System and method for remote configuration of asphalt plants

Abstract

To provide remote configuration of an on-site computer system.SOLUTION: An on-site computer system is located at a material production facility and may be used for generating a ticket related to the transfer of bulk materials such as asphalt or concrete. A remote computer system may communicate with the on-site computer system and may be used for generating a ticket template and a configuration file that may be uploaded to the on-site computer system. Additionally, a remote computer system may access the on-site computer system to edit system software or perform other corrective actions if there are any errors in the on-site computer system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The patent disclosure generally relates to the remote configuration of an on-site computer system in a bulk material handling facility, and more specifically, to systems and methods for configuring an on-site computer system from a remote computer system.

Background Art

[0002] Various types of bulk materials are used for various purposes in construction, industrial, and similar fields. For example, asphalt is typically used for paving to provide road construction and finishing surfaces. Similarly, concrete is often used in the construction of buildings and other structures. Other examples include gravel used as a filler material and in the manufacture of other materials. Bulk materials are usually stored and processed in one location and must be transported to the location where they are to be used, which is a field known as bulk material handling. To transport bulk materials over land, a road truck carrying a dump trailer or an open hopper trailer is typically utilized. The trailer can be filled with bulk material, and the road truck transports the material to its place of use. Sometimes, a convoy of trucks may make several trips per day between a material production plant or storage location and a construction site or other destination. In order to document the material transportation process from the production facility, conventionally, tickets have been generated, which print a paper receipt and give it to the operator of the road truck to indicate the receipt of the loaded material. The information in the ticket can include the material supplier, customer, bulk material type, quantity, and price, as well as the date of material collection. The ticket can be further retained in the records of both the material provider and the material customer to document the exchange of bulk materials.

[0003] The prior art system of local configuration management, as shown in Figure 6, may have several disadvantages that represent the prior art environment 500 in which the on-site configuration management system is deployed. As seen in Figure 5, various costs may be associated with each software deployment 502, where service personnel may need to travel to the facility where the on-site computer system is located. The on-site computer system may be located on a different continent from the remote computer system. For example, the remote computer system may be located in the United States, and the on-site computer system may be located in Asia. In this case, the traveling personnel must travel to the on-site facility for each deployment and bug fix, and the costs will be borne by the travel costs from the United States to Asia, as shown in reference number 504. Similarly, the traveling personnel will bear living expenses 506 and other incidental expenses during their stay. Because the prior art on-site configuration management mandates the physical presence of service personnel on-site, service personnel must travel to the site where the system to be configured resides. Travel may result in service personnel being unproductive during working hours 512 while in transit.

[0004] Furthermore, scale houses, which require service personnel to work on-site, may be provided in confined spaces. Therefore, service personnel may be tied to the scale house for hours while performing on-site configuration management tasks. This can cause stress and fatigue, as indicated by reference numeral 508. In particular, the on-site system may shut down during the execution of on-site configuration management tasks. This could lead to a loss of service provided by the on-site system. This loss of service could result in a loss of revenue. Thus, each new deployment may generate ripple effects where each expense contributes to the financial burden on the prior art on-site configuration system.

[0005] Recently, efforts have been made to automate ticketing processes using computers. For example, U.S. Patent Publication 2014 / 0244444 (hereinafter, '444 Publication') describes a paperless ticketing system for documenting the loading and transportation of concrete from a concrete batch plant. Specifically, '444 Publication' describes a group of computers that interact on a distributed network to generate electronic tickets that can be made available to specific manufacturing operators, construction company personnel, and other stakeholders in the bulk material handling process. In embodiments, the electronic tickets may be maintained on a server at a back-office location to facilitate availability. However, the generation of individual tickets still occurs at the material production plant or storage facility when bulk materials are loaded onto road trucks and shipped. Therefore, at least a portion of the computer system must be located at the material production facility, which means that technicians must travel to the facility for system implementation and debugging, which can result in costs and downtime. For example, costs may include the travel time and lost wages of technicians due to travel. Furthermore, technicians need to communicate with other individuals to fix system problems, which can be hindered by the remote location of the facility. In contrast, this disclosure covers systems and methods for ticket generation and management that utilize distributed computing architectures in a more efficient manner. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] In one aspect, this disclosure describes a ticket processing system for generating tickets to document the distribution of bulk materials from a materials production facility. The system includes an on-site computer system, which includes an on-site processor and non-temporary on-site memory. The on-site computer system may be configured to store unprocessed ticket data in on-site memory and to generate tickets from ticket templates stored in on-site non-temporary memory. The ticket processing system also includes a remote computer system, which has a remote processor and non-temporary remote memory. The remote computer system may be configured to selectively communicate with the on-site computer system to capture and download unprocessed ticket data from on-site memory and to generate and upload ticket templates for ticket generation.

