Patent ID: 8413039

Claim:
A system for conducting inspections and generating reports comprising: (a) a field device equipped with a built-in global positioning system, a built-in camera and built-in broadband wireless Internet access and on which is installed a client application that comprises an inspection form; (b) a server; (c) a Web services layer; and (d) a browser for accessing a Web application that supports interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network and enables the client application on the field device to call the server and the server to call the client application on the field device without the need for synchronization of data, thereby allowing transmission of data between the field device and the server to occur in real time; wherein a field worker enters data into the inspection form, the client application creates one or more records based on the data entered by the field worker, and the Web services layer transmits the record(s) to the server in real time if Internet access is available; wherein the Web services layer transmits records saved in an offline data store automatically when the client application polls for new data and has an Internet connection and wherein the server requests from the client application any records that have not been previously transmitted; and wherein the Web application enables a user to view records in real time and create reports based on the records transmitted to the server.