Patent ID: 8620616

Claim:
An apparatus for assessing use of a marking device to mark a presence or an absence of at least one underground facility with a marking material, the apparatus comprising: at least one input/output (I/O) interface; at least one memory storing processor-executable instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory and the at least one I/O interface, wherein upon execution of the processor-executable instructions by the processor, the processor: A) receives, via the at least one I/O interface, acceleration information representative of acceleration of the marking device during the use of the marking device, wherein the acceleration information includes a plurality of data segments; B) analyzes the acceleration information to determine at least one of: (i) a number of distinct acceleration data segments associated with formation of a marking pattern, wherein the marking pattern comprises at least one of a discontinuous pattern, an alphanumeric character, and a symbol; (ii) a duration of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and (iii) a periodicity of acceleration data segments associated with formation of the marking pattern; and C) stores in the at least one memory, and/or transmits via the at least one I/O interface, at least one indication relating to an assessment of use of the marking device based at least in part on B).