SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USING MARKING INFORMATION TO ELECTRONICALLY DISPLAY DISPENSING OF MARKERS BY A MARKING SYSTEM OR MARKING TOOL

Abstract

One or more markers are dispensed on ground, pavement or other surface in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, so as to provide a visual indication of a presence or an absence of one or more underground utilities in the dig area. One or more signals are wirelessly transmitted in response to the dispensing of the one or more markers, wherein the signal(s) represent(s) first data relating to marking information that is provided by a tag reader and that is associated with the dispensed marker(s).

Description

BACKGROUND

Underground man-made objects, such as utility lines and pipes (hereinafter “utility lines”), are very susceptible to damage from excavation activities. Local and federal laws require that notification be given to owners of underground utility lines in an area to be excavated before any excavation takes place. The owners of the utility lines typically must locate and mark the location of any underground utility lines.

The tasks of locating and marking underground utility lines can be performed by either the utility line owner or by third party contractors. A marking tool is typically used to mark the ground, pavement or other surfaces in order to provide a visual indication of the location of underground utilities. Paint is commonly used as the marker, and it is typically applied using a paint marking tool. The color of the paint is typically chosen based on the type of utility line being marked (e.g., red for a power line). However, other types of markers, such as other types of liquids, flags and stakes are also used, and different visual or other characteristics of the marker are used for representing different types of underground utility lines. For example, the color, shape or other characteristic of a flag marker can represent a particular type of underground utility line (e.g., a square shaped flag can be used to mark a power line).

When paint is used as the marker, a worker marks the location of an underground utility line using a paint marking tool to spray paint on the ground above the utility line. The paint marking tools typically used have a paint canister holder that is adapted to hold a single aerosol can of paint in an axial orientation with respect to the long axis of the aerosol can. The paint marking tool is typically designed to enable a user to walk or stand erect while dispensing the paint.

When an underground utility line is located, the worker will load a paint can of the appropriate color for the utility line being marked into the paint marking tool. When it is time to mark a different type of utility line, the worker must change the paint can to one of the appropriate color for the new utility line being marked.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a marking system may include a marker dispenser to hold and dispense a marker; a processor to determine at least one characteristic regarding the marker; and a triggering system in communication with the marker dispenser and the processor to trigger the marker dispenser to dispense the marker and the processor to store the at least one characteristic regarding the marker and time data associated with the dispensing of the marker.

According to another aspect, a marking tool may include a marker dispenser to hold and dispense a marker from a marker container. A tag may be affixed to the marker container, where the tag may store information regarding at least one characteristic of the marker. The marking tool may further include a tag reader to read the information from the tag, a processor to receive the information from the tag reader, and a triggering system to trigger the marker dispenser to dispense the marker from the marker container and the processor to store the information and time data associated with the dispensing of the marker by the marker dispenser.

According to yet another aspect, a method may include identifying a marker characteristic regarding a marker loaded into a marking tool; receiving activation of a trigger of the marking tool; dispensing the marker when the activation of the trigger is received; and storing the marker characteristic and time data when the activation of the trigger is received.

According to a further aspect, a system may include means for holding a container from which a marker is dispensed; means for identifying a marker characteristic regarding the marker in the container; means for receiving activation of a trigger; means for dispensing the marker from the container when the trigger is activated; and means for storing the marker characteristic and a timestamp when the trigger is activated.

According to another aspect, a system may include means for holding a container from which a marker is dispensed; means for identifying a marker characteristic regarding the marker in the container; means for receiving activation of a trigger; means for dispensing the marker from the container when the trigger is activated; and means for increasing a count value when the trigger is activated.

According to yet another aspect, a marking system may include means for providing a holder for a container from which a marker is dispensed; and means for identifying a marker characteristic regarding the marker in the container only when the container is initially placed into the holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments described herein and, together with the description, explain these embodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary marking system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary marking tool;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary triggering system that may be used in the marking tool of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of another exemplary marking tool;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for marking an area; and

FIGS. 6A-6C are diagrams of exemplary entries that can created.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary marking system 100. The system 100 may include a communication system 110, an interface 120, a local memory 130, a processor 140, a marker dispenser 150, a triggering system 160 and a tag reader 170. In other implementations, system 100 may include additional or different components.