[0007] In another aspect, the disclosure describes a method for enabling the generation of tickets related to material transfer at a material production facility. The method captures unprocessed ticket data from an on-site computer system operably associated with the material production facility and downloads it to a remote computer system. The method then generates a ticket template for ticket generation on the remote computer system. The ticket template is then uploaded from the remote computer system to the on-site computer system. A configuration file may be generated on the remote computer system to configure the operational settings on the on-site computer system. The configuration file can then be uploaded to the on-site computer system, and the on-site computer system can be remotely restarted to load and read the configuration file.

[0008] In yet another aspect, the disclosure describes a ticket processing system comprising an on-site computer system and a remote computer system. The on-site computer system is configured to store pending ticket data in on-site memory and to generate tickets from ticket templates. The remote computer system is configured to selectively communicate with the on-site computer system to capture and download pending ticket data from on-site memory and to generate and upload ticket templates for ticket generation. The remote computer system is further configured to access and edit system software on the on-site computer system when an error signal is sent from the on-site computer system to the remote computer system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a materials production facility for the processing and distribution of bulk materials by road truck, which may be associated with the distributed computer system for ticket development and generation described herein. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a distributed computer system within an on-site computer system, where remote computer systems can interact to configure various parameters, ports, and settings of the on-site computer system. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a ticket containing data fields and format for generating tickets to record material transfer events in a material production facility. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a ticket interface module, which may be a dedicated embedded system or controller located in a materials production facility for ticket generation. [Figure 5]Figure 5 is a flowchart of possible processes or routines for implementing a ticket processing system between an on-site computer system and a remote computer system at a materials production facility. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a typical diagram of the prior art environment in which service personnel may travel to a location to configure an on-site computer system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Referring here to the drawings, similar reference numbers refer to similar elements wherever possible, for example, a materials production facility 100 for the production of bulk materials such as an asphalt plant for asphalt production is illustrated. Asphalt and other bulk materials are typically granular or broken materials that are handled without packaging. Other examples include concrete, gravel, and similar materials. In the illustrated embodiment of the asphalt plant, the materials production facility 100 may include equipment for the preparation and processing of bulk materials from raw materials. In the example of asphalt, production begins with gravel such as crushed rock or stone, which is held in a gravel supply unit 102 and can be separated by size or grade. To provide the viscosity and viscosity associated with asphalt, a bitumen supply unit 104 may store bitumen or another binder. Other additives may be held and supplied from similar storage supply units. The material processing facility 100 may also include a burner and drum assembly 106 where raw materials are mixed and processed to provide the final bulk material. The processed asphalt or other bulk material can be held in a storage hopper 108 or similar until it is ready for loading onto a road truck 110 or similar transport vehicle. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage hopper 108 may be a vertical, raised silo supported through the ground and a bottom from which the bulk material can be dispensed, but in other embodiments, the storage hopper 108 may have other suitable configurations.

[0011] In the example of an asphalt plant, bulk material is removed by a series of road trucks 110 configured to transport the material and move it between the material production facility 100 and the intended use of the bulk material, such as in the road construction process. In practice, a convoy of road trucks 110 may be used, and they may make several runs per day to keep the project running. The road trucks 110 may include a dump body 112 or similar structure having an open upper configuration that can hold the material and receive the bulk material from a storage hopper 108. The dump body 112 may be an open top structure for receiving the material and may be tilted relative to the rest of the road truck 110 to dump the material to the desired location. The road trucks 110 may be adapted to travel on highways or paved roads. The road trucks 110 can be driven under the storage hopper 108 to load the bulk material into the dump body 112. To determine how much material is actually contained per load, a weighing scale 114 may be placed beneath the storage hopper 108 to support and weigh the load track 110 above it. Thus, the weighing scale 114 can measure both the empty or tare weight of the load track 100 and the load on which the weight of the bulk material inside the load track can be easily determined.

