Patent ID: 8368518

Claim:
A method of acquiring and updating field data regarding equipment installed beneath or behind an access structure that is not proximate to the equipment, the method comprising: installing in or on the access structure one or more field-programmable RFID transponders having a readable range; storing one or more alpha-numeric identifiers associated with the equipment on the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders; storing some or all of the field data as resident field data, associated with the one or more alpha-numeric identifiers of the equipment, in one or more searchable databases residing on one or more portable RFID transceivers, wherein the field data includes some or all of the following information regarding the equipment: location, installation, size, structure, features, status, inspection and maintenance history, and scheduled inspection and maintenance events; storing the remainder of the field data, if any, as local field data on the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders; positioning the one or more portable RFID transceivers within the readable range of the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders; establishing radio frequency communication between the one or more portable RFID transceivers and the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders; reading with the one or more portable RFID transceivers the one or more alpha-numeric identifiers of the equipment and retrieving on the one or more portable RFID transceivers the associated resident field data from the one or more searchable databases prior to physically accessing the equipment; reading with the one or more portable RFID transceivers the local field data, if any, stored on the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders prior to physically accessing the equipment; physically removing the access structure and accessing the equipment; inspecting and, if necessary, performing maintenance on the equipment; writing with the one or more portable RFID transceivers updated field data to the one or more field-programmable RFID transponders for storage therein as the local field data; and storing the updated field data as the resident field data in the one or more searchable databases of the one or more portable RFID transceivers.