System and methods for assisting businesses in compliance with gas emissions requirements

• US 8,404,184 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2011
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ECOTEC Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jamie Tooley
• Inventors: Tooley, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Siefke, Sam P
• Assistant Examiner(s): KILPATRICK, BRYAN T
• Application Number:
  US13/236,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 554 Days
• Field of Search: 422/67, 422/68.1, 422/168, 700/266, 700/273, 702/19
• US Class Current: 422/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/22 in the gaseous state specially adapted for biological material G01N33/497; measuring breath flow A61B5/087
• CPC Class Codes: Y02C 20/20 of methane

Abstract

A system and method for calculating a value indicative of the amount of an undesirable constituent of a volatile gas stream that is removed from the atmosphere. Data received at a higher sampling rate is subjected to a plurality of validation processes and data that is determined to be faulty is then quarantined. Quarantined data can be replaced, however, an audit trail is generated to indicate what data has been replaced and the underlying rationale for the replacement data.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

one or more hardware processors in communication with a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having code stored thereon that, in response to execution by the one or more hardware processors, causes the computing system to;

receive sampled data indicative of one or more characteristics of a gas before and after removal of methane from the gas;

store the sampled data that is usable to determine quantities of methane removed from the gas;

automatically analyze the sampled data or the determined quantities of methane to detect possible errors in the data; and

in response to detecting respective possible errors in the data, provide possible replacement data.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the code is further configured to cause the computing system to:

receive input from a user accepting or denying respective provided possible replacement data.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the code is further configured to cause the computing system to:

receive an indication of one or more rationales for accepting or denying respective replacement data.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the code is further configured to cause the computing system to quarantine the respective data with possible errors.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises comparing the data to pre-selected minimum and maximum values in order to detect possible errors in the data.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the analyzing comprises comparing the data to a historical average.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the code is further configured to cause the computing system to quarantine data that is outside of a pre-selected percentage deviation from the historical average.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the sampled data includes data regarding a plurality of constituents of the gas.

9. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the analyzing comprises comparing respective data regarding particular constituents to expected values of the particular constituents.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving sampled data indicative of one or more characteristics of a gas before and after removal of methane from the gas;

storing the sampled data that is usable to determine quantities of methane removed from the gas;

automatically analyzing the sampled data or the determined quantities of methane to detect possible errors in the data; and

in response to detecting respective possible errors in the data, providing possible replacement data.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving input from a user accepting or denying respective provided possible replacement data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving an indication of one or more rationales for accepting or denying respective replacement data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

quarantining the respective data with possible errors.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the analyzing comprises comparing the data to pre-selected minimum and maximum values in order to detect possible errors in the data.