[0012] To generate tickets for documenting the loading and transportation process, the materials production facility 100 may include a ticket house 120, which may be a physical on-site structure for housing facility operators and equipment associated with the process. Tickets may be generated for each load distributed to the road trucks 110 to record the customer's receipt of bulk materials. Furthermore, each load may be part of a large order from the customer and may be supplied by the materials production facility 100. Thus, in the example of a road construction project, multiple tickets may be issued for multiple road trucks 110 over multiple days to fulfill a customer order for the same project. Referring to Figure 2, for example, separate events and examples of actions taken between a remote computer system 202 and an on-site computer system 204 to identify, diagnose, analyze, and resolve various problems occurring in the on-site computer system are illustrated. Figure 2 illustrates a network configured to provide a hardware and software blueprint for the on-site computer system 204, which may be physically located in separate locations and may be at a considerable distance from each other. The remote computer system 202 may initially establish a communication link with the on-site computer system 204 in order to download the initial network configuration information 206.

[0013] A typical network configuration involves a process of setting up network control, data flow, and operation to support network communication between a remote computer system 202 and an on-site computer system 204. This includes initiating a setup process on network hardware, software, and other devices and components associated with the on-site computer system 204. For example, the initial configuration may involve port configuration of the on-site computer system 204. In one embodiment of the disclosed invention, the on-site computer system 204 may have several input and output ports. The task of configuration management may involve defining which ports connect to which inputs. For example, a configuration management application interface may connect to a configuration management web service point, a printer proxy to a printer point, an in-field operation client to an internet point, a software update service to a remote computer system server point, an on-site computer system server to an on-site computer system database server point, a reporting service to an alarm management system server point, and so on. This port configuration defines a set of software tasks performed by specified parts of the hardware.

[0014] Once configured, if an error or bug occurs in the on-site computer system 204, for example, a communication port failure, the network in Figure 2 allows the remote computer system 202 to perform on-site troubleshooting actions 208 that enable access to the on-site computer system 204. Furthermore, the network may enable the remote computer system 202 to perform software deployment actions that enable the deployment of software upgrades to the on-site computer system 202. Similarly, the remote computer system 202 may be configured to perform debug / patch actions 212 to install bug fixes or software patches on software previously installed on the on-site computer system 204. In the prior art environment described above, each of these actions individually requires service personnel to physically move from the remote computer system 202 to the on-site computer system 204, potentially multiple times. Over the lifespan of the software and hardware systems, this movement can be costly.

[0015] In further embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, remote configuration management enables a remote computer system to configure and maintain an on-site computer system, such as enabling the remote computer system to automatically back up configuration files, encrypt and store configuration files, and track configuration changes in real time. For example, if an alarm is communicated to the remote computer system 202 indicating a defect in a particular port, the remote computer system can take the port down. Furthermore, the remote computer system 202 can record a history of configuration changes so that the remote computer system can take immediate action to recover the on-site computer system from a potential network disaster.

[0016] In addition to managing the load on each port of the on-site computer system, the remote computer system 202 may be configured to ensure that the device configuration of the on-site computer system 204 complies with industry standards and updates to such standards. Furthermore, the remote configuration system 202 can continuously and in real time monitor the on-site computer system to detect unauthorized changes made to the on-site computer system, providing enhanced network security and preventing unauthorized configuration changes. Unauthorized configuration changes can be intentional and carried out for malicious reasons. In such cases, the remote computer system can take appropriate measures to protect the on-site computer system. Conversely, if the configuration change is unintended and unsatisfactory, the remote computer system can take corrective actions to restore the settings and parameters. Advantageously, the remote computer system can generate insightful reports on configuration changes, compliance, raw material inventory status, and other important network parameters.

[0017] Referring to Figure 3, an example of a ticket is illustrated, which may include data fields and some information related to the ticket issuance process. The ticket may be a physical copy on paper or an electronic token enclosing the relevant information. Examples of relevant information include ticket number, order number, material production facility, customer ID, project ID, truck ID, material type, material grade, load quantity (obtained from weighing scale 114), date, time, and price. Furthermore, the ticket may include the signatures of one or more individuals to approve the transaction.

