Identification, categorization, and integration of unplanned maintenance, repair and overhaul work on mechanical equipment

An automated interactive system for dynamically identifying an unplanned maintenance task during execution of a planned maintenance task on equipment and creating a corresponding unplanned maintenance task data record associated with the planned maintenance task, the system comprising:

• a user interface in communication with a wearable user device operable to display a maintenance menu system for data entry and access, the user interface operable to:
• receive from the wearable user device a selected geographical location of unplanned maintenance work discovered on equipment wherein the unplanned maintenance work comprising a first unplanned maintenance task associated with the selected geographical location and a second unplanned maintenance task not associated with the selected geographical location;
• receive from the wearable user device a selection specifying the first unplanned maintenance task at the selected geographical location of the equipment;
• receive from the wearable user device a selected work category to assign to the first unplanned maintenance task;
• receive from the wearable user device a selected task type to associate with the selected work category;
• and
• acquire component data for the first unplanned maintenance task;
• a storage device configured to store maintenance data in a plurality of databases comprising:
• a planned work probable findings database configured to establish, through a task pointer, a first path to the first unplanned maintenance task on the equipment;
• a planned work geography located database configured to establish through a location pointer, a second path through the selected geographical location to the planned maintenance task;
• a geography definition database configured to establish through the location pointer, the second path through the selected geographical location to the first unplanned maintenance task;
• a work description library database configured to identify the selected work category and the selected task type;
• and
• a standard repair library database configured to store a standard method of repair and associated data and to identify a task description corresponding to the selected task type;
• and
• a maintenance server in communication with the user interface and the storage device and operable to establish a resultant unplanned maintenance task data record comprising the selected geographical location, the selected work category, the selected task type, the task description, and the component data.

An automated interactive method for providing relevant maintenance information to a technician assigned to maintain equipment, the method comprising:

• entering through a user interface unplanned maintenance work discovered while planned maintenance work is under way;
• defining in a database contained on a storage medium a geographic location of the unplanned maintenance work by:
• establishing in the database, through a task pointer, a first path to the unplanned maintenance work on the equipment;
• establishing in the database, through a location pointer, a second path through the selected geographical location to both the planned maintenance work and the unplanned maintenance work;
• selecting with a server comprising a processor and in communication with the user interface and the database a task paired with the geographic location of the unplanned maintenance work wherein once the geographic location is defined, a display of another task paired with a different geographic location is suppressed;
• selecting with the server a work category of the selected task that shares resource allocated for the planned maintenance work;
• selecting with the server a type of the selected task associated with the selected work category;
• identifying with the server a task description corresponding to the selected type;
• entering through the user interface component data for the unplanned maintenance work;
• and
• establishing with a scheduler comprising a computer and in communication with the server a resultant unplanned maintenance work data record comprising the selected geographical location, the selected work category, the selected task type, the task description, and the component data.