The system 100 may be used to dispense markers. In one exemplary application of the system 100, the markers may be used to mark underground utility lines, such as telecommunications (e.g., telephone and/or cable), power, gas, water, or sewer. The marker that is used to mark underground utility lines may include a liquid, such as paint, or objects, such as flags, stakes, etc.

A user may control the operation of the system 100 via interface 120. In one implementation, interface 120 may include a touch screen interface that can provide various operational controls and status indicators of the system 100, and can allow the user to navigate the controls by touching particular areas of the screen. In another implementation, the interface 120 may include another form of input and/or output, such as, for example, a display for displaying information and a keypad for entering information. In either situation, the interface 120 may provide operational controls to function as the triggering system 160.

The triggering system 160 may trigger the dispensing of markers and the storing of marking information. The marking information, which will be described in more detail below, may include information regarding a characteristic of the marker(s) being dispensed, time data (e.g., a timestamp and/or elapsed time information), and/or count data (e.g., a number of times that markers were dispensed). In operation, a user may engage a triggering mechanism in the triggering system 160 (explained in more detail below) in order to dispense the markers. When the triggering mechanism is engaged, the triggering system 160 may also initiate storing of the marking information. This may be done by sending a signal to the processor 140, which may cause processor 140 to store the marking information in local memory 130. Alternatively, or additionally, the processor 140 may store the marking information by transmitting the marking information for storage by a device or system external to system 100. In one implementation, marking information may be stored only when a marker is being dispensed by the marker dispenser 150.

The marker dispenser 150 may hold the markers and may also contain an actuation mechanism (not shown in FIG. 1) that causes the markers to be dispensed when the triggering system 160 is activated. As described above, the markers dispensed by the marker dispenser 150 may include a liquid (e.g., paint) or an object (e.g., flags or stakes). Details of the marker dispenser 150 will be discussed in more detail below.

The system 100 may also include a tag reader 170. In one implementation, tag reader 170 may include a device that can read tags. A “tag,” as the term is used herein, may refer to any item that is capable of storing machine-readable information, such as a barcode, a radio frequency identification (RFID) device, or a near field communication (NFC) device. A tag may be passive, active, or any combination thereof. A passive tag may transmit data in response to signals received from tag reader 170. An active tag may continuously transmit data. Tags can be attached to the markers that are loaded into the marker dispenser 150 and can incorporate data that corresponds to one or more characteristics of the marker (e.g., paint color if the marker is paint). Other examples of marker characteristics include, but are not limited to, the type of marker and a shape of marker. The tag reader 170 may incorporate an antenna (not shown) to read the data from a tag (whether passive, active, or any combination thereof). The data read by the tag reader 170 can then be sent to the processor 140 for a determination of the corresponding characteristic. The corresponding characteristic can then be stored in local memory 130, displayed by the interface 120, and/or transmitted external to system 100.

Communication system 110 may include an interface for transmitting data to and/or receiving data from one or more external devices and/or systems located either local to or remote from the system 100. Communication system 110 may include any type of interface, such as an interface for communicating via Ethernet, Bluetooth, Wifi, radio frequency (RF), a wide area network (WAN), or another type of network or protocol.

In one implementation, communication system 110 may send marking information stored in local memory 130 to an external device/system and/or receive information from an external device/system. The marking information may be used by the external device/system to identify a marker dispensed by a user of system 100, identify a time at which the marker was dispensed, and/or determine an amount of the marker used at a particular location.

System 100, as broadly described herein, may be particularly suited for incorporation into marking tools for marking underground utilities. As discussed above, a marking tool is used to mark the ground, pavement or other surfaces in order to provide a visual indication of the location of underground utilities. The type of marker that may be used includes paint that may be supplied in aerosol canisters that are oriented axially with respect to the long axis of the aerosol canisters. The marking tool enables a user to walk or stand erect while dispensing the markers.

