Patent Abstract:
A self-calibrating powered air purifying respirator (PAPR). The PAPR comprises an electric motor mechanically coupled to a blower; an air flow sensor, and a controller coupled to the air flow sensor and to the electric motor. The controller is configured to automatically execute a one-time self-calibration by driving the electric motor to a predefined operation point, receiving an indication from the air flow sensor, determining a reference parameter based on the indication from the air flow sensor, and storing the reference parameter, wherein after completion of the one-time self-calibration the controller controls the electric motor based on the stored reference parameter.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) utilize a mechanism, such as a blower, impeller, fan or other mechanism, to draw ambient air through air purifying elements to remove contaminants from the air. PAPRs are designed to be human portable for use in atmospheres with solid and liquid contaminants, gases, and/or vapors to provide a useable and safe supply of breathable air where the concentrations of contaminants are not immediately dangerous to life or health and the atmosphere contains adequate oxygen to support life. PAPRs carry a self-contained power source such as a battery to energize a motor to drive the blower, impeller, or fan. The self-contained power source desirably is sized small enough so the PAPR is readily human portable and large enough that the PAPR can be used without recharging the power source for a portion of a work shift effective to promote efficient worker operation. 
     SUMMARY 
     A self-calibrating powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) is disclosed. The PAPR comprises an electric motor mechanically coupled to a blower, an air flow sensor, and a controller coupled to the air flow sensor and to the electric motor. The controller is configured to automatically execute a one-time self-calibration by driving the electric motor to a predefined operation point, receiving an indication from the air flow sensor, determining a reference parameter based on the indication from the air flow sensor, and storing the reference parameter, wherein after completion of the one-time self-calibration the controller controls the electric motor based on the stored reference parameter. 
     A method of manufacturing a powered air purifying respirator is disclosed. The method comprises assembling a powered air purifying respirator, wherein the powered air purifying respirator comprises a blower, an electric motor coupled to the blower, an air flow sensor, and a controller coupled to the electric motor and to the air flow sensor. The method further comprises evaluating a calibration state of the powered air purifying respirator, the evaluation performed automatically by the controller and, when the calibration state is uncalibrated, driving the electric motor to a predefined operation point. The method further comprises comparing a sensor value output by the air flow sensor to an initial control reference value stored in a memory of the controller to determine a calibrated control reference value and storing the calibrated control reference value in the memory, wherein the controller is configured to control the electric motor based at least in part on the calibrated control reference value stored in the memory when the powered air purifying respirator is in a calibrated state. 
     A method of operating a powered air purifying respirator in the field is disclosed. The method comprises powering on the powered air purifying respirator and evaluating a calibration state of a powered air purifying respirator, wherein the powered air purifying respirator comprises a blower, an electric motor coupled to the blower, an air flow sensor, and a controller coupled to the electric motor and to the air flow sensor, the evaluation performed automatically by the controller. The method further comprises, when the calibration state is uncalibrated, driving the electric motor to a predefined operation point and comparing a sensor value output by the air flow sensor to an initial control reference value stored in a memory to determine a calibrated control reference value. The method further comprises storing the calibrated control reference value in the memory and, after storing the calibrated control reference value in the memory, changing the calibration state of the powered air purifying respirator to calibrated. The method further comprises, when the calibration state is calibrated, driving the electric motor by the controller based at least in part on the calibrated control reference value and based on the sensor value output by the air flow sensor. 
     These and other features will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts. 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of a control system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of a memory according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of an exemplary computer system suitable for implementing an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, the disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not yet in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. 
     Powered air purifying respirators (PAPRs) are well known in the art. An exemplary PAPR is described in US patent application publication US 2011/0146682 A1 entitled “Sensor Apparatus and Method to Regulate Air Flow in a Powered Air Purifying Respirator” by Swapnil Gopal Patil, et al, published Jun. 23, 2011, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/645,044 filed Dec. 22, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirely. A PAPR may comprise a motor mechanically coupled to an air blower. As the motor turns the air blower, the air blower draws air through one or more filters and delivers breathable air to a user, for example via a hose to a face mask worn by the user. The PAPR may comprise a battery that provides power to drive the motor and a controller that regulates the speed of the motor to provide a controlled air flow rate. 
     Ideally, all PAPRs of the same model and/or type would be manufactured so as to produce the design air flow objective based on a common control reference value, for example a set-point stored in a memory of the PAPR. In practice, however, due to variation among the components of the PAPR, relying on a common control reference value to control the PAPR does not produce equal air flows in different PAPRs. For example, unit-to-unit differences in electric motors, differences in air blowers, differences in switching mode power supplies (SMPSs), and differences in other components may contribute to producing different air flows when relying on a common control reference value. In one PAPR the common control reference value may produce an air flow that is less than the rate of air flow specified by a design, and the air flow may then fail to meet the applicable safety codes defining acceptable air flow rates. In another PAPR the common control reference value may produce an air flow that exceeds the rate of air flow specified by the design, and the battery of the subject PAPR may then discharge prematurely. The present disclosure teaches a PAPR that self-calibrates and establishes a calibrated control reference value for each individual PAPR that accommodates component variations within each PAPR, whereby the PAPR provides an air flow rate that meets the design specification without either deficient or excessive air flow. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , a system  100  is described. In an embodiment, the system  100  comprises an air blower  102 , an electric motor  104 , a battery  106 , a switched mode power supply (SMPS)  108 , a controller  110 , a control reference  112 , a sensor  114 , and a summation junction  116 . It is understood that some components commonly present in PAPRs are not shown in  FIG. 1  to avoid cluttering the illustration. For example, in an embodiment, the air outlet at the right hand side of the illustration may be coupled into an air hose attached to a face mask. In an embodiment, the system  100  may be varied in some ways, and some components may be combined. For example, in an embodiment, the control reference  112  may be integrated with the controller  110 , for example the control reference  112  may be stored in a memory location of the controller  110 . In an embodiment, the system.  100  may not employ the switched mode power supply  108  but instead some other form of electrical power modulation component that modulates electrical power delivered to the electric motor  104  under control of the controller  110 . 
     In an embodiment, the system  100  may not employ the switched mode power supply  108 , and the controller  110  may comprise the circuitry for electrical power modulation and may connect directly to the electric motor  104 . In an embodiment, the output of the sensor  114  may be filtered before feeding into the summation junction  116 . For example, the output of the sensor  114  may be low-pass filtered to remove noise from the sensor signal. In an embodiment, the controller  110  may be an electronic controller or processor. Alternatively, the controller  110  may be an algorithm or firmware that is executed by a processor. 
     The switched mode power supply  108  may deliver a pulsed width modulated electrical power output to the electric motor  104  that is characterized by a voltage amplitude and/or a pulse duration or width. By increasing the output pulse duration and/or pulse duty cycle of the switched mode power supply  108 , the controller  110  indirectly commands the electric motor  104  to turn faster and hence to increase the rate of air flow delivered by the air blower  102 . By decreasing the output pulse duration of the switched mode power supply  108 , the controller  110  indirectly commands the electric motor  104  to turn slower and hence to decrease the rate of air flow delivered by the air blower  102 . 
     The controller  110  commands the electric motor  104  based on the difference between the control reference value  112  and the output of the sensor  114  calculated or determined by the summation junction  116 . The sensor  114  provides an indication of the air flow. In an embodiment, the sensor  114  comprises a first probe located in an airflow channel of the PAPR that measures a stagnation pressure in the airflow channel and a second probe located to measure a static pressure in the airflow channel. The sensor  114  compares the difference of pressures sensed by the first probe and the second probe to develop an indication of air flow rate. For further details of a differential pressure based air flow rate sensor, see U.S. patent application publication US 2011/0146682 A1 entitled “Sensor Apparatus and Method to Regulate Air How in a Powered Air Purifying Respirator” by Swapnil Gopal Patil, et al., identified and incorporated by reference above. In another embodiment, however, a different kind of sensor  114  may be used to provide an indication or air flow. As mentioned above, the output of the sensor  114  may be filtered to remove noise and to smooth the sensor output before processing by the summation junction  116 . 
     As the value of the output of the sensor  114  drops below the control reference value  112 , the output of the summation junction  116  becomes positive and increases in magnitude the further the value of the output of the sensor  114  drops. The positive output of the summation junction  116  received by the controller  110  causes the controller  110  to drive the electric motor  104  faster and hence increases the air flow rate. As the value of the output of the sensor  114  rises above the control reference value  112 , the output of the summation junction  116  becomes negative and increases in magnitude the further the output of the sensor  114  increases. The negative output of the summation junction  116  received by the controller  110  causes the controller  110  to drive the electric motor  104  slower and hence decreases the air flow rate. The controller  110  may process the output of the summation junction  116  in various ways to provide for stability and smooth air flow. In steady state, the output of the summation junction  116  may be such that the air blower  102  maintains a substantially constant air flow rate. 
     In an embodiment, the system  100  may be operated in either a calibration mode of operation or a normal mode of operation. In the calibration mode of operation, the controller  110  may drive the electric motor  104  to a predefined operation point in an open loop control fashion. For example, the controller  110  may drive the electric motor  104  by outputting a predefined pulse width modulation voltage amplitude command and a predefined pulse width modulation duration command and/or duty cycle command to the switched mode power supply  108 , and the switched mode power supply  108  may provide the commanded voltage amplitude and pulse duration or duty cycle electrical power output to the electric motor  104 . After waiting an amount of time that is effective to allow the electric motor  104  to reach steady state, a comparison between the output of the sensor  114  and an initial control reference value  112  may be performed. 
     If there is a material difference between the output of the sensor  114  and the initial control reference value  112 , then the system  100  is not calibrated and either the air flow rate is excessive and hence battery life is unnecessarily shortened or the air flow rate is deficient and hence insufficient air flow is delivered to a user of the PAPR. In either case, a calibrated control reference value  112  is calculated and written into a memory location storing the control reference  112 . If there is no material difference between the output of the sensor  114  and the initial control reference value  112 , the system  100  is already calibrated, and the memory location storing the control reference  112  is allowed to retain the initial control reference value  112 . In an embodiment, a the difference may be compared to a predefined tolerance to determine if the system  100  is calibrated or not calibrated. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a memory  150  is described. The memory  150  may be part of a memory chip that is coupled to the controller  110  or may be part of a memory integrated with a processor chip. In an embodiment, the memory  150  comprises a first memory location  152  storing a calibration state of the PAPR, a second memory location  154  storing a control reference value  154 , and a third memory location  156  storing a control reference cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value. In alternative embodiment, the memory  150  may not comprise the third memory location  156  and may not store a control reference CRC value. In an embodiment, when the PAPR is first assembled and/or manufactured, the first memory location  152  may store an uncalibrated state value. The programming that implements the controller  110 , for example instructions to be executed by a processor, may read the first memory location  152  after initial power-on of the system  100 , and when the first memory location  152  stores the uncalibrated state value, the processor: may perform the calibration operation described above. After the calibration operation is completed, the processor may write a calibrated state value into the first memory location  152 . Thereafter when the system  100  is powered on, the processor reads the first memory location  152 , determines that the system  100  is in the calibrated state, and implements closed loop control of the air flow based on the value stored in the second memory location  152 . It is understood that the control reference  112  of  FIG. 1  may be identical to the second memory location  154  of the memory  150  in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the second memory location  154  may be part of a non-volatile memory component while the control reference  112  may be part of a volatile memory component. On initiation of a control algorithm, the value stored in the second memory location  154  may be loaded into the control reference  112  before executing closed loop control of the air flow. 
     In an embodiment, the processor may be a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), or other processor. In an embodiment, the processor may provide the functionality and memory represented as the controller  110 , the control reference  112 , and the summation junction  116  in  FIG. 1 . For example, the processor may execute logic instructions to perform the functions of the controller  110  and the summation junction  116 . 
