| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080228294 | MARKING SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH LOCATION AND/OR TIME TRACKING - A system may dispense a marker, determine location data or time data, and substantially simultaneously trigger the dispensing of the marker and logging of the location data that identifies a geographic location at which the marker is dispensed or the time data that identifies a time at which the marker is dispensed. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080245299 | MARKING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A marking system may hold a container from which markers are dispensed and identify a marker characteristic regarding the markers in the container. The marking system may also receive activation of a trigger, dispense a marker from the container when the trigger is activated, and store the marker characteristic and time data when the trigger is activated. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20090013928 | MARKING SYSTEM AND METHOD - A marking tool and a method for marking a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility is presented. The method includes dispensing a marker when a trigger of a marking tool is actuated. The method further includes identifying at least one characteristic associated with the marker or the dispensing of the marker. The method further includes storing the at least one characteristic associated with dispensing the marker when the actuation of the trigger is signaled. | 01-15-2009 |
| 20090201311 | ELECTRONIC MANIFEST OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE MARKS - Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation in which one or more physical locate marks are applied by a technician to indentify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is electronically received, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device. One or more digital representations of the physical locate mark(s) applied by the locate technician are added to the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up digital image. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090202101 | ELECTRONIC MANIFEST OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE MARKS - A method performed by a device may include receiving information regarding a particular geographic area; retrieving an aerial image of the particular geographic area; displaying the aerial image; determining an approximate geographic location of a mark denoting an underground facility; overlaying, on the displayed aerial image, information concerning the approximate geographic location of the mark denoting the underground facility; and storing the aerial image and the information concerning the approximate geographic location of the mark denoting the underground facility. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090202110 | ELECTRONIC MANIFEST OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE MARKS - A manifest including an electronic file associated with a geographic location and a portion of the geographic location indicating a dig area is provided. The manifest includes indicia noting a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within the dig area. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090202111 | ELECTRONIC MANIFEST OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE MARKS - Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation in which a locate technician, using one or more physical locate marks, identifies a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is electronically received, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device. Location information regarding an identified location of the at least one physical locate mark is also electronically received and, based at least in part on the received location information, one or more digital representations of the identified location of the physical locate mark(s) is/are included in the displayed digital image so as to generate a marked-up digital image. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically stored and/or electronically transmitted so as to generate the searchable electronic record of the locate operation. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090204625 | ELECTRONIC MANIFEST OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE OPERATION - Methods and apparatus for generating a searchable electronic record of a locate operation performed by a locate technician, in which a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area is identified. An image of a geographic area comprising the dig area is electronically received, and combined with image-related information so as to generate the searchable electronic record. The image-related information comprises at least a geographic location associated with the dig area, and a timestamp indicative of when the locate operation occurred. The searchable electronic record of the locate operation is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so that performance of the location operation is verifiable. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090238414 | VIRTUAL WHITE LINES FOR DELIMITING PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - A method may include sending an aerial image to a user via a network; receiving a marked-up version of the aerial image from the user via the network that includes one or more virtual white lines added to the aerial image that delimit a dig area in which excavation is planned; and providing the marked-up version of the aerial image, via one of an electronic or tangible delivery system, to another entity. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090238415 | VIRTUAL WHITE LINES FOR DELIMITING PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - Methods and apparatus for facilitating detection of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area including the dig area is electronically received at a first user location remote from the dig area, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device at the first user location remote from the dig area. One or more indicators are added to the displayed digital image, via a user input device associated with the display device, to provide at least one indication of the dig area and thereby generate a marked-up digital image. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to facilitate the detection of the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090238416 | VIRTUAL WHITE LINES FOR DELIMITING PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - Method and apparatus for facilitating detection of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one marked-up digital image of a geographic area including the dig area, the image including at least one indicator to delimit the dig area, is electronically processed by converting the at least one indicator to a plurality of geographic coordinates representing the delimited dig area. Information relating to a locate request ticket identifying the dig area to be excavated is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored, wherein the locate request ticket includes image data and non-image data associated with the dig area. The image data includes the at least one marked-up digital image of the geographic area surrounding the dig area, and the non-image data includes the plurality of geographic coordinates representing the delimited dig area. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090241045 | VIRTUAL WHITE LINES FOR DELIMITING PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - Methods and apparatus for facilitating detection of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. Data representing an aerial image of a geographic area including the dig area is electronically received, the data including geo-coding or geographical identification metadata associated with the aerial image. At least a portion of the aerial image is displayed on a display device, including at least one map symbol, street name, region, and/or landmark description superimposed upon or displayed separately from the geographic area. The dig area is delimited on the displayed image, via a user input device associated with the display device, so as to generate a marked-up digital image including a delimited dig area. Information relating to the marked-up digital image is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to facilitate the detection of the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20090241046 | VIRTUAL WHITE LINES FOR DELIMITING PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - Methods and apparatus for facilitating detection of a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. A digital image of a geographic area including the dig area is electronically received, and at least a portion of the received digital image is displayed on a display device. The dig area is delimited on the displayed digital image, via a user input device associated with the display device, so as to generate a marked-up digital image including a delimited dig area, without acquiring geographic coordinates to delimit the dig area. Information relating to the dig area is electronically transmitted and/or electronically stored so as to facilitate the detection of the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility within the dig area. | 09-24-2009 |
| 20100090858 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING MARKING INFORMATION TO ELECTRONICALLY DISPLAY DISPENSING OF MARKERS BY A MARKING SYSTEM OR MARKING TOOL - Marking information relating to the use of a marking system or a marking tool configured to dispense one or more markers to mark, on ground, pavement, or other surface, a location of an underground utility, is used to control a display device so as to visually display a dispensing of the one or more markers on an electronic representation of an area that is marked and includes the location of the underground utility. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100094553 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING LOCATION DATA AND/OR TIME DATA TO ELECTRONICALLY DISPLAY DISPENSING OF MARKERS BY A MARKING SYSTEM OR MARKING TOOL - Information is electronically displayed relating to use of a marking system or a marking tool configured to dispense one or more markers to mark, on ground, pavement, or other surface, a location of an underground utility. Location data and/or time data relating to the use of the marking system or the marking tool are used to control a display device so as to visually display a dispensing of the one or more markers on an electronic representation of an area that is marked and includes the location of the underground utility. | 04-15-2010 |
| 20100188088 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING AND PROCESSING FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION ON A LOCATE DEVICE - A locate device for a locate operation to detect a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the locate operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a locate device is used during a locate operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information locate information and/or landmark information relating to the locate operation; and storing locally on the locate device, and/or transmitting from the locate device, facilities map information and/or overlaid locate/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100188215 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ALERTS ON A MARKING DEVICE, BASED ON COMPARING ELECTRONIC MARKING INFORMATION TO FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION - A marking device for a marking operation to mark a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the marking operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a marking device is used during a marking operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information marking information and/or landmark information relating to the marking operation; and storing locally on the marking device, and/or transmitting from the marking device, facilities map information and/or overlaid marking/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). In one aspect, a location at which marking material is dispensed is compared to a location of a facility line as indicated by the facilities map or other image information, and an alert may be generated based on the comparison. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100188216 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ALERTS ON A LOCATE DEVICE, BASED ON COMPARING ELECTRONIC LOCATE INFORMATION TO FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION - A locate device for a locate operation to detect a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the locate operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a locate device is used during a locate operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information locate information and/or landmark information relating to the locate operation; and storing locally on the locate device, and/or transmitting from the locate device, facilities map information and/or overlaid locate/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). In one aspect, a location at which an indication of detection of a facility is generated is compared to a location of a facility line as indicated by the facilities map information/image information, and an alert is generated based on the comparison. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100188245 | LOCATE APPARATUS HAVING ENHANCED FEATURES FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Locate information relating to use of a locate device to perform a locate operation may be acquired from one or more input devices, logged/stored in local memory of a locate device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the locate device itself, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, a locate device may include one or more environmental sensors and/or operational sensors, and the locate information may include environmental information and operational information derived from such sensors. Environmental and/or operational information may be used to control operation of the locate device, assess out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with use of the locate device, and/or provide alerts or other feedback. Additional enhancements are disclosed relating to improving the determination of a location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of a detecting tip of the locate device during use, a group/solo mode, and tactile functionality of a user interface. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100188407 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING AND PROCESSING FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION ON A MARKING DEVICE - A marking device for a marking operation to mark a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the marking operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a marking device is used during a marking operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information marking information and/or landmark information relating to the marking operation; and storing locally on the marking device, and/or transmitting from the marking device, facilities map information and/or overlaid marking/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100189312 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR OVERLAYING ELECTRONIC LOCATE INFORMATION ON FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION DISPLAYED ON A LOCATE DEVICE - A locate device for a locate operation to detect a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the locate operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a locate device is used during a locate operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information locate information and/or landmark information relating to the locate operation; and storing locally on the locate device, and/or transmitting from the locate device, facilities map information and/or overlaid locate/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100189887 | MARKING APPARATUS HAVING ENHANCED FEATURES FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Marking information relating to use of a marking device to perform a marking operation may be acquired from one or more input devices, logged/stored in local memory of a marking device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the marking device itself, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, a marking device may include one or more environmental sensors and/or operational sensors, and the marking information may include environmental information and operational information derived from such sensors. Environmental and/or operational information may be used to control operation of the marking device, assess out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with use of the marking device, and/or provide alerts or other feedback. Additional enhancements are disclosed relating to improving the determination of a location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of a dispensing tip of the marking device during use, a group/solo mode, and tactile functionality of a user interface. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100198663 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR OVERLAYING ELECTRONIC MARKING INFORMATION ON FACILITIES MAP INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER IMAGE INFORMATION DISPLAYED ON A MARKING DEVICE - A marking device for a marking operation to mark a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities is configured to access and display facilities map information, and/or other image information, as a visual aid to facilitate the marking operation. In various aspects, methods and apparatus relate to: selection of an appropriate “base” facilities map, or information from a database of facilities map data, relating to a given work site/dig area; selection of an appropriate pan and/or zoom (resolution) for displaying facilities map information; appropriately updating displayed facilities map information while a marking device is used during a marking operation (e.g. changing pan, zoom and/or orientation); overlaying on the displayed facilities map information marking information and/or landmark information relating to the marking operation; and storing locally on the marking device, and/or transmitting from the marking device, facilities map information and/or overlaid marking/landmark information (e.g., for further processing, analysis and/or subsequent display). | 08-05-2010 |
| 20100205031 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR EXCHANGING INFORMATION BETWEEN EXCAVATORS AND OTHER ENTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100205032 | MARKING APPARATUS EQUIPPED WITH TICKET PROCESSING SOFTWARE FOR FACILITATING MARKING OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS - Marking apparatus and methods, in which first ticket information relating to a locate request ticket is received, and second ticket information derived from the first ticket information is displayed on a display device of the marking apparatus. A field technician may provide some input to generate an electronic record or log of technician activity during a marking operation. In one example, a checklist may be generated (e.g., based at least in part on the first ticket information) and displayed locally to the technician as a guide to perform and verify various aspects of the operation. In another example, a set of instructions or “workflow” may be generated to guide the technician through a sequence of steps to perform the marking operation. Performance via a process guide (e.g., checklist or workflow) may be interactive in that the technician may provide input, or automated/semi-automated by analyzing various information collected by the marking apparatus with respect to the ticket information and/or other available information germane to the operation. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100205264 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR EXCHANGING INFORMATION BETWEEN EXCAVATORS AND OTHER ENTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100228588 | MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND APPARATUS, FOR PROVIDING IMPROVED VISIBILITY, QUALITY CONTROL AND AUDIT CAPABILITY FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - A holistic approach to management and oversight of locate and marking operations is provided. Initial requests to perform such operations are improved, and such requests are intelligently assessed to appropriately allocate resources to perform operations. Technicians are effectively dispatched and may be provided with process guides to facilitate performance. A host of information regarding the performance of locate operations and their environs is acquired (e.g., via improved intelligent instrumentation employed by technicians). A quality of operations (e.g., completeness, accuracy, efficiency) is assessed, corrective actions may be taken in essentially real-time as necessary, and information regarding operations and their quality assessments is archived for auditing purposes. Relevant information is communicated to one or more parties associated with the operations; in particular, requesting parties are apprised of the status of ongoing operations, and given confirmation that operations have been performed and are completed. Requesting parties and/or other interested parties (e.g., excavators, facility owners, locate contractors, municipalities, regulators, auditors, damage investigators, insurance companies, etc.) also may be provided with detailed information regarding the performance of operations and quality assessment of same. | 09-09-2010 |
| 20100245086 | MARKING APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO DETECT OUT-OF-TOLERANCE CONDITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for facilitating a marking operation to indicate a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility. Marking information, including one or both of environmental information representative of at least one environmental condition of an environment in which the marking operation is located, and operating information representative of at least one operating condition of a marking device used to perform the marking operation, is received and compared to a target value or a range of values to determine if an out-of-tolerance condition exists. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100247754 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING MARKING MATERIAL IN CONNECTION WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATIONS BASED ON ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION AND/OR OPERATIONAL INFORMATION - Methods, apparatus, and systems for facilitating a marking operation to indicate a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility. Marking information relating to the marking operations, including one or both of environmental information representative of at least one environmental condition of an environment in which the marking operation is performed, and operating information representative of at least one operating condition of a marking device used to perform the marking operation, is electronically acquired. A marking material is dispensed to mark the presence or the absence of the at least one underground facility is dispensed, and the dispensing is controlled based at least in part on the acquired marking information. | 09-30-2010 |
| 20100253511 | LOCATE APPARATUS CONFIGURED TO DETECT OUT-OF-TOLERANCE CONDITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - In connection with a locate operation to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility, a magnetic field from an underground facility is detected, and one or more signals also are obtained that are indicative of one or more environmental conditions in an environment in which the underground facility is detected. The signal(s) indicative of the environmental condition(s) are compared to a target value or range of values to determine if an out-of-tolerance condition exists. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100253513 | LOCATE TRANSMITTER HAVING ENHANCED FEATURES FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - A locate transmitter and method for a locate operation to detect the presence or absence of an underground facility. An applied signal is generated, to be applied along the underground facility, and one or more environmental conditions of an environment are detected. Output signals representing the detected signals may be logged into local memory and/or provided to one or more processors for analysis and/or transmission. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100253514 | LOCATE TRANSMITTER CONFIGURED TO DETECT OUT-OF-TOLERANCE CONDITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - A locate transmitter and method for performing a locate operation to detect a presence or absence of an underground facility. An applied signal is generated to be applied along the underground facility. One or more environmental conditions of an environment in which the transmitted is located are detected and compared to a target value or range of values to determine if an out-of-tolerance condition exists. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100255182 | MARKING APPARATUS HAVING OPERATIONAL SENSORS FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Methods, apparatus and systems for performing a marking operation to mark a presence or absence of at least one underground facility using a marking device. Marking material is dispensed onto a target surface via actuation of an actuation system of the marking device. A location tracking system detects a location of the marking device. One or more input devices of the marking device detect(s) one or more operating conditions of the marking device, and marking information is logged into local memory of the marking device. In one aspect, at least some operating information relating to the one or more detected conditions of the marking device are included in the marking information logged into memory. | 10-07-2010 |