If system 100 is incorporated into a paint marking tool, a tag may be attached to the paint canisters to identify a characteristic of the paint, such as the color of the paint in the paint canister. The tag reader 170 can read this paint characteristic (e.g., the color information) from the tag when the paint canister is inserted into the marker dispenser 150, and the processor 140 can display the color information read by the tag reader 170 on the interface 120. Alternatively, or additionally, the color information may be provided to the user in other ways. For example, the color information may be audibly provided to the user (e.g., via a generated voice or a series of beeps or honks) The color information may also, or alternatively, be provided to the user visually in a manner other than via interface 120. For example, the color information may be provided on an object worn or carried by the user (e.g., a pair of glasses, a bracelet, a ring, etc. having display capabilities and/or being capable of changing color).

In one implementation, the processor 140 can estimate how much paint of a particular color has been dispensed. The processor 140 could do this by maintaining a separate timer for each color. The timer for a particular color would increase its count every time the triggering mechanism is activated and that color is mounted in the marker dispenser 150 (which can be determined by reading the tag on the paint canister using the tag reader 170). This information can be useful for managing paint inventory or determining whether the amount of paint used at a particular location is reasonable given the job to be performed at that location.

A paint marking tool is just one possible application of system 100. System 100 can be applied to any marking system that uses markers that can be affixed with tags. Any marker characteristic that a user would find useful can be stored on the tag that is affixed to the marker.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary marking tool 200. For the description to follow, assume that the marking tool 200 uses paint as the marker. However, it should be appreciated that any other marker, such as another type of liquid, flags, stakes, etc., may be used in other implementations.

The marking tool 200 may include a housing 220 with an elongated center housing portion 240, a top housing portion 260 and a bottom housing portion 280. The housing 220 may be formed of any at least semi-rigid material, and may be formed of a lightweight material such as aluminum or plastic.

A paint canister holder 282 may be attached to the bottom housing portion 280. The paint canister holder 282 may include an open-ended tubular structure that is attached to the bottom housing portion 280 by any suitable attachment mechanisms, such as rivets, adhesive, mechanical fasteners or the like. The paint canister holder 282 may be formed of any material such as injection-molded plastic, formed sheet metal or any other appropriate material that may be fabricated into an open tubular configuration or any other configuration that will serve to support a paint canister 284 with the paint canister axis substantially parallel to the housing 220.

A tag reader 246, which may include a device that can read tags, may be mounted on or located within the housing 220. The tag reader 246 may incorporate an antenna (not shown) that is capable of reading data from a tag. When a tag 286 is attached to a paint canister 284 that incorporates data that corresponds to characteristics of the paint (e.g., paint color), the tag reader 246 may read that data. Other examples of marker characteristics include, but are not limited to, the type of marker and the shape of marker. The data read by the tag reader 246 can then be sent to a processor 268 for a determination of the corresponding characteristic. The corresponding characteristic can then be provided to the user, stored in local memory 270, and/or transmitted external to marking tool 200.

The tag reader 246 may be mounted anywhere on the housing or on the paint canister holder 282. However, the tag reader 246 does not have to be mounted anywhere on the marking tool 200 itself. For example, the tag reader 246 may be carried by a user. In general, the tag reader 246 may be mounted or located at any location, as long as it can receive data transmitted from the tag 286.

An actuation mechanism 288 may be attached to the bottom housing portion 280 at a location from which it can actuate the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284. The actuation mechanism 288 may include a rigid material that depresses the nozzle 290 when actuated. However, any mechanism may be used to actuate the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284.

A handle 262 may be provided at the top housing portion 260. The handle 262 may be formed of injection-molded plastic or any other appropriate material, and may be attached to the top housing portion 260 by rivets, adhesive, or any other suitable means. A mechanical trigger 264 may be provided on the top housing portion 260. The mechanical trigger 264 may be located on the handle 262 and attached using any suitable means.

