Patent US5956664A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5956664A
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Method and apparatus for monitoring railway defects
Assignee: Cairo Systems Inc
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Filing: 1997-03-31
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Granted: 1999-09-21
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Expires: 2017-03-31
Abstract
Abstract A computer program product for a computer system including a processor, a display, a historical database, and a geographic database, for determining railway defects includes a computer readable memory including code that directs the processor to receive positional data and status data for a portion of a railway, code that directs the processor to retrieve historical status data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data from the historical database, code that directs the processor to compare the historical status data to the status data to determine a defect for the portion of the railway, code that directs the processor to retrieve an image of a geographic region in response to the positional data from the geographic database, code that directs the processor to determine an icon in response to the defect, and code that directs the display to display the image of the geographic region and the icon for the defect.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael A. Bryan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 23:39
CPC Classifications
B; B61; B61L; B61L23/00; B61L23/04; B61L23/042; B61L23/044; B61L23/048; B61L2205/00; B61L2205/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
129 words
A computer system for displaying railway defects, the computer system comprising: a receiver for receiving positional data and current status data for a portion of a railway; a historical database for retrieving historical status data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data; a processor for comparing the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which may indicate a defect occurring over time for the portion of the railway; a geographic database for forming an image of a geographic region in response to the positional data; an overlay generator for forming an overlay image in response to the defect; and a display for displaying the image of the geographic region and the overlay image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
129 words
A computer system for displaying railway defects, the computer system comprising: a receiver for receiving positional data and current status data for a portion of a railway; a historical database for retrieving historical status data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data; a processor for comparing the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which may indicate a defect occurring over time for the portion of the railway; a geographic database for forming an image of a geographic region in response to the positional data; an overlay generator for forming an overlay image in response to the defect; and a display for displaying the image of the geographic region and the overlay image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
38 words
The computer system of claim 1 further comprising: a railway database for retrieving railway data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data; and wherein the display is used for displaying the railway data.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The computer system of claim 1 further comprising: a resource status module for determining a repair resource in the geographic region in response to the positional data; and wherein the overlay for the image includes an icon representing the repair resource.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The computer system of claim 3 further comprising: a work order processing module for generating a work order for the defect for the repair resource.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The computer system of claim 4 wherein the overlay for the image includes an icon representing the work order.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
The computer system of claim 4 further comprising: a job status module for monitoring status of the work order.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
22 words
The computer system of claim 6 wherein the overlay for the image includes an icon representing the status of the work order.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
175 words
A computer program product for a computer system including a processor, a display, a historical database, and a geographic database, for determining railway defects, the computer system comprising: a computer readable memory including; code that directs the processor to receive positional data and current status data for a portion of a railway; code that directs the processor to retrieve historical status data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data from the historical database; code that directs the processor to compare the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which may indicate a defect occurring over time for the portion of the railway; code that directs the processor to retrieve an image of a geographic region in response to the positional data from the geographic database; code that directs the processor to determine an icon in response to the defect; and code that directs the display to display the image of the geographic region and the icon for the defect.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
175 words
A computer program product for a computer system including a processor, a display, a historical database, and a geographic database, for determining railway defects, the computer system comprising: a computer readable memory including; code that directs the processor to receive positional data and current status data for a portion of a railway; code that directs the processor to retrieve historical status data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data from the historical database; code that directs the processor to compare the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which may indicate a defect occurring over time for the portion of the railway; code that directs the processor to retrieve an image of a geographic region in response to the positional data from the geographic database; code that directs the processor to determine an icon in response to the defect; and code that directs the display to display the image of the geographic region and the icon for the defect.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: a railway database for retrieving railway data for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data; and code that directs the display to display the railway data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: code that directs the processor to determine a repair resource in the geographic region in response to the positional data; and code that directs the display to display an icon for the repair resource.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: code that directs the processor to generate a work order for the defect for the repair resource.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: code that directs the display to display an icon for the work order.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: code that directs the processor to monitor a status of the work order.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the computer readable memory also includes: code that directs the display to display an icon for the status of the work order.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for determining railway defects in a computer system including a display, a historical database, and a geographic database, the method comprising: receiving positional data and current status data for a rail track; retrieving historical status data from the historical database for the rail track in response to the positional data: comparing the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which can indicate a defect occurring over time for the rail track, if any, the defect having a defect type; displaying an image of a geographic region from the geographic database on the display in response to the positional data; and displaying an icon on the display in response to the defect type, if any.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
127 words
A method for determining railway defects in a computer system including a display, a historical database, and a geographic database, the method comprising: receiving positional data and current status data for a rail track; retrieving historical status data from the historical database for the rail track in response to the positional data: comparing the historical status data to the current status data to determine a difference in the two sets of data which can indicate a defect occurring over time for the rail track, if any, the defect having a defect type; displaying an image of a geographic region from the geographic database on the display in response to the positional data; and displaying an icon on the display in response to the defect type, if any.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 15 further comprising retrieving rail track data from a rail track database for the portion of the railway in response to the positional data; and displaying the rail track data on the display.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 15 further comprising determining a repair resource from a repair resource database in response to the positional data; and displaying an icon representing the repair resource on the display.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 17 further comprising: generating a work order for the defect for the repair resource.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising: displaying an icon representing the work order on the display.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 18 further comprising: monitoring the status of the work order.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 20 further comprising: displaying an icon representing the status of the work order on the display.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-09-20 | 2003-03-22 | 2003-09-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-09-20 | 2007-03-22 | 2007-09-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-09-20 | 2011-03-22 | 2011-09-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |