Sparse data environmental equipment threshold compliance alarm system and method

• US 8,386,303 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jerry L Mckinney 2002 Trust
• Original Assignee: Jerry L Mckinney 2002 Trust
• Inventors: McKinney, Jerry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US11/592,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20070106527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,307 Days
• Field of Search: 705/317, 705/305, 705/1.1, 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.13, 705 722- 726, 705 735- 741, 705/30, 705/32, 705/34, 705/35, 705/348, 705/413, 705/418, 702/84, 702/81, 702/1, 702/184, 702/183, 702/182
• US Class Current: 705/7.41
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/008 comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/14 Maintenance of water treatment installations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/00 Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism healthcare informatics G16H
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

A sparse data system is provided for verifying operational compliance of a plurality of environmental systems. To reduce operational costs to a minimum, the quantity of data transmitted is minimized and the data is only transmitted at certain times. If systems are compliant, then information is preferably not sent. If systems are non-compliant, then notices are sent to parties of interest at effectively the same time as the noncompliance occurs. Subsequent alarm detection level may also be sent after detection of an operational threshold to provide notice for continued ongoing or severe noncompliance.

Claims

1. A sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of a plurality of environmental systems, said environmental systems being serviced by service personnel, there being a regulatory body for monitoring said plurality of environmental systems, a plurality of responsible parties being responsible for one or more payments related to respective ones of said plurality of environmental systems, said regulatory body designating a plurality of permitted environmental systems with a plurality of permitted thresholds for a predetermined amount of wastewater to be treated within a predetermined period of time for each of said plurality of environmental systems, said method comprising:

determining said plurality of permitted thresholds for a predetermined amount of wastewater to be treated within a predetermined period of time for each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems;

providing at least one wastewater flow sensor at each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems, wherein said wastewater flow sensor measures an amount of time a pump operates at substantially constant speed for determining whether said permitted threshold of said predetermined amount of wastewater for said predetermined period of time has been reached by any of said permitted environmental systems;

receiving data by at least one processor for each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems from said at least one wastewater flow sensor and determining when a respective of said plurality of permitted thresholds of said predetermined amount of wastewater is reached within said predetermined period of time by any of said permitted environmental systems;

providing at least one server computer electronically connected to each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems, said at least one server computer being accessible by at least one of said regulatory body, said service personnel, and said plurality of responsible parties; and

reporting a breach of said respective of said plurality of permitted thresholds by said at least one processor over said electronic connection within said predetermined period of time to said at least one server computer after said step of determining that said respective of said plurality of permitted thresholds has been breached.

2. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising after said step of reporting said breach then not reporting again in said predetermined period of time even if a second higher threshold than said permitted threshold is reached in said first predetermined period of time.

3. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of permitted thresholds of said predetermined amount of wastewater for said predetermined period of time is described as a specified number of gallons of wastewater to be treated during any one day.

4. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising after said step of reporting during said predetermined period of time said at least one processor then not reporting again during said predetermined period of time in which said respective of said plurality of permitted thresholds is reached unless at least one additional higher threshold for an additional amount of wastewater is reached during said predetermined period of time.

5. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising said at least one processor accumulating said data received from said wastewater flow sensor to provide an accumulated count of said amount of wastewater to be treated within said predetermined period of time, and subsequently deleting a portion of said data from said accumulated count after said predetermined period of time.

6. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 wherein said at least one processor does not receive incoming electronic queries on said electronic connection that query an amount of wastewater that has been processed during any said predetermined period of time.

7. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising said at least one processor accumulating said data received from said wastewater flow sensor to provide an accumulated count of said amount of wastewater to be treated within a second predetermined period of time greater than said first period of time, and resetting said accumulated count to zero when said second predetermined period of time has ended.

8. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising said at least one said server computer electronically notifying at least one of said service personnel, said regulatory body, or said plurality of responsible parties when said permitted threshold has been reached.

9. The sparse data method of claim 1 further comprising said at least one server computer electronically contacting a respective telephone of at least one of said service personnel, said regulatory body, or said plurality of responsible parties when said permitted threshold has been reached by any of said permitted environmental systems.

10. The sparse data method for determining regulatory compliance of claim 1 further comprising reporting accumulated data by said at least one processor for said wastewater for a second predetermined period of time greater than said predetermined period of time.

11. A sparse data threshold monitoring system operable for determining regulatory compliance of a plurality of environmental systems, said environmental systems being serviced by service personnel, there being a regulatory body for monitoring said plurality of environmental systems, a plurality of responsible parties being responsible for one or more payments related to respective ones of said plurality of environmental systems, said regulatory body designating a plurality of permitted environmental systems by providing a permitted threshold for a predetermined amount of wastewater to be treated within a predetermined period of time, said sparse data monitoring system comprising:

each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems electronically connected to at least one server computer accessible by at least one of said regulatory body, said service personnel, and said plurality of responsible parties, each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems having a permitted threshold for a predetermined amount of wastewater to be treated within a predetermined period of time;

at least one wastewater flow sensor at each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems wherein said at least one wastewater flow sensor comprises a pump operation sensor which measures time of operation of a pump which operates at a substantially constant rate;

at least one processor for each of said plurality of permitted environmental systems, said at least one processor configured for receiving data from said wastewater flow sensor for determining whether said permitted threshold is reached for said predetermined amount of wastewater within said predetermined period of time by any of said plurality of environmental systems, said at least one processor initiating electronic communication to report over said electronic connection within said predetermined period of time to said at least one server computer after detection of said permitted threshold being reached for said predetermined amount of wastewater within said predetermined period of time by any of said plurality of permitted environmental systems.

12. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 11 wherein said at least one processor initiates communication after said report to subsequently report at least once more over said electronic connection to said at least one server computer, but only after said at least one processor determines that an additional specified higher threshold amount of wastewater is received during said predetermined period of time in which said permitted threshold was initially reached.

13. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 11 wherein said at least one processor creates an accumulated count of said wastewater to be treated based over a second predetermined period of time greater than said predetermined period of time from said data received from said wastewater flow sensor and removes a portion of said received data from said accumulated count when said data from said wastewater flow sensor is older than said second predetermined period of time.

14. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 11 wherein said predetermined period of time is a one day period of time.

15. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 14 wherein said at least one processor resets an accumulated count of amount of wastewater to be treated at a beginning of each respective one day period of time.

16. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 11 wherein said at least one processor does not receive incoming electronic queries on said electronic connection that query whether said permitted threshold has been reached by any of said plurality of permitted environmental systems.

17. The sparse data threshold monitoring system of claim 11 wherein said at least one server computer electronically contacts within said predetermined period of time a respective receiving device of at least one of said service personnel, said regulatory body, or said plurality of responsible parties only after said permitted threshold has been reached by any of said plurality of permitted environmental systems.