The display 266 may be provided on the top housing portion 260. The display 266 may include a touch-screen display for displaying information to a user, as well as acting as an input device. The processor 268 and the local memory 270 are located in the housing 220. In one implementation, the processor 268 and local memory 270 may be located in the top housing portion 260 so as to be in close proximity to the display 266 and mechanical trigger 264. In another implementation, the processor 268 and local memory 270 may be located elsewhere within the housing 220.

A timer 272 may be provided on the top housing portion 260. The timer 272 may include any device that can output time data to some level of accuracy (e.g., accuracy to the minute, the second, the millisecond, etc.). In one implementation, the timer 272 may be capable of generating the time data itself. In this situation, the timer 272 may take the form of a clock. In another implementation, the timer 272 may receive the time data from another device external to marking tool 200. In this situation, the timer 272 may take the form of a receiver. In some situations, it may be beneficial for the timer 272 to be synchronized to another timer. The timer 272 may output time data to the processor 268.

A wireless communication antenna 242 may be located on the housing 220, and used to transmit data, such as marking information stored in local memory 270, to an external device/system and/or to receive information from an external device/system.

The marking tool 200 may also include one or more input/output ports 244, such as USB, SCSI, Firewire, Ethernet and/or other ports, for interfacing with other equipment and/or computers.

In operation, a user operates the marking tool 200 while standing or walking in an upright manner. A user may control the operation of the tool 200 via display 266, a mechanical trigger 264, and/or a wireless or wired (hereinafter “wireless/wired”) interface that may be provided via wireless communication antenna 242 and/or input/output ports 244.

The various operational controls and status indicators of the tool 200 are displayed on display 266, and the user can also navigate the controls by touching particular areas of the display 266. Although a touch-screen display is one form of the display 266, any other type of display or interface may be used such as, for example, a display for displaying information and a keypad for entering information. The user may use the display 266 to trigger the dispensing of paint and the storing of marking information.

The mechanical trigger 264 may trigger the dispensing of paint and the storing of marking information. In one implementation, the tool 200 may store the marking information only when paint is being dispensed. This may be accomplished by using a mechanical trigger 264 that, when activated by the user, triggers both the actuation mechanism 288 for the paint canister 284 and the storing of the marking information by the processor 268.

The mechanical trigger 264 can trigger the actuation mechanism 288 via a mechanical connection between the trigger 264 and the actuation mechanism 288. For example, the actuation mechanism 288 can be a rigid material that is connected to the mechanical trigger 264 via a mechanical linkage (not shown), in which case depressing the mechanical trigger 264 may cause the actuation mechanism to apply pressure to the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284. However, the mechanical trigger 264 may also, or alternatively, trigger the actuation mechanism 288 via an electronic connection. The electronic connection may be a hardwired connection or a wireless connection. If the connection between the mechanical trigger 264 and the actuation mechanism 288 is an electronic connection, the actuation mechanism 288 may include a mechanism for generating the force necessary to depress the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284.

The wireless/wired interface may be capable of capturing signals that reflect a user's intent. For example, the wireless/wired interface may include a microphone that can capture a user's intent by capturing the user's audible commands. Alternatively, the wireless/wired interface may interact with a device that monitors a condition of the user, such as eye movement, brain activity, or heart rate. In either event, the wireless/wired interface may generate signals that may be sent to the processor 268 for processing. The processor 268 may use the signals to trigger the dispensing of paint and the storing of marking information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of one embodiment of a triggering system 300 that may be used in the marking tool 200 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the triggering system 300 may include the mechanical trigger 264, a wireless/wired trigger 320, and/or a touch screen display 266, the mechanical actuation device 288, and a signal generator 310.

In operation, a user may trigger the storing of the marking information and the dispensing of paint by activating the mechanical trigger 264. The storing of the marking information and the dispensing of paint may also, or alternatively, be triggered by a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320 or by choosing a command that is displayed on the touch screen display 266. It should be appreciated that triggering system 300 may include a mechanical trigger 264, a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320, a trigger command on a touch screen display 266, or a combination of a mechanical trigger 264, a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320, and/or a trigger command on a touch screen display 266 for initiating the storing of the marking information and the dispensing of paint.