     In an embodiment, a cyclic redundancy check value is calculated on the control reference value and stored in the third memory location  156  at the same time that the control reference value is stored in the second memory location  154 . When the processor reads the control reference value from the second memory location  154  it may calculate a cyclic redundancy check value on the control reference value and compare with the cyclic redundancy check value that it reads from the third memory location  156 . If the calculated cyclic redundancy check value does not agree with the cyclic redundancy check value stored in the third memory location  156 , the processor may raise an alarm and/or power the system  100  off. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a method  200  is described. At block  202 , a PAPR is assembled. The PAPR may be assembled in a manufacturing plant. The PAPR may comprise an air blower, an electric motor coupled to the air blower, an air flow sensor and an electronic controller coupled to the electric motor and to the air flow sensor. In embodiment, the PAPR may be substantially the same as the system  100  described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . The air flow sensor may comprise a differential pressure sensor having a first probe located in an airflow channel of the PAPR that measures a stagnation pressure in the airflow channel and a second probe located to measure a static pressure in the airflow channel as described above. In another embodiment, however, the air flow sensor may be a different kind of sensor. The PAPR may comprise a filter that filters and/or smooths the output of the air flow sensor. In an embodiment, the PAPR may comprise the air blower  102 , the electric motor  104 , the battery  106 , the switched mode power supply  108 , the controller  110 , the control reference  112 , the sensor  114 , and the summation junction  116  described above with reference to  FIG. 1 . In another embodiment, however, the PAPR may be somewhat different. 
     At block  204 , a calibration state of the PAPR is evaluated. The processing of block  204  may happen during power-on of the PAPR. For example, a processor and/or the controller  110  of the PAPR reads the first memory location  152  of the memory  150 . If the calibration state is calibrated  206 , the PAPR is already calibrated and the method  200  ends. If the calibration state is uncalibrated  206 , the processing proceeds to block  208 . At block  208 , the electric motor is driven to a predefined operation point. For example, the processor and/or controller  110  outputs a pulse width modulation command comprising a predefined voltage command and/or a predefined pulse width command to the switched mode power supply  108 , and the switched mode power supply  108  outputs an electrical power signal to the electric motor  104 , thereby driving the electric motor  104  to operate at a predefined operation point in an open-loop mode. The processing of block  208  may include a predetermined wait time that promotes allowing the electric motor  104  to reach steady state rotation. 
     At block  210 , a difference between the sensor value output by the sensor and an initial control reference value is determined and stored in memory. For example, the summation junction  116  or the processor and/or the controller  110  subtracts the value output by the sensor  114  from the value stored in the second memory location  154  to determine a delta value
 
Δ=initial control reference value−output of air flow sensor  Eq 1
 
It is understood that in an embodiment a filtered value of the output of the air flow sensor  114  may be used in this calculation.
 
     At block  212 , if the absolute value of the delta value is not greater than a predefined tolerance value, the PAPR is deemed calibrated, and the method  200  ends. If the absolute value of the delta value is greater than the predefined tolerance value, the processing proceeds to block  214 . At block  214 , a calibrated control reference value is determined by adding the initial control reference value and the delta value.
 
calibrated control reference value=initial control reference value+Δ  Eq 2
 
     At block  216 , the calibrated control reference value is stored in memory. For example, the calibrated control reference value is stored in the second memory location  154  and/or in the control reference  112 . In an embodiment, after the processing of block  216 , the first memory location  152  may be written with a calibrated state value. In an embodiment, a cyclic redundancy check value is calculated on the calibrated control reference value, and the cyclic redundancy check value is stored in the third memory location  156 . The process then exits. The processing of blocks  204  through  216  in method  200  may be performed by a processor and/or the controller  110 . 
