Electronic message delivery system utilizable in the monitoring of remote equipment and method of same

A method of monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment comprising the steps of;

• a) determining a state of at least one parameter of at least one piece of the remote equipment;
• b) communicating messages indicative of the state of the at least one parameter from the piece of remote equipment to a computer server as incoming messages;
• c) determining whether an incoming message is an incoming exception message indicative of improper operation of the piece of remote equipment;
• d) if it is determined in step c) that an incoming message is an incoming exception message forwarding at least one outgoing exception message based on the incoming exception messages to at least one user-defined communication device;
• e) storing at least one of the incoming messages and outgoing exception messages at the computer server;
• and
• f) creating an information data base about the remote equipment being monitored by enabling the messages stored in step e) to be sortable by at least one equipment criterion.

A system for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment, comprising:

• multiple sensors each in local communication with a respective one of the multiple pieces of remote equipment, said sensors detecting a state of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of remote equipment;
• local transmitters, each connected to a respective one of said sensors, said local transmitters sending status signals indicative of the state of the at least one parameter;
• an interface unit having an antenna and receiving said status signals from said local transmitters, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism;
• and
• a computer server in remote communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said computer server having a user interface, a user being capable of remotely accessing said computer server via said user interface to remotely configure a user-defined message profile containing outgoing message routing instructions,
• wherein when one of said sensors detects an exception condition in one of the pieces of remote equipment, said transmitter coupled to the one of said sensors sends a corresponding status signal, and when said interface unit receives said status signal, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message indicative of the exception condition and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,
• and wherein said server forwards at least one outgoing exception message to at least one predetermined user-defined remote communication device based on said incoming exception message as specified in said user-defined message profile.

A system for monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment, comprising:

• a sensor in communication with a piece of the remote equipment, said sensor detecting a state of least one parameter of the piece of remote equipment;
• an interface unit, connected to said sensor, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism;
• and
• a computer server in communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said server having a memory in which said messages may be stored and a subroutine for enabling sorting of said messages by at least one equipment criterion,
• wherein when said sensor detects an exception condition in the piece of remote equipment, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message indicative of the exception condition and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,
• and wherein said server forwards at least one outgoing exception message to at least one predetermined user-defined remote communication device based on said incoming exception message.

A method for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment comprising the steps of:

• a) determining respective states of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;
• b) communicating information indicative of the respective states to a communication substation;
• c) communicating messages indicative of the respective states from the communication substation to a computer server as incoming messages, the incoming messages having respective incoming formats;
• d) normalizing each incoming message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;
• e) storing the normalized messages in a normalized message database on the computer server;
• f) determining from each incoming message whether at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by a plurality of message profiles stored at the computer server;
• g) if it is determined in step f) that at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent, deriving the at least one exception message from a stored normalized message corresponding to the related incoming message and a respective one of the message profiles, the at least one exception message derived thereby having at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent;
• and h) sending the at least one exception message derived in step g) to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles,
• wherein the message profiles may be created or modified at least in part by a user by remote access of the computer server.

A method of monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment comprising the steps of:

• a) determining a state of at least one parameter of at least one piece of the remote equipment;
• b) communicating respective messages indicative of the state of the at least one parameter of the at least one piece of the remote equipment to a computer server as incoming messages, the incoming messages having respective incoming formats;
• c) normalizing each incoming message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;
• d) storing the normalized messages in a normalized message database at the computer server;
• e) determining from each incoming message whether at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by a plurality of message profiles stored at the computer server;
• f) if it is determined in step e) that at least one exception message related to the incoming message is to be sent, deriving the at least one exception message from a stored normalized message corresponding to the related incoming message and the message profiles, the at least one exception message derived thereby having at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent;
• g) sending the at least one exception message derived in step f) to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• h) storing at least one of the incoming messages and the exception messages at the computer server;
• and
• i) creating an information database for the remote equipment being monitored to enable the messages stored in step h) to be sortable by at least one equipment criterion;
• wherein the message profiles may be created or modified at least in part by a user remote access of the computer server.

A system for monitoring multiple pieces of remote equipment, comprising:

• multiple sensors each in communication with a respective one of the pieces of the remote equipment for detecting a state of at least one parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;
• local transmitters, each coupled to a respective one of said sensors, said local transmitters sending status signals indicative of the state of the at least one operating parameter of each one of the multiple pieces of the remote equipment;
• an interface unit having an antenna and receiving said status signals from said local transmitters, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism;
• and
• a computer server in communication with said interface, said server comprising:
• 1) a first message interface for receiving messages generated by said interface unit;
• 2) a message normalizer for normalizing each one of the messages received from the interface unit to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;
• 3) a normalized message database for storing the normalized messages;
• 4) a message profile database for storing a plurality of message profiles;
• 5) a message processor for determining from each one of the messages received from the interface unit whether at least one exception message related to the received messages is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• 6) an exception message generator for deriving the at least one exception message determined by the message processor to be sent to the at least one remote communication device, the at least one exception message being derived from a normalized message corresponding to the received message and the message profiles so as to have at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• 7) a second message interface for sending the at least one exception message derived by the exception message generator to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• and
• 8) a user interface for enabling a user at a remote location to create or modify at least in part the message profiles in the message profile database,
• wherein when one of said sensors detects an exception condition in one of the pieces of the remote equipment, said local transmitter coupled to the one of said sensors sends a corresponding status signal, and when said interface unit receives said status signal, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message and forwards the incoming exception message to said computer server.

A system for monitoring remote heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment, comprising:

• a sensor in communication with a piece of the remote equipment;
• an interface unit, coupled to said sensor, said interface unit having a message generating mechanism;
• and
• a computer server in communication with said interface unit, said server adapted to receive messages generated by said interface unit, said server having a memory in which said messages may be stored and a subroutine for sorting of said messages by at least one equipment criterion,
• wherein when said sensor detects an exception condition in the piece of remote equipment, said interface unit generates an incoming exception message and forwards said incoming exception message to said server,
• and wherein said server comprises:
• 1) a message normalizer for normalizing the incoming exception message to form a corresponding normalized message having a predetermined uniform format;
• 2) a normalized message database for storing the normalized message;
• 3) a message profile database for storing the a plurality of message profiles;
• 4) a message processor for determining from the incoming exception message that at least one exception message related to the incoming exception message is to be sent to at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• 5) an exception message generator for deriving the at least one exception message determined by the message processor to be sent to the at least one remote communication device, the at least one exception message being derived from the normalized message corresponding to the incoming exception message and the message profiles so as to have at least one respective format suitable for reception by the at least one remote communication device to which the at least one exception message is to be sent;
• 6) a message interface for sending the at least one exception message derived by the exception message generator to the at least one remote communication device specified by the message profiles;
• and
• 7) a user interface for enabling a user at a remote location to create or modify at least in part the message profiles in the message profile memory.