When a user activates the mechanical trigger 264, the mechanical actuation device 288 and the signal generator 310 are both activated. The mechanical actuation device 288 actuates the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284, thus dispensing paint out of the paint canister 284. The signal generator 310, when activated, sends a signal to the processor 268 indicating that the mechanical trigger is being activated. As discussed above, this signal could be used to trigger the storing of marking information and/or a timer for keeping track of how much paint of a particular color has been dispensed when a tag 286 that identifies the paint color is attached to the paint canister 284 that is mounted in the paint canister holder 282.

The mechanical trigger 264 can activate the mechanical actuation device 288 via a mechanical connection, e.g., a mechanical linkage, between the mechanical trigger 264 and the mechanical actuation device 288. Alternatively, the mechanical trigger 264 can activate the mechanical actuation device 288 via a wired or wireless electronic connection between the mechanical trigger 264 and the mechanical actuation device 288.

If a trigger signal from wireless/wired trigger 320 is used by the user to initiate marking information storing and paint dispersal, the wireless/wired trigger 320 may send a signal to both the mechanical actuation device 288 and the processor 268. The signal sent to the mechanical actuation device 288 by the wireless/wired trigger 320 may result in the actuation of the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284 by the mechanical actuation device 288. The signal sent to the processor 268 by the wireless/wired trigger 320 may trigger the storing of the marking information. The signals sent by the wireless/wired trigger 320 to the mechanical actuation device 288 and the processor 268 may be sent via a wired or wireless connection.

If a command on the touch screen display 266 is used by the user to initiate storing of marking information and paint dispersal, the touch screen display 266 can send a signal to both the mechanical actuation device 288 and the processor 268. The signal sent to the mechanical actuation device 288 by the touch screen display 266 may result in the actuation of the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284 by the mechanical actuation device 288. The signal sent to the processor 268 by the touch screen display 266 may trigger the storing of the marking information. The signals sent by the touch screen display 266 to the mechanical actuation device 288 and the processor 268 may be sent via a wired or wireless connection.

The marking information may be used by an external device and/or system to identify which markers were dispensed, when the markers were dispensed, and/or an amount of markers that were dispensed. The marking information may be useful to determine whether a user dispensed the correct marker(s) (e.g., the correct color paint) in a particular location. Also, the marking information may be used to visually depict (e.g., in real time as the dispensing occurs) or reconstruct (e.g., at a later time after the dispensing is complete) the dispensing of the markers on an electronic representation of the area that is currently being marked or was previously marked. Also, the marking information may be used to determine whether the job was completed correctly (e.g., that the amount of paint dispensed at the location was reasonable given the job that was to be performed at the location).

As shown in FIG. 4, the marking system 100 may be incorporated into already existing marking tools by locating the electronics on a board 410 that can be mounted onto an existing marking tool 400. The processor 268, local memory 270, input/output ports 244, tag reader 246 and/or wireless communication antenna 242 may be mounted on the board 410. The board 410 can be attached to the marking tool 400 using any means, such as with fasteners, clamps, glue, etc.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for marking an area. The process of FIG. 5 may begin with a user of a marking tool, such as marking tool 200 (FIG. 2), being dispatched to a location to be marked. The user might be given a ticket that identifies what utilities the user needs to mark at the location. The ticket might specify, for example, the location to be marked, the day and/or time that the location is to be marked, and/or whether the user is to mark the location for telecommunications (e.g., telephone and/or cable), power, gas, water, and/or sewer. The user might arrive at the location and take his/her marking tool out of his/her vehicle. In some situations, the user might load his/her pockets with extra markers (e.g., extra canisters of the same color of paint or different colors of paint).

