Hazard communication system

• US 7,171,426 B2
• Filed: 05/06/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Hill, Patsy Mask, Stevens, Barbara A., Wix, Joe, Dickson, Edmund L., Companion, Gertrude, Cogar, David A., Farmer, Janice Lynn, Dietz, Greg P., Finkelstein, Matthew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Khanh B.
• Application Number:
  US09/306,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20030004965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,826 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/104.1, 707/100, 707/101, 707/102, 705/1, 705/9, 705/28, 700/96, 700/102, 700/106
• US Class Current: 422/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/90 Programming languages; Computing architectures; Database systems; Data warehousing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The invention is an integrated, data-centric hazard communication system. The system has an authoring module and a means for disseminating hazard information about a material and its components, decomposition products and related materials. The authoring module decompiles material data, associates the decompiled data with hazard information, and recompiles material data associated with hazard information to provide hazard information about the material, its components, decomposition products of the material, and substances related to the material. The system can be a general purpose computer programmed with computer instructions to perform these functions. Computer software for performing these functions is also presented.

Claims

1. A data-centric hazard communication apparatus comprising:

a) an authoring module for identification of hazardous material and its characteristics, the authoring module further comprising;

an automated means for selectively decompiling said hazardous material, determining its components and decomposition products and their respective characteristics;

an automated means for associating said hazardous material and said component characteristics with hazard information, using a user defined set of hazardous material rules;

and a means for recompiling said hazardous material and said components associated with hazard information to provide hazard information about the hazardous material, its components, decomposition products of said hazardous material, and substances related to said hazardous material; and

b) a means for disseminating hazard information about said hazardous material, its components, decomposition products of the material, and substances related to the hazardous material wherein said means for disseminating hazard information communicates with said authoring module.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for decompiling said hazardous material comprises a deblending analyzer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said means for decompiling hazardous material further comprises a substance processor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for recompiling hazardous material and said components associated with hazard information is a rules engine for generating words and phrases used in the production of documents and system output.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for disseminating hazard information is a distribution module.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for disseminating hazard information is an on-line module.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for disseminating hazard information is a labeling module.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said user defined set of hazardous material rules may relate to transportation, storage, regulatory, exposure or emergency requirements for said hazardous material and its components.

8. A data-centric hazard communication system comprising:

a) an authoring module for entering information about a hazardous material and its characteristics;

b) a module for selectively decompiling said hazardous material into its components and decomposition products and their respective characteristics;

c) a rules engine operating on a set of user-defined rules for automatically associating said hazardous material characteristics and its component characteristics with user-defined hazard information for use in the production of documents and system output to provide hazard information about said hazardous material, its components, and substances related to said hazardous material; and

d) a module for disseminating said hazard information about said hazardous material, its components, and substances related to said hazardous material wherein said module communicates with said authoring module.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the module for decompiling the hazardous material includes an automated deblending module.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the module for decompiling the hazardous material further includes a substance processor.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the rules engine for associating said hazardous material characteristics and its component characteristics with user-defined hazard information further includes a user-defined set of hazardous material rules related to hazardous material and component characteristics.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said hazard material rules may relate at least one regulatory, transportation, storage, handling, exposure, or emergency requirements for said hazardous material and its components.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said user-defined hazardous material information is comprised of user-defined words and phrases.

15. A method for communicating hazard information, the steps comprising:

(a) entering information related to a hazardous material and its characteristics into a computerized database;

(b) selectively automatically decompiling said hazardous material into its components, and decomposition products and their respective;

(c) automatically associating said hazardous material and component characteristics with hazard information using a set of user defined hazardous material rules;

(d) recompiling said hazardous material information associated with said hazardous material and its components; and

(e) disseminating said hazardous material information related to said hazardous material and its components.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (b) further includes utilizing an automated deblender for decompiling said hazardous material.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said automated deblender further includes a substance processor.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said hazardous material rules includes rules relating at least one of regulatory, transportation, storage, handling, exposure or emergency requirements for said hazardous material and its components.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein step (e) further includes the step of automatically disseminating said hazard information online.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein step (e) further includes the step of creating hazardous material labels.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein said hazardous material and its components characteristics are referenced by a rules engine operating on user-defined rules to associate hazard information from a user-defined database of information with said hazardous material and its components.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein said hazard information is comprised of a user defined set of words and phrases.