Patent Application
20070056727
The technical field of the present invention relates generally to evaluation of data concerning servicing hydrocarbon wells and more specifically to an evaluation of data obtained from a computerized work over rig adapted to record and transmit data concerning well servicing activities and conditions at a well site.
After a well has been drilled, it must be completed before it can produce gas or oil. Once completed, a variety of events may occur to the formation, the well and its equipment that requires a “work-over.” For purposes of this application, “work-over” and “service” operations are used in their very broadest sense to refer to any and all activities performed on or for a well to repair or rehabilitate the well, and also includes activities to shut in or cap the well. Generally, work over operations include such things as replacing worn or damaged parts (e.g., a pump, sucker rods, tubing, and packer glands), applying secondary or tertiary recovery techniques, such as chemical or hot oil treatments, cementing the well bore, and logging the well bore to name just a few. Service operations are usually performed by or involve a mobile work-over or well service rig that is adapted to, among other things, pull the well tubing or rods and also to run the tubing or rods back in. Typically, these mobile service rigs are motor vehicle-based and have an extendible, jack-up derrick complete with draw works and block. In addition to the service or service rig, additional service companies and equipment may be involved to provide specialize operations. Examples of such specialized services includes: a chemical tanker, a cementing truck or trailer, a well logging truck, perforating truck, and a hot-oiler truck or trailer.
It is conventional for a well owner to contract with a service company to provide all or a portion of the necessary work-over operations. For example, a well owner, or customer, may contract with a service rig provider to pull the tubing from a specific well, contract with one or more service providers to provide other specific services in conjunction with the service rig company so that the well can be rehabilitated according to the owner's direction.
It is typical for the well owner to receive individual invoices for services rendered from each company that was involved in the work over. For example, if the portable service rig spent thirty hours at the well site, the customer well owner will be billed for thirty rig hours at the prevailing hourly rate. The customer is rarely provided any detail on this bill as to when the various other individual operations were started or completed, or how much material was used. Occasionally, the customer might be supplied with handwritten notes from the rig operator, but such is the exception, not the rule. Similarly, the customer will receive invoices from the other service companies that were involved with working over the well. The customer is often left with little to no indication of whether the service operation for which it is billed were done properly, and in some cases, even done at all. Further, most well owners own more than one well in a given field and the invoices from the various companies may confuse the well name with the services rendered. Also, if an accident or some other notable incident occurs at the well site during a service operation, it may be difficult to determine the root cause or who was involved because there is rarely any documentation of what actually went on at the well site. Of course, a well owner can have one of his agents at the well site to monitor the work-over operations and report back to the owner, but such “hands-on” reporting is often times prohibitively expensive.
The present invention is directed to ameliorating these and other problems associated with oil well work-over operations.
The present invention is directed to incrementing a well service rig in such a manner that activity-based and/or time-based data for the well site is recorded and evaluated. The invention contemplates that the acquired data can be transmitted in near real-time or periodically via wired, wireless, satellite or physical transfer such as by memory module to a data center preferably controlled by the service rig owner, but alternately controlled by the well owner or another.
For one aspect of the present invention, a method of determining the accuracy of an activity listing for activities completed by a well service rig at a well site can include determining a first activity from an activity listing, such as a Gantt chart. Charts of sensor data can be evaluated. The charts can be of sensor data obtained from sensors on the well service rig and the data can be associated with work completed at the well site by the service rig, other service vehicles or by third party operators. An evaluation of the charts of sensor data can be conducted to determine if the activity listed in the Gantt chart corresponds with the data that is being received from the sensors and displayed on the data charts.
For another aspect of the present invention, a method of determining the completion times for an activity completed by a well service rig at a well site can be determined by evaluating one or more charts of sensor data associated with work completed at the well site. An activity can be determined through the evaluation of the charts of sensor data and the time to complete that activity can be determined. Once determined, the completion time can be recorded in a computer program.
For yet another aspect of the present invention, method of determining service rig downtime can be achieved by evaluating one or more charts of sensor data associated with work completed at the well site. Each chart of sensor data can be evaluated to determine if a portion of the data on that particular chart includes a substantially flat or missing string of data for a predetermined length of time, for example, fifteen minutes. The time period of the substantially flat or missing data can be determined and other charts of sensor data can be evaluated to determined if they have substantially flat or missing data for the same time period.
