each evaluation message is linked to an alert code, which in response to an evaluation message text string match initiates a particular set of responses, including sending notice of site failures and other remote site information to a home office via fax, pager and/or email. The site monitor also collects the information gathered from the site controller, the tank monitor, alarm system and any other site devices and stores the information in a one or more HTML text files, which information then takes the form of a web page with hypertext links to images related to the stored information.
275 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An apparatus enabling an operator to remotely manage a liquid storage and dispensing system, comprising:
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a) a site controller for receiving information from said liquid storage and dispensing system, wherein said information may correspond to data relating to a failure in said system and converting said information to one or more text strings; and
b) a site monitor linked to said site controller and a webserver, said site monitor including means for;
i) determining if said information is a sales transaction;
ii) if said information is not a sales transaction, finding a match between said text strings and any one of a plurality of stored evaluation messages corresponding to said information; and
iii) initiating a particular set of responses based on said match, including automatically informing said operator of said system failure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus enabling an operator to remotely manage a liquid storage and dispensing system, comprising:
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a) a site controller for receiving information in the form of a series of text messages from said liquid storage and dispensing system, said site controller generating serial output as text strings corresponding to said information, wherein said information may correspond to data relating to a failure in said system;
b) a site monitor linked to said site controller and an Internet webserver, said site monitor including means for;
i) scanning said serial output;
ii) finding a match between said serial output and one of a plurality of stored evaluation messages corresponding to said information;
iii) linking each said evaluation message with a specific error code; and
iv) initiating specific actions upon said site monitor finding a match between said serial output and one of said evaluation messages, said specific action including automatically informing said operator of said system failure; and
c) at least one camera, for taking images of said liquid storage and dispensing site, wherein said images are stored as HTML image files on said webserver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for monitoring and maintaining a liquid storage and dispensing system comprising:
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a) establishing a connection between said liquid storage and dispensing system and a computer system;
b) communicating information in the form of a series of single line text messages related to the status of said liquid storage and dispensing system to said computer system, wherein said information may correspond to data relating to a failure in said system;
c) finding a match between said information and one of a plurality of stored evaluation messages stored in said computer system, whereupon finding said match;
i.) linking each said evaluation message with a specific error code; and
ii.) initiating actions based upon the parameters of said specific error code, including automatically informing said operator of said system failure;
d) taking images of said liquid storage and dispensing site and storing said images as HTML image files on said computer system; and
e) connecting said HTML image files to related HTML text files. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A apparatus enabling an operator to remotely manage a liquid storage and dispensing system, comprising:
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a) a site controller for receiving information in the form of text messages from said liquid storage and dispensing system, wherein said information may correspond to data relating to a failure in said system;
b) a site monitor linked to said site controller and a webserver, said site monitor including means for;
i) finding a match between said information and any one of a plurality of stored evaluation messages corresponding to said information; and
ii) initiating a specific action based on said match, including automatically informing said operator of said system failure;
c) at least one camera, for taking images of said liquid storage and dispensing site, wherein said images are stored as HTML image files on said webserver; and
d) means to hyperlink said HTML image files to related HTML text files. - View Dependent Claims (30)
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Specification