System, method and computer-program product for structured data capture

• US 7,831,543 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hester, David M., Pankrast, Renee J., Greene, Scott R., Milstead, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo; James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mina; Fatima P
• Application Number:
  US11/264,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20070100858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,835 Days
• Field of Search: 707/621, 707/601, 707/603, 707/805, 707/915, 707/917
• US Class Current: 707/602
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/186 Templates

Abstract

Techniques are provided for capturing data which satisfy data requirements of a particular data capture process. Schema including input requests for the data which satisfy the data requirements of the particular data capture process are specified. The schema can then be transformed into a template which includes the input requests and which conforms to the schema. The template can then be interpreted, and the input requests can be presented to a data provider. Structured data which satisfy the data requirements of the particular data capture process can then be generated based on responses to the input requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for standardizing a reporting of defects in an aircraft support and service environment, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface on a display screen of a portable terminal connected to the Internet and to a plurality of external data providers and a plurality of external data consumers, the graphical user interface having a process view and a current step view;

determining a location of a data provider using a geographical positioning system;

using a sensor to capture a real time status of a part on an aircraft;

responsive to the data provider inspecting the part, identifying a defect, and selecting, at the current step view, a template corresponding to the defect, displaying a plurality of questions configured to prompt the data provider to write a plurality of responses to the plurality of questions on the graphical user interface, the response to be interpreted by the portable terminal using a handwriting recognition function, wherein the plurality of responses are a plurality of variable entries, each response to a variable entry corresponding to a standard text regarding the defect;

responsive to receipt of the plurality of responses to the plurality of questions from handwriting recognition function, combining the plurality of responses with one or more of a plurality of standard texts selected to form a plurality of structured data;

capturing, by the data provider at the portable terminal, an image of the defect, inputting the image into the portable terminal, and annotating the image in the portable terminal using the handwriting recognition function to form an annotated image;

converting, at the portable terminal, the structured data into an aircraft nonconformance report comprising the annotated image and a representation of a document containing both a human readable output and a machine readable representation of the document, wherein the reporting of quality defects in the aircraft nonconformance report in the aircraft support and service environment is standardized.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an oscilloscope.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

approving an action, by the data provider, at the portable terminal by scanning an employee badge of the data provider.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

approving an action, at the portable terminal, by an entry of a biometric sample by the data provider.

5. A data processing system comprising:

a processor;

a bus connected to the processor;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein the memory stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, performs actions for presenting a plurality of questions on a portable terminal in order to create a corrosion defect map for an aircraft support and service environment, the actions comprising;

connecting the portable terminal to the Internet and to a plurality of external data providers and a plurality of external data consumers;

displaying a graphical user interface on a display screen of the portable terminal;

responsive to a data provider inspecting a part on an aircraft, identifying a corrosion defect, and selecting, at the current step view, a template corresponding to the corrosion defect, displaying a list of corrosion severity descriptive terms including light surface, moderate surface, heavy surface, exfoliation and pitting;

responsive to a selection by the data provider of one of the plurality of corrosion severity descriptive terms, displaying a plurality of questions configured to determine a length and a width of the corrosion, wherein the plurality of questions are configured to prompt the data provider to write the length and the width on the graphical user interface, the length and the width to be interpreted by the portable terminal using a handwriting recognition function;

responsive to receipt of the length and the width from the portable terminal, combining the length and the width with a text selected to form a statement regarding the severity, the length and the width of the corrosion; and

capturing, by the data provider at the portable terminal, an image of the corrosion, inputting the image into the portable terminal, annotating the image in the portable terminal using the handwriting recognition function to form an annotated image; and

converting the structured data into an aircraft nonconformance report comprising a representation of a document containing both a human readable output and a machine readable representation of the document and including the annotated image configured.

6. The data processing system of claim 5, further comprising:

approving an action, by the data provider, at the portable terminal by scanning an employee badge of the data provider.

7. The data processing system of claim 5, further comprising:

using an oscilliscope to capture a real time status of the part, the part being an aileron.