Abstract:
A communication system and method for monitoring operation of a system in a facility and for sending out repair request has a monitoring device coupled to a system in the facility to be monitored. The monitoring device sends a notification signal when an operational problem is monitored. A receiving device is used for receiving the notification signal sent from the monitoring device. A client communication system is utilized for entering information for a repair order for the operational problem monitored. A repair maintenance server is coupled to the first computer system. The repair maintenance server receives the repair order information and sends bid requests to designated repair vendors. A plurality of vendor computer systems is coupled to the repair maintenance server for repair vendors to submit bids for the repair order. The repair maintenance server will select a vendor and notify the vendor of a winning bid.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to maintenance systems, and more specifically, to a communication system and method which will send out work orders to designated maintenance companies for maintenance on electrical, mechanical, plumbing, or other systems of a designated facility.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Reducing operational costs has become a priority for senior management in many business categories (e.g., retail, banking, restaurants, fast food, petroleum, automotive, hospitality, etc.). These retailers have been aggressively seeking cost efficiencies in every sector of their business to improve bottom line financial results. One area of corporate focus is the facility maintenance management sector.  
         [0005]     Facility operational efficiency of point-of-purchase displays (POPs), interior and exterior lighting fixtures, as well as interior and exterior electrical signs, and other electrical systems (HVAC and the like) are key focal points for facility managers. When store lighting, POPs and signs are not working correctly, degradation of the stores brand identity and top-of-mind awareness suffers. Overtime, customers tend to redirect their loyalty to more customer friendly and better-maintained stores.  
         [0006]     A large amount of time, energy and costs are spent managing vendor issues such as product and labor cost controls, on-site work rules and regulations, schedules, follow-up effort, billing procedures, insurance updates, etc. Another problem that compounds management costs is the constant turnover of approved vendors due to lack of performance and follow-through. This is largely due to the absence of a standard communications platform that both the Clients and Vendors can work within.  
         [0007]     Traditionally, stores have used different methods of contracting, controlling, and dispatching maintenance vendors. For example, the following procedures have been used: (1) internal management of vendors by calling to order maintenance on a pay-as-you-go basis; (2) annual local maintenance contracts with vendors that independently perform the work; (3) annual national contracts with regional firms that both perform maintenance and sub-contract maintenance depending on their branch locations and service areas; and (4) annual national contracts with maintenance project management firms that hire vendors throughout the US from their network to perform work and manage them for a fee.  
         [0008]     The main purpose for subcontracting out maintenance management services is to reduce internal overhead costs and eliminate the headaches associated with internally managing maintenance Vendors. The end objective of this has been a redirection of management efforts to revenue generating activities.  
         [0009]     By reducing internal staff and relying on out-sourced maintenance management, a large reduction of internal overhead is being experienced, but an additional layer of mark-up costs is occurring. In most cases, this process has defeated the basic cost-cutting purpose intended in the first place.  
         [0010]     In order to achieve better operational efficiency in maintenance management, better communications and operational standards (along with automatic accountability systems) must be initiated. As companies continue to explore new ways to create cost savings and operational efficiencies, the opportunities for new companies that develop solutions to fill these voids will continue to expand.  
         [0011]     Therefore, there is a need for an improved communication system and method for maintenance of electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and other systems of a facility. The improved communication system and method must over come the problems associated with prior art systems and methods. The improved communication system and method will send out work orders to designated maintenance companies for maintenance on systems of a designated facility. The improved communication system and method will have better communications and operational standards, along with automatic accountability systems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved communication system and method for maintenance of electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and other systems of a facility.  
         [0013]     It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved communication system and method that over comes the problems associated with prior art systems and methods.  
         [0014]     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved communication system and method that will send out work orders to designated maintenance companies for maintenance on systems of a designated facility.  
         [0015]     It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved communication system and method that will have better communications and operational standards, along with automatic accountability systems.  
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a communication system for monitoring operation of a system in a facility and for sending out repair request is disclosed. The communication system has a monitoring device coupled to a system in the facility to be monitored. The monitoring device sends a notification signal when an operational problem is monitored. A receiving device is used for receiving the notification signal sent from the monitoring device. A client computer system is utilized for entering information for a repair order for the operational problem monitored. A repair maintenance server is coupled to the first computer system. The repair maintenance server receives the repair order information and sends bid requests to designated repair vendors. A plurality of vendor communication systems is coupled to the repair maintenance server for repair vendors to submit bids for the repair order. The repair maintenance server will select a vendor and notify the vendor of a winning bid.  
         [0017]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for monitoring operation of a system in a facility and for sending out repair request is disclosed. The method comprises: sending a notification signal when an operational problem is recorded by a monitoring device on the system in the facility to be monitored; receiving the notification signal sent from the monitoring device; entering information for a repair order on a client computer system for the operational problem monitored; sending the repair order to a repair maintenance server, the repair maintenance server receiving the repair order information and sending bid requests to designated repair vendors; submitting bids in response to the bid requests by the designated repair vendors; and selecting a winning vendor by the repair maintenance server.  