A marker may be loaded into the marking tool (block 510). For example, the user may load a paint canister 284 of the appropriate color into paint canister holder 282. If the user is going to mark power, for example, the user might load a paint canister 284 containing red paint. The paint canister 284 may be loaded such that nozzle 290 extends out of the bottom of the marking tool 200, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In one implementation, as described above, a tag 286 may be affixed to the paint canister 284. The tag 286 may store information regarding one or more characteristics of the marker. For example, the tag 286 may identify the type of marker (e.g., paint, flag, stake, etc.), the color of marker (e.g., orange, red, yellow, blue, or green), and/or the shape of the marker (e.g., square, triangular, circular, etc.).

The marker characteristic(s) may be identified (block 520). In one implementation, the marker characteristic(s) may be automatically determined. For example, data from the tag 286 may be read by tag reader 246 and sent to processor 268. The processor 268 may determine the marker characteristic(s) from this data, and cause information regarding the marker characteristic(s) to be presented to the user (e.g., visually and/or audibly).

For example, a user interface may identify a characteristic of the marker. The user interface may optionally request the user to confirm that the user intended to load a marker with the identified characteristic. The confirmation may establish that the user actually looked at the user interface before performing any marking operation. In one implementation, the user may be unable to activate a trigger for dispensing a marker if the user does not confirm that the correct marker is loaded.

In another implementation, the marker characteristic(s) may be manually determined. For example, the user may specify the marker characteristic(s) via a user interface. The user interface may identify a number of possible characteristics (e.g., paint colors) of the marker. In this case, the user interface may request that that user select the paint color to be dispensed. The user interface may also identify the utility that corresponds to each of the possible paint colors so that the user can confirm that the correct marker is loaded.

Trigger activation may be received (block 530). For example, the user may effect trigger activation by applying pressure to the mechanical trigger 264 with his/her hand. Alternatively, or additionally, the user may effect trigger activation by, for example, speaking a particular command to cause a trigger signal to be output by wireless/wired trigger 320. Alternatively, or additionally, the user may effect trigger activation by touching a particular area of display 266 to cause a trigger command to be output by display 266.

It may optionally be determined whether to permit trigger activation (block 540). For example, the user may be required to confirm that a marker with the correct marker characteristic was loaded before trigger activation may be permitted. Alternatively, the marking tool 200 may be loaded with information from the user's ticket. In this case, trigger activation may be prevented when the marker characteristic of the marker does not match the ticket information. For example, if the ticket information indicates that the user is to dispense blue and yellow paint at a particular location, then activation of the trigger may be permitted if blue or yellow paint is loaded into the marking tool 200, and activation of the trigger may be prevented otherwise.

If activation of the trigger is permitted, then a marker may be dispensed (block 550), and marking information may be stored (block 560). To dispense a marker (block 550), the actuation device 288 may be activated to cause the nozzle 290 of the paint canister 284 to be depressed, which may cause paint from the paint canister 284 to be output via the nozzle 290.

To store marking information (block 560), a signal may be sent to the processor 268. The signal may be sent from the signal generator 310, the wireless/wired trigger 320, and/or the display 266, as described above. The signal may instruct the processor 268 to store the marking information. For example, the processor 268 may store the marking information in local memory 270. In this case, the processor 268 may create an entry in local memory 270. Alternatively, or additionally, the processor 268 may store the marking information by transmitting the marking information for storage by a device or system external to marking tool 200.

FIG. 6A is a diagram of an exemplary entry that may be created. As shown in FIG. 6A, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field 610 and a timestamp field 620. The marker characteristic(s) field 610 may include information regarding one or more marker characteristics, such as marker color, marker shape, or marker type. The information in the marker characteristic(s) field 610 is shown in FIG. 6A as “yellow” or “yellow paint”—although any type of descriptive information may be used. The timestamp field 620 may include time data that identifies the day and/or time that the marker was dispensed. The time data in the timestamp field 620 is shown in FIG. 6A as 10:45 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2005—although any type of date and/or time code may be used. As explained above, the marking information may be useful to determine whether the user dispensed the correct marker(s) (e.g., the correct color paint) in a particular location. For example, the user's ticket may identify what utility lines were to be marked in the area. The marking information may help insure that the job was completed correctly.

