Patent ID: 8400296

Claim:
A system for storing inspection related data, wherein the inspection related data include at least an indication that a particular item has been inspected, the system comprising: (a) a network accessible memory for storing inspection related data, the memory being accessible via a data communications network; (b) a portable device comprising: (i) a sensor configured for determining, and thereby for verifying, that the portable device is proximate an item to be inspected; (ii) means for conveying an indication that the portable device is proximate the item to be inspected to the network accessible memory, such that the inspection related data stored by the network accessible memory for the item to be inspected comprise the indication provided by the portable device, the indication providing evidence that a user of the portable device was actually proximate an item to be inspected; (c) a plurality of unique tokens, each unique token being disposed at a different item to be inspected, and each unique token being detectable by the sensor; and wherein at least one token is coupled with a second sensor configured to collect ancillary data for an item, where the second sensor is not part of the portable device, such that the ancillary data are automatically conveyed to the portable device when the sensor included in the portable device detects the at least one token, the ancillary data being added to the inspection related data for that item, wherein the at least one token is configured to convey the ancillary data to the portable device by implementing the following functions: (i) detecting the presence of the portable device; (ii) acquiring ancillary data from the second sensor in response to the detection of the portable device; and (iii) conveying the ancillary data from the token to the portable device; and (d) a data interface application configured to enable a third party application to access the inspection related data stored by the network accessible memory, the data interface application implementing the functions of: (i) receiving a request for inspection related data from at least one of a third party accounting program and a third party maintenance program; (ii) determining if the requestor is approved; (iii) identifying the inspection related data being requested; (iv) reforming the inspection related data as required; and (v) providing the inspection related data that was requested.