         [0018]     The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular, descriptions of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]     The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrated embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a simplified functional block diagram of the communication system of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart showing the operation of the communication system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]     Referring now to the  FIG. 1 , a communication system  10  is shown. The communication system  10  monitors the operation of systems in a facility  11 . If a problem arises, the communication system  10  will signal a designated person  12  in charge of the facility  11 . That person  12  will then verify the problem and then enter a request for repairs. The communication system  10  will then send out work orders to designated maintenance companies  13  for maintenance on the system of the designated facility  11 . The maintenance companies  13  will then enter a bid for repairing the system. A maintenance company  13  is then selected and will perform the repairs. Alternatively, if a designated maintenance company  13  has been assigned to a designated facility  11 , the work order will be sent directly to the designated maintenance company  13  for repairs on the system of the designated facility  11 .  
         [0023]     The communication system  10  will be described as it relates to an electrical system in a facility. However, it should be understood that the communication system  10  may be used with other types of systems in the facility such as plumbing, gas, mechanical, heating/ventilation/air condition (HVAC), and the like. The listing of the above systems should not be seen as to limit the scope of the present invention. The communication system  10  has a monitoring device  14 . The monitoring device  14  is coupled to an electrical system to be monitored. The monitoring device  14  is able to determine if there is a problem in the electrical system being monitored. For example, the monitoring device  14  is able to monitor a lighting system to determine if one or more light bulbs in the lighting system or in a sign is not operating properly or is burned out. The above is given as an example, and should not be seen as to limit the scope of the present invention. The monitoring device  14  is able to monitor other functions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0024]     If the monitoring device  14  detects a problem, the monitoring device  14  will send a signal to the designated person  12  at the facility  11 . The signal may be a wireless signal, a wired signal, or the like. The designated person  12  will receive the signal via a notification device  15 . The notification device  15  may be a wired device like a wired telephone or a wireless device like a pager, cellular phone, wireless Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or the like. Again, the listing of the above devices is given as examples and should not be seen as to limit the scope of the present invention. The designated person  12  can then check out the electrical system to verify the problem.  
         [0025]     If a problem in the electrical system being monitored exists, a person  12  will then log on to the maintenance request website hosted by the maintenance request server  16 . One will generally log on to the maintenance request website using a computer system  18 . It should be noted that one may access the maintenance request website in other ways as well. For example, one may access the maintenance request website through a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), cellular phone, or other types of wired or wireless communication devices.  
         [0026]     The computer system  18  may gain access to the maintenance request website in different manners. For example, one may dial directly into the maintenance request website. Alternatively, one may access the maintenance request website via the Internet  17 . Other means of accessing the maintenance request website may be done without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0027]     Once access is gained to the maintenance request website, one will enter information for a repair order request. The repair order request information will include the company name, location of the facility  11 , contact person, description of the problem, device specification, and a priority for the repair. Additional information may further be entered without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.  
         [0028]     After the information is entered, the maintenance request server  16  will send the repair order request to a plurality of different maintenance companies (hereinafter vendors)  13 . All the vendors  13  will be rated. Each vendor  13  will be placed into one of three categories: Primary, Secondary and Standby. If a rating of a vendor  13  falls below a certain minimal value, that vendor  13  will fall to the bottom of the queue. The maintenance request server  16  may be programmed to notify a vendor  13  when the vendor  13  falls below the minimal value. In general, the maintenance request server  16  will send the repair order request first to the primary vendors  13 . If not enough primary vendors  13  are available, the maintenance request server  16  will send the repair order request to secondary vendors  13 . Again, if not enough primary or secondary vendors  13  are available; the maintenance request server  16  will send the repair order request to stand-by vendors  13 .  
         [0029]     The maintenance request server  16  will send the repair order request to different vendors  13  based on geo-coding. Geo-coding will find all the vendors  13  within a predefined radius of the facility  11 . The maintenance request server  16  will then send the repair order request to simultaneously to these vendors  13 . Any vendor  13  located outside of the predefined radius of the facility will generally not be sent the repair order request. However, if only 1 or 2 vendors or no vendor  20  is within the predefined radius, the repair order may be sent to vendors  13  outside the predefined radius.  
         [0030]     The repair order request will be sent to the designated vendors  13  simultaneously. The maintenance request server  16  can send the repair order request via a wired system or a wireless system. A wired system may be a telephonic system where the maintenance request server  16  would send multiple wired phone calls simultaneously to the designated vendors  13  or a wired internet system where emails are sent simultaneously to the designated vendors  13 . A wireless system may be a text messaging, pager system, wireless phone calls, etc. where messages are sent wirelessly and simultaneously to the designated vendors  13 . It should be noted that the above are given as examples and should not be seen as to narrow the scope of the present invention.  