     The effect of the processing of method  200  is that the PAPR automatically self-calibrates during a first power-on cycle. The initial control reference value may be stored in the control reference  112  and/or in the second memory location  154  during a loading of firmware and/or software to the PAPR, for example during loading of firmware and/or software to the processor and/or controller  110  during initial assembly of the PAPR. The automatic self-calibration taught herein reduces the chances that the step of calibration may be omitted before the PAPR is shipped and that the PAPR may be operated by users in an uncalibrated mode. Further, the automatic self-calibration does not entail any human involvement in the calibration procedure and hence removes a rich source of calibration errors. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a method  250  is described. The method  250  may be performed in the field, after shipment of the PAPR from the manufacturing plant and/or from a distribution center. For example, the method  250  may be performed in the field after coupling a battery to the PAPR. The PAPR may comprise the system  100  described above with reference to  FIG. 1 , but in another embodiment the PAPR may differ in some aspects from the system  100  described above. At block  252 , the PAPR is powered on. At block  254 , a calibration state of the PAPR is evaluated. For example, a processor and/or the controller  110  reads the first memory location  152  of the memory  150 . If the calibration state of the PAPR is determined to be calibrated  256 , the method  250  ends. If the calibration state of the PAPR is determined to be uncalibrated  256 , the processing proceeds to block  258 . At block  258  the electric motor is driven to a predefined operation point, substantially as described above with reference to block  208  in  FIG. 3 . 
     At block  260 , the sensor value output by the air flow sensor is compared to an initial control reference value stored in a memory to determine a calibrated control reference value. For example, the calibrated control reference value equals the initial control reference value plus the initial control reference value minus the sensed value. At block  262 , the calibrated control reference value is stored in memory, for example in the second memory location  154 . In an embodiment, a cyclic redundancy check value is calculated on the calibrated control reference value 
     At block  264  the calibration state of the PAPR is changed to calibrated. For example, the calibrated state value is stored in the first memory location  152 . At block  266  the electric motor is driven based at least in part on the calibrated control reference value and based on the sensor value output by the air flow sensor. For example, the controller  110  drives the switched mode power supply  108  with command values that cause the switched mode power supply  108  to provide electrical power signals to the electric motor  104  based on the control reference  112  and/or the value read from the second memory location  154  and based on the output of the sensor  114 . In embodiment, the controller  110  may determine the commands for the electric motor  104  based on a filtered output of the sensor  114 . The processing of blocks  254  through  266  in method  250  may be performed by a processor and/or the controller  110 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 5 , a method  280  is described. At block  282  if a trigger signal is received by the PAPR, for example by the processor and/or the controller  110 , the process proceeds to block  284 . The trigger signal may be any input provided by a user, for example by pressing and holding a button located on an exterior housing of the PAPR for a predefined time duration or by activating another control device. At block  284 , the calibration state of the PAPR is changed to the uncalibrated state. For example, the uncalibrated value is written to the first memory location  152 . The effect of the processing of block  284  is that the next time the PAPR is powered on, being in the uncalibrated state, the automated self-calibration process may occur as described above. A user may occasionally activate the trigger in order that the PAPR may recalibrate, for example after a predefined service interval or after a predefined number of uses or just to confirm to the user&#39;s satisfaction that the PAPR is calibrated. If the trigger is not activated, the processing of method  280  continues to loop through block  282 . In an embodiment, the processing of block  282  may occur during times when the processor and/or the controller  110  is idle or during low priority task execution scheduling. Alternatively, the processing of method  280  may be embedded in a control algorithm that continuously executes on the processor and/or on the controller  110 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a computer system  380  suitable for implementing one or more embodiments disclosed herein, for example the controller  110  may share some of the structures of the computer system  380 . In an embodiment, the controller  110  and/or the summation junction  116  may be implemented in firmware as an algorithm that is repeatedly executed on a processor  382  of the computer system  380 . In an embodiment, the computer system  380  comprises the processor  382  (which may be referred to as a central processor unit or CPU) that is in communication with memory devices including secondary storage  384 , read only memory (ROM)  386 , random access memory (RAM)  388 , input/output (I/O) devices  390 , and network connectivity devices  392 . The processor  382  may be implemented as one or more CPU chips. In some embodiments, the computer system  380  may not comprise all of the components enumerated above. For example, in an embodiment, the computer system  380  may not have secondary storage  384 . Additionally, some of the components listed separately above may be combined in a single component, for example the processor  380 , the ROM  386 , and the RAM  388  may be integrated in a single component and/or single semiconductor chip. 
