Processor-based analysis system and method

• US 9,429,553 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Test Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Industrial Test Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Jaunakais, Lea M., Roberts, Andrew J., Bailey, George L. II, McBride, Michael C., Wright, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Hyun
• Assistant Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US13/651,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/18 Water
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/80 Data visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/90 Programming languages; Computing architectures; Database systems; Data warehousing

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a processor-based analysis system and method. The technology includes a water analysis computer program, which may be an app for a smart device. Beneficially, an interactive visual display device is in communication with a sensing device. Advantageously, test parameter algorithms may be updated, and use of an auxiliary product with an intended test may be validated. Benefits further include improved accuracy of test results, user customization, and storage, management and output of associated data.

Claims

1. A user-controlled, water analysis system comprising:

a sensing device comprising a colorimetric sensor capable of obtaining data for a plurality of water analysis parameters, and sensing device processing means in electronic communication with said sensor;

a mobile, user-interactive visual display device comprising user-interactive visual display means and comprising processing means in electronic communication with said visual display means, wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device is GPS-enabled and is at the same location as said sensing device, and is in two-way data communication with said sensing device wherein the two-way data communication is wireless and operates using a radio frequency between 2.4000 and 2.4835 Ghz, and comprises communication of water analysis data from said sensing device for processing;

an auxiliary chemical product appropriate for analysis of a user-selected water analysis parameter; and

a water analysis computer program running on the interactive visual display device processing means;

said interactive visual display device processing means being in communication with a database comprising a set of executable test parameter algorithms for converting water analysis data to test result data and from which an available test parameter algorithm is selectable;

wherein a selected test parameter algorithm is executed by said processing means of said mobile, user-interactive visual display device to obtain test result data;

wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device further comprises communication means capable of data communication with cloud-based, data resources, and wherein the water analysis computer program and the executable test parameter algorithms are updatable by said communication means capable of said data communication; and

wherein said set of test parameter algorithms is stored on said mobile, user-interactive visual display device or stored in said cloud-based, data resources.

2. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said database comprises a test parameter algorithm library that comprises said set of test parameter algorithms, and in addition a plurality of unavailable test parameter algorithms available for purchase, and said test parameter algorithm library is customizable, and further comprises a selectable otherwise unavailable test parameter algorithm purchased from said plurality of unavailable test parameter algorithms, and said test parameter algorithm library is stored on said mobile, user-interactive visual display device or stored in said cloud-based, data resources.

3. The water analysis system of claim 1, further comprising a test parameter algorithm store accessible by said communication means capable of said data communication, wherein said test parameter algorithm store comprises a plurality of test parameter algorithms available for purchase, and wherein a test parameter algorithm library comprises said set of test parameter algorithms, and a selectable otherwise unavailable test parameter algorithm purchased from said store.

4. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein a test parameter algorithm library comprises said set of test parameter algorithms, and said set of test parameter algorithms includes an updated test parameter algorithm, and wherein the selected test parameter algorithm is an updated test parameter algorithm associated with identifying product data capable of being compared with identifying product data of said auxiliary chemical product, and said user-interactive visual display means of said mobile, user-interactive visual display device displays alerts comprising a notification to update one or more test parameter algorithms in said test parameter algorithm library.

5. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary chemical product is associated with identifying product data, and said selected test parameter algorithm is associated with identifying product data capable of being compared with said identifying product data of said auxiliary chemical product.

6. The water analysis system of claim 5, wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device further comprises image capture means.

7. The water analysis system of claim 6, wherein encoded identifying product data associated with said auxiliary chemical product, is captured by said image capture means, and wherein data comprising said encoded identifying product data and said test result data is stored in said database, and said test result data is associated with the encoded identifying product data associated with said auxiliary chemical product.

8. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said sensing device is a hand-held instrument and further comprises temperature sensing means, and said set of test parameter algorithms are temperature variable.

9. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device further comprises time/date means in electronic communication with said interactive visual display device processing means for associating test data with location and time/date data.

10. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said cloud-based, data resources comprise (i) data repositories for sharing data, and said data repositories for sharing data comprise social media data repositories and crowd sourcing data repositories, or (ii) data repositories for storage, management and/or analysis of data.

11. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said database is in a secure data repository in said cloud-based data resources or stored on said mobile, user-interactive visual display device.

12. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said sensing device further comprises (a) means for manually operating said sensing device, and (b) visual display means in electronic communication with the sensing device processing means.

13. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein a water-based liquid is analyzed for said user-selected water analysis parameter, and wherein said sensing device is configured to hold a sample being analyzed.

14. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said set of test parameter algorithms is stored on said mobile, user-interactive visual display device.

15. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data communication further comprises communication of the user-selected analysis parameter from the mobile, user-interactive visual display device to said sensing device.

16. The water analysis system of claim 1, wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device is a smart device and said water analysis computer program is an app for a smart device, and the location of said sensing device and said mobile, user-interactive visual display device is a sampling site, and the two-way wireless communication is at the sampling site.

17. A user-controlled, water analysis method comprising:

running a water analysis computer program on a mobile, user-interactive visual display device comprising processing means, communicating a user-selected water parameter from said mobile, user-interactive visual display device to a sensing device comprising processing means and a colorimetric sensor capable of obtaining data for a plurality of water parameters, adding an auxiliary chemical product appropriate for analyzing the user-selected water parameter to a water sample, obtaining data for the user-selected water parameter and communicating the analysis data from said sensing device to said mobile, user-interactive visual display device, and processing the analysis data to obtain test result data,

wherein the mobile, user-interactive visual display device is GPS-enabled and is in wireless communication with, and located together with, said sensing device for said communicating, wherein said wireless communication operates using a radio frequency between 2.4000 and 2.4835 Ghz, and

wherein a set of test parameter algorithms for converting said analysis data to said test result data is stored on said mobile, user-interactive visual display device or stored in cloud-based, data resources, and wherein said method further comprises one or both of

(i) updating a test parameter algorithm by data communication with cloud-based, data resources, selecting the updated test parameter algorithm from said set of test parameter algorithms, and executing said selected test parameter algorithm to process said analysis data, or

(ii) customizing a test parameter algorithm library by purchase of an otherwise unavailable test parameter algorithm, selecting a test parameter algorithm from available test parameter algorithms in the customized algorithm library, and executing said selected test parameter algorithm to process said analysis data.

18. The analysis method of claim 17, further comprising, prior to the addition of said auxiliary chemical product, comparing identifying product data associated with said auxiliary chemical product with identifying product data associated with said selected test parameter algorithm.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising prior to said comparing, capturing said identifying product data associated with said auxiliary chemical product, by use of image capture means, wherein said identifying product data is encoded identifying product data, and said mobile, user-interactive visual display device comprises said image capture means.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising validating use of said auxiliary chemical product for analysis of said selected water parameter, by said comparing.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said sensing device is contacted by a user with water being analyzed and thereafter withdrawn from contact with water being analyzed, prior to the addition of said auxiliary chemical product, and the mobile, user-interactive visual display device and said sensing device are located together at a sampling site for the water analysis.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said test parameter algorithm is updated by updating said computer program.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein said test parameter algorithm library further comprises a plurality of unavailable test parameter algorithms available for purchase.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein said purchase of an otherwise unavailable test parameter algorithm is from a test parameter algorithm store accessible by communication means of said mobile, user-interactive visual display device capable of data communication with cloud-based, data resources.

25. A user-controlled, water analysis system comprising:

a hand-held sensing device comprising a sensor capable of obtaining data for a plurality of water analysis parameters, and sensing device processing means in electronic communication with said sensor, wherein said hand-held sensing device is a hand-held photometer;

a mobile, user-interactive visual display device comprising user-interactive visual display means and comprising processing means in electronic communication with said user-interactive visual display means, wherein said mobile, user-interactive visual display device is a smart device further comprising image capture means, and is GPS-enabled and is at the same location as said hand-held photometer, and is in two-way data communication with said hand-held photometer wherein the two-way data communication is wireless and operates using a radio frequency between 2.4000 and 2.4835 Ghz and comprises communication of a user-selected water analysis parameter from said smart device to said hand-held photometer, and of water analysis data from said hand-held photometer to said smart device for processing;

an auxiliary chemical product appropriate for analysis of a user-selected water analysis parameter, and

a water analysis computer program running on the smart device processing means;

said smart device processing means being in communication with a database comprising a test parameter algorithm library comprising a set of executable test parameter algorithms for converting water analysis data to test result data and from which an available test parameter algorithm is selectable, wherein said test parameter algorithm library further comprises a plurality of unavailable test parameter algorithms available for purchase;

wherein a selected test parameter algorithm is executed by said smart device processing means to obtain test result data;

wherein said smart device further comprises communication means capable of data communication with cloud-based, data resources, and wherein the water analysis computer program and the executable test parameter algorithms are updatable by said communication means capable of said data communication; and

wherein said set of test parameter algorithms is stored on said smart device or stored in said cloud-based, data resources.