For a more complete understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Because the mobile service rig is typically the center of work-over or service operations at the well site, the present invention is directed to incrementing the service rig in such a manner that activity-based and/or time-based data for the well site is recorded. The invention contemplates that the acquired data can be transmitted in near real-time or periodically via wired, wireless, satellite or physical transfer such as by memory module to a data center preferably controlled by the service rig owner, but alternately controlled by the well owner or another. The data can thereafter be used to evaluate the data and supervise from off-site the activities of the well service rig. This latter implementation of the invention permits a service rig owner, supervisor, or well-owner customer to monitor the work being completed by the well service rig and other third parties based on data that is provided and can be reviewed after the fact or substantially in real-time. As described below in more detail, by accessing the data through a regularly updated web portal, the customer may be able to determine in near real time that, for example, the tubing pull will be completed in approximately two hours, how long the pull took, and whether to time to complete was excessive due to other operations or unexpected or wasted downtime. With such information, the owner or supervisor can provide customers with more accurate billing and train or discipline service rig crews based on their activities and their completion times. Further, the customer will have access to detailed data on the actual service performed and can then verify its invoices. In addition, the owner or supervisor can evaluate the data to determine the efficiency and correctness of the reports generated by the service rig operator.
The present invention fosters a synergistic relationship among the customer and the service companies that promotes a safe environment by monitoring crew work activities and equipment speeds, improving productivity, reducing operation expenses through improved job processes, better data management, and reduced operational failures.
Implementation of the invention on a conventional service rig can be conceptualized in two main aspects: 1) acquisition, recordation and transmission of transducer data such as hook load, hydraulic pressure, flow rate, etc. and 2) acquisition, recordation, and transmission of service-based activity, such as “Rig Up,” “Nipple Up Blow Out Preventer,” and “Pull Tubing,” among others. Acquisition of physical transducer or sensor data can be achieved through automated means, such as a transducer that converts pressure to an electrical signal being fed to an analog-to-digital converter and then to a recoding means, such as a hard drive in a computer or memory in a microprocessor. Acquisition of service-based activity may be achieved by service rig operator input into a microprocessor-based system. It is contemplated that the transducer data and activity data may be acquired by and stored by the same or different systems, depending the design and requirements of the service rig.
In a certain implementation of the invention, it may be desirable to make the acquisition and storage of the data at the well site secure to the extent that the service rig operator or other service company representatives are not able to manipulate or adulterate the data. One implementation of this inventive concept is to not allow error correction in the field. In other words, if the rig operator inadvertently inputs that a tubing pull service has begun when in fact the operation is nippling up the BOP, the operator can immediately input that the tubing pull has ended and input that the nipple up process has started. Additionally or alternatively, the operator may annotate an activity entry, or annotation may be restricted to personnel at the data center. It is also contemplated that the operator (or other inputer) can have complete editorial control over the data (both transducer data and activity data) received into the storage system.
The invention contemplates that transducer sensor data and/or activity data from third party service providers will also be input into the service rig data captive system. For example, third party service vehicles may utilize an identity beacon that emits a signal, such as an electromagnetic signal that is received by the instrumented service rig and records the time that the specific service rig arrived on site. Alternatively, the rig operator may manually input such information or other means such as magnetic cards or the like may be used. Once on site, transducer sensor data associated with the third party service operation, such as for example, flow rate or pressure, may be communicated to the instrumented rig via wire or wireless communication busses. The rig operator can input third-party activity data in a fashion similar to rig-based activities. In this and similar fashion, the instrumented service rig of the present invention can acquire, store and transmit all or substantially all of the physical and activity-based data that is generated by working over an oil well.
The following is a description of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It will be understood that this exemplary embodiment is but one way of implementing the present invention and does not necessarily implement all aspects of the invention. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment described below should not be construed to limit or define the outer boundaries of the present invention.
The amount of time a service rig spends at a well site can be broken down into discrete activities, each with a measurable beginning and ending time. One example of a typical series of service operations that might be performed at a well include moving onsite and rigging up the workover rig, pulling sucker rods, nippling up the blow out preventer (“BOP”), pulling tubing, other specified operations, running tubing, and well stimulation. Each activity has an identifiable start point which is associated with a certain time, and an identifiable end point that is associated with another certain time so that both the customer and the well service provider can ensure that the work was actually done and done in a timely manner.