[0018] Referring again to Figure 2, to prepare tickets, the ticket house 120 may be associated with an on-site computer system 122, which includes physical hardware and software components. In one embodiment, the on-site computer system 122 may include an on-site central processing unit 124 having a microprocessor and associated circuitry for performing logical operations and executing software instructions related to the transport and ticket issuance processes. The central processing unit 124 may be enclosed in a cabinet or case for support. To interface with operators and enable the exchange of information and data, the on-site computer system 122 may include input / output peripherals 126 (e.g., monitor, keyboard, mouse). To store data and information related to the transport and ticket issuance processes in a computer-readable format and to store software applications for carrying out the processes, the on-site computer system 122 may include on-site data storage 128, which may be non-temporary computer-readable and writable memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM memory, flash memory, or another suitable storage medium such as a magnetic or optical storage device. The on-site computer system 122 may also include, or be operablely associated with, other devices and peripherals to facilitate ticket generation, such as handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs), touchscreen tablets, barcode scanners, and electronic readers.

[0019] In one embodiment, tickets may be generated and exchanged as conventional paper copies that can be physically exchanged with the road truck 110. To print tickets, the on-site computer system 122 may include a printer 130 located within the ticket house 120. Ticket information may be entered as data via the on-site computer system 122, printed on paper tickets using the printer 130, and stored. Furthermore, ticket information may be stored electronically in an on-site data storage 128 that can function as a repository for raw data contained in tickets generated over time. In another embodiment, the on-site computer system 122 may be configured to generate and exchange electronic or paperless tickets in which all information is maintained in an digitized, digitally readable format. In such embodiments, the ticket house 120 may be operably associated with a radio transmitter / receiver 132, such as a shortwave antenna, capable of exchanging radio communications. The road truck 110 may include a similar radio transmitter / receiver 134 for electronically and wirelessly communicating with the on-site computer system 122 by exchanging message signals with the radio transmitter / receiver 132 in the ticket house 120. In these embodiments, the road track 110 may include a suitable display or interface that allows the truck operator to visually perceive and verify the ticket information. Wireless communication between the road track 110 and the on-site computer system 122 can utilize any suitable technical standard or protocol, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

[0020] The on-site computer system 122 may be part of a larger, distributed computer environment or architecture 138 for generating and processing tickets related to the handling and transportation of bulk materials. For example, the materials processing facility 100 may interact with a remote facility 140, which may be a back office location, headquarters, or another location that is considerably far from the materials processing facility. The remote facility 140 may be maintained by the owner / operator of the materials production facility or may be associated with an application service provider (ASP) through an independent contractor, etc. The remote location 140 may include a physical building or structure for housing remote workers or technicians who may also contribute to the generation and processing of tickets. To support remote workers, the remote facility 140 may be operably associated with a remote computer system 142, which may also include physical hardware and software components for implementing a ticket generation system. To digitally process data and instructions and execute software applications, the remote computer system 140 may include a remote central processing unit 144 having one or more microprocessors and associated circuit components that can be enclosed in a case or cabinet. The remote computer system 142 may also include, or be associated with, remote data storage 146, which may be non-temporary, read-write memory and can be implemented electronically, magnetically, or optically. The remote data storage 146 can store a substantial amount of data in computer-readable bits and bytes and can organize the data to simplify retrieval in the form of a database. To interface with a remote worker and enable input and manipulation of computer-readable data, the remote computer system 142 may include input / output peripherals 148 (e.g., monitor, keyboard, mouse). In particular, the input / output peripherals 148 may include a monitor or visual display device for supporting and displaying a user interface 150. The user interface 150 may be a graphical user interface or may support text-based navigation and manipulation of data. For printing physical documents and records, the remote computer system 142 may also include a printer 152. Figure 1 shows the components of a remote computer system 142 in a centralized manner at a single physical remote facility 140, but the components and locations may be distributed across multiple computers and networked platforms at different physical locations.

