Method of creating a comprehensive manufacturing, shipping and location history for pipe joints

Claim 1

A method for creating an historical record for a plurality of pipes joints by use of a bar code reader coupled to a computer, said historical record comprising an information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints, each of said information records having at least two portions, a first portion of each of said information records comprising selected physical characteristics of one of said plurality of pipe joints and a second portion of each of said information records comprising an exact location of one of said plurality of pipe joiners in a pipeline, said method comprising the steps of: (a) recording a heat number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (b) recording a coil number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (c) recording a joint number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (d) creating a bar code label containing at least said heat number, said coil number and said joint number for one of said plurality of pipe joints; (e) attaching said bar code label to the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for each of said plurality of pipe joints; (g) transporting each one of said plurality of pipe joints to a final destination in pipeline having a corresponding exact location address; (h) scanning each one of said bar code labels with said bar code reader to compile said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number to form said first portion of said information on record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joint; (i) storing said first portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (j) permanently removing each one of said bar code labels from the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (k) inputting into said computer said exact location address in said pipeline for each one of said plurality of pipe joints to form said second portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; and (l) storing said second portion of said information record for each on of said plurality of pipes joints in a memory of said computer.

Claim 2

A method for creating an historical record for a plurality of pipes joints by use of a bar code reader coupled to a computer, said historical record comprising an information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints, each of said information records having at least two portions, a first portion of each of said information records comprising selected physical characteristics of one of said plurality of pipe joints and a second portion of each of said information records comprising an exact location of one of said plurality of pipe joiners in a pipeline, said method comprising the steps of: (a) recording a heat number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (b) recording a coil number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (c) recording a joint number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (d) creating a bar code label containing at least said heat number, said coil number and said joint number for one of said plurality of pipe joints; (e) attaching said bar code label to the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for each of said plurality of pipe joints; (g) transporting each one of said plurality of pipe joints to a final destination in pipeline having a corresponding exact location address; (h) scanning each one of said bar code labels with said bar code reader to compile said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number to form said first portion of said information on record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joint; (i) storing said first portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (j) permanently removing each one of said bar code labels from the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (k) inputting into said computer said exact location address in said pipeline for each one of said plurality of pipe joints to form said second portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; and (l) storing said second portion of said information record for each on of said plurality of pipes joints in a memory of said computer.

Claim 3

A method of creating an historical record for a plurality of pipe joints by use of a bar code reader coupled to a computer said historical record comprising an information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints, each of said information records having at least two portions, a first portion of each of said information records comprising selected physical characteristics of one of said plurality of pipe joints and a second portion of each of said information records comprising an exact location of one of said plurality of pipe joints in a pipeline, said historical record being used to identify and locate each one of said plurality of pipe joints that is likely to fail by detecting a correspondence of portions of said information record between a failed pipe joint the remaining one of said plurality of pipe joints, said method comprising the steps of: (a) recording a heat number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (b) recording a coil number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (c) recording a joint number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (d) creating a bar code label containing said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number for one of said plurality of pipe joints; (e) attaching said bar code label to the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for each of said plurality of pipe joints; (g) transporting each one of said plurality of pipe joints to a final destination in said pipeline having a corresponding exact location address; (h) scanning each of said bar code labels with said bar code reader to compile said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number to form said first portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (i) storing said first portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (j) permanently removing each of said bar code labels from the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (k) inputting into said computer said exact location address in said pipeline of each one of said plurality of pipe joints to form said second portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (l) storing said second portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (m) identifying said exact location address of a failed pipe joint from said plurality of pipe joints; (n) identifying said information record of said failed pipe joint based upon said exact location address of said failed pipe joint; (o) comparing a portion of said information record of said failed pipe joint with a portion of said information records of the remaining ones of said plurality of pipe joints to find a correspondence between said portions of said information records; (p) identifying from said correspondence between said portions of said information records which of the remaining ones of said pipe joints are likely to fail; and (g) locating each of said remaining ones of said pipe joints which are likely to fail based on said second portion of said information records of said pipe joints which are likely to fail.

Claim 4

A method of creating an historical record for a plurality of pipe joints by use of a bar code reader coupled to a computer said historical record comprising an information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints, each of said information records having at least two portions, a first portion of each of said information records comprising selected physical characteristics of one of said plurality of pipe joints and a second portion of each of said information records comprising an exact location of one of said plurality of pipe joints in a pipeline, said historical record being used to identify and locate each one of said plurality of pipe joints that is likely to fail by detecting a correspondence of portions of said information record between a failed pipe joint the remaining one of said plurality of pipe joints, said method comprising the steps of: (a) recording a heat number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (b) recording a coil number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (c) recording a joint number associated with one of said plurality of pipe joints; (d) creating a bar code label containing said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number for one of said plurality of pipe joints; (e) attaching said bar code label to the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (f) repeating steps (a) through (e) for each of said plurality of pipe joints; (g) transporting each one of said plurality of pipe joints to a final destination in said pipeline having a corresponding exact location address; (h) scanning each of said bar code labels with said bar code reader to compile said heat number, said coil number, and said joint number to form said first portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (i) storing said first portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (j) permanently removing each of said bar code labels from the corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (k) inputting into said computer said exact location address in said pipeline of each one of said plurality of pipe joints to form said second portion of said information record for each corresponding one of said plurality of pipe joints; (l) storing said second portion of said information record for each one of said plurality of pipe joints in a memory of said computer; (m) identifying said exact location address of a failed pipe joint from said plurality of pipe joints; (n) identifying said information record of said failed pipe joint based upon said exact location address of said failed pipe joint; (o) comparing a portion of said information record of said failed pipe joint with a portion of said information records of the remaining ones of said plurality of pipe joints to find a correspondence between said portions of said information records; (p) identifying from said correspondence between said portions of said information records which of the remaining ones of said pipe joints are likely to fail; and (g) locating each of said remaining ones of said pipe joints which are likely to fail based on said second portion of said information records of said pipe joints which are likely to fail.