| 20100259381 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR NOTIFYING EXCAVATORS AND OTHER ENTITIES OF THE STATUS OF IN-PROGRESS UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100259414 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR SUBMITTING VIRTUAL WHITE LINE DRAWINGS AND MANAGING NOTIFICATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100262470 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR ANALYZING USE OF A MARKING DEVICE BY A TECHNICIAN TO PERFORM AN UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATION - Methods, apparatus, and systems for monitoring a technician's performance of a marking operation to indicate the presence or absence of an underground facility, wherein the technician uses a marking device. Operating information representative of motion of the marking device during performance of the marking operation by the technician is analyzed to determine a pattern of motion. In one example, the pattern of motion is compared to at least one previously-identified pattern of motion associated with at least one technician. In various aspects, the operating information may representative of an acceleration, a velocity, a distance traveled by, and/or an angle of inclination of the marking device. In another aspect, the previously-identified pattern of motion may be a technician signature representing a pattern of motion unique to a technician. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100262670 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR COMMUNICATING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS TO EXCAVATORS AND OTHER ENTITIES - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100263591 | MARKING APPARATUS HAVING ENVIRONMENTAL SENSORS AND OPERATIONS SENSORS FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY MARKING OPERATIONS, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND SYSTEMS - Marking information relating to use of a marking device to perform a marking operation may be acquired from one or more input devices, logged/stored in local memory of a marking device, formatted in various manners, processed and/or analyzed at the marking device itself, and/or transmitted to another device (e.g., a remote computer/server) for storage, processing and/or analysis. In one example, a marking device may include one or more environmental sensors and/or operational sensors, and the marking information may include environmental information and operational information derived from such sensors. Environmental and/or operational information may be used to control operation of the marking device, assess out-of-tolerance conditions in connection with use of the marking device, and/or provide alerts or other feedback. Additional enhancements are disclosed relating to improving the determination of a location (e.g., GPS coordinates) of a dispensing tip of the marking device during use, a group/solo mode, and tactile functionality of a user interface. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100268786 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR REQUESTING UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS AND MANAGING ASSOCIATED NOTIFICATIONS - Methods, apparatus, and systems for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation to identify a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area. At least one notification indicating a status of the locate and/or marking operation is electronically transmitted and/or stored so as to inform at least one party associated with requesting the operation (a “requesting party,” e.g., an excavator, a property owner, a facility owner, a regulatory authority, a damage investigator, etc.) of the status of the operation. In one aspect, a requesting party may designate a preferred format, content, and/or method of receiving notifications regarding the locate and/or marking operation. In another aspect, a computer-generated GUI is provided to facilitate submission of requests, generation of “virtual white line” images to indicate one or more dig areas on a digital image of a work site, and/or selection of notifications and preferences for same. In yet another aspect, a requesting party may provide an acknowledgement of receipt (e.g., a “return receipt”) for one or more received notifications. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100285211 | METHOD OF USING CODED MARKING PATTERNS IN UNDERGROUND FACILITIES LOCATE OPERATIONS - Methods of using coded marking patterns in underground facilities locate operations are disclosed. Coded marking patterns may be dispensed, for example, on the surface of the ground to indicate types of facilities and any other useful information about the facilities. In one embodiment, coded marking patterns are provided that include a combination of marking material color to indicate types of facilities and unique marking patterns to indicate any other information about the facilities that may be beneficial to, for example, excavators and/or any other interested parties, such as facility owners. In another embodiment, color-agnostic coded marking patterns include unique marking patterns that may be dispensed using any color for indicating the types of facilities. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20100318401 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS WITH IMPROVED VISIBILITY, QUALITY CONTROL AND AUDIT CAPABILITY - First ticket information relating to one or more locate request tickets identifying a dig area is electronically received, including first image data associated with the dig area. The first image data includes one or both of: i) a marked-up digital image of a geographic area including the dig area, the marked-up digital image including at least one dig area indicator to provide an indication of the dig area; and ii) geographic information relating to the at least one dig area indicator. The dig area is inspected based at least in part on the first ticket information, and using one or more pieces of locating equipment to determine a presence or an absence of one or more underground facilities and/or physically mark the dig area with one or more physical locate marks. One or more of marking information, locate information, and landmark information is electronically added to the marked-up digital image and/or a second digital image so as to provide an updated marked-up image relating to the locate operation as performed. An electronic manifest is generated relating to the locate operation and including the updated marked-up image. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100318402 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - First ticket information describing a locate operation to be performed is electronically received, including image information and/or geospatial metadata relating to a dig area and/or a work site. Field information relating to the locate operation as at least partially performed and/or environmental information relating to the dig area and/or the work site is electronically received and processed to provide a quality assessment of the locate operation. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100318465 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING ACCESS TO INFORMATION RELATING TO LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - A holistic approach to management and oversight of locate and marking operations is provided. Initial requests to perform such operations are improved, and such requests are intelligently assessed to appropriately allocate resources to perform operations. Technicians are effectively dispatched and may be provided with process guides to facilitate performance. A host of information regarding the performance of locate operations and their environs is acquired (e.g., via improved intelligent instrumentation employed by technicians). A quality of operations (e.g., completeness, accuracy, efficiency) is assessed, corrective actions may be taken in essentially real-time as necessary, and information regarding operations and their quality assessments is archived for auditing purposes. Relevant information is communicated to one or more parties associated with the operations; in particular, requesting parties are apprised of the status of ongoing operations, and given confirmation that operations have been performed and are completed. Requesting parties and/or other interested parties (e.g., excavators, facility owners, locate contractors, municipalities, regulators, auditors, damage investigators, insurance companies, etc.) also may be provided with detailed information regarding the performance of operations and quality assessment of same. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100324967 | MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS AND APPARATUS, FOR DISPATCHING TICKETS, RECEIVING FIELD INFORMATION, AND PERFORMING A QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - An electronically generated locate request ticket identifying a dig area includes first image data associated with the dig area. The first image data includes one or both of: i) a marked-up image of a geographic area including the dig area, wherein the marked-up image includes at least one dig area indicator to provide an indication of the dig area; and ii) geographic information relating to the at least one dig area indicator. The locate request ticket is electronically transmitted to at least one entity associated with the locate operation. A completed locate request ticket is electronically received including second image data and/or non-image data relating to the locate operation as performed. The completed locate request ticket is electronically processed so as to provide a quality assessment of the locate operation. Information relating to the completed ticket and/or the quality assessment is electronically stored and/or transmitted so as to provide a searchable electronic record of the locate operation. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20100330542 | SYSTEMS FOR AND METHODS OF SIMULATING FACILITIES FOR USE IN LOCATE OPERATIONS TRAINING EXERCISES - Systems for and methods of simulating facilities for use in locate operations training exercises are disclosed. Embodiments of the simulated facilities systems include a floor system in which one or more concealed wires may be energized to simulate underground facilities for the purpose of performing, for example, locate operations training, updating, and/or certification exercises for locate technicians. Embodiments of the simulated facilities systems include configurable pedestals by which either non-electric power line type of facilities and/or electric power line types of facility may be simulated. In some embodiments, simulated facilities systems may be configured manually and/or by use of a system controller. | 12-30-2010 |
| 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 |
| 20110020776 | LOCATING EQUIPMENT FOR AND METHODS OF SIMULATING LOCATE OPERATIONS FOR TRAINING AND/OR SKILLS EVALUATION - Training systems for and methods of simulating locate operations are provided for training and/or skills evaluation. Facility locating equipment, such as on-site computers and/or locate receivers, may include modules for electronically simulating locate operations. Locating equipment including simulation modules may be used, for example, in locate technician training processes and/or for updating and/or evaluating the skills of locate technicians. In particular, a simulation module is provided for electronically generating “virtual” facilities, the presence and/or absence of which may be indicated to a locate technician during, for example, a training exercise. The actions of the locate technicians with respect to dispensing marking material that corresponds to the presence and/or absence of the virtual facilities are electronically captured, stored, and evaluated. | 01-27-2011 |
| 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 |
| 20110035245 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING TECHNICIAN WORKFLOWS FOR LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Processing a workflow for a locate and/or marking operation to detect and/or 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 is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. A workflow for the locate and/or marking operation is acquired, wherein the workflow comprises a series of tasks to be performed in connection with the locate and/or marking operation. One or more workflow outputs are displayed on a display device in accordance with the workflow, wherein each workflow output is generated based at least in part on at least one of the series of tasks in the workflow. A status of at least one task of the series of tasks is determined based on at least one input received in connection with the locate and/or marking operation, and an updated workflow is generated based at least in part on the determined status. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035251 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR FACILITATING AND/OR VERIFYING LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - First ticket information is electronically received relating to at least one locate request ticket pertaining to a locate and/or marking operation, in which a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility within a dig area planned to be excavated or disturbed is detected and/or marked. A process guide for the locate and/or marking operation is executed and/or generated based at least in part on the first ticket information. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035252 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING TECHNICIAN CHECKLISTS FOR LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Processing a checklist for a locate and/or marking operation to detect 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, wherein the checklist comprises a plurality of checklist items to be processed pursuant to the locate and/or marking operation. The checklist is displayed to a locate technician performing the locate and/or marking operation, and a status of at least one of the checklist items is determined based at least in part on at least one input received in connection with the locate and/or marking operation. An updated checklist is generated based on the status of the at least one of the checklist items. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035260 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS BASED ON PROCESS GUIDES - Facilitating a quality assessment of a locate and/or marking operation to detect and/or 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 is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. Electronic process guide information is acquired from a process guide associated with the locate and/or marking operation, wherein the process guide comprises at least one task to be performed by a locate technician in connection with the locate and/or marking operation. Performance information relating to at least one aspect of the locate and/or marking operation as performed by a locate technician is received, and prior to completion of the locate and/or marking operation, at least one indication of at least one aspect of a quality assessment of the locate and/or marking operation is generated based at least in part on the process guide information acquired from the process guide and the received performance information. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035324 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING TECHNICIAN WORKFLOWS FOR LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - Generating a workflow for a locate and/or marking operation to detect and/or 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 is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. Ticket information is acquired that is derived from a ticket and/or a work order associated with the locate and/or marking operation. Based at least in part on the acquired ticket information, the workflow is generated for the locate and/or marking operation, wherein the workflow comprises a series of tasks to be performed by a locate technician in connection with the locate and/or marking operation. The workflow is transmitted via a communication interface and/or stored in a memory. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035328 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR GENERATING TECHNICIAN CHECKLISTS FOR LOCATE AND/OR MARKING OPERATIONS - A checklist is generated for a locate and/or marking operation to detect and/or 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 is planned to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities. Ticket information that is derived from a ticket and/or a work order associated with the locate and/or marking operation is acquired and, based at least in part on the acquired ticket information, at least one task to be performed by a locate technician in connection with the locate and/or marking operation is determined. The checklist for the locate and/or marking operation is then generated, wherein the checklist comprises a plurality of checklist items to be processed pursuant to the locate and/or marking operation, and wherein at least one of the checklist items corresponds to the at least one task to be performed by the locate technician. | 02-10-2011 |
| 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 |
| 20110045175 | METHODS AND MARKING DEVICES WITH MECHANISMS FOR INDICATING AND/OR DETECTING MARKING MATERIAL COLOR - Methods and marking devices for indicating and/or detecting a color of marking material used in performance of a marking operation to mark the presence or absence of an underground facility are described. Information about the color of the marking material may optionally be logged or stored by a marking device and/or transmitted to an external device. | 02-24-2011 |
| 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 |
| 20110046999 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS BY COMPARING LOCATE INFORMATION AND MARKING INFORMATION - Methods, apparatus and systems including a computer comprising at least one hardware processor, at least one tangible storage medium (memory), and at least one input/output (I/O) interface for evaluating a quality of a locate and/or marking operation. First information relating to the marking operation (e.g., marking information) is compared to second information relating to the locate operation (e.g., locate information). In some examples, one or both of the marking information and the locate information may be filtered to improve data integrity in some manner. One or more indications of a quality assessment of the locate and/or marking operation is automatically generated based on such a comparison, and the one or more indications of the quality assessment are electronically stored on the at least one tangible storage medium, and/or electronically transmitted via the at least one I/O interface, so as to provide an electronic record of the quality assessment. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110060496 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING OF VEHICLE INFORMATION AND IMAGE INFORMATION RELATING TO A VEHICLE - A vehicle-based complex event processing (CEP) engine executes on a hardware computer processor in a vehicle. The CEP engine receives a first input stream onto which vehicle information related to the vehicle is published, and applies at least one query to the first input stream. The CEP engine then assesses, based on application of the query/queries, if a vehicle-related event has occurred and, if so, the CEP engine publishes an indication of occurrence of the vehicle-related event on at least one output stream of the CEP engine. In one example, the CEP engine may receive a second input stream onto which image information is published, wherein the image information is based at least in part on data provided by at least one on-board vehicle camera. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110060549 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING MARKING OPERATIONS BASED ON ACCELERATION INFORMATION - Marking devices of the type used for marking a presence or an absence of underground facilities and including motion detectors such as accelerometers are described. Methods of collecting and analyzing motion information indicative of the motion of a marking device are also described. The motion information may be used for various purposes, including documenting performance of a marking operation and/or performance of a particular technician, pattern determination and comparison, as well as quality control assessment. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110093162 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING OF VEHICLE-RELATED INFORMATION - A vehicle-based complex event processing (CEP) engine executes on at least one hardware computer processor in a first vehicle. The CEP engine receives a first input stream onto which vehicle information related to the first vehicle is published, and applies one or more queries to the first input stream to assess if a vehicle-related event has occurred. If it is determined that the vehicle-related event has occurred, the CEP engine publishes an indication of occurrence of the vehicle-related event on an output stream of the vehicle-based CEP engine, and transmits the indication of occurrence of the vehicle-related event from the first vehicle. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110093304 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING BASED ON A HIERARCHICAL ARRANGEMENT OF COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING ENGINES - A system comprising a plurality of complex event processing engines including a first complex event processing engine set at a first tier and a second complex event processing engine set at a second tier. Each of the plurality of complex event processing engines executes on at least one hardware computer processor. The plurality of complex event processing engines are configured such that at least one complex event processing engine in the second set communicates with only some of the other complex event processing engines in the second set. The plurality of complex event processing engines further are configured such that at least one complex event processing engine in the first set communicates with each complex event processing engine in the second set. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110093306 | FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING OF VEHICLE-RELATED INFORMATION VIA LOCAL AND REMOTE COMPLEX EVENT PROCESSING ENGINES - A fleet management complex event processing (CEP) engine executes on at least one hardware computer processor. The CEP engine receives at least a first input stream onto which first vehicle information related to a first vehicle is published, and a second input stream onto which second vehicle information related to a second vehicle is published. The CEP engine applies at least one query to the first input stream and the second input stream, and assesses if a fleet-related complex event has occurred. If it is determined in that the fleet-related complex event has occurred, the CEP engine publishes an indication of occurrence of the fleet-related complex event on at least one output stream. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110117272 | MARKING DEVICE WITH TRANSMITTER FOR TRIANGULATING LOCATION DURING LOCATE OPERATIONS - Methods, apparatus and systems for determining the location of a marking device during performance of a marking operation using triangulation are described. The marking device may be of the type used to mark the presence or absence of underground facilities and may include a marking material dispenser to dispense marking material as an indicator. The marking device may include a transmitter which transmits a signal received by a receiving system including two or more receiving devices at separate locations. Triangulation algorithms may then be used to determine the location of the marking device relative to the receiving system. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110131081 | METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING AN ENHANCED POSITIVE RESPONSE IN UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOCATE AND MARKING OPERATIONS - A positive response notification to provide information regarding locate and/or marking operations for underground facilities may include time-stamp information to provide proof of a time at which the locate and/or marking operation was completed by a locate technician, and/or place-stamp information to provide proof of a presence of the locate technician at or near a work site. An electronic manifest image and/or a virtual white line image similarly may be included in a positive response notification. In one example, such images may be bundled together based on respective descriptor files (or descriptor metadata) that associates the corresponding images with a locate request ticket for the operation. In another example, a positive response notification may include environmental information regarding one or more environmental conditions present at or near the work site during the locate and/or marking operation. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110135163 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING UNBUFFERED DIG AREA INDICATORS ON AERIAL IMAGES TO DELIMIT PLANNED EXCAVATION SITES - Indicating a precise geographic extent and a precise geographic location of a dig area at a work site at which excavation is planned, to facilitate detection and/or marking of a presence or an absence of an underground facility in the dig area. A graphical user interface includes an aerial image of a geographic area proximate to and including the work site and the dig area, and a drawing tool to facilitate placement of one or more dig area indicators on the aerial image. A user uses the drawing tool to delimit the precise geographic extent and the precise geographic location of the dig area(s) on the displayed aerial image so as to form the dig area indicator(s), representing unbuffered dig areas, and thereby generate a marked-up aerial image. Geographic coordinates are determined corresponding to the unbuffered dig area(s) represented by the dig area indicator(s). A locate request ticket is generated that includes the marked-up aerial image itself, the geographic coordinates corresponding to the unbuffered dig area(s), and/or a link to a webpage at which the marked-up aerial image may be viewed and/or the geographic coordinates may be accessed. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110137769 | METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR ENSURING WAGE AND HOUR COMPLIANCE IN LOCATE OPERATIONS - Control of locating equipment used by a locate technician to perform a locate and/or marking operation to detect and/or mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility at a work site (e.g., locate receivers, locate transmitters, marking devices and/or combined locate and marking devices) is based on time-keeping information associated with the technician and/or wage and hour compliance information. In one example, one or more control signals are generated to at least partially enable or disable one or more piece of locating equipment based at least in part on a time clock status of the locate technician (e.g., clocked-in or clocked-out), and/or wage and hour compliance information associated with the locate technician and/or the work site (e.g., relating to required breaks and/or maximum number of work hours). | 06-09-2011 |