[0021] The distributed network system 138 may be operatively associated with a computer network 156 so that the on-site computer system 122 and the remote computer system 142 can communicate electronically by sending and receiving messages. The computer network 156 may be implemented in any suitable form including the Internet or as a private network, and the communication may be public, private, or otherwise. The computer network 156 may operate as a packet-switching network by communicating data packets. The computer network 156 can utilize any suitable communication protocol such as, for example, TCP / IP. All or part of the communication may occur via conductive or optical conduits or may occur wirelessly, for example, via a satellite network. The computer network 156 may include other elements such as routers, gateways, hubs, etc. to facilitate communication. In addition to the on-site and remote computer systems 122, 142, the computer network 156 can communicatively connect other nodes or hubs. For example, in one embodiment, the remote computer system 142 may be operatively associated with a plurality of on-site computer systems 122 at different material manufacturing facilities 100 distributed across any conceivable geographical area.

[0022] In one embodiment, the computer network 156 and the distributed computer architecture 138 on which it operates may be configured as a peer-to-peer model that interfaces equally with an on-site computer system 122 and a remote computer system 142. In another embodiment, the computer network 156 and the underlying architecture 138 may be configured as a client-server model, with an on-site computer system 122 acting as a client and a remote computer system 142 acting as a server. In a further embodiment, the network and architecture may be configured for remote management of the on-site computer system 122 from the remote computer system 142. In particular, the remote computer system 142 can direct and control resources on the on-site computer system 122, as well as change their configuration, and process, analyze, and edit hardware components, software components, and data on the on-site computer system 122.

[0023] In possible variations of the remote management embodiment, the on-site computer system 122 may include, or may include, a dedicated embedded system or controller 160 configured to perform specific dedicated tasks for implementing the ticket generation and processing system. Referring to Figure 4, an embodiment of a dedicated embedded controller 160, which may be called a ticket interface module, is illustrated, for example, in the ticket house 120, which can be physically installed in the materials handling facility 100 and operably associated with the on-site computer system 122. The dedicated embedded controller 160 may be a standalone device configured for rack-mounted installation in a larger cabinet or similar. The dedicated embedded controller 160 may be enclosed in a multifaceted box-like case 162. To communicate with other devices, including a computer network 156 associated with the on-site and remote computer systems 122, 142, the dedicated embedded controller 160 may include a number of ports 164 accessible through the case 162. Examples of ports include serial ports, parallel ports where data communication is performed by the transfer of electrical signals via conductive pins that are physically in contact with each other, USB ports, or similar data ports. Other ports may include modular connectors such as Ethernet connectors or RJ-type jacks. In one embodiment, for wireless communication, the dedicated embedded controller 160 may include a wireless transmitter / receiver 166 to exchange radio communications. Furthermore, to provide visual signals regarding the operating status, the dedicated embedded controller 160 may include multiple light-emitting diodes 168 or similar visual display devices coded to communicate status information.

[0024] The dedicated embedded controller 160 may include appropriate circuitry and hardware to implement programmable functions related to the generation and processing of tickets related to bulk material transfer. For example, the embedded processor 170 can be included to process computer-executable instructions, programs, applications, and data in the form of software encoded as binary bits and bytes. Examples of suitable embedded processors 170 include programmable logic devices such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), dedicated or customized logic devices such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), gate arrays, complex programmable logic devices, or any other suitable type of circuitry or microchip. Further, to store software and data processed by the embedded processor 170, the dedicated embedded controller 160 may include non-transitory computer-readable and writable embedded data storage 172 such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM memory, flash memory, or some other suitable storage medium such as magnetic or optical storage.

Industrial Applicability

[0025] Referring to FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 1, a flowchart of an exemplary computer-implemented method for generating, managing, and processing tickets related to the transport of bulk materials from the material handling facility 100 is shown. In particular, the illustrated method may be implemented in a distributed computing application or architecture environment that includes an on-site computer system 122 located at the material handling facility 100 and a remote computer system 142 located at another location. Further, the method may facilitate remote management of the on-site computer system 122 by the remote computer 142. The method depicted in the flowchart for accomplishing these tasks may include a series of steps or instructions implemented as non-transitory computer-executable software code in the form of an application or program.

