Automated system and method for providing chemical treatment solutions for fluid system problems via structured data-entry process

• US 7,231,302 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chemcentric LP
• Original Assignee: Chemcentric LP
• Inventors: Cocetti, Edward W, Curnock, Daniel P
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff; Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charioui; Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US11/083,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 702/12, 702/19, 702/22, 702 23- 25, 702/27, 702/30, 702/31, 702/68, 702/80, 702/120, 702/122, 702/123, 702/183, 702/184, 702/186, 702/188, 700/236, 700/244, 436/56, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 702/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An automated system and method provides a user with a chemical treatment solution for a problem with the user'"'"'s fluid system. The user, who may have an industrial or commercial water treatment problem, uses a structured data-entry process having a plurality of interfaces. With the interfaces, the user can specify the type of system they have, the service their system provides (e.g., heating, cooling, supply or waste water process), the heating or cooling load of their system, the quality of the water source, the evaporative or other losses expected, the throughput, the metallurgy of the piping and other equipment of their system, and the operating conditions of their system. After the data-entry process is complete, the automated system and method recommends a specific water treatment solution uniquely tailored to the needs of the user.

Claims

1. For users having fluid systems with problems treatable by chemical constituents, a method of providing the users with solutions at a server having a database, the database storing information on a plurality of chemical constituents, the method comprising:

defining a pre-configured solution for chemically treating a problem associated with a fluid system by configuring a plurality of options for selection by a user at the server, the pre-configured solution comprising one or more of the chemical constituents stored in the database;

storing the pre-configured solution and the options in the database;

receiving a plurality of selections from a user at the server;

creating a treatment solution that associates the user'"'"'s problem with the pre-configured solution by matching the selections from the user with the options of the pre-configured solution in the database; and

providing the treatment solution to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving one or more parameters from the user at the server; and

re-configuring the chemical constituents in the pre-configured solution based on the one or more parameters from the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining whether a condition governing a base formulation of chemical constituents is met based on the parameters from the user.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining which result for the met condition to apply based on the parameters from the user.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise operating parameters of the user'"'"'s fluid system.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise selection of a desired packaging for the chemical constituents by the user.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises adjusting a quantity of a chemical constituent based on the parameters.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining an annual cost of the chemical constituents in the re-configured solution.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of configuring the plurality of options for selection by the user comprises constructing a hierarchy of the plurality of options for selection by the user at the server to define their system and problem.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hierarchy of the plurality of options includes one or more application areas for fluid systems, one or more types of fluid system for each application area, one or more problem areas for each type of fluid system, one or more types of problems for each problem area, and one or more metallurgies for each type of problem.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the act of constructing the hierarchy of the plurality of options comprises defining one or more base formulations of chemical constituents for chemically treating the problem.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of configuring the plurality of options for selection by the user comprises defining one or more predetermined fluid sources for selection by the user.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the selections from the user at the server comprises offering one or more user interfaces at the server for presenting the options to the user and for receiving the selections of the options from the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising offering chemical constituents of the treatment solution for purchase by the user at the server.

15. A computer readable medium having instructions executable at a server having a database, the instructions performing a method of providing solutions to users having fluid systems with problems treatable by chemical constituents, the database storing information on a plurality of chemical constituents, the method comprising:

defining a pre-configured solution for chemically treating a problem associated with a fluid system by configuring a plurality of options for selection by a user, the pre-configured solution comprising one or more of the chemical constituents stored in the database;

storing the pre-configured solution and the options in the database;

receiving a plurality of selections from a user at the server;

creating a treatment solution that associates the user'"'"'s problem with the pre-configured solution by matching the selections from the user with the options of the pre-configured solution in the database; and

providing the treatment solution to the user.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving one or more parameters from the user at the server; and

re-configuring the chemical constituents in the pre-configured solution based on the one or more parameters from the user.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining whether a condition governing a base formulation of chemical constituents is met based on the parameters from the user.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining which result for the met condition to apply based on the parameters from the user.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise operating parameters of the user'"'"'s fluid system.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise selection of a desired packaging for the chemical constituents by the user.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises adjusting a quantity of a chemical constituent based on the parameters.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the act of re-configuring the chemical constituents comprises determining an annual cost of the chemical constituents in the re-configured solution.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act of configuring the plurality of options for selection by the user comprises constructing a hierarchy of the plurality of options for selection by the user at the server to define their system and problem.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the hierarchy of the plurality of options includes one or more application areas for fluid systems, one or more types of fluid system for each application area, one or more problem areas for each type of fluid system, one or more types of problems for each problem area, and one or more metallurgies for each type of problem.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the act of constructing the hierarchy of the plurality of options comprises defining one or more base formulations of chemical constituents for chemically treating the problem.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act of configuring the plurality of options for selection by the user comprises defining one or more predetermined fluid sources for selection by the user.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the act of receiving the selections from the user at the server comprises offering one or more user interfaces at the server for presenting the options to the user and for receiving the selections of the options from the user.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising offering chemical constituents of the treatment solution for purchase by the user at the server.

29. For users having fluid systems with problems treatable by chemical constituents, an automated solution system for users, comprising:

one or more databases for storing information for a plurality of chemical constituents; and

a server associated with the one or more databases and configured to;

configure a plurality of options for selection by a user at the server to define a pre-configured solution for chemically treating a problem associated with a fluid system, the pre-configured solution comprising one or more of the chemical constituents stored in the database,

store the pre-configured solution and the options in the one or more databases,

receive a plurality of selections from a user,

match the selections from the user with the options of the pre-configured solution to create a treatment solution that associates the user'"'"'s problem with the pre-configured solution, and

provide the treatment solution to the user.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive one or more parameters from the user at the server; and

re-configure the chemical constituents in the pre-configured solution based on the one or more parameters from the user.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein to re-configure the chemical constituents, the server is configured to determine whether a condition governing a base formulation of chemical constituents is met based on the parameters from the user.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein to re-configure the chemical constituents, the server is configured to determine which result for the met condition to apply based on the parameters from the user.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise operating parameters of the user'"'"'s fluid system.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the parameters received from the user at the server comprise selection of a desired blending of chemical constituents by the user.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein to re-configure the chemical constituents, the server is configured to adjust a quantity of a chemical constituent based on the parameters.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein to re-configure the chemical constituents, the server is configured to determine an annual cost of the chemical constituents in the re-configured solution.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein to configure the plurality of options for selection by the user, the server is configured to construct a hierarchy of the plurality of options for selection by the user at the server to define their system and problem.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the hierarchy of the plurality of options includes one or more application areas for fluid systems, one or more types of fluid system for each application area, one or more problem areas for each type of fluid system, one or more types of problems for each problem area, and one or more metallurgies for each type of problem.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein to construct the hierarchy of the plurality of options, the server is configured to define one or more base formulations of chemical constituents for chemically treating the problem.

40. The system of claim 29, wherein to configure the plurality of options for selection by the user, the server is configured to define one or more predetermined fluid sources for selection by the user.

41. The system of claim 29, wherein to receive the selections from the user at the server, the server is configured to offer one or more user interfaces at the server for presenting the options to the user and for receiving the selections of the options from the user.

42. The system of claim 29, wherein the server is further configured to offer chemical constituents of the treatment solution for purchase by the user at the server.