# US 11,999,394 B2 · System and method for railroad tie management > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,999,394 B2 - Document ID: US11999394B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/725,930 - Filed: 2022-04-21 - Published: 2022-08-04 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-17 - Assignees: BNSF Railway Company - Applicants: BNSF Railway Company - Inventors: Michael James Brick; Samuel Minton; Christopher Neil Pickard; Phillip Hunt; Justin Lee Devine - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11999394B2 ## CPC - B61L 23/048: {Road bed changes, e.g. road bed erosion} - G06Q 10/06315: {Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis} - B61K 9/08: Measuring installations for surveying permanent way - B61L 23/047: {Track or rail movements} - G06F 16/909: using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location (spatiotemporally dependent retrieval from the web G06F16/9537) - G06Q 10/0635: Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities - B61L: GUIDING RAILWAY TRAFFIC; ENSURING THE SAFETY OF RAILWAY TRAFFIC (brakes or auxiliary equipment B61H, B61K; point or crossing construction E01B) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B61K: AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR RAILWAYS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A Railroad Tie Management System is disclosed that can provide an efficient and organized method of inspecting and auditing ties in a rail system. Tie mark files can be retrieved by a client from a server or database in operable communication with the client, and upon instantiation of an inspection process governed by the system, an inspection information table and tie grid can be generated. The tie grid can operable to receive commands from a user, and the inspection information table is operable to automatically increment and decrement fields contained within in response to changes within the tie grid. The tie grid can also be configured to incorporate data from tie scans and serve the data to the client in a useful and user-friendly manner. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A rail tie processing system, comprising: a data storage device comprising a first database with a plurality of tie mark files; and a networked computer processor operably coupled to the storage device via an encrypted network and capable of executing machine-readable instructions to perform program steps, the program steps comprising: accessing one or more railroad tie files from memory, each railroad tie file having a file identifier; determining a railroad tie file status for each tie file; sorting the railroad tie files according to the file status; displaying the file identifiers for the sorted railroad tie files on a client device; generating a file action indicator to selectively process a selected railroad tie file; receiving the location of a client device; indicating, on the client device, a start point and a direction of travel to a plurality of rail ties for a section of track based on the selected railroad tie file; and displaying a graphic showing the plurality of rail ties for the section of track associated with the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of generating a rail tie status for the one or more rail ties based on the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of generating a tie status indicator for each rail tie in the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of receiving input verifying or changing the status of a selected rail tie. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The system claim 3, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of identifying one or more ties for a predetermine section of a railroad track. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of determining railroad track characteristics and displaying the railroad track characteristics on the client device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of receiving an entry selecting a first rail tie and retrieving metadata associated with the first rail tie via the processor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of generating an indication if the first rail tie is marked for replacement. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of instantiating an image capture function of the client and storing a captured image in metadata associated with the first rail tie. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the program steps further comprise the step of instantiating, via the processor, a user input field and storing input data in the first tie metadata. ### Claim 11 A method of processing rail ties in a railroad system, the method comprising the steps of: accessing one or more railroad tie files from memory, each railroad tie file having a file identifier; determining a railroad tie file status for each tie file; sorting the railroad tie files according to the file status; displaying the file identifiers for the sorted railroad tie files on a client device; generating a file action indicator to selectively process a selected railroad tie file; receiving the location of a client device; indicating, on the client device, a start point and a direction of travel to a plurality of rail ties for a section of track based on the selected railroad tie file; and displaying a graphic showing the plurality of rail ties for the section of track associated with the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of generating a rail tie status for the one or more rail ties based on the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of generating a tie status indicator for each rail tie in the selected railroad tie file. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving input verifying or changing the status of a selected rail tie. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method claim 13, further comprising the step of identifying one or more ties for a predetermine section of a railroad track. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining railroad track characteristics and displaying the railroad track characteristics on the client device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of receiving an entry selecting a first rail tie and retrieving metadata associated with the first rail tie via the processor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of generating an indication if the first rail tie is marked for replacement. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of instantiating an image capture function of the client and storing a captured image in metadata associated with the first rail tie. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of instantiating, via the processor, a user input field and storing input data in the first tie metadata.