Capturing the physical activities that take place at the well site can be determined by an evaluation of the sensor data from the transducers or by having the operator of the service rig input what happens at the well site. Operator input is used to capture and classify what activities are taking place at the well site, the time the activities are taking place, any exception events that prevent, restrict, or extend the completion of an activity, and the primary cause and responsible party associated with the exception events. Operator input is obtained by having the operator enter the activity data into a computer or microprocessor as the different service operations are taking place so that the customer and the service provider can have an accurate depiction of what goes on at the well site.
In one exemplary embodiment, the operator can simply type the activity information into a computer located at the well site. In another embodiment, a computer is provided to the operator with a number of pre-identified activities already programmed therein. When the operator starts or stops an activity, he can simply push a button or an area on a touch-screen display associated with the computer to log the stopping or starting of that pre-identified service activity. In a further embodiment, the operator is provided with a hierarchy of service tasks from which to choose from. Preferably, this service hierarchy is designed to be intuitive to the operator, in that the hierarchy is laid out in a manner that is similar to the progression of various service activities at a well site.
Service activities at a well site can generally be divided into three activity identifiers: global day-in/day-out (“DIDO”) well servicing activities, internal routine activities and external routine activities. DIDO activities are activities that occur almost every day that a service rig is at a well site. In the case of a mobile service rig, examples of DIDO activities include rigging up the service rig, pulling and laying down rods, pulling and laying down tubing, picking up and running tubing, picking up and running rods, and rigging down the service rig. Internal routine activities are those that frequently occur during well servicing activities, but aren't necessarily DIDO activities. Examples of internal routine activities include rigging up or rigging down an auxiliary service unit, longstroke, cut paraffin, nipple up/down a BOP, fishing, jarring, swabbing, flowback, drilling, clean out, well control activities such as killing the well or circulating fluid, unseating pumps, set/release tubing anchor, set/release packer, and pick up/laydown drill collars and/or other tools. Finally, external routine activities are routine activities that are commonly performed by third parties, such as rigging up/down third party servicing equipment, well stimulation, cementing, logging, perforating, or inspecting the well, and other common servicing tasks.
In one embodiment, the operator enters the activity identifier (i.e. global day-in/day-out (DIDO) well servicing activities, internal routine activities and external routine activities) into the computer system. After the activity has been identified, the activity is classified based on the operator's subjective determination of how the activity is progressing to completion. The normal, default activity could be classified as “ON TASK: ROUTINE” wherein the job is proceeding according to plan. If for some reason the work is continuing, but not according to plan, two alternate activity classifications would be available to the operator to classify what is happening at the wellsite. Two such classifications could be “ON TASK: EXTEND,” in which the job is proceeding according to plan under conditions that may extend task times beyond what is normal, and “ON TASK: RE-SEQUENCE,” where the pre-planned job sequence has been interrupted, though work has not yet ceased. For example, changing from rigging up an auxiliary service unit to nippling up a BOP before the auxiliary service unit is completely rigged up would fall within this term. A single activity can be re-classified at any time while the activity is being performed. For instance, when a service rig starts rigging up, the “rig up” activity identifier would likely be classified as “ON TASK: ROUTINE.” However, if problems are encountered causing the rigging up time to extend beyond what the normal rigging up time, the “rig up” activity could then be reclassified as “ON TASK: EXTEND.”
In some instances, work is completely halted, and these cases, the operator would classify the activity as one of a number of exceptions. One type of exception classifications is “EXCEPTION: SUSPEND”, in which ongoing work activity has been interrupted due to a work-site condition and/or event that is temporary, and whose duration is unlikely to be longer than a set period of time, for instance, 10 minutes. Such “EXCEPTION: SUSPEND” conditions are generally non-emergency situations that include anything from a lunch or work break to a visit from the customer to discuss the well servicing operations. Another such exception classification is “EXCEPTION: WAIT” in which the pre-planned work process has been suspended due to the unavailability of a required resource, such as unavailable personnel, material, or an unavailable third-party service. A final type of exception classification is “EXCEPTION: DOWN,” in which the preplanned work process has ceased due to unplanned events and/or conditions occurring at the well site. Such unplanned events include change of scope of the service activity, changed well conditions, mechanical failure, weather, unsafe conditions, health and safety training events, and other unplanned events.
