Enabling notifications pertaining to an asset

• US 9,111,234 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Wallace, Daniel John, Walter, Jeanie, Walton, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THU NGUYET T
• Application Number:
  US11/801,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,025 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/102, 707/899, 707919-920, 707/922, 707/999.001, 707/609, 707/999.2, 701/50, 340/425.5, 340/679
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for enabling notifications pertaining to an asset is disclosed. The method receives information from a first reporting source about an asset. In addition, information from a second reporting source about the asset is also received. A database is then populated with the information from the first reporting source and the information from the second reporting source such that information from the first reporting source and information from the second reporting source can be accessed from the database. A state machine for the asset is maintained based on the received information which enables providing notifications pertaining to the asset.

Claims

1. A method for enabling notifications pertaining to an asset, said method comprising:

receiving, at an asset management system, information from a first reporting source about a first asset and information from a second reporting source about said first asset such that the information from the first reporting source and the information from the second reporting source can be accessed from a database, wherein said second reporting source is disparate from said first reporting source, and wherein said second reporting source uses a different transmission means than said first reporting source; and

maintaining a state machine for the asset based on the received information, wherein the state machine enables providing notifications pertaining to the asset.

2. The method as recited by claim 1, wherein the receiving of the information from the first reporting source about the asset further comprises:

receiving information from the first reporting source about the asset selected from a group consisting of demolition equipment, excavating equipment, vehicles, and geo-fences.

3. The method as recited by claim 1, further comprising:

communicating a notification to a device based on the state machine, wherein the state machine specifies states and events and wherein the events are used to determine how to transition between the states, and wherein the device is separate from the asset management system.

4. The method as recited by claim 3, wherein the communicating of the notification to the device further comprises:

communicating a notification that includes time information.

5. The method as recited by claim 4, wherein the time is a period of time.

6. The method as recited by claim 4, wherein the communicating of the notification to the device further comprises:

communicating a notification that specifies a number of times that one of a state or an event associated with the state machine occurred.

7. The method as recited by claim 4, wherein the communicating of the notification to the device further comprises:

communicating the notification using a method selected from a group consisting of email, fax and paging the device.

8. The method as recited by claim 1, further comprising:

creating the state machine based on configuration information that specifies states and events that pertain to the asset.

9. An asset management system for enabling notifications pertaining to an asset, said system comprising:

a multiple report source information receiver configured for receiving, at said asset management system, information from a first reporting source about a first asset and information from a second reporting source about said first asset such that the information from the first reporting source and the information from the second reporting source can be accessed from a database, wherein said second reporting source is disparate from said first reporting source, and wherein said second reporting source uses a different transmission means for communicating to said multiple report source information receiver than said first reporting source; and

a multiple report source state machine maintainer configured for using the received information to maintain a state machine for the asset, wherein the state machine enables providing notifications pertaining to the asset, wherein the multiple report source state machine maintainer is coupled to a multiple report source storer.

10. The asset management system of claim 9, wherein the asset is selected from a group consisting of:

demolition equipment, excavating equipment, vehicles, and geo-fences.

11. The asset management system of claim 9, wherein the asset management system communicates the notification to a device based on the state machine, wherein the state machine specifies states and events and wherein the events are used to determine how to transition between the states, and wherein the device is separate from the asset management system.

12. The asset management system of claim 11, wherein the notification includes time information.

13. The asset management system of claim 12, wherein the time is a period of time.

14. The asset management system of claim 12, wherein the notification that specifies a number of times that one of a state or an event associated with the state machine occurred.

15. The asset management system of claim 12, wherein the notification is communicated to the device using a method selected from a group consisting of:

email, fax and paging the device.

16. The asset management system of claim 9, wherein the state machine is created based on configuration information that specifies states and events that pertain to the asset.

17. A non-transitory computer-usable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein which, when executed, causes a computer system to perform a method for enabling notifications pertaining to an asset, the method comprising:

receiving, at said asset management system, information from a first reporting source about a first asset and information from a second reporting source about said first asset such that the information from the first reporting source and the information from the second reporting source can be accessed from a database, wherein said second reporting source is disparate from said first reporting source, and wherein said second reporting source uses a different transmission means than said first reporting source; and

maintaining a state machine for the asset based on the received information, wherein the state machine enables providing notifications pertaining to the asset.

18. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the maintaining of the state machine further comprises:

maintaining a state machine that includes states and events, wherein the events are used to determine how to transition between the states.

19. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

using time as a part of defining an event.

20. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the time is a period of time.

21. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

communicating a notification that specifies a number of times that one of a state or an event occurs.

22. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving information from the first reporting source about the asset selected from a group consisting of;

demolition equipment, excavating equipment, vehicles, and geo-fences.

23. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

communicating a notification to a device based on the state machine, wherein the state machine specifies states and events and wherein the events are used to determine how to transition between the states.

24. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

communicating the notification to a device which is separate from the asset management system using a method selected from a group consisting of email, fax and paging the device.

25. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

creating the state machine based on configuration information that specifies states and events that pertain to the asset.

26. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving information that about the asset from one or more databases; and

maintaining the state machine for the asset based, at least in part, on the received information from the one or more databases.

27. The non-transitory computer-usable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the method further comprises:

communicating a notification indicating that a wrong type of attachment was attached to an asset.