[0026] To configure the on-site computer system 122 to generate and process tickets using ticket templates, the remote computer system 142 may also perform a configuration generation step 220, which generates one or more configuration files 222. The configuration files 222 may be computer-readable files and may contain settings, parameters, and specifications for generating tickets on the on-site computer system 122. For example, in an embodiment in which the on-site computer system 122 includes a dedicated embedded controller 160, the configuration file 222 may define which ports 164 are intended to transfer and receive specific data or information, what data rates and protocols to use, and so on. The configuration generation step 220 can be performed at least partially manually by an operator or technician with knowledge of the system configuration necessary to implement the ticket template on the on-site computer system 122. After the remote computer system 142 generates the configuration file 222, the remote computer system can perform a configuration upload step 224 in which the configuration file is uploaded and sent to the on-site computer system 122. The system configuration file 222 can be transferred using the computer network 156. To load the configuration file 222 and enable and replace any previous configuration file or setting, the remote computer system 142 can perform a restart step 226 to remotely restart the on-site computer system 122. In another embodiment, the configuration file 202 can be configured for dynamic configuration in which the setting can be enabled without a remote restart.

[0027] In embodiments, method 200 may include a data capture step 230 in which a remote computer system 142 accesses an on-site computer system 122 to capture and download raw ticket data 232. The raw ticket data 232 may be a computer-readable file containing data and information after a series of operations have been performed to convert the raw data into human-readable data, the human-readable data being incorporated into the generated ticket. For example, the raw ticket file 232 may contain data fields and data types or information that may be included in the ticket at generation, other information regarding the format or formation of the ticket, and information about how the ticket is generated by the on-site computer system 122. The data in the raw ticket data 232 may be captured when the on-site computer system 122 sends the ticket to the printer 130 for printing, and may be raw, unformatted data, such as raw text strings or information from the generated ticket. The data capture step 230 may be initiated from the remote computer system 142, and the raw data file may be downloaded for further analysis and stored in the remote data storage 146.

[0028] In the template generation step 240, one or more ticket templates 242 may be generated on the remote computer system 142, partly from the raw data file 232. The ticket template 240 may be a pre-designed document containing a format and general text that can be used to generate tickets for individual material transport events, such as the loading of a road truck 110. The ticket template 242, which can be a computer-readable file and may be similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, can define data fields to be included in the ticket and describe the presentation and structure of those fields in the ticket. In embodiments, the ticket template may be implemented as a markup file written in a markup language such as HTML. The ticket template 242 enables the development of a ticket format customized for a specific material processing facility 100. The ticket template 242 may specify data field lengths, data file population rules, and so on. To develop and generate ticket templates 242, the remote computer system 142 can analyze and interpret information captured in the unprocessed ticket file 232 from the on-site computer system 122 to determine what ticket data and information are typically retrieved for the materials processing facility 100. In one embodiment, the template generation step 240 may be performed at least partially manually by a remote technician or operator analyzing the unprocessed data file 232. The remote computer system 142 may include functions or software tools to assist in the development of ticket templates 242. For example, the remote computer system 142 may include a number of sample templates stored in the remote data storage 146. A user interface 150 on the remote computer system 142 may be formatted to assist in the development of ticket templates using menus, commands, and similar elements.Once the ticket template 242 is generated, the remote computer system 142 can perform a template upload step 244, in which the template is uploaded and transferred to the on-site computer system 142, which can store the template in the on-site data storage 124.

[0029] Once the ticket template 242 and configuration file 222 are transferred, stored, and implemented on the on-site computer system 122, the on-site computer system 122 in the print / transfer ticket step 246 can generate tickets to document material transfer events, such as loading and transporting materials by the road truck 110. The tickets may be physically printed using the printer 130, or, in one embodiment, may be electronic tickets wirelessly transmitted between the ticket house 120 and the road truck 110 using transmitters / receivers 132, 134. Furthermore, the data and information contained in each ticket may be electronically stored in on-site data storage 134 and may be periodically communicated to a remote computer system 142 or another node using the computer network 156 for processing, analysis, billing, etc.

