U.S. patent application number 15/933647 was filed with the patent office on 2018-11-01 for systems and methods for monitoring operations data for multiple wells in real-time.
The applicant listed for this patent is Landmark Graphics Corporation. Invention is credited to Hamayun Zafar Raja, Syed Aijaz Rizvi.
Application Number | 20180314398 15/933647 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46798493 |
Filed Date | 2018-11-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180314398 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Raja; Hamayun Zafar ; et
al. |
November 1, 2018 |
Systems and Methods For Monitoring Operations Data For Multiple
Wells In Real-Time
Abstract
Systems and methods for simultaneously monitoring operations
data for multiple wells in real-time using a graphical user
interface.
Inventors: |
Raja; Hamayun Zafar; (Katy,
TX) ; Rizvi; Syed Aijaz; (Sugar Land, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Landmark Graphics Corporation |
Houston |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
46798493 |
Appl. No.: |
15/933647 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14004363 |
Nov 20, 2013 |
9933919 |
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PCT/US2011/027911 |
Mar 10, 2011 |
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15933647 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0484 20130101;
E21B 44/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0484 20060101
G06F003/0484; E21B 44/00 20060101 E21B044/00 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A computer-implemented method, comprising: defining a well
issue for a well, the well issue being defined by at least one
component, and the at least one component being associated with a
dimension; accessing an engineering model associated with the well,
the engineering model representing an anticipated operation
parameter of the at least one component; constructing the well;
monitoring the construction of the well by receiving operations
data substantially simultaneously with the construction of the
well; comparing the engineering model and the operations data;
determining, by a processor, a status of the well issue based on a
result of the comparison, the status representing a difference
between the anticipated operation parameter of the at least one
component and the operations data; displaying, by the processor,
the status of the well issue using a graphical representation of an
object, the status being represented by a position of a visual
indicator within the object, and the position of the visual
indicator in relation to the dimension of the at least one
component representing a magnitude of the status; and automatically
modifying the construction of the well based on the status of the
well issue.
22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the
position of the visual indicator in relation to two or more
dimensions represents the magnitude of the status of the well
issue.
23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the object
is a square base of a pyramid, and wherein the position of the
visual indicator in relation to an edge of the square base
represents the status of the well issue.
24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the
graphical representation of the object further comprises a
plurality of walls, wherein the plurality of walls forms a
three-dimensional object.
25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein each wall
of the plurality of walls corresponds to a well issue.
26. The computer-implemented method claim 21, wherein the well
issue corresponds to a depth of the well, and wherein the at least
one component includes a resistivity component and a gamma-ray
component of the well.
27. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein modifying
the construction of the well corresponds to stopping the
construction of the well.
28. A system, comprising: one or more data processors; and a
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing
instructions which, when executed on the one or more data
processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform
operations including: defining a well issue for a well, the well
issue being defined by at least one component, and the at least one
component being associated with a dimension; accessing an
engineering model associated with the well, the engineering model
representing an anticipated operation parameter of the at least one
component; constructing the well; monitoring the construction of
the well by receiving operations data substantially simultaneously
with the construction of the well; comparing the engineering model
and the operations data; determining, by a processor, a status of
the well issue based on a result of the comparison, the status
representing a difference between the anticipated operation
parameter of the at least one component and the operations data;
displaying, by the processor, the status of the well issue using a
graphical representation of an object, the status being represented
by a position of a visual indicator within the object, and the
position of the visual indicator in relation to the dimension of
the at least one component representing a magnitude of the status;
and automatically modifying the construction of the well based on
the status of the well issue.
29. The system of claim 28, wherein the position of the visual
indicator in relation to two or more dimensions represents the
magnitude of the status of the well issue.
30. The system of claim 29, wherein the object is a square base of
a pyramid, and wherein the position of the visual indicator in
relation to an edge of the square base represents the status of the
well issue.
31. The system of claim 28, wherein the graphical representation of
the object further comprises a plurality of walls, wherein the
plurality of walls forms a three-dimensional object.
32. The system of claim 31, wherein each wall of the plurality of
walls corresponds to a well issue.
33. The system of claim 28, wherein the well issue corresponds to a
depth of the well, and wherein the at least one component includes
a resistivity component and a gamma-ray component of the well.
34. The system of claim 28, wherein modifying the construction of
the well corresponds to stopping the construction of the well.
35. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a
non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including
instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to
perform operations including: defining a well issue for a well, the
well issue being defined by at least one component, and the at
least one component being associated with a dimension; accessing an
engineering model associated with the well, the engineering model
representing an anticipated operation parameter of the at least one
component; constructing the well; monitoring the construction of
the well by receiving operations data substantially simultaneously
with the construction of the well; comparing the engineering model
and the operations data; determining, by a processor, a status of
the well issue based on a result of the comparison, the status
representing a difference between the anticipated operation
parameter of the at least one component and the operations data;
displaying, by the processor, the status of the well issue using a
graphical representation of an object, the status being represented
by a position of a visual indicator within the object, and the
position of the visual indicator in relation to the dimension of
the at least one component representing a magnitude of the status;
and automatically modifying the construction of the well based on
the status of the well issue.
36. The computer-program product of claim 35, wherein the position
of the visual indicator in relation to two or more dimensions
represents the magnitude of the status of the well issue.
37. The computer-program product of claim 36, wherein the object is
a square base of a pyramid, and wherein the position of the visual
indicator in relation to an edge of the square base represents the
status of the well issue.
38. The computer-program product of claim 35, wherein the graphical
representation of the object further comprises a plurality of
walls, wherein the plurality of walls forms a three-dimensional
object.
39. The computer-program product of claim 38, wherein each wall of
the plurality of walls corresponds to a well issue.
