System and method for remotely monitoring, diagnosing, intervening with and reporting problems with cinematic equipment

• US 7,657,402 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CineCast LLC
• Original Assignee: CineCast LLC
• Inventors: Zehme, Dan U., Sprogis, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; John H
• Application Number:
  US12/057,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 702/35, 702179-182, 702/185, 702187-188, 725/8, 725/34, 725/36, 725/66, 725/67, 725/80, 725/82, 725/95, 725/196, 705/10, 705/14, 705/15, 709/207, 352/133
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0775 Content or structure details of the error report, e.g. specific table structure, specific error fields
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A method of communicating with, and receiving data representative of equipment state and status from, presentation components in theatres is disclosed. The method includes the steps of receiving and storing data representative of equipment status in a central computer storage unit, transmitting data representative of equipment status from each of a plurality of remote computer storage units coupled to the central computer storage unit, receiving data representative of equipment status, providing a job scheduling report, and providing fault data. The data representative of equipment status is received at each remote computer storage unit from a plurality of presentation components associated with a plurality of theatres. The a job scheduling report includes data regarding complete instances of jobs scheduled to play at shows at a first set of the plurality of theatres, and data regarding incomplete instances of jobs scheduled to play at shows at a second set of the plurality of theatres. The fault data identifies a type of fault in connection with each incomplete instance of a job not played at a show in connection with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres. The fault data includes information regarding one of a plurality of types of faults associated with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with, and receiving data representative of equipment state and status from, presentation components in theatres, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing data representative of equipment status in a central computer storage unit;

transmitting data representative of equipment status from each of a plurality of remote computer storage units coupled to said central computer storage unit;

receiving data representative of equipment status at each remote computer storage unit from a plurality of presentation components associated with a plurality of theatres;

providing a job scheduling report that includes data regarding complete instances of jobs scheduled to play at shows at a first set of the plurality of theatres, and data regarding incomplete instances of jobs scheduled to play at shows at a second set of the plurality of theatres; and

providing fault data regarding a type of fault in connection with each incomplete instance of a job not played at a show in connection with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres, said fault data including information regarding one of a plurality of types of faults associated with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said job scheduling report includes show attendance data in connection with each complete instance of a job scheduled to play to provide job exposure data, and wherein each job scheduling report also includes show attendance data in connection with each incomplete instance of a job scheduled to play to provide missed exposure data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said job scheduling report further includes data regarding whether each fault that occurred in connection with each incomplete instance of a show in connection with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres has been resolved.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said system further includes the step of polling each remote computer storage unit for status and recording said status.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said job scheduling report includes data regarding both error and non-error conditions in connection with each remote storage unit.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said job scheduling report includes state and status data regarding each remote storage unit as an event stream with a time stamp.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein central computer storage unit interprets the job scheduling report and identifies alert conditions.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said fault data is associated with any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at each of said second set of theatres, and wherein said method further includes the step of attempting to reset any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said method further includes the step of waiting for a predetermined period of time after a reset instruction is sent, to determine whether a fault has been remedied.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein an attempt to reset any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres is recorded in the job scheduling report.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a number of cycles of resetting any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres is recorded over a defined period of time to identify an error condition.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein an alert condition is generated when the number of cycles of reselling over the defined period of time is greater than a threshold.

13. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein a service call for a replacement part is automatically generated responsive to the fault data.

14. A method of communicating with, and receiving data representative of equipment state and status from, presentation components in theatres, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving and storing data representative of equipment status in a central computer storage unit;

transmitting data representative of equipment status from each of a plurality of remote computer storage units coupled to said central computer storage unit;

receiving data representative of equipment status at each remote computer storage unit from a plurality of presentation components associated with a plurality of theatres;

providing a job scheduling report that includes data regarding complete instances of jobs played within shows at a first set of the plurality of theatres, and data regarding incomplete instances of jobs not played at shows at a second set of the plurality of theatres;

providing exposure data in connection with each complete instance of a job played at a show in connection with each of the first set of the plurality of theatres, said exposure data including information regarding a number of people associated with said show at each of the first set of the plurality of theatres;

providing missed exposure data in connection with each incomplete instance of a job not played at a shown in connection with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres, said missed exposure data including information regarding a number of people associated with said show at each of the second set of the plurality of theatres; and

providing fault data regarding a type of fault in connection with each incomplete instance of jobs not played at a show in connection with each of the second set of the plurality of theatres, said fault data including information regarding one of a plurality of types of faults associated with any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at each of the second set of the plurality of theatres.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said job scheduling report includes state and status data regarding each remote storage unit as an event stream with a time stamp.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein central computer storage unit interprets the job scheduling report and identifies alert conditions.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said method further includes the step of attempting to reset any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres.

18. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein an attempt to reset any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres is recorded in the job scheduling report.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a number of cycles of reselling any of theatre automation equipment, projection equipment, audio equipment, and theatre power equipment at one of said second set of theatres is recorded over a defined period of time to identify an error condition, and wherein an alert condition is generated when the number of cycles of resetting over the defined period of time is greater than a threshold.