FIG. 6B is a diagram of another exemplary entry that may be created. As shown in FIG. 6B, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field 610, a timestamp field 620, and a count field 630. The marker characteristic(s) field 610 and the timestamp field 620 may be similar to the similarly named fields in FIG. 6A. The count field 630 may include information that identifies the number of times that the user activated the trigger to dispense a marker (e.g., yellow paint). The information in the count field 630 is shown in FIG. 6B as twenty-three—although any count value can be used. The information in the count field 630 may be useful to determine or estimate an amount of paint that was dispensed at the location and, thus, whether the amount of paint was reasonable given the job that was to be performed.

FIG. 6C is a diagram of another exemplary entry that may be created. As shown in FIG. 6C, an entry may include a marker characteristic(s) field 640, a timestamp field 620, and an elapsed time field 650. The marker characteristic(s) field 640 and the timestamp field 620 may be similar to the similarly named fields in FIG. 6A. In this case, however, the marker characteristic(s) field 640 may additionally store an identifier that identifies a particular marker (e.g., a particular canister of paint). The identifier is shown in FIG. 6C as “12345”—although any type of identifier may be used.

The elapsed time field 650 may include information that identifies the amount of time that has elapsed from when the user activated the trigger for dispensing a marker (e.g., yellow paint) to when the user ceased activating the trigger. The information in the elapsed time field 650 is shown in FIG. 6C as three minutes, forty five seconds, and three one hundredths of a second—although any time code can be used. The information in the elapsed time field 650 may be useful to determine or estimate when a supply of markers is nearly empty. The information in the elapsed time field 650 may help determine when to replace the canister. The elapsed time or a signal indicating that a supply of markers needs to be replaced may be presented to the user visually and/or audibly. The information in the elapsed time field 650 may also, or alternatively, be useful to determine or estimate an amount of markers used in a particular location.

While three exemplary entries have been described with regard to FIGS. 6A-6C, an entry may include more, fewer, different, or combinations of the fields shown in FIGS. 6A-6C.

The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the description to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the invention.

For example, the processors 140 and 268 can be general purpose computers. Alternatively, they can be special purpose computers, programmed microprocessors or microcontrollers and peripheral integrated circuit elements, ASICs or other integrated circuits, hardwired electronic or logic circuits such as discrete element circuits, programmable logic devices such as FPGA, PLD, PLA or PAL or the like. In general, any device capable of executing code can be used to implement processors 140 and 268. Local memories 130 and 270 can be implemented with any type of electronic memory and/or storage device using any type of media, such as magnetic, optical or other media.

Further, while a series of blocks have been illustrated in FIG. 5, the order of the blocks may differ in other implementations. Also, non-dependent blocks may be performed in parallel.

Also, it has been described that information regarding an elapsed time can be used to determine or estimate when a supply of markers is nearly empty. In another implementation, a sensor may be used to detect a weight of a paint canister 284. The sensor may be placed on the paint canister 284 or within the paint canister holder 282. The weight of the paint canister 284 may be used to estimate how full or empty the paint canister 284 is. This information may be provided to an operator of the marking tool 200 visually and/or audibly. In one implementation, replacing the paint canister 284 may trigger the identification of the marker characteristic (e.g., paint color) by the tag reader 246. This may help reduce the overall battery life of the tag reader 246 and/or the tag 286 by limiting the number of times that the tag reader 246 is used (e.g., only obtain the marker characteristic when the paint canister 284 is initially loaded into paint canister holder 282).

