System and method for managing asset information

• US 7,210,625 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2004
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: McNutt, Leon J., Nastek, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US10/850,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20050258241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 235/383, 235/381, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/375, 235/492, 235/385, 705/38, 705/7, 705/35, 709/224, 709/230, 709/217, 709/223
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

An asset management system and method including an asset and a data tag attached to the asset. The data tag includes a data tag memory and a data tag communication interface. The system also includes asset information stored in the data tag memory, wherein the asset information including a characteristic of the asset. Also an asset management method for managing information related to assets. The method includes initializing a data tag with asset information and includes transmitting asset information to the data tag and storing the asset information in a memory of the data tag. The asset information includes service contact information The method also includes retrieving asset information from a data tag.

Claims

1. An asset management and service system for locally managing asset information, the system comprising:

a data tag for storing asset information including at least one of service information, warranty information, and service provider contact information and configured for attaching to an asset, said data tag including a data tag memory for storing information related to the asset on which the data tag is attached and a data tag communication interface for receiving and transmitting the asset information;

an access device for communicating with said data tag communication interface, said access device including an access device communication interface and an access device memory, wherein the access device is configured for activating the data tag communication interface when positioned in proximity to the data tag and retrieving asset information stored in the data tag memory over the access device communication interface; and

an asset data display for displaying the asset information retrieved from the access tag by the access device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the data tag is configured for attachment to a surface of the asset.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of an appliance, a household appliance, a kitchen appliance, a HV/AC unit, a hot water heater, an audio unit, and a video unit.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of a griddle, a fryer, a refrigerator, an oven, a blast chiller, a cooking unit, and a refrigeration unit.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset information stored in the data tag includes a name of asset manufacturer, model number, serial number, and manufactured date and at least one or more asset information selected from the group consisting of equipment classification, installed date, asset data tag software version, asset protocol version, warranty terms, warranty length, warranty termination date, service action data, asset owner name, and asset location.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device includes a data entry for receiving asset information from an external source, said access device communicating said received asset information to the data tag, wherein said data tag stores the received asset information upon receipt.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the data tag communication interface is at least one of a touch communication interface, a wireless communication interface, a wireless optical interface, and a satellite communication interface.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is a standalone portable device and the access device communication interface is further configured for communicating with an asset data information system, said access device communicating the retrieved asset information to the external asset data information system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the asset data information system including an information system communication interface for communicating asset information with at least one of the asset tags, the access device, and the asset data display.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device retrieves and stores a plurality of asset information from a plurality of data tags related with one or more assets at a particular location and where the asset data display displays asset information of the one or more assets.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset data display including a data display communication interface for communicating with the access device and receiving the asset information stored in the access device memory and wherein the asset data display includes an asset data display memory for storing the received asset information, said asset data display displaying the stored received asset information.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset data display and access device are configured as a single unit.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the data tag, access device, and asset data display are configured for communicating and storing asset information compliant with an asset management data format defined by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufactures (NAFEM).

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device is selected from the group consisting of a pocket personal computer, a PDA, custom tag reader, a mobile phone, and a personal computer.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the access device communication interface communicates with the data tag over a wireless communication facility.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the asset information includes contact information for two or more service providers and wherein the asset data display includes a user selection device for selecting one of the two or more service providers from the displayed asset information.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the asset data display generates a communication to the selected one of the two or more service providers, said communication being selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, an electronic mail message, and a facsimile.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the data tag is operable independent of other operations of the asset and wherein the data tag communication interface is independent of a communication network.

