Patent US6338152B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6338152B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method and system for remotely managing communication of data used for predicting malfunctions in a plurality of machines
Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings LLC
•
Filing: 2000-02-24
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Granted: 2002-01-08
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Expires: 2020-02-24
Abstract
Abstract A method and system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other is provided. The electronic data is made up of respective machine data from selected machines. The machine data is used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines. The method allows for storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed. The method further allows for assigning to each case a respective download priority. A determining step allows for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority. Respective executing steps allow for executing a download of the new machine data, and for executing predetermined analysis on the downloaded data for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions in the selected machines.
Inventors
- 👤 Gregory J. Fera
- 👤 Eric H. Hedlund
- 👤 Steven Loncher
- 👤 John H. Lovelace
- 👤 Thomas E. O'Camb
- 👤 James E. Pander
- 👤 Ashish Puri
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 18:42
CPC Classifications
B; B61; B61L; B61L27/00; B61L27/50; B61L27/57; B61L2205/00; B61L2205/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 54
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A method for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; assigning to each case a respective download priority; determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; executing a download of the new machine data; and executing predetermined analysis on the download data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
131 words
A method for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; assigning to each case a respective download priority; determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; executing a download of the new machine data; and executing predetermined analysis on the download data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of assigning to each respective case a respective download time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 2 wherein the step of determining the next case to be populated with new machine data is further based upon the assigned download time.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of classifying each respective download of machine data into a respective class.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 3 wherein the step of determining the next case to be populated with new machine data is further based upon the respective download class.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step for assigning at least one communication-enabling device for executing a respective download of new machine data.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 6 wherein the step for assigning the at least one communication-enabling device is based at least upon the relative priority of the download and/or a respective classification of the download.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of assigning to each respective download file a corresponding file tracking number.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined machine data comprises fault log data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined machine data further comprises data indicative of predetermined operational parameters of the machine.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 9 wherein the executing of download of new machine data occurs upon detection of one or more critical faults in the fault log data.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 10 further comprising automatically initiating a call from a respective machine to the center upon detection of one or more critical faults in the fault log data.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of executing download of new machine data occurs at predetermined time intervals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of executing download of new machine data occurs upon a respective request of a respective client.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of uploading from the center predetermined configuration files to selected machines.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of uploading from the center a configuration file configured to monitor predetermined fault log data and/or operational parameters over a predetermined period of time.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 16 wherein the predetermined period of time is selected to be sufficiently long so as to detect trends indicative of incipient failures in respective subsystems of the machine.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of generating an electronic customer report containing diagnostics and/or repair information for respective subsystems of the locomotive, said report based on the analysis executed on the respective download data.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic report is generated at predetermined time intervals and/or upon the occurrence of critical faults.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 18 wherein the electronic report is configured to display the diagnostics and/or repair information in graphical and/or tabular form.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of uploading from the center a configuration file configured to monitor predetermined fault log data and/or snapshot observations of predetermined operational parameters.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 21 wherein the predetermined fault log data and/or snapshot observations are selected to detect malfunctions in one or more of a plurality of respective subsystems of the machine.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the machine comprises a locomotive.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
143 words
A system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: a database for storing a list of respective cases to be processed; a module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a module for executing a download of the new machine data; and a module for executing predetermined analysis on the download data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
143 words
A system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: a database for storing a list of respective cases to be processed; a module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a module for executing a download of the new machine data; and a module for executing predetermined analysis on the download data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising means for assigning to each respective case a respective download time.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
42 words
The system of claim 25 wherein the a module for determining the next case to be populated with new machine data is coupled to receive the assigned download time so that each respective determination is further based on the assigned download time.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for classifying each respective download of machine data into a respective download class.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 26 wherein the a module for determining the next case to be populated with new machines data is further coupled to receive the respective download class so that each respective determination is further based on the respective download class.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
25 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for assigning at least one communication-enabling device for executing a respective download of new machine data.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 29 wherein the assigning of the at least one communication-enabling device is based at least upon the relative priority of the download and/or a respective classification of the download.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for assigning to each respective downloaded file a corresponding file tracking number.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 24 wherein the predetermined machine data comprises fault log data.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 32 wherein the predetermined machine data further comprises data indicative of predetermined operational parameters of the machine.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 32 wherein the download of new machine data is triggered upon detection of one or more critical faults in the fault log data.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 34 further comprising a module for automatically initiating a call from a respective machine to the center upon detection of one or more critical faults in the fault log data.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 24 wherein the download of new machine data occurs at predetermined time intervals.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system of claim 24 wherein the download of new machine data occurs upon a respective request of a respective client.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for uploading from the center predetermined configuration files to selected machines.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
33 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for uploading from the center a configuration file configured to monitor predetermined fault log data and/or operational parameters over a predetermined period of time.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 39 wherein the predetermined period of time is selected to be sufficiently long so as to detect trends indicative of incipient failures in respective subsystems of the machine.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
38 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for generating an electronic customer report containing diagnostics and/or repair information for respective subsystems of the locomotive, said report based on the analysis executed on the respective download data.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 41 wherein the electronic report is generated at predetermined time intervals and/or upon the occurrence of critical faults.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
23 words
The system of claim 41 wherein the electronic report is configured to display the diagnostics and/or repair information in graphical and/or tabular form.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 24 further comprising a module for uploading from the center a configuration file configured to monitor predetermined fault log data and/or snapshot observations of predetermined operational parameters.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 44 wherein the predetermined fault log data and/or snapshot observations are selected to detect malfunctions in one or more of a plurality of respective subsystems of the machine.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
11 words
The system of claim 24 wherein the machine comprises a locomotive.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
183 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having a computer-readable code therein for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the computer-readable code in the article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable program code module for storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; a computer-readable program code module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a computer-readable program code module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a computer-readable program code module for executing a download of the new machine data; and a computer-readable program code module for executing predetermined analysis on the downloaded data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
183 words
An article of manufacture comprising: a computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having a computer-readable code therein for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the computer-readable code in the article of manufacture comprising: a computer-readable program code module for storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; a computer-readable program code module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a computer-readable program code module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a computer-readable program code module for executing a download of the new machine data; and a computer-readable program code module for executing predetermined analysis on the downloaded data for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 51
Independent Claim
137 words
A method for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; assigning to each case a respective download priority; determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; and executing a download of the new machine data wherein said machine data is analyzed, subsequent to and/or prior to the download, for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 52
Independent Claim
137 words
A method for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfunctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: storing in a database a list of respective cases to be processed; assigning to each case a respective download priority; determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; and executing a download of the new machine data wherein said machine data is analyzed, subsequent to and/or prior to the download, for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 53
Independent Claim
149 words
A system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfimctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: a database for storing a list of respective cases to be processed; a module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a module for executing a download of the new machine data wherein said machine data is processed by an analyzer module, subsequent to and/or prior to the download, for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
Claim 54
Independent Claim
149 words
A system for managing communication of electronic data between a diagnostic service center and a plurality of machines generally remote relative to each other, the electronic data comprising at least respective machine data from selected machines, the machine data used for detecting the presence of respective malfimctions which, if left uncorrected, would likely result in respective mission failures of the selected machines, the system comprising: a database for storing a list of respective cases to be processed; a module for assigning to each case a respective download priority; a module for determining each case to be populated next with new machine data based at least upon the assigned download priority; a module for executing a download of the new machine data wherein said machine data is processed by an analyzer module, subsequent to and/or prior to the download, for detecting the presence of potential malfunctions in the selected machines.
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