In one exemplary embodiment, for every activity classification other than “ON TASK: ROUTINE,” a variance identifier is assigned to the activity classification linking the reason for the non-routine classification to its source. If the activity classification is “ON TASK: EXTEND,” “ON TASK: RESEQUENCE,” or “EXCEPTION SUSPEND,” the variance identifier could be any of the aforementioned reasons for classifying exceptions, such as “SERVICE AVAILABILITY,” “MATERIAL AVAILABILITY,” “PERSONNEL AVAILABILITY,” “SCOPE CHANGE,” “WELL CONDITION CHANGE,” “MECHANICAL FAILURE,” “WEATHER, UNSAFE CONDITION,” “HEALTH AND SAFETY EVENT,” “WORK BREAK,” or other change in the work conditions. As described earlier, if the activity classification is “EXCEPTION: WAIT,” the variance identifier would be selected from as “SERVICE AVAILABILITY,” “MATERIAL AVAILABILITY,” or “PERSONNEL AVAILABILITY,” because “EXCEPTION: WAIT” is the activity classification in which the pre-planned work process has been suspended due to the unavailability of a required resource. If the activity classification is “EXCEPTION: DOWN,” the variance identifier would be selected from the group comprising “SCOPE CHANGE,” “WELL CONDITION CHANGE,” “MECHANICAL FAILURE,” “WEATHER, UNSAFE CONDITION,” “HEALTH AND SAFETY EVENT,” “WORK BREAK,” or other unanticipated change in the work conditions. This is because the “EXCEPTION: DOWN” activity classification covers exceptions in which the preplanned work process has ceased due to unplanned events and/or conditions occurring at the well site.
After the variance identifier has been selected, the variance can be classified appropriately so as to be assigned to a responsible party. Generally, the responsible party will be the well service provider, a third party, or the customer. In one embodiment, the variance classification will be selected between “WELL SERVICE PROVIDER,” “CUSTOMER” or “3RD PARTY.” After the variance classification has been selected, the operator is done entering information in to the computer until the present activity is completed or the next activity is started.
Referring to
As explained above, all that is required from the operator is that he or she enter in the activity data into a computer, such as the one shown in
An example of an activity capture map for pulling operations is shown in
In one embodiment of the present invention, the activity data is gathered by the computer along with process data from the well service vehicle, such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,490, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Referring to
Engine 26 selectively couples to wheels 24 and hoist 36 by way of transmissions 34 and 32, respectively. Engine 26 also drives hydraulic pump 28 via line 29 and air compressor 30 via line 31. Compressor 30 powers a pneumatic slip 84, and the hydraulic pump 28 powers a set of hydraulic tongs. The hydraulic pump 28 also powers cylinders 42 and 44 that respectively extend and pivot derrick 40 to selectively place derrick 40 in a working position and in a retracted position. In the working position, the derrick 40 is pointed upward, but its longitudinal centerline 54 is angularly offset from vertical as indicated by angle 56 of
Individual pipe segments (of string) and sucker rods are screwed together using hydraulic tongs. Hydraulic tongs are known in the art, and refer to any hydraulic tool that can screw together two pipes or sucker rods, such as those provided by B. J. Hughes company of Houston, Tex. In operation, the hydraulic pump drives a hydraulic motor in either forward or reverse directions by way of valve. The hydraulic motor drives pinions that turn a wrench element relative to clamp. The wrench element and the clamp engage flats on mating couplings of a sucker rod or inner pipe string; however, rotational jaws or grippers that hydraulically clamp on to a round pipe (i.e., with no flats) can also be used in place of the disclosed wrench element. The rotational direction of hydraulic motor determines whether the couplings are assembled or disassembled.
A transducer detects by feedback the amount of torque that is used to assemble or disassemble the string or sucker rods, and provides an analog or digital signal (e.g., from 0-5 Volts DC) indicative of that torque value. This signal is provided to a monitor 48 and is stored in a manner to be described shortly.
When installing inner pipe string segments, a pneumatic slip is used to hold the pipe string while the next segment is screwed on using tongs as just described. A compressor provides pressurized air through a valve to rapidly clamp and release the slip. A tank helps maintain constant air pressure. A pressure switch, a type of transducer or sensor, provides the monitor 48 with a signal that indirectly indicates that repair unit 20 is in operation.
