System and method for point-of-use instruction

• US 9,123,189 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Floyd, Joseph Frank, Linn, John Robert, Hadley, Brent Louis, Kollgaard, Jeffrey R
• Primary Examiner(s): KUDDUS, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US12/191,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,575 Days
• Field of Search: 707/621, 707/691
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for transferring data over a network include communicating with a user via a portable communication device over the network, receiving a request for at least one instruction sequence related to a particular repair task of a machine from the user via the portable communication device over the network, processing the request from the user by accessing and retrieving the at least one instruction sequence from a database component, and transferring the at least one instruction sequence from the database component to the portable communication device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented system for transferring data over a network, the system comprising:

a memory for storing a database of instructions for a ramp-side inspection of aircraft damage or malfunction by ramp-side personnel;

a communication component configured to communicate with the ramp-side personnel via a portable communication device over the network; and

a processor configured to;

present, on the portable communication device, a series of directed questions relating to a type and a location of the aircraft damage or malfunction in response to the ramp-side personnel initiating a decision tree interview with a quick reporting tree system for automated processing of the directed questions,

receive a sequence of numeric entries entered on the portable communication device by the ramp-side personnel, wherein each of the numeric entries is a response to a corresponding one of the directed questions, and wherein the series of directed questions are generated according to a decision tree based on the responses by the ramp-side personnel to obtain information at finer levels of granularity for evaluating the aircraft damage or malfunction and suggesting disposition actions,

build, using the sequence of numeric entries, a report code that encodes the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction,

amend the report code by appending one or more single-digit numbers that encode an instruction or recommendation according to the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction, and

transfer, via the communication component, at least a portion of the instructions from the database component to the portable communication device to deliver a step-by-step interactive instruction sequence based on the amended report code for the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises at least one of a cell phone and personal digital assistant (PDA).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a cellular phone network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the step-by-step interactive instruction sequence is displayed to the user on a display component of the portable communication device.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the step-by-step interactive instruction sequence comprises videos, graphics, and/or illustrations that are viewable by the ramp-side personnel from the display component.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the step-by-step interactive instruction sequence comprises guidance on calibrating a nondestructive inspection (NDI) device and on inspecting composite damage with the NDI device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises a portable database component for storage of the at least a portion of the instructions, and wherein the portable communication device further comprises a processor configured to determine the sequence in which the at least a portion of the instructions are presented on the portable communication device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises a user input component configured to receive the sequence of numeric entries from the ramp-side personnel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises a server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the system is configured to determine the sequence in which the at least a portion of the instructions are presented on the portable communication device.

11. A computer-implemented method for transferring data over a network, the method comprising:

communicating with ramp-side personnel via a portable communication device over the network;

presenting, on the portable communication device, a series of directed questions relating to a type and a location of aircraft damage or malfunction in response to the ramp-side personnel initiating a decision tree interview with a quick reporting tree system for automated processing of the directed questions;

receiving a sequence of numeric entries entered on the portable communication device by the ramp-side personnel, wherein each of the numeric entries is a response to a corresponding one of the directed questions, and wherein the series of directed questions are generated according to a decision tree based on the responses by the ramp-side personnel to obtain information at finer levels of granularity for evaluating the aircraft damage or malfunction and suggesting disposition actions;

building, using the sequence of numeric entries, a report code that encodes the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction;

amending the report code by appending one or more single-digit numbers that encode an instruction or recommendation according to the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction; and

transferring, from a database, instructions for a ramp-side inspection or remediation of the aircraft damage or malfunction to the portable communication device based on the amended report code for the type and the location of the aircraft damage or malfunction to deliver a step-by-step interactive instruction sequence relating to the aircraft damage or malfunction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the presenting the series of directed questions comprise displaying the series of directed questions on a display component of the portable communication device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the aircraft damage or malfunction comprises damage to a composite structure, the method further comprising receiving and analyzing data related to inspection of the damage to the composite structure using a nondestructive inspection (NDI) device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising preparing a damage report for the user based on the report code and deciding whether the aircraft is ready for use or repair based on the damage report.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein deciding whether the aircraft is ready for use or repair based on the damage report includes one or more of:

deciding to make minor repairs to the composite damage and dispatch the aircraft machine;

deciding to remove the aircraft from service for major repair; and

deciding to dispatch the aircraft without repair.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the portable communication device comprises at least one of a cell phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA), and wherein the network comprises a cellular phone network.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the transferring the instructions comprises transferring the instructions to a portable database component of the portable communication device for storage of the instructions, and wherein the sequence in which the instructions are presented is determined by the portable communication device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step-by-step interactive instruction sequence comprises guidance on calibrating a nondestructive inspection (NDI) device and on inspecting composite damage with the NDI device.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the transferring the instructions comprises determining the sequence in which the instructions are presented on the portable communication device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step-by-step interactive instruction sequence comprises videos, graphics, and/or illustrations that are viewable by the ramp-side personnel from a display component of the portable communication device.