     It is understood that by programming and/or loading executable instructions onto the computer system  380 , at least one of the CPU  382 , the RAM  388 , and the ROM  386  are changed, transforming the computer system  380  in part into a particular machine or apparatus having the novel functionality taught by the present disclosure. It is fundamental to the electrical engineering and software engineering arts that functionality that can be implemented by loading executable software into a computer can be converted to a hardware implementation by well known design rules. Decisions between implementing a concept in software versus hardware typically hinge on considerations of stability of the design and numbers of units to be produced rather than any issues involved in translating from the software domain to the hardware domain. Generally, a design that is still subject to frequent change may be preferred to be implemented in software, because re-spinning a hardware implementation is more expensive than re-spinning a software design. Generally, a design that is stable that will be produced in large volume may be preferred to be implemented in hardware, for example in an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), because for large production runs the hardware implementation may be less expensive than the software implementation. Often a design may be developed and tested in a software form and later transformed, by well known design rules, to an equivalent hardware implementation in an application specific integrated circuit that hardwires the instructions of the software. In the same manner as a machine controlled by a new ASIC is a particular machine or apparatus, likewise a computer that has been programmed and/or loaded with executable instructions may be viewed as a particular machine or apparatus. 
     The secondary storage  384  is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives and is used for non-volatile storage of data and as an over-flow data storage device if RAM  388  is not large enough to hold all working data. Secondary storage  384  may be used to store programs which are loaded into RAM  388  when such programs are selected for execution. The ROM  386  is used to store instructions and perhaps data which are read during program execution. ROM  386  is a non-volatile memory device which typically has a small memory capacity relative to the larger memory capacity of secondary storage  384 . The RAM  388  is used to store volatile data and perhaps to store instructions. Access to both ROM  386  and RAM  388  is typically faster than to secondary storage  384 . The secondary storage  384 , the RAM  388 , and/or the ROM  386  may be referred to in some contexts as computer readable storage media and/or non-transitory computer readable media. 
     The memory  150  described above with reference to  FIG. 2  may be part of the ROM  386  or the RAM  388 . Likewise, the control reference  112  described above with reference to  FIG. 1  may be stored in the RAM  388 . In an embodiment, on power on of the PAPR, the processor  382  reads the calibrated control reference value from the second memory location  154 , which may be stored in ROM  386 , reads the cyclic redundancy check value stored in the third memory location  156 , which may be stored in ROM  386 , calculates a cyclic redundancy check value over the calibrated control reference value read from the second memory location  154 , and compares the calculated cyclic redundancy check value to the stored cyclic redundancy check value. If the CRCs agree, the processor  382  may write the calibrated control reference value into the control reference  112  which may be stored in RAM  388 . On subsequent normal mode processing, the controller  110  may control the electric motor  104  based on accessing the control reference  112  stored in RAM  388 . If the CRCs do not agree, the processor may present an alarm and power off the PAPR. 
     I/O devices  390  may include printers, video monitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches, dials, mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tape readers, or other well-known input devices. 
     The network connectivity devices  392  may take the form of modems, modern banks, Ethernet cards, universal serial bus (USB) interface cards, serial interfaces, token ring cards, fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) cards, wireless local area network (WLAN) cards, radio transceiver cards such as code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and/or other air interface protocol radio transceiver cards, and other well-known network devices. These network connectivity devices  392  may enable the processor  382  to communicate with the Internet or one or more intranets. With such a network connection, it is contemplated that the processor  382  might receive information from the network, or might output information to the network in the course of performing the above-described method steps. Such information, which is often represented as a sequence of instructions to be executed using processor  382 , may be received from and outputted to the network, for example, in the form of a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave. 