         [0031]     After the maintenance request server  16  sends the repair order request to the designated vendors  13 , the vendors  13  are responsible to submit a quote and/or reply, and a time frame for the repair. Quotes must be submitted by a desired time frame based on the priority designated by the designated person  12  in the facility  11 . For example, if the priority is an “Emergency”, vendors  13  need to respond within one hour. If the priority is “One Day” priority, vendors  13  need to reply within six hours. A “Two Day” priority, vendors  13  need to reply within twelve hours. A “Three Day” priority, vendors  13  need to reply within twenty-four hours. The above are given as examples and should not be seen as to limit the scope of the present invention. If no vendors  13  respond within a desired time frame, the maintenance request server  16  will automatically place a follow-up phone call, email, or other means of communication to a contact person  13 A associated with each of the designated vendors  13 .  
         [0032]     Each of the designated vendors  13  will compete for the repair order request. One of the designated vendors  13  will then automatically be selected. Selection may be done in a plurality of different manners. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the maintenance request server  16  will select the designated vendor  13  that responds first to the repair order request. The designated vendor  13  that responds first to the repair order request will be notified by the maintenance request server  16  that their company is now responsible to handle the repair order request based on the pre-approved time frame. The maintenance request server  16  will also notify the designated person  12  in the facility  11  which vendor  13  is responsible for the repairs and the schedule for the repairs.  
         [0033]     Alternatively, the maintenance request server  16  may be designed to select the designated vendor  13  that submits the lowest bid. Thus, the designated vendor  13  that submits the lowest bid is the one to handle the repair order request. The bidding process could be a one bid process where the designated vendors  13  will each submit a single bid and the lowest bid will be awarded the repair order request. The bidding process could also be more like an auction. Each of the designated vendors  13  would be given a certain time frame to submit a bid. Once a bid is submitted, it is entered. A designated vendor  13  may change the bid, but only to a lower bid. The designated vendor  13  who submitted the lowest bid at the end of the time frame will be awarded the repair order request. The bidding system may be an open bidding system. An open bidding system allows all the vendors  13  to see the different bids. Alternatively, a blind bidding system may be used where bids cannot be seen by the other vendors  13 .  
         [0034]     The selection process may be dictated by the maintenance request server  16 . Alternatively, the selection process may be selectable based on the desire of the person  12  using the communication system  10 . Once a vendor  13  is selected by the maintenance request server  16 , the vendor  13  will be notified that their company is now responsible to handle the repair order request. The selected vendor  13  must then perform the required repairs in the designated time frame. Once the repairs are completed, the person  12  (or other people responsible for the facility  11  needs to inspect the worked performed and sign off on the repairs made. Before signing off on the repairs made, the person  12  needs to approve/verify the number of workers supplied by the vendors, the hours worked, etc.  
         [0035]     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a designated facility  11  may have a designated vendor  13  assigned to the facility  11 . In this embodiment, the work order will be sent directly to the designated vendor  13 . Once the work order is sent to the designated vendor  13 , the designated vendor  13  is responsible for repairs on the system in the facility  11 . The work order is not submitted to other vendors for bids. The work order is only submitted to a specific designated vendor  13 .  
         [0036]     After the client signs off on the repairs, the vendor  13  will enter the billing information into the maintenance request server  16 . The billing information may be entered by the vendor  13  in a plurality of different manners. The vendor  13  may wait and go back to the office and enter the billing information using a wired system  19  such as a computer coupled to the Internet vie a phone, cable, DSL, or other type of line. Alternatively, the vendor  20  can enter the billing information on site using a wireless system  20 . For example, the vendor could enter the billing information using a wireless device like a PDA, cellular phone, notebook computer having wireless communication technology (i.e., wireless communication card, built-in wireless communication technology, etc.)  
         [0037]     After the vendor  13  enters the billing information, the billing information is sent to the maintenance request server  16 . The maintenance request server  16  will receive the billing information, and will prepare an invoice for the work performed by the vendor  13 . The maintenance request server  16  will then send out the invoice. The invoice may be sent out in a plurality of different manners. The invoice may be printed out and sent via regular mail. Alternatively, the invoice may be sent out electronically.  
         [0038]     The invoice may be sent either directly to the facility  11  that requested the repairs. The facility  11  will then pay the invoice to the account manager  21  running the maintenance request server  16 . Once payment is received, the account manager  21  running the maintenance request server  16  will pay the requisite vendor  13 . Alternatively, if the facility  11  is part of a chain of stores, the invoice may be sent as part of a corporate invoice for all services performed during a desired time frame for all stores belonging to the corporation. The corporate invoice is then sent to an accounts payable group of the corporation.  
         [0039]     The facility  11  may be asked to fill in questions related to the problem handled, quality of the service, and the like. The maintenance request server  16  can have the person  12  fill in a questionnaire when the client reviews the invoice or any time after the vendor  13  has finished the maintenance request order. If questionnaires are filled out, the company running the maintenance request server  16  may then send out the quality reports to the vendor  13 .  
         [0040]     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.