It will be apparent that aspects, as described above, may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these aspects is not limiting of the description provided herein. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects were described without reference to the specific software code—it being understood that software and control hardware can be designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims

1. A marking apparatus comprising: a marking dispenser to dispense at least one marker in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the at least one marker to mark ground, pavement or other surface in the dig area so as to provide a visual indication of a presence or an absence of at least one underground utility in the dig area;a tag reader communicatively coupled to the marking dispenser to read marking information regarding the at least one marker;a triggering system communicatively coupled to the marking dispenser to trigger the marking dispenser so as to dispense the at least one marker; anda communication system communicatively coupled to the triggering system and including a wireless interface to transmit at least one signal from the marking apparatus relating to use of the marking apparatus,wherein the at least one signal transmitted by the wireless interface represents first data relating to the marking information read by the tag reader.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data relates to both a location of the marking apparatus upon at least one actuation of the triggering system and at least one characteristic of the at least one marker dispensed from the marking dispenser.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first data further relates to a time of the at least one actuation of the triggering system.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a location tracking system communicatively coupled to the communication system, to provide at least some of the first data relating to the location of the marking apparatus upon the at least one actuation of the triggering system, wherein the location tracking system includes a global positioning system (GPS) or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one marker includes paint or a flag, and wherein the at least one characteristic of the at least one marker includes a color and/or a type of the paint or the flag.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first data relates to a location of the marking apparatus upon the at least one actuation of the triggering system, at least one characteristic of the at least one marker dispensed from the marking dispenser, and a time of the at least one actuation of the triggering system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless interface is configured to transmit the at least one signal to at least one external device located remote from the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface includes a Bluetooth interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the wireless interface includes a radio frequency interface.

10. A system, comprising: the apparatus of claim 7; andthe at least one external device located remote from the apparatus and communicatively coupled to the communication system of the apparatus, wherein the at least one external device comprises a processor to receive and process the at least one signal representing the first data so as to display a dispensing of the at least one marker on an electronic representation of an area that is marked and includes a location of the presence or the absence of the at least one underground utility.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one processor communicatively coupled to the communication system, to log location and/or time data upon the at least one actuation of the triggering system, wherein the at least one signal transmitted by the wireless interface relates to the logged location and/or time data.

12. A marking apparatus, comprising: a marking dispenser to dispense at least one marker in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities, the at least one marker to mark ground, pavement or other surface in the dig area so as to provide a visual indication of a presence or an absence of at least one underground utility in the dig area;a tag reader communicatively coupled to the marking dispenser to read marking information regarding the at least one marker;a triggering system communicatively coupled to the marking dispenser to trigger the marking dispenser so as to dispense the at least one marker;a location tracking system to provide location data relating to a location of the marking apparatus upon at least one actuation of the triggering system; anda communication system communicatively coupled to the triggering system and the location tracking system, the communication system including a wireless interface to transmit at least one signal from the marking apparatus relating to use of the marking apparatus,wherein the at least one signal transmitted by the wireless antenna represents: the location data relating to the location of the marking apparatus upon the at least one actuation of the triggering system; andthe marking information regarding the at least one marker and read by the tag reader.

13. A marking method, comprising: A) dispensing at least one marker on ground, pavement or other surface in a dig area to be excavated or disturbed during excavation activities so as to provide a visual indication of a presence or an absence of at least one underground utility in the dig area;B) reading, via a tag reader, marking information regarding the at least one marker dispensed in A); andC) wirelessly transmitting at least one signal, in response to A), wherein the at least one signal represents first data relating to at least one of: a location at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A); andthe marking information read by the tag reader in B).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein in C), the first data relates to both the location at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A), and the marking information read in B).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein in C), the first data further relates to a time at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A).

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first data relates to the location at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A), the marking information read in B), and a time at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A).

17. The method of claim 13, wherein C) comprises: transmitting the at least one signal to at least one external device located remote from the location at which the at least one marker is dispensed in A).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one signal transmitted in C) is a radio frequency signal.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising: D) receiving and processing, at the at least one external device, the at least one signal representing the first data so as to display a dispensing of the at least one marker on an electronic representation of an area that is marked and includes the location of the at least one underground utility.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising: logging location and/or time data in response to A), wherein the at least one signal transmitted in C) relates to the logged location and/or time data.