Referring back to
In short, and as is well known, the mobile service rig contains numerous tools for performing various repair tasks, and most of these tools contain some sort of transducer for providing an indication of the work being performed. (As used herein, “transducer” should be understood as any sort of detector, sensor, or measuring device for providing a signal indicative of the work being performed by a particular tool). Using such transducers, important parameters can be measured or monitored, such as hook load, tong torque, engine RPM, hydrogen sulfide concentration, a block position encoder for determining where the block is in is travel, engine oil pressure, clutch air pressure, global positioning system monitor, and any other sensor that might provide data worth being monitored by the well service provider.
As noted above, the signals provide by the various transducers/sensors associated with the tools are sent to the data acquisition monitor 48. The primary objective of the monitor 48 is to gather well maintenance data and save it so that it can be transferred and subsequently monitored at a site other than the location of the mobile service rig, such as a central office site, where a supervisor or owner can view the data on another monitor 48 or other display device known to those or ordinary skill in the art. The monitor 48 is generally installed in an openly accessible location on the mobile service rig 20. For example, on a mobile service rig 20, the monitor 48 is installed somewhere outside the cab for easy access by human operators who may walk up to the mobile service rig 20 to interface with the system and collect data. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the data can be transmitted via wireless communication to a computer or other display device to an evaluator in the same or different location. In addition to storing the measured data from the tools, the monitor 48 may also include a screen display for displaying the data.
The signals provide by the various sensors associated with the tools can be sent to the same or a different computer at which the operator enters the activity data at the will. The computer(s) can then gather well maintenance data and save it so that it can be correlated to the activity data entered by the operator. In one embodiment, the process data can be displayed on a screen for the operators to review. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the activity data and the process data can be transferred and subsequently monitored at a site other than the location of the mobile service rig 20, such as a centrally located office site. In one embodiment, the activity and process data is transferred using a modem and cellular phone arrangement such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,490. In other embodiments, the data is transferred using other types of wireless communication, such as via a satellite hookup (Not Shown). The data can also be transferred using a hard disk medium, wherein the data is saved on a floppy disk, CD, or other memory storage device and physically transferred to the central office site. There are a wide variety means to transfer the data from the well site to the central office site, and such means are widely known in the art and are considered within the scope of this invention.
Processes of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to
Turning now to
In one exemplary embodiment, the operator of the repair unit 20 or an off-site or on-site supervisor may view the display 700 on the monitor 48 of
The operator can key in or press a button 10 sending an input to the system to zoom-in on a smaller period of time as shown in display 750 of
In step 915, the rig operator or supervisor, well owner, service rig owner, or other evaluator (collectively the “supervisor”) determines the first activity from the activity Gantt chart 705. As shown in
The start and completion times for the first activity are determined in step 920. For example, the start time for the first activity time period 735 is approximately 9:16 and the end time is approximately 9:58. Counter variable X is set equal to one in step 925. In one exemplary embodiment, counter variable X represents a chart of sensor data from the rig 20, such as charts 710-720. In step 930, the supervisor evaluates the data generated in the first chart during the time period 735 for the first activity. In one exemplary embodiment, as shown in
In step 935, an inquiry is conducted to determine if the data in the first chart is consistent with the first activity in the Gantt chart 705. If not, the “NO” branch is followed to step 965, where the supervisor solicits additional information from the rig operator to determine why the Gantt chart 705 did not list the correct activity. The process then continues from step 965 to step 955. On the other hand, if the data in the first chart is consistent with the first activity, the “YES” branch is followed to step 940.
In step 940, an inquiry is conducted to determine if there is another chart to evaluate on the display 750. In one exemplary embodiment, the charts that can be displayed and evaluated by a supervisor can include one or more charts, of which all or only a portion of the charts being evaluated may be viewable on the monitor 48 or display at a single time. In the exemplary display 750 of
Returning to step 940, if there are no additional charts to evaluate, the “NO” branch is followed to step 950, where the time to complete the activity is evaluated to determine if an excessive amount of time passed to complete the listed activity. In step 955, an inquiry is conducted to determine if there is another activity listed on the activity Gantt chart 705. In the example of
The activity occurring during the second time interval 1010 shown in the rig load chart 720 is the mast 40 being removed from the head ache rack (Not Shown) on the rig 20 and standing up on the hydraulic pad indicator 92 of
The activity occurring during the third time interval 1025, shown in the rig load chart 720, is the crew of the rig working a pump loose from a stuck position. The activity is determined by evaluating the charts 710-720, which show that the maximum weight limits viewable on the rig load chart 720 and high engine speeds on the engine speed chart 710 were observed during the third time interval 1025; however, there is virtually no hydraulic pressure displayed during the third time interval 1025.
