General Electric Company

Safetran Systems Corporation

Patrick Joseph Venneman

Robert Alan Wetzel

Randy M O'Dell

A method and apparatus for controlling a site-specific activity at a plurality of remote locations, for example, the inspection of geographically remote equipment or the gathering of data for a census. A mobile operator transports a portable tool to a plurality of locations where a site-specific activity is to be conducted. The portable tool includes a location detection device. Processing of data using the portable tool is enabled only when the portable tool is located proximate a designated site, as determined by the location detection device. In various embodiments, the enabled site-specific activity may include data recordation, data transmission, data reception, data processing, and/or the display of a data entry form.

Method and apparatus for controlling site-specific operations

A method and apparatus for controlling a grade crossing warning system employs a track occupancy circuit or other device to detect the presence of a train in the approach to a grade crossing and an indirect indication of a maximum authorized speed of the train in order to determine an amount of time to delay activation of the grade crossing warning system after the train has been detected. The indirect indication is preferably encoded onto a signal associated with the track occupancy circuit, preferably using a frequency shift technique. The indirect indication may be supplied by a wayside signal device.

Crossing predictor with authorized track speed input

A method and apparatus for controlling a site-specific activity at a plurality of remote locations, for example, the inspection of geographically remote equipment or the gathering of data for a census. A mobile operator transports a portable tool () to a plurality of locations where a site-specific activity is to be conducted. The portable tool includes a location detection device (). Processing of data using the portable tool is enabled only when the portable tool is located proximate a designated site, as determined by the location detection device. In various embodiments, the enabled site-specific activity may include data recordation, data transmission, data reception, data processing, and/or the display of a data entry form.

A system () and method for recording inspection data for geographically remote equipment assets. A portable inspection data recording device () is transported by a mobile inspector to a plurality of locations of equipment () to be inspected. The data recording device includes a location detection device (), and a unique equipment identifier is associated with each remote equipment location, so that travel instructions may be displayed for directing the inspector to the location of selected equipment. Recordation of inspection data for selected equipment is enabled only when the portable inspection data recording device is located proximate the selected equipment. Data recordation may be enabled by displaying an equipment-specific data recordation form on input/output display () having selected data field automatically populated in response to the selected unique equipment identifier.

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Blue Springs, MO, United States of America

Patrick Joseph Venneman