Systems and methods for recording and reporting data collected from a remote location

• US 7,869,944 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluefin LLC
• Original Assignee: Roof Express, LLC
• Inventors: Deaton, Scott Lowrey, Rast, Richard Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peche; Jorge O
• Application Number:
  US11/208,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 705/8, 705/400, 709/202
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/00 Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C13/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for recording and reporting data collected from a remote location are disclosed. A work order, defining infrastructure to be inspected at a remote site and including an inspection plan for collecting inspection information, is generated on a first computer system and transferred to a portable computing system. Inspection data is collected pursuant to the inspection plan on the portable computing system. A global positioning system (GPS) receiver associated with the portable computing system provides location information related to inspected infrastructure during the inspection. After collection, inspection data is transferred from the portable computing system to the first and/or to a second computing system for storage and the generation of related reports. The location information obtained during the inspection can be used to determine dimensional measurements of the infrastructure and to generate visual depictions of infrastructure components and defects.

Claims

1. A roof inspection system for a recording and a reporting of data related to a roof component, the roof inspection comprising:

a server located at a first location;

a client located at a second location, the client having a client-server communications interface for communication with the server; and

a portable computing device for collecting inspection data at a third location according to an inspection plan, the third location being remote from the second and first locations, wherein the portable computing device further includes;

means for receiving signals for determining the geographic position of the portable computing device;

means for determining the geographic position of the portable computing device from the signals, the geographic position of the portable computing device forming at least a portion of the inspection data collected according to the inspection plan;

a memory for storing the inspection data; and

a bidirectional communications interface for transmitting the inspection data to the client and receiving the inspection plan from the client;

wherein the portable computing device is configured to associate the geographic position with a roof component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to:

receive the inspection data from the client over the client-server communication interface; and

calculate a dimensional measurement of the roof component based at least in part on the geographic position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to:

receive the inspection data from the client over the client-server communications interface; and

generate a report from the inspection data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the inspection data further includes assessment data collected according to the inspection plan, and the server is further configured to analyze the assessment data by comparing the assessment data to standards.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the server is configured to generate geographic information system (GIS) data based at least in part on the inspection data for creating a visual mapping of a target inspected according to the inspection plan.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the server is configured to generate geographic information system (GIS) data based at least in part on the inspection data for depicting the location of at least one roof component inspected according to the inspection plan, the depiction of the location of the roof component being depicted with respect to the visual mapping of the target.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the inspection plan defines an inspection of a roof and the inspection data identifies an assessed condition of at least one drain on the roof.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is configured to:

receive the inspection data from the client over the client-server communications interface;

store the assessed condition of the at least one drain in a server database of historical condition assessments; and

analyze the historical condition assessments to predict the frequency of inspection or maintenance of the drain.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the inspection plan defines an inspection of infrastructure selected from the group consisting of:

a roof, a paved area, a utility distribution system, a lawn, a tree, a shrub, a flower, or a retaining wall.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable computing device further comprises an auxiliary data collection device selected from the group consisting of:

a bar code scanner, a digital camera, and a digital voice recorder.

11. A roof inspection system comprising:

a portable computing device that can be transported between a first location and a second location, the second location being remote from the first location;

a server system located at a third location, the third location being remote from the second and first locations; and

a client located at the first location, the client having a client-server communications interface for communication with the server system;

wherein the portable computing device includes;

at least one auxiliary component for collecting roof inspection information at the second location according to an inspection plan executed by the portable computing device, the roof inspection information collected by the at least one auxiliary component including geographic positions defining a geometric shape of at least a portion of the roof and a geographic position of at least one component associated with the roof; and

a bidirectional communications interface for transferring the roof inspection information from the portable computing device to the client over the bidirectional communications interface at a time when the portable computing device is located at the first location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein

the client is configured to:

receive the roof inspection information from the portable computing device; and

transfer the inspection information to the server system.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the second computing device or the server system is configured to determine an area of the portion of the roof based at least in part on the geographic position.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one auxiliary component comprises a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for receiving signals used to determine the geographic position.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the roof inspection information collected by the at least one auxiliary component further includes an identification of the at least one component associated with the roof, and the portable computing system is configured to associate the identification of the at least one component associated with the roof with an assessment of the condition of the at least one component associated with the roof.

16. A method for inspecting an infrastructure including a roof component, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting inspection information during an infrastructure assessment pursuant to an inspection plan executed by a portable computing device, the infrastructure assessment conducted at a first location, the step of collecting inspection information further including;

receiving at least one signal;

determining the location of the portable computing device based on the received signal;

identifying a roof component according to a bar code;

associating the location of the portable device with the roof component; and

storing the location and an identification of the associated roof component in memory; and

transferring the inspection information from the portable computing device to a second computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of transferring the inspection information from the portable computing device further comprises:

transferring the inspection information from the portable computing system to a server computing system.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving the inspection information from the portable computing device; and

generating a graphical representation of the roof component from the inspection results.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying the graphical representation of the roof component.

20. A method for inspecting infrastructure including a roof component, the method comprising the steps of:

collecting inspection information during an infrastructure assessment pursuant to an inspection plan executed by a portable computing device, the infrastructure assessment conducted at a first location, the step of collecting inspection information further including;

assessing the condition of a roof component;

identifying the roof component according to a bar code;

associating the assessment with the identification of the roof component; and

storing the assessment and identification of the roof component in memory associated with the portable computing device;

transferring the inspection information from the portable computing device to a second computing device;

storing the assessed condition of the roof component in a database associated with the second computing device, the database including historical condition assessments of the roof component; and

analyzing the historical condition assessments to predict the frequency of inspection or maintenance of the roof component.

21. A roof inspection system for inspecting infrastructure including a roof component, the system comprising:

a portable computing device having logic configured to;

record an assessment of a condition of a roof component pursuant to an inspection plan;

identify the roof component according to a bar code;

associate the assessment with the identification of the roof component;

store the assessment and the identification of the roof component in a memory associated with the portable computing device; and

transfer the assessment and identification of the roof component from the memory associated with the portable computing device to a second computing device located at a second location;

wherein the second computing device includes;

a database of historical condition assessments of the roof component; and

logic configured to;

store the assessment in the database of historical condition assessments; and

analyze the historical condition assessments to estimate a frequency of maintenance needed for the roof component.