The activity occurring during the fourth time interval 1030, shown in the rig load chart 720, is the rig 20 pulling rods out of the well 58. The activity is determined by evaluating the data on the charts 710-720, which show the cyclical increases in the engine speed, hydraulic pressure and rig load weight occurring at the same time intervals during the fourth time interval 1030 and indicative of rods being pulled from the well 58.
Now turning to
In step 1110, a supervisor evaluates the charts 710-720 on the display 1000. Counter variable X is set equal to one in step 1115. In one exemplary embodiment, counter variable X represents an activity conducted by the service rig 20. The supervisor determines the first activity based on an evaluation of the data curves for the charts 710-720 in the display 1000 in step 1120. In step 1125, the supervisor determines the second activity based on an evaluation of the data curves in the charts 710-720 in the display 1000. In step 1130, the supervisor evaluates the data curves in the charts 710-720 to determine the beginning of the first activity and the beginning of the second activity. Returning to the example in
In step 1135, the difference between the beginning time of the first activity and the beginning time of the second activity is recorded as the time to complete the first activity. In one exemplary embodiment the completion time can be recorded in a conventional database in a computer, however, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many other methods or recording the data may be used, including, but not limited to, entering the completion time data onto a data sheet for placement into a record file. In an alternative embodiment, the completion time for a task may be determined by determining the beginning time of a task and the end time of the same task and recording the difference between those two times as the time to complete the task. Retuning to the example in
The supervisor determines if the completion time for the activity is excessive in step 1140. In one exemplary embodiment, the supervisor can use his personal judgment to make this determination or he may reference additional data that provides the average time to complete this task and/or acceptable time ranges for completing this task and use that information for the determination. In step 1145, an inquiry is conducted to determine if the activity completion time is excessive. If so, the “YES” branch is followed to step 1150, where additional instruction is provided to the crew related to that activity or disciplinary action is taken against the crew members for that rig 20. If the completion time for that activity is not excessive, the “NO” branch is followed to step 1155.
In step 1155, an inquiry is conducted to determine if there is another activity shown on the charts 710-720 in the display 1000. If so, the “YES” branch is followed to step 1160, where counter variable X is incremented by one. The process then returns from step 1160 to step 1120 to evaluate the completion time for the next activity. On the other hand, if there are no additional activities based on an evaluation of the display 1000, the “NO” branch is followed to the END step.
In
Now turning to
In step 1320, an inquiry is conducted to determine if a portion of the first chart contains data that is substantially flat or that is missing for a predetermined amount of time. If the first chart does not contain an area of data that is substantially flat or missing, the “NO” branch is followed back to step 1315 where evaluation of the first chart continues. On the other hand, if there is a portion of the chart that has data that is substantially flat or missing, the “YES” branch is followed to step 1325, where the time period of the flat data is determined. For example, in
In step 1330, an inquiry is conducted to determine if the is another chart of sensor data from the rig 20. Returning to the example of
In step 1350, an inquiry is conducted to determine if the downtime period is excessive. If so, the “YES” branch is followed to step 1355, where the supervisor can solicit additional information from the rig operator to determine the reason for the rig 20 downtime or the rig crew can be disciplined for the excessive downtime. The process then continues from step 1355 to the END step. On the other hand, if the downtime period is not excessive, the “NO” branch is followed to the END step.
Although the invention is described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications are well within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the claims that follow. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that an embodiment of the present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to any specifically discussed application and that the embodiments described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. From the description of the exemplary embodiments, equivalents of the elements shown therein will suggest themselves to those or ordinary skill in the art, and ways of constructing other embodiments of the present invention will suggest themselves to practitioners of the art. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by any claims that follow.
This non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/716,612, titled Interpretive Techniques Using Sensor Data, filed Sep. 13, 2005. This provisional application is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60716612 | Sep 2005 | US |