[0030] The method may further perform an error detection step 250 to detect errors or bugs that may affect the operation of the on-site computer system 122 when generating tickets. For example, error detection 250 may be performed continuously or periodically on the on-site computer system 122, and if an error or bug is detected, an error signal 254 may be sent to the remote computer system 142 in the error communication step 252. If no errors are detected, the method can return to the print / transfer ticket step 248 and continue generating tickets. In an embodiment, the error detection step 230 may be performed by error detection software stored in the on-site data storage 126 and executed from the on-site computer system 122. In another embodiment, the error detection step 250 may be executed from the remote computer system 142 by periodically logging into the online computer system 122 and performing a diagnostic analysis. For example, the on-site computer system 122 may generate and store recording events of log files 256 containing errors in the on-site data storage 126. In log capture step 258, the remote computer system 142 may capture and download log files 256 that can be analyzed to evaluate the technical performance of the on-site computer system 122 and expose errors and bugs. In another embodiment, in diagnostic step 260, the remote computer system 142 may run diagnostic software on the on-site computer system 122 to develop and communicate a diagnostic report detailing any errors or bugs to the on-site computer system. If the error detection step 250, log capture step 258, or diagnostic step 260 detects an error, the remote computer system 142 may access the on-site computer system 122, and a technician working remotely may edit the system software to correct the error. Editing the system software on the on-site computer system 122 from the remote computer system 142 may also be called flushing and may be achieved in the flash step 262. For example, this type of remote correction action performed during the flash step 262 may involve regenerating the configuration file 202, uploading and sending the configuration file from the remote computer system 142 to the on-site computer system 122, and restarting the on-site computer system 122 in order to implement the correction.

[0031] One possible benefit of the aforementioned disclosure is the elimination of the need for technicians to travel to the materials production facility 100 to configure and debug the on-site computer system 122. Possible related benefits include the reduction or elimination of travel expenses, accommodation costs, lost wages, and the stress of remote work. Another possible benefit is that additional resources and technicians may be available for remote consulting, which would otherwise be unavailable if configuration and debugging were to occur at the materials production facility. These and other possible benefits and features of this disclosure will be evident from the detailed description and figures above.

[0032] Naturally, the above explanation provides examples of the disclosed systems and technologies. However, other implementations of this disclosure are intended to differ in detail from the embodiments described above. All references to this disclosure or its embodiments are intended to refer to the specific embodiments considered in that regard and do not imply limitations of the general disclosure. All distinguishing and defamatory language regarding specific features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but does not exclude such features entirely from the scope of this disclosure unless otherwise indicated.

[0033] The listing of value ranges in this specification is intended to serve as a simple way of referring individually to the individual values ​​within those ranges unless otherwise specifically indicated herein, and each individual value is incorporated herein as being separately stated herein. Unless otherwise specifically indicated herein or if it is clearly inconsistent with the context, all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order.

[0034] In the context describing the present invention (particularly in the context of the following claims), the terms “a,” “an,” “the,” and “at least one,” as well as similar reference terms, should be interpreted to encompass both singular and plural forms, unless otherwise suggested herein or unless the context clearly contradicts this interpretation. When the term “at least one” is followed by a list of one or more items (e.g., at least one of A and B), it should be interpreted to mean one item selected from the enumerated items (A or B), or any combination of two or more of the enumerated items (A and B), unless otherwise suggested herein or unless the context clearly contradicts this interpretation.

[0035] Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter described in the claims permitted by applicable law. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context, any combination of the elements described above in all possible variations is encompassed by this disclosure.

Claims

1. An on-site computer system configured to store unprocessed ticket data in on-site memory and to generate tickets from ticket templates, A remote computer system configured to selectively communicate with the on-site computer system to capture and download the unprocessed ticket data from the on-site memory, and to generate and upload the ticket template for generating the ticket, Equipped with, The ticket processing system is further characterized in that the remote computer system is configured to access and edit the system software of the on-site computer system when an error signal is transmitted from the on-site computer system to the remote computer system.

2. The ticket processing system according to claim 1, further configured to continue generating tickets if no errors are detected.

3. The ticket processing system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the on-site computer system is configured to perform error detection by periodically logging into the on-site computer system from the remote computer system and performing diagnostic analysis of the on-site computer system.

4. The ticket processing system according to claim 1, further configured to capture and download log files, the log files being analyzed to evaluate the technical performance of the on-site computer system and to expose errors or bugs.

5. The ticket processing system according to claim 1, further characterized in that the remote computer system is configured to run diagnostic software for the on-site computer system to develop and communicate with the on-site computer system a diagnostic report detailing an error or bug.

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