User interface adapted for performing a remote inspection of a facility

• US 7,085,679 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Colin Dobell
• Original Assignee: Certicom Security
• Inventors: Tooker, Michael, Dobell, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/958,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074592A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 702/179, 702/189, 702181-183, 702/188, 700/38, 700/44, 700/282, 700/108
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 1/20 Checking timed patrols, e.g. of watchman

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for performing an evaluation of the quality of performance of a service involving a person at a remote facility. The method comprises providing a user interface; viewing, on the user interface, a moving video representative of a station showing the person; and using a tool displayed on the user interface, the tool for collecting data regarding the quality of performance of a service in accordance with the video.

Claims

1. A method for performing an evaluation of the quality of performance of a service involving a person at a remote facility comprising a plurality of stations, said method comprising:

providing a user interface, said providing comprising receiving data indicative of said user interface, said data comprising a program of at least one tour of at least one station of said remote facility, said program generated by a remote host from a list comprising programs for a plurality of remote sites to be evaluated, said providing further comprising generating said user interface using said data, said generating of said at least one tour comprising providing a list of selected stations at said remote facility and providing a survey that incorporates at least one station from said list of stations;

wherein said providing of said list of selected stations comprises, for each selected station, selecting data collection device and defining an interface depending on the selected data collection device;

viewing, on said user interface, a moving video representative of a station showing said person; and

using a tool displayed on said user interface, said tool for collecting data regarding the quality of performance of a service in accordance with said video.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data indicative of said user interface is received from said remote host on a network.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said network comprises at least one of a Local Area Network (LAN) and a Wide Area Network (WAN).

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data indicative of said user interface is received from said remote host on a network in response to an allocation by an operator to perform said evaluation.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said allocation is performed based on at least one criteria.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one criteria comprises at least one of a time-based criterion, a frequency-based criterion, a resource availability-based criterion, and a resource cost-based criterion.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data collection device comprises at least one of video cameras/sensors, audio sensors, thermal sensors, proximity sensors, motion sensors, weight sensors, and relays which produce signals based on inputs received from third-party computer devices.

8. A method for performing an evaluation of the quality of performance of a service involving a person at a remote facility comprising a plurality of stations, said method comprising:

providing a user interface, said providing comprising receiving data indicative of said user interface, said data comprising a program of at least one tour of at least one station of said remote facility, said program generated by a remote host from a list comprising programs for a plurality of remote sites to be evaluated, said providing further comprising generating said user interface using said data, said generating of said at least one tour comprising providing a list of selected stations at said remote facility and providing a survey that incorporates at least one station from said list of stations, wherein said providing of said survey comprises defining an issue to be evaluated during an observation of one of said selected stations and defining at least one of an evaluation scale and a methodology for evaluating said issue;

viewing, on said user interface, a moving video representative of a station showing said person; and

using a tool displayed on said user interface, said tool for collecting data regarding the quality of performance of a service in accordance with said video.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising creating a Boolean rule for comparing an assessed value with at least one of a predefined value to determine a state of at least one of an observed activity, a person, an object and a station.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising defining an order for performing an inspection.

11. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said providing of said survey further comprises defining at least one of a time-based and a resource cost-based budget for performing said evaluation.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said moving video is provided from said remote facility.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said moving video is provided live from said remote facility.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said moving video is provided from a video storing unit located on said remote facility.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said moving video is provided from a remote storage location on a network.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said network is at least one of a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN).

17. A method for performing an evaluation of the quality of performance of a service involving a person at a remote facility, said method comprising:

providing a user interface;

viewing, on said user interface, a moving video representative of a station showing said person;

using a tool displayed on said user interface, said tool for collecting data regarding the quality of performance of a service in accordance with said video, said using of said tool displayed on said user interface comprises selecting a given station and completing a corresponding survey for said given station to provide said data regarding the quality of performance of said service at the remote facility;

transmitting at least one part of said data regarding said quality of performance of said service to a remote location; and

analyzing the transmitted data;

wherein a plurality of stations are evaluated, each of said plurality of stations involving at least one person, wherein said analyzing of said transmitted data comprises comparing at least one part of said transmitted data with at least one of a reference and a standard to identify at least one issue of interest.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising reporting the identified at least one issue to at least one third party.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said reporting comprises providing data related to said identified issue.