Real-time alert mechanism for monitoring and controlling field assets via ...

(54) REAL-TIME ALERT MECHANISM FOR

MONITORING AND CONTROLLING FIELD
ASSETS VIA WIRELESS AND INTERNET
TECHNOLOGIES

(75) Inventors: James Alan May, Austin, TX (US);

Miguel A. Cortes, San Antonio, TX
(US); William I. Needel, Austin, TX
(US)

(73) Assignee: Isochron, LLC, Austin, TX (US)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term ol this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 316 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 09/899,527

(22) Filed: Jul. 5, 2001

(65) Prior Publication Data

US 2003/0009313 Al lan. 9, 2003

Int. CI.7 G05B 15/02; G05B 19/18

U.S. CI 700/9; 700/65; 700/83;

700/79; 700/80; 700/81; 700/82; 709/217;

709/218; 709/219

(58) Field of Search 700/9, 65, 83,

700/79, 80, 81, 82, 241, 237, 244, 236, 231, 217-219

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(Continued)

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(Continued)

Primary Examiner—Anthony Knight

Assistant Examiner—-Thomas Pham

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Baker Botts L.L.P.

(57) ABSTRACT

An apparatus and system are disclosed for the real-time monitoring and control ol field assets. The monitoring device, operable to couple to a field asset, may be designed to leverage one or more technologies included in the field asset or as a stand-alone unit and is prelerably operable to detect one or more error conditions thereon. The error conditions may be detected either as they occur or during testing intervals. Once an error condition is detected, the monitoring device may initiate one or more corrective sequences to resolve the error condition or, alternatively, the monitoring device may notily a network operations center via a wireless network. Accessing a network operations center from an Internet-enabled remote device, a user may view status information for one or more field assets, issue commands to correct error conditions as well as perform other lunctions.

17 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets

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* cited by examiner