Systems and methods for identifying and mapping conduit location

• US 6,850,161 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Corporate Services Group Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Burchfiel, Jerry, Elliott, Brig Barnum
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/963,702
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.4, 340/572.7, 340/539.1, 340/853.5, 340/853.9, 340/825.45, 340/825.54, 340/825.49
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/0232 at least one of the energy sources or one of the detectors being located on or above the ground surface
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/11 for the detection or protection of pipes in the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 15/00 Tags attached to, or associated with, an object, in order to enable detection of the object record carriers for use with machines having a detectable tag or marker G06K19/00

Abstract

A system (100) for mapping an underground object (145) includes a conduit location recording device 105 and a server (115). The conduit location recording device (105) senses an underground object (145), a unique identifier being associated with the sensed underground object (145), and determines a location of the underground object (145). The conduit location recording device (105) transmits, via a communications network (125), the unique identifier and determined location to the server (115) for storage in a database.

Claims

1. A method of notifying an entity of a request for data relating to an underground object, comprising:

sensing the underground object, a unique identifier being associated with the sensed underground object;

transmitting to a data storage facility, via a communications network, a request for data related to the sensed underground object, the request comprising the unique identifier; and

notifying the entity of the request for data, the notification comprising the unique identifier,

wherein the notification comprises at least one of a facsimile, an e-mail, a phone message, and a page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises an owner of the underground object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data storage facility notifies the entity of the data request in response to receipt of the transmitted request for data.

4. A method of accessing data associated with underground objects, comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising at least one underground object identifier;

retrieving data associated with the at least one underground object identifier of each of the plurality of messages; and

sending the data to corresponding devices of the plurality of remote devices, wherein the data comprises at least one of owner identification data, geo-location data, and use status data associated with a respective underground object identifier,

wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise underground object locating devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the plurality of messages are received via a packet-switched network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data is sent via a packet-switched network to each of the plurality of remote devices.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the underground object locating devices comprise conduit locating devices.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

notifying entities associated with each underground object identified by the underground object identifiers of the receipt of respective messages of the plurality of messages.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein notifying the entities comprises:

retrieving entity contact data associated with each of the entities, wherein the contact data comprises facsimile, e-mail, phone, or pager data; and

notifying the entities using the retrieved contact data.

10. A server, comprising:

a memory;

a communication interface coupled to a packet-switched network and configured to receive a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising at least one underground object identifier;

a processing unit configured to;

retrieve data associated with the at least one underground object identifier of each of the plurality of messages from the memory, and

send the data, via the communication interface, to corresponding devices of the plurality of remote devices,

wherein the data comprises at least one of owner identification data, geo-location data, and use status data associated with a respective underground object identifier and wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise underground object locating devices.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the plurality of messages are received via the packet-switched network.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the data is sent via the packet-switched network to each of the plurality of remote devices.

13. The server of claim 10, wherein the underground object locating devices comprise conduit locating devices.

14. The server of claim 10, the processing unit further configured to:

notify entities associated with each underground object identified by the underground object identifiers of the receipt of respective messages of the plurality of messages.

15. The server of claim 10, the processing unit further configured to:

retrieve entity contact data associated with each of the entities, wherein the contact data comprises facsimile, e-mail, phone, or pager data; and

notify the entities using the retrieved contact data.

16. A method of maintaining a database related to a plurality of underground objects, comprising:

receiving, via a communications network, a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising data associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects; and

storing the data in the database,

wherein the data comprises at least one of an underground object identification data, owner identification data, geo-location data and a time stamp and wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise underground object locating devices.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the data further comprises at least one of contact data for contacting an owner of the corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects and an in-use status of the corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the communications network comprises a packet-switched network.

19. A server, comprising:

a database;

a communication interface coupled to a packet-switched network and configured to receive a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising data associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of underground objects; and

a processing unit configured to store the data in the database,

wherein the data comprises at least one of an underground object identification data, owner identification data, geo-location data and a time stamp and wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise underground object locating devices.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the data comprises at least one of contact data for contacting an owner of the corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects and an in-use status of the corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects.

21. A method of accessing data associated with underground conduits, comprising:

receiving a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising at least one underground conduit identifier;

retrieving data associated with the at least one underground conduit identifier of each of the plurality of messages; and

sending the data to corresponding devices of the plurality of remote devices, wherein the data comprises at least one of owner identification data, geo-location data, and use status data associated with a respective underground conduit identifier, wherein the plurality of remote devices comprise hosts.

22. A method of maintaining a database related to a plurality of underground objects, comprising:

receiving, via a communications network, a plurality of messages, each message transmitted from a different one of a plurality of remote devices and comprising data associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of underground objects; and

storing the data in the database,

wherein the data comprises at least one of underground object identification data, owner identification data, geo-location data and a time stamp and wherein the plurality of remote devices comprises hosts.