| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20110007076 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Manual, semi-automated or automated image-based electronic manifests of locate operations. Multiple image layers may be selectively enabled or disabled for display to facilitate comparative viewing of different base images and/or categories of information overlaid on the base image(s) relating to the locate operation. Accuracy indicators and/or calibration factors may be employed to ensure geographic integrity and appropriate registration of displayed information. In one example, revision layers are employed so that “raw” data, modified data, and/or annotated images may be maintained and locked to prevent unauthorized modifications. Limited access files also may be employed to prevent unauthorized edits to or use of manifests. If a digital base image is not available or of poor quality, base images may be sketched manually (e.g., on a displayed grid) with a drawing tool, and/or edge-detection and other image processing algorithms may be employed to improve feature recognition and/or remove undesirable features. Safeguards are employed to ensure that manifests are created at or near the work site, and information in the manifests may be analyzed to assess labor/material costs. | 01-13-2011 |
| 20110022433 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING LOCATE REQUEST TICKETS - Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. Ticket information is obtained from the locate request ticket at least in part by parsing the locate request ticket. One or more business rules are applied to at least some of the ticket information to generate the ticket assessment outcome(s) for the attribute(s) of the locate and/or marking operation. The ticket assessment outcome(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110040589 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING COMPLEXITY OF LOCATE REQUEST TICKETS - Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. Ticket information is obtained from the locate request ticket and analyzed so as to assign at least one complexity designation to the ticket. The complexity designation(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110040590 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMPROVING A TICKET ASSESSMENT SYSTEM - Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. A record of a completed locate and/or marking operation is analyzed, and one or more information assets used for assessing locate and/or marking operations requested in locate request tickets is updated. The information asset(s) include one or more business rules to be applied to ticket information to obtain one or more ticket assessment outcomes. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110046993 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH LOCATE REQUEST TICKETS - Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. Ticket information is obtained from the locate request ticket and analyzed so as to assign at least one risk designation to the ticket. The risk designation(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110046994 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI-STAGE ASSESSMENT OF LOCATE REQUEST TICKETS - Locate and/or marking operations involve detecting and/or marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. One or more attributes of a locate and/or marking operation requested in a locate request ticket are assessed to provide one or more ticket assessment outcomes. In a first stage of assessment, a first assessment outcome is produced by analyzing at least some ticket information obtained from the locate request ticket. In a second stage of assessment, a second assessment outcome is produced based at least in part on the first assessment outcome. The first and/or second ticket assessment outcome(s) is/are transmitted and/or stored so as to facilitate clearing the locate request ticket and/or dispatching a locate technician to perform the locate and/or marking operation. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110279229 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING LOCATION-CORRECTED SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Generating a corrected electronic record of a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician. The locate and/or marking operation comprises locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. First information relating to a location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is electronically received and, based at least in part on the first information, the location of the least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is digitally represented on a display device so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. Second information relating to a corrected location of the at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is electronically received and, based at least in part on the second information, the corrected location is electronically represented on the display device so as to generate a corrected electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. Third information relating to the corrected representation of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to generate the corrected electronic record of the locate and/or marking operation. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110279230 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS AND ASSESSING ASPECTS OF SAME - Assessing at least one aspect relating to a locate and/or marking operation performed by a locate technician based on an electronic representation of the locate and/or marking operation. The locate and/or marking operation comprises locating and/or identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. The at least one underground facility and/or the at least one physical locate mark is digitally represented on a display device so as to generate an electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation. A length associated with at least a portion of the digitally represented at least one underground facility and/or at least one physical locate mark in the electronic visual representation of the locate and/or marking operation is determined and, based at least in part on the determined length, the at least one aspect relating to the locate and/or marking operation is automatically assessed. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110279476 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING IMAGE-PROCESSED SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Managing and displaying information relating to a locate operation and/or a marking operation to detect and/or mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility. First information relating to the locate operation and/or the marking operation is electronically received, wherein the first information includes image information. The image information is processed to improve at least one aspect of an image represented by the image information and thereby provide improved image information. Based at least in part on the improved image information, at least one electronic manifest is generated that documents a performance of the locate operation and/or the marking operation. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110283217 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING SEARCHABLE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician. The locate operation comprises identifying, using at least one physical locate mark, a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area, wherein at least a portion of the dig area may be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. A bare grid is displayed on display device and, via a user input device associated with the display device, at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark is added to the displayed bare grid so as to generate a marked-up grid including the at least one digital representation of the at least one physical locate mark. Information relating to the marked-up grid is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation. | 11-17-2011 |