40. The computer-program product of claim 35, wherein the well
issue corresponds to a depth of the well, and wherein the at least
one component includes a resistivity component and a gamma-ray
component of the well.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention generally relates to systems and
methods for monitoring operations data for multiple wells in
real-time. More particularly, the present invention relates to
simultaneously monitoring operations data for multiple wells in
real-time using a graphical user interface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In some fields, the ability to monitor data for activities
in real-time is extremely important. Monitoring operations data,
for example, in real-time during well construction activities is
useful for preventing a catastrophic event and safe completion of
the well.
[0005] Most conventional techniques for monitoring operations data
during well construction activities, however, rely on a display
that is often limited to operations data for a single activity
and/or fails to correlate the relationship between the various
operations data.
[0006] Referring now to FIG. 1, a conventional display 100 for
monitoring operations data during well construction activities is
illustrated. The display 100 illustrates a geo-mechanical model
with a brown line, a light blue line and a dark blue line. The
brown line represents pore pressure, which gives an indication of
pressure contained inside the wellbore. To maintain this pressure,
an equivalent amount of downhole mud weight known as equivalent
circulating density or ECD, is necessary to maintain the balance of
pore pressure in the wellbore. If the pore pressure is greater than
the ECD, then a kick occurs. The light blue line represents mud
weight and the dark blue line represents the facture gradient. If
the ECD is more than the fracture gradient, then the geological
formation will be fractured resulting in mud losses. Rapid mud
losses can result in a stuck drillstring within the wellbore.
Another line represents sheer failure, which corresponds with
pack-off tendencies. Pack-off occurs when cuttings and/or cavings
fall into the wellbore and the drillstring becomes stuck.
[0007] Referring now to FIG. 2, another conventional display 200
for monitoring operations data during well construction activities
is illustrated. The display 200 illustrates the parameters
necessary to make sure that the wellbore is properly cleaned. The
first log in the display 200 represents the cutting load and
transport efficiency. The next log represents the equivalent
circulating density (ECD) in the wellbore. The cutting load is the
amount of drill cuttings in the wellbore and transport efficiency
represents how efficiently drill cuttings are being brought out of
the wellbore.
[0008] Operations data that is represented in two-dimensional
formats often fails to convey other essential data such as, for
example, the relationships between different operations data for a
well at different times relative to the construction of the well.
Two-dimensional formats are particularly inefficient when
attempting to obtain a global perspective of the construction of
multiple wells during different activities. As a result,
conventional techniques fail to permit simultaneous monitoring of
operations data for multiple wells and often require a high level
of oversight among multiple highly-skilled personnel to monitor
operations data for multiple wells in real-time and to correlate
the relationship between the real-time operations data and an
engineering model. These limitations can lead to catastrophic
events during well construction activities that might otherwise be
prevented using a more intuitive graphical user interface to
display and monitor the operations data for multiple wells in
real-time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention therefore, meets the above needs and
overcomes one or more deficiencies in the prior art by providing
systems and methods for simultaneously monitoring operations data
for multiple wells in real-time using a graphical user
interface.
[0010] In one embodiment the present invention includes a method
for monitoring operations data for multiple wells in real-time,
comprising: i) defining a well issue and its component(s) for each
well; ii) assigning a weight to each component; iii) defining one
or more operations' parameters for each well issue; iv) reading
real-time operations data during construction of each well using a
computer processor; v) comparing an engineering model and the
real-time operations data to determine a status of each well issue;
and vi) displaying the status of each well issue and a status of
each well.
[0011] In another embodiment, the present invention includes a
non-transitory program carrier device tangibly carrying computer
executable instructions for monitoring operations data for multiple
wells in real-time, the instructions being executable to implement:
i) defining a well issue and its component(s) for each well; ii)
assigning a weight to each component; iii) defining one or more
operations' parameters for each well issue; iv) reading real-time
operations data during construction of each well; v) comparing an
engineering model and the real-time operations data to determine a
status of each well issue; and vi) displaying the status of each
well issue and a status of each well.
[0012] In yet another embodiment, the present invention includes a
non-transitory program carrier device tangibly carrying a data
structure, the data structure comprising: i) a first data field
comprising a three-dimensional graphical representation of an
object and a status of a well issue represented on any face of the
object; and ii) a second data field comprising a representation of
a status of a well during a well construction activity based upon a
comparison of the status of the well issue and one or more
operations' parameters for the well issue.
[0013] Additional aspects, advantages and embodiments of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following description of the various embodiments and related
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The patent application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent application with color
drawing(s) will be provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
[0015] The present invention is described below with references to
the accompanying drawings in which like elements are referenced
with like numerals and which:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities.
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates another conventional display for
monitoring operations data during well construction activities.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
method for implementing the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 4A illustrates an exemplary display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities according to
the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 4B illustrates another exemplary display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities according to
the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4C illustrates another exemplary display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities according to
the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 4D illustrates an exemplary display for monitoring well
status during well construction activities according to the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a
system for implementing the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The subject matter of the present invention is described
with specificity, however, the description itself is not intended
to limit the scope of the invention. The subject matter thus, might
also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or
combinations of steps similar to the ones described herein, in
conjunction with other technologies. Moreover, although the term
"step" may be used herein to describe different elements of methods
employed, the term should not be interpreted as implying any
particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed
unless otherwise expressly limited by the description to a
particular order. While the following description refers to the oil
and gas industry, the systems and methods of the present invention
are not limited thereto and may also be applied to other industries
to achieve similar results.
[0025] The following systems and methods simultaneously monitor
operations data for multiple wells in real-time using an intuitive
graphical user interface that correlates relationships