     Such information, which may include data or instructions to be executed using processor  382  for example, may be received from and outputted to the network, for example, in the form of a computer data baseband signal or signal embodied in a carrier wave. The baseband signal or signal embedded in the carrier wave, or other types of signals currently used or hereafter developed, may be generated according to several methods well known to one skilled in the art. The baseband signal and/or signal embedded in the carrier wave may be referred to in some contexts as a transitory signal. 
     The processor  382  executes instructions, codes, computer programs, scripts which it accesses from hard disk, floppy disk, optical disk (these various disk based systems may all be considered secondary storage  384 ), ROM  386 , RAM  388 , or the network connectivity devices  392 . While only one processor  382  is shown, multiple processors may be present. Thus, while instructions may be discussed as executed by a processor, the instructions may be executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise executed by one or multiple processors. Instructions, codes, computer programs, scripts, and/or data that may be accessed from the secondary storage  384 , for example, hard drives, floppy disks, optical disks, and/or other device, the ROM  386 , and/or the RAM  388  may be referred to in some contexts as non-transitory instructions and/or non-transitory information. 
     In an embodiment, the computer system  380  may comprise two or more computers in communication with each other that collaborate to perform a task. For example, but not by way of limitation, an application may be partitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and/or parallel processing of the instructions of the application. Alternatively, the data processed by the application may be partitioned in such a way as to permit concurrent and/or parallel processing of different portions of a data set by the two or more computers. In an embodiment, virtualization software may be employed by the computer system  380  to provide the functionality of a number of servers that is not directly bound to the number of computers in the computer system  380 . For example, virtualization software may provide twenty virtual servers on four physical computers. In an embodiment, the functionality disclosed above may be provided by executing the application and/or applications in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing may comprise providing computing services via a network connection using dynamically scalable computing resources. Cloud computing may be supported, at least in part, by virtualization software. A cloud computing environment may be established by an enterprise and/or may be hired on an as-needed basis from a third party provider. Some cloud computing environments may comprise cloud computing resources owned and operated by the enterprise as well as cloud computing resources hired and/or leased from a third party provider. 
     In an embodiment, some or all of the functionality disclosed above may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may comprise one or more computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therein to implement the functionality disclosed above. The computer program product may comprise data structures, executable instructions, and other computer usable program code. The computer program product may be embodied in removable computer storage media and/or non-removable computer storage media. The removable computer readable storage medium may comprise, without limitation, a paper tape, a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, an optical disk, a solid state memory chip, for example analog magnetic tape, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) disks, floppy disks, jump drives, digital cards, multimedia cards, and others. The computer program product may be suitable for loading, by the computer system  380 , at least portions of the contents of the computer program product to the secondary storage  384 , to the ROM  386 , to the RAM  388 , and/or to other non-volatile memory and volatile memory of the computer system.  380 . The processor  382  may process the executable instructions and/or data structures in part by directly accessing the computer program product, for example by reading from a CD-ROM disk inserted into a disk drive peripheral of the computer system  380 . Alternatively, the processor  382  may process the executable instructions and/or data structures by remotely accessing the computer program product, for example by downloading the executable instructions and/or data structures from a remote server through the network connectivity devices  392 . The computer program product may comprise instructions that promote the loading and/or copying of data, data structures, files, and/or executable instructions to the secondary storage  384 , to the ROM  386 , to the RAM  388 , and/or to other non-volatile memory and volatile memory of the computer system  380 . 
     In some contexts, the secondary storage  384 , the ROM  386 , and the RAM  388  may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium or a computer readable storage media. A dynamic RAM embodiment of the RAM  388 , likewise, may be referred to as a non-transitory computer readable medium in that while the dynamic RAM receives electrical power and is operated in accordance with its design, for example during a period of time during which the computer  380  is turned on and operational, the dynamic RAM stores information that is written to it. Similarly, the processor  382  may comprise an internal RAM, an internal ROM, a cache memory, and/or other internal non-transitory storage blocks, sections, or components that may be referred to in some contexts as non-transitory computer readable media or computer readable storage media. 
     While several embodiments have been provided in the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components may be combined or integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. 
     Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 8