# US 11,908,304 B1 · Systems and methods for managing unprocessed alarms in alarm systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,908,304 B1 - Document ID: US11908304B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 17/971,155 - Filed: 2022-10-21 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-10-21 - Assignees: Eurotherm Limited - Applicants: Eurotherm Limited - Inventors: Francesco Mecocci; Stuart Peter Sexton - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908304B1 ## CPC - G05B 23/0272: {Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user} - G08B 25/001: {Alarm cancelling procedures or alarm forwarding decisions, e.g. based on absence of alarm confirmation} - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract A method and system are provided for managing an alarm. The method and system can capture occurrences of an alarm for a monitored process; track the occurrences, including whether the occurrences, including a current occurrence of the alarm and a prior occurrence of the alarm, have been acknowledged by a user; and record alarm information for the occurrences of the alarm in a memory. The alarm information can include each occurrence of the alarm and information associated therewith including a timestamp of the occurrence and whether the occurrence of the alarm is acknowledged or not by the user. The method and system can further present or enable presentation of unacknowledged occurrences, from the tracked occurrences, for acknowledgement by a user. The unacknowledged occurrences can include a prior occurrence of the alarm. The recorded alarm information is updated to reflect the acknowledgement of the prior occurrence of the alarm when acknowledged. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for managing an alarm, comprising: capturing in real-time each new occurrence of the alarm for a monitored process, the alarm being active or inactive based on an alarm criteria and at least process data, including one or more process values, of the monitored process, each new occurrence of the alarm superseding a prior occurrence of the alarm as a current occurrence of the alarm; tracking occurrences of the alarm including whether the occurrences, including the current occurrence of the alarm and at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, have been acknowledged by a user; recording alarm information for the occurrences of the alarm in a memory, the alarm information including each occurrence of the alarm and information associated therewith including a timestamp of the occurrence and whether the occurrence of the alarm is acknowledged or not by the user; presenting or enabling presentation of one or more unacknowledged occurrences, from the tracked occurrences of the alarm, for acknowledgement by the user, the one or more unacknowledged occurrences including the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm; and in response to the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, updating the recorded alarm information to reflect the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the information related to each new occurrence of the alarm is provided to a user device to enable the presentation of the current occurrence of the alarm and/or the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm for acknowledgement by the user. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting or the enabling presentation operation comprises: presenting or enabling presentation of the current occurrence of the alarm for acknowledgement by the user, wherein, when a new occurrence of the alarm occurs, the new occurrence of the alarm becomes the current occurrence of the alarm; and in response to the acknowledgement of the current occurrence of the alarm, updating the recorded alarm information to reflect the acknowledgement of the current occurrence of the alarm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting or the enabling presentation operation comprises: presenting or enabling presentation of the information for the current occurrence of the alarm and a total number of unacknowledged occurrences of the alarm; and in response to a user input, presenting or enabling presentation of the one or more unacknowledged occurrences of the alarm on a graphical user interface with a first graphical window for enabling the user to selectively acknowledge the presented one or more unacknowledged occurrences. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to receive comments from the user, the recorded alarm information being updated with the comments. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the alarm information is recorded in an alarm history table, and the graphical user interface includes a graphical input for linking to the alarm history table to present a filtered view of the occurrences on the alarm history table on a second graphical window through which to selectively acknowledge an unacknowledged occurrence of the alarm from the occurrences of the alarm recorded on the alarm history table. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the tracking occurrences of the alarm comprises tracking in real-time a first number of unacknowledged prior occurrences of the alarm or a second number of a total number of unacknowledged occurrences. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving the process data in real-time; activating or de-activating the alarm in real-time based on the alarm criteria and the received process data; and recording the process data along with or in association with the alarm information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation or the acknowledgement of the unacknowledged prior occurrences is constrained by a time or quantity constraint. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing statistical analysis for the occurrences of the alarm over a course of the monitored process; and recording statistical information from the statistical analysis for the occurrences of the alarm in the memory. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing operation, the tracking operation, the recording operation, the presenting or enabling presentation operation, and the updating operation are performed for a plurality of different alarms. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein at least the capturing operation, the tracking operation, the recording operation, and the updating operation are performed by a process data recorder/controller responsible for capturing and storing the process data in real-time. ### Claim 13 An alarm management system, comprising: a memory for storing data, a communication device, and a processor configured to: capture in real-time each new occurrence of an alarm for a monitored process, the alarm being active or inactive based on an alarm criteria and at least process data, including one or more process values, of the monitored process, each new occurrence of the alarm superseding a prior occurrence of the alarm as a current occurrence of the alarm; track occurrences of the alarm including whether the occurrences, including the current occurrence of the alarm and at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, have been acknowledged by a user; record alarm information for the occurrences of the alarm in the memory, the alarm information including each occurrence of the alarm and information associated therewith including a timestamp of the occurrence and whether the occurrence of the alarm is acknowledged or not by the user; present or enable presentation of one or more unacknowledged occurrences, from the tracked occurrences of the alarm, for acknowledgement by the user, the one or more unacknowledged occurrences including the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm; and in response to the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, update the recorded alarm information to reflect the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The alarm management system of claim 1, comprising: a process data recorder/controller including the memory, the communication device and the processor. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The alarm management system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to: perform statistical analysis for the occurrences of the alarm over a course of the monitored process; and record statistical information from the statistical analysis for the occurrences of the alarm in the memory. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein the information related to each new occurrence of the alarm is provided to a user device to enable the presentation of the current occurrence of the alarm and/or the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm for acknowledgement by the user. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein, to present or enable the presentation, the processor is configured to: present or enable the presentation of the current occurrence of the alarm for acknowledgement by the user, wherein, when a new occurrence of the alarm occurs, the new occurrence of the alarm becomes the current occurrence of the alarm; and in response to the acknowledgement of the current occurrence of the alarm, update the recorded alarm information to reflect the acknowledgement of the current occurrence of the alarm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein to present or enable the presentation, the processor is configured to: present or enable the presentation of the information for the current occurrence of the alarm and a total number of unacknowledged occurrences of the alarm; and in response to a user input, present or enable the presentation of the one or more unacknowledged occurrences of the alarm on a graphical user interface with a first graphical window for enabling the user to selectively acknowledge the presented one or more unacknowledged occurrences. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The alarm management system of claim 18, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to receive comments from the user, the recorded alarm information being updated with the comments. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The alarm management system of claim 18, wherein the alarm information is recorded in an alarm history table, and the graphical user interface includes a graphical input for linking to the alarm history table to present a filtered view of the occurrences on the alarm history table on a second graphical window through which to selectively acknowledge an unacknowledged occurrence of the alarm from the occurrences of the alarm recorded on the alarm history table. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein, to track the occurrences of the alarm, the processor is configured to track in real-time a first number of unacknowledged prior occurrences of the alarm or a second number of a total number of unacknowledged occurrences. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive the process data in real-time; activate or de-activating the alarm in real-time based on the alarm criteria and the received process data; and record the process data along with or in association with the alarm information. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein the presentation or the acknowledgement of the unacknowledged prior occurrences is constrained by a time or quantity constraint. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The alarm management system of claim 15, wherein the capturing operation, the tracking operation, the recording operation, the presenting or enabling presentation operation, and the updating operation are performed for a plurality of different alarms. ### Claim 25 A non-transitory computer medium storing computer executable code, which when executed by one or more processors, is configured to implement a method of managing an alarm, the method comprising: capturing in real-time each new occurrence of the alarm fora monitored process, the alarm being active or inactive based on an alarm criteria and at least process data, including one or more process values, of the monitored process, each new occurrence of the alarm superseding a prior occurrence of the alarm as a current occurrence of the alarm; tracking occurrences of the alarm including whether the occurrences, including the current occurrence of the alarm and at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, have been acknowledged by a user; recording alarm information for the occurrences of the alarm in a memory, the alarm information including each occurrence of the alarm and information associated therewith including a timestamp of the occurrence and whether the occurrence of the alarm is acknowledged or not by the user; presenting or enabling presentation of one or more unacknowledged occurrences, from the tracked occurrences of the alarm, for acknowledgement by the user, the one or more unacknowledged occurrences including the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm; and in response to the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm, updating the recorded alarm information to reflect the acknowledgement of the at least one prior occurrence of the alarm.