System and method for hosted facilities management

• US 6,721,689 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Icanon Associates Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Icanon Associates Incorporated
• Inventors: Hanson, Michael, Miani, James, Selph, James, Derwin, Robert, Lewinski, Joseph, Markle, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Mark S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUAREZ, FELIX E
• Application Number:
  US09/994,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 702/79, 702/80, 702/109, 702/176, 702/177, 702/180, 702/182, 702/183, 702/187, 702/188, 702/189, 702/198, 705/7.2, 380/277, 709/247
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A hosted facilities management system and method capable of simultaneously monitoring a plurality of conditions, equipment, and systems within one or more facilities is described and claimed. The monitoring system collects, archives, and processes data pertaining to utility services at a facility, environmental conditions within a facility, security around and within a facility, hazardous conditions within a facility, and equipment functionality including but not limited to manufacturing, telecommunications, and data management operations. Anomalous conditions are identified and reported. Data is filtered and compressed to facilitate the efficient storage and management of conditional state data collected from multiple sources. Archived data is retrieved and reported to client facilities via various means. Graphical, numerical, and plot reports are viewable over a distributed network.

Claims

1. A system for hosted centralized monitoring of a plurality of client facilities with a plurality of subsystems and a plurality of components comprising:

(a) a data communications means for communicating a plurality of conditional state data gathered from a plurality of sensors wherein said conditional state data is utility usage within said client facilities, a physical environmental condition within said client facilities, a physical security condition within said client facilities, a physical hazard condition within said client facilities, or operational data from a subsystem within said client facilities; and

(b) a data harvester, said data harvester collects, stores, processes, retrieves, and reports said conditional state data, said data harvester facilitating efficient numerical storage and management of said conditional state data based on presence or absence of a failure, a fault or an anomalous condition.

2. A system for hosted centralized monitoring of a plurality of client facilities with a plurality of subsystems and a plurality of components comprising:

(a) a data communications means for communicating a plurality of conditional state data gathered from a plurality of sensors wherein said conditional state data is utility usage within said client facilities, a physical environmental condition within said client facilities, a physical security condition within said client facilities, a physical hazard condition within said client facilities, or operational data from a subsystem within said client facilities;

(b) a data collection server to collect and to temporarily store said conditional state data;

(c) a data filtering means for numerically compressing said conditional state data over a specified time period, said data filtering means facilitating efficient numerical storage and management of said conditional state data based on presence or absence of a failure, a fault or an anomalous condition;

(d) a high resolution data storage means for archiving said conditional state data without said data filtering when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is present;

(e) a low resolution storage means for archiving said conditional state data after said data filtering when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is absent;

(f) an event switch means for determining whether said conditional state data identifies said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition by comparing said conditional state data to operational limits, for directing said conditional state data to said high resolution data storage means when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is identified, and for directing said conditional state data to said low resolution data storage means when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is absent; and

(g) a report means for retrieving, displaying, and transmitting said conditional state data.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a network means for linking said data communications means, said data collection server, said storage means, said event switch means, and said report means.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising a workstation means for monitoring operations at said management system.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a network means for linking said data communications means, said data collection server, said storage means, said event switch means, said report means, and said workstation means.

6. A method for hosted centralized monitoring of a plurality of client facilities with a plurality of subsystems and a plurality of components, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) querying a client facility;

(b) collecting a plurality of conditional state data from a plurality of sensors wherein said conditional state data is utility usage within said client facilities, a physical environmental condition within said client facilities, a physical security condition within said client facilities, a hazard condition within said client facilities, or operational data from a subsystem within said client facilities;

(c) buffering said conditional state data in a temporary storage database;

(d) analyzing said conditional state data in said temporary storage database to identify a failure, a fault or an anomalous condition by comparing said conditional state data to operational limits;

(e) archiving said conditional state data to a high resolution storage database when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is present;

(f) filtering said conditional state data over a defined time interval when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is absent, said filtering summarizes said conditional state data over said defined time interval, said filtering facilitating efficient numerical storage and management of said conditional state data; and

(g) archiving said conditional state data after said data filtering to a low resolution storage database when said failure, said fault or said anomalous condition is absent.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said filtering consists of identifying a lowest value, a highest value, and an average value for said conditional state data.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of reporting said conditional state data to said client facilities.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said reporting is achieved by a graphics-based interface accessible over a distributed network.