Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of instrumented function components, the method comprising:receiving, from an online safety availability application, operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components;updating, within an asset management database, status information for the plurality of instrumented function components based upon the operating information;determining, by a computer, a probability of failure on demand, at time of receiving the operating information, for the instrumented-function based upon the operating information;comparing, by a computer, the probability of failure on demand with a designed probability of failure on demand for the instrumented function to establish a variance; andmanaging the plurality of instrumented function components based on the status information and at least in part on the variance. 2. The method of claim 1 including:sending the status information to the online safety availability application; andcalculating, via the online safety availability application, a probability of failure on demand for a safety instrumented function, and wherein the safety instrumented function comprises at least a portion of the plurality of instrumented function components. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the sending includes sending an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has been replaced. 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated as an average probability of failure on demand. 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated as an instantaneous probability of failure on demand. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components includes an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has failed. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the managing includes initiating procurement of at least one new instrumented function component to replace the at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components that has failed. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving includes receiving test information, the test information indicating whether a test performed on an instrumented function component was successful. 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving one or more environmental inputs associated with the plurality of instrumented function components, wherein said updating status information includes updating environmental information associated with said plurality of instrumented function components based at least in part on said environmental inputs. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the environmental information includes temperature information. 11. The method of claim 9 wherein the environmental information includes pressure information. 12. The method of claim 9 wherein the environmental information includes humidity information. 13. The method of claim 1 including:sending the status information to the online safety availability application. 14. The method of claim 1 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated as an average failure of probability on demand. 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated as an instantaneous failure of probability on demand. 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated in part based on an environmental input associated with the one or more instrumented-function components. 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing comprises providing an alarm responsive to the variance. 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing comprises providing historical, on-line and/or predictive reporting of failure of probability on demand information for the instrumented function. 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the managing comprises electronically initiating the procurement of one or more replacement components for one or more of the instrumented-function components responsive to the variance. 20. A system for managing a plurality of instrumented function components, the system comprising:means for receiving, from an online safety availability application, operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components;means for updating, within an asset management database, status information for the plurality of instrumented function components based upon the received operating information;means for determining a probability of failure on demand, at time of receiving the operating information, for the instrumented-function based upon the operating information;means for comparing the probability of failure on demand with a designed probability of failure on demand for the instrumented function to establish a variance; andmeans for managing the plurality of instrumented function components based on the updated status information and at least part upon the variance. 21. The system of claim 20 including means for sending status information to the online safety availability application wherein the online safety availability application is configured to calculate a probability of failure on demand for a safety instrumented function, and wherein the safety instrumented function comprises at least a portion of the plurality of instrumented function components. 22. The system of claim 21 wherein the means for managing includes means for initiating procurement of at least one new instrumented function component to replace the at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components that has failed. 23. The system of claim 21 wherein the means for sending includes means for sending an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has been replaced. 24. The system of claim 20 wherein the operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components includes an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has failed. 25. The system of claim 20 wherein the means for receiving includes means for receiving test information, the test information indicating whether a test performed on an instrumented function component was successful. 26. A non-transitory processor-readable medium encoded with instructions for managing a plurality of instrumented function components, the medium including instructions for:receiving, from an online safety availability application, operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components;updating, within an asset management database, status information for the plurality of instrumented function components based upon the operating information;determining a probability of failure on demand, at time of receiving the operating information, for the instrumented-function based upon the operating information;comparing the probability of failure on demand with a designed probability of failure on demand for the instrumented function to establish a variance; andmanaging the plurality of instrumented function components based on the status information and at least in part upon the variance. 27. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 26 including:sending the status information to the online safety availability application; andcalculating, via the online safety availability application, a probability of failure on demand for a safety instrumented function, and wherein the safety instrumented function comprises at least a portion of the plurality of instrumented function components. 28. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the sending includes sending an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has been replaced. 29. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components includes an indication that at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components has failed. 30. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 29 wherein the managing includes initiating procurement of at least one new instrumented function component to replace the at least one of the plurality of instrumented function components that has failed. 31. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 26 wherein the receiving includes receiving test information, the test information indicating whether a test performed on an instrumented function component was successful. 32. A computer-assisted method for managing a plurality of instrumented-function components which collectively implement an instrumented function, the method comprising:receiving, from an online safety availability application, operating information about the plurality of instrumented-function components;determining, by a computer, a probability of failure on demand, at time of receiving the operating information, for the instrumented-function based on the operating information;comparing, by a computer, the probability of failure on demand with a designed probability of failure on demand for the instrumented function to establish a variance; andmanaging the plurality of instrumented function components based at least in part upon the variance. 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the failure of probability on demand is calculated as an average probability of failure on demand. 34. The method of claim 32 wherein the failure of probability on demand is calculated as an instantaneous probability of failure on demand. 35. The method of claim 32 wherein the probability of failure on demand is calculated in part based on an environmental input associated with the one or more instrumented-function components. 36. The method of claim 32 wherein the managing comprises providing an alarm responsive to the variance. 37. The method of claim 32 wherein the managing comprises providing historical, on-line and/or predictive reporting of probability of failure on demand information for the instrumented function. 38. The method of claim 32 wherein the managing comprises electronically initiating the procurement of one or more replacement components for one or more of the instrumented-function components responsive to the variance. 39. A system for managing a plurality of instrumented function components, comprising:a processor;an input/output (I/O) module; anda memory containing instructions for execution by the processor to:receive operating information about the plurality of instrumented function components from the I/O module;provide, to an asset management database, status information for the plurality of instrumented function components based upon the operating information;determine a probability of failure on demand, at time of receiving the operating information, for the instrumented-function based upon the operating information;compare the probability of failure on demand with a designed probability of failure on demand for the instrumented function to establish a variance; andmanage the plurality of instrumented function components based on the status information and at least in part on the variance.