Automated building service broker

• US 7,058,508 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JAC Enterprises of Broward LLC
• Original Assignee: Energy Control Technologies
• Inventors: Flugel, Walter, Combs, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US09/759,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20020095323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7- 9, 707/101, 701213-214
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task

Abstract

An automated building service broker can include a Global Positioning System (GPS) data processor for processing GPS data associated with communicatively linked service providers wherein the GPS data corresponds to a geographic position. The automated service broker also can include an event handler for responding to maintenance and repair events received from communicatively linked building systems. Finally, the automated building service broker can include a service provider selector for selecting a particular service provider to respond to a particular received maintenance and repair event received from a particular communicatively linked building system. More particularly, the service provider can be selected based on whether the selected service provider is suitable to perform required maintenance and repair on the particular communicatively linked building system, and the geographic position of the particular service provider relative to the particular building system as reported by GPS data associated with the particular service provider.

Claims

1. An automated building service broker communicatively linked to a plurality of building systems and to a plurality of service providers, each service provider deemed suitable for performing maintenance and repair on at least one of the building systems, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) data processor for processing GPS data associated with the communicatively linked service providers, said GPS data corresponding to a geographic position;

an event handler for responding to building system maintenance and repair events received from the communicatively linked building systems; and

,

a service provider selector for selecting a particular service provider to respond to a particular received maintenance and repair event received from a particular communicatively linked building system, the selection being based on (a) whether said selected service provider is suitable to perform required maintenance and repair on the particular communicatively linked building system, and (b) the geographic position of the particular service provider relative to the particular building system as reported by GPS data associated with the particular service provider and wherein the service provider selector is configured to query a selected service provider for a current geographic position, to identify a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building system, to compare said geographic position of said selected service provider to said geographic position of said building system, said comparison indicating how close said selected service provider is to said building system, and to repeat said steps of querying and comparing to determine whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building system.

2. The automated building services broker of claim 1, further comprising:

an event log for recording received building system maintenance and repair events.

3. An automated building services broker system, comprising:

an automated building services broker comprising an event handler for responding to building system maintenance and repair events, an event log database, a maintenance database, a service provider database, equipment database, and a historical database;

a plurality of building sites, each building site having at least one building system including a control system for performing at least one of monitoring a status of said at least one building system and detecting anomalies therein, each building site communicatively linked to said automated building services broken; and

,

a plurality of service providers communicatively linked to said automated building services broker, wherein each said service provider can perform maintenance and repair on at least one of said building systems, and wherein the service provider selector is configured to query a selected service provider for a current geographic position, to identify a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building system, to compare said geographic position of said selected service provider to said geographic position of said building system, said comparison indicating how close said selected service provider is to said building system, and to repeat said steps of querying and comparing to determine whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building system, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building system.

4. The automated building service broker system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for identifying geographic positions of said service providers using Global Positioning System (GPS) data.

5. The automated building service broker system of claim 3, wherein said control system can communicate with said automated building services broker over said communications links between said building site and said automated building services broker.

6. The automated building service broker system of claim 3, wherein said control system monitors said at least one building system at a location apart from a building site wherein said at least one building system is located, and wherein said control system can communicate with said automated building services broker over said communications links between said building site and said automated building services broker.

7. The automated building service broker system of claim 3, wherein said communications link between said service providers and said automated building services broker is a wireless link.

8. The automated building service broker system of claim 7, wherein said wireless link is a pager-type communications network link.

9. The automated building service broker system of claim 3, wherein said communications link between said building sites and said automated building services broker is a data communications network.

10. An automated building service brokering method comprising;

electronically detecting a need for service in a building system in a building site;

responsive to said detection, automatically selecting a service provider suitable for servicing said building system, said service provider selected from among a plurality of service providers suitable for servicing said building system;

providing an electronic notification of said servicing need over a communications link to said selected service provider; and

,

monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification querying said selected service provider for a current geographic position, identifying a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building site, comparing said current geographic position of said selected service provider to said geographic position of said building site, and repeating said steps of querying and comparing, wherein said repeated querying and comparing can indicate whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building site.

11. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring secondary communications links for said electronic response.

12. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, further comprising:

if no electronic response is received, providing at least one additional notification to said selected service provider.

13. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, further comprising:

if no electronic response is received, automatically selecting an alternate service provider suitable for servicing said building system;

providing an electronic notification to said selected service provider, said alternate service provider selected from among said plurality of service providers suitable for servicing said building system; and

,

monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification from said alternate service provider.

14. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of detecting a need for service in a building system comprises:

sensing an error condition in said building system.

15. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, further comprising:

maintaining a maintenance database for tracking routine building system maintenance, said maintenance database comprising at least one record which indicates a scheduled maintenance event for said building system.

16. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of detecting a need for service in a building system further comprises:

sensing an error condition in said building system.

17. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of selecting a service provider suitable for servicing said building system comprises:

querying suitable service providers from among said plurality of service providers for current geographic positions; and

,

based on said current geographic positions, selecting a service provider who is geographically proximate to said building site.

18. The automated building service brokering method of claim 17, wherein said querying step comprises:

requesting current geographic positions from said suitable service providers; and

,

receiving from said suitable service providers, said requested current geographic positions derived from Global Positioning System (GPS) data.

19. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of providing an electronic notification comprises:

transmitting an electronic message to said selected service provider through a computer communications network.

20. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of providing an electronic notification comprises:

transmitting an electronic message to said selected service provider through a wireless communications network.

21. The automated building service brokering method of claim 20, wherein said step of monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification comprises:

receiving an electronic message from said selected service provider through said wireless communications network.

22. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, wherein said step of monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification comprises:

receiving an electronic message from said selected service provider through said pager-type communications network.

23. The automated building service brokering method of claim 10, further comprising:

confirming that said selected service provider has responded to said electronic notification.

24. The automated building service brokering method of claim 23, further comprising:

tracking statistics associated with said confirmed response, said statistics comprising at least one of service response time, arrival time, and service completion time.

25. An automated building service brokering method comprising:

transmitting to an automated building service broker geographic position data indicating a current geographic position of at least one service provider;

receiving an electronic request from said automated building service broker to service a building system in a building site, said electronic request being sent in response to a maintenance event or error condition associated with said building system;

responding to said electronic request with an electronic response, said electronic response being carried over a communications link monitored by said automated building service broker;

transmitting additional geographic positioning data to said automated building service broker after said step of responding querying said service provider for a current geographic position, identifying a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building site, comparing a current geographic location of a selected service provider to said geographic position of said building site, and repeating said steps of querying and comparing, wherein said repeated querying and comparing can indicate whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building site.

26. The automated building service brokering method of claim 25, wherein said transmitting steps comprise:

receiving from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver GPS data; and

,

transmitting said GPS data to said automated building service broker.

27. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for automated building service brokering, said computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

electronically detecting a need for service in a building system in a building site;

responsive to said detection, automatically selecting a service provider suitable for servicing said building system, said service provider selected from among a plurality of service providers suitable for servicing said building system;

providing an electronic notification of said servicing need over a communications link to said selected service provider;

monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification querying said selected service provider for a current geographic position, identifying a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building site, comparing said current position of a selected service provider to said geographic position of said building site, and repeating said steps of querying and comparing, wherein said repeated querying and comparing can indicate whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building site.

28. The machine readable storage of claim 27, further comprising:

monitoring secondary communications links for said electronic response.

29. The machine readable storage of claim 27, further comprising:

if no electronic response is received, providing at least one additional notification to said selected service provider.

30. The machine readable storage of claim 27, further comprising:

if no electronic response is received, automatically selecting an alternate service provider suitable for servicing said building system;

providing an electronic notification to said selected service provider, said alternate service provider selected from among said plurality of service providers suitable for servicing said building system; and

,

monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification from said alternate service provider.

31. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said step of detecting a need for service in a building system comprises:

sensing an error condition in said building system.

32. The machine readable storage of claim 27, further comprising:

maintaining a maintenance database for tracking routine building system maintenance, said maintenance database comprising at least one record which indicates a scheduled maintenance event for said building system.

33. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said step of detecting a need for service in a building system further comprises:

sensing an error condition in said building system.

34. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said step of selecting a service provider suitable for servicing said building system comprises:

querying suitable service providers from among said plurality of service providers for current geographic positions; and

,

based on said current geographic positions, selecting a service provider who is geographically proximate to said building site.

35. The machine readable storage of claim 34, wherein said querying step comprises:

requesting current geographic positions from said suitable service providers; and

,

receiving from said suitable service providers, said requested current geographic positions derived from Global Positioning System (GPS) data.

36. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said step of providing an electronic notification comprises:

transmitting an electronic message to said selected service provider trough a wireless communications network.

37. The machine readable storage of claim 36, wherein said step of monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification comprises:

receiving an electronic message from said selected service provider through said wireless communications network.

38. The machine readable storage of claim 27, wherein said step of monitoring said communications link for an electronic response to said electronic notification comprises:

receiving an electronic message from said selected service provider through said pager-type communications network.

39. The machine readable storage of claim 27, further comprising:

confirming that said selected service provider has responded to said electronic notification.

40. The machine readable storage of claim 39, further comprising:

tracking statistics associated with said confirmed response, said statistics comprising at least one of service response time, arrival time, and service completion time.

41. A machine readable storage having stored thereon a computer program for automated building service brokering, said computer program having a plurality of code sections executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps of:

transmitting to an automated building service broker geographic position data indicating a current geographic position of at least one service provider;

receiving an electronic request from said automated building service broker to service a building system in a building site, said electronic request being sent in response to a maintenance event or error condition associated with said building system;

responding to said electronic request with an electronic response, said electronic response being carried over a communications link monitored by said automated building service broker;

transmitting additional geographic positioning data to said automated building service broker after said step of responding querying said service provider for a current geographic position, identifying a geographic position using Global Positioning System (GPS) data for said building site, comparing a current geographic location of a selected service provider to said geographic position of said building site, and repeating said steps of querying and comparing, wherein said repeated querying and comparing can indicate whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, and, based on whether said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site and how fast said selected service provider is traveling toward or away from said building site, to determine when said selected service provider should arrive at said building site.

42. The machine readable storage of claim 41, wherein said transmitting steps comprise:

receiving from a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver GPS data; and

,

transmitting said GPS data to said automated building service broker.