US 8,543,651 B2Granted

Methods, apparatus and systems for submitting virtual white line drawings and managing notifications in connection with underground facility locate and marking operations

AssigneeCertusView Technologies, LLC

InventorsSteven Nielsen, Curtis Chambers, Jeffrey Farr

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Abstract

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.

Claims61

Dependent claims

An apparatus for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface;
a memory to store processor-executable instructions;
and
a processing unit communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processing unit, the processing unit:
electronically receives, via the communication interface, first input relating to the dig area;
based on the first input, renders a digital virtual white line image including at least one dig area indicator to provide at least one indication of the dig area with respect to a geographic area;
controls the communication interface to receive second input regarding a notification type and/or a notification communication method for at least one notification indicating a status and/or providing information relating to the performance of the locate and/or marking operation, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking, in response to at least one locate request ticket, 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;
generates the at least one notification based at least in part on the notification type and/or the notification communication method;
and
further controls the communication interface and/or the memory to electronically transmit and/or electronically store the at least one notification so as to inform at least one party associated with providing at least one locate request relating to the locate and/or marking operation of the status and/or performance of the locate and/or marking operation.

7 more elements

A method for providing information regarding a locate and/or marking operation , the method comprising:

A) electronically receiving first input relating to the dig area;
B) based on the first input, rendering a digital virtual white line image including at least one dig area indicator to provide at least one indication of the dig area with respect to a geographic area;
C) electronically receiving second input regarding a notification type and/or a notification communication method for at least one notification indicating a status and/or providing information relating to the performance of the locate and/or marking operation, the locate and/or marking operation comprising detecting and/or marking, in response to at least one locate request ticket, 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;
D) generating the at least one notification based at least in part on the notification type and/or the notification communication method;
and
E) electronically transmitting and/or electronically storing the at least one notification so as to inform at least one party associated with providing at least one locate request relating to the locate and/or marking operation of the status and/or performance of the locate and/or marking operation.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/824,655Filed 28 Jun 2010 · continuation
Priority: CA 26902399 Feb 2010
Published: US 2010/0205264 A114 Oct 2010
Granted: 24 Sep 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G06Q 50/08
Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g.…:…
G06Q 10/063
Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling: operations research,…
G01C 15/00
Surveying instruments or accessories not provided for in groups g01c1/00 - g01c13/00
H04L 67/52
Network services: specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Family

Application61/151,419Us provisional application · filed 10 Feb 2009
Application61/151,425Us provisional application · filed 10 Feb 2009
Application12/703,313Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Feb 2010
US 2010/0259414 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Oct 2010
US 2010/0205264 A1Published application
US 8,549,084 B2Related patent
US 8,543,651 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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