19. An asset management and service method for locally managing information related to assets, the method comprising:

initializing a data tag with information corresponding to an associated asset, said initializing includes transmitting asset information to the data tag and storing the asset information in a memory of said data tag, said asset information including at least one of service provider contact information and service information;

retrieving the asset information from the data tag; and

displaying the retrieved asset information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating a communication to a service provider as a function of the included service provider contact information, said communication being selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, an electronic mail message, and a facsimile.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising attaching the data tag to the asset associated with the data tag following at least one of a manufacturing, a shipping, an installation, and a servicing of the asset.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of an appliance, a household appliance, a kitchen appliance, a HV/AC device, a hot water heater, an audio device, a video device, an industrial device, and a manufacturing device.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of a griddle, a fryer, a refrigerator, an oven, a blast chiller, a cooking unit, and a refrigeration unit.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the asset information stored in the data tag is selected from the group consisting of equipment classification, installed date, asset data tag software, warranty terms, warranty length, warranty termination date, service action data, asset owner name, and asset location.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the asset information is compliant with an asset management data format of the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufactures (NAFEM).

26. The method of claim 19 wherein the service provider contact information includes contact information for two or more service providers.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein the access device is selected from the group consisting of an asset data display device, a pocket personal computer, a PDA, custom tag reader, a mobile phone, a personal computer, and an asset data information system.

28. The method of claim 19 wherein the retrieving is a function of at least one of a request, a periodic basis, a scheduled basis, and a continuous basis.

29. The method of claim 19 wherein the initialization of the data tag includes one or more initializations related to a single asset item, wherein each of the one or more initializations are provided by an entity related to the manufacture, delivery, installation, and service of the asset item.

30. The system of claim 19 wherein initializing the data tag is independent of other operations of the asset and wherein transmitting asset information for initializing the data tag is independent of a communication network.

31. An asset management and service system comprising:

means for storing asset information in a data tag, said asset information including a characteristic of an asset and contact information for two or more service providers;

means for attaching the data tag to the asset;

means for retrieving the stored asset information from the data tag;

means for displaying the retrieved asset information; and

means for generating a communication to at least one of the two or more service providers as a function of the retrieved asset information.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the asset information includes service information associated with a service performed on the asset.

33. An asset management method for kitchen appliances comprising:

attaching a data tag to an asset, said data tag including a memory; and

initializing the data tag with asset information, said initializing includes transmitting asset information to the data tag wherein the transmitted asset information is stored in the data tag memory, said asset information including service contact information for two or more service providers.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the asset is selected from the group consisting of a griddle, a fryer, a refrigerator, an oven, a blast chiller, a cooking unit, and a refrigeration unit.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the asset information stored in the data tag memory is selected from the group consisting of an equipment classification, installed date, asset data tag software version, asset protocol version, warranty terms, warranty length, warranty termination date, service action data, service information, asset owner name, and asset location.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the asset information is compliant with an asset management data format of the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufactures (NAFEM).

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising displaying the asset information including the contact information for the two or more service providers and generating a communication to one of the two or more service providers as a function of the contact information, said communication being selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, an electronic mail message, and a facsimile.

38. The system of claim 33 wherein initializing the data tag is independent of other operations of the asset and wherein transmitting asset information for initializing the data tag is independent of a communications network.

39. The system of claim 33 wherein the asset information includes service information associated with a service performed on the asset.

40. An asset management and service system comprising:

an asset;

a data tag attached to a surface of the asset, said data tag including a data tag memory for storing data and a data tag communication interface configured for wirelessly receiving an activation signal from a remote device when placed in proximity to the data tag and activating the wireless transmission of data stored in the data tag memory in response to receiving the activation signal; and

asset information stored in the data tag memory, said asset information including a characteristic of the asset and service contact information for two or more service providers.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising an access device including an access device communication interface and an access device memory, said access device communication interface communicating with said data tag communication interface and retrieving the asset information stored in the data tag memory.

42. The system of claim 40, further comprising an asset data display for displaying the asset information retrieved from the data tag by the access device.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the asset data display generates a communication to one of the two or more service providers as a function of the received service contact information, said communication being selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, an electronic mail message, and a facsimile.

44. The system of claim 41 wherein the asset information includes at least one warranty information associated with the asset on which the data tag is attached and service information associated with a service performed on the asset.

45. The system of claim 40 wherein the data tag is operable independent of other operations of the asset and wherein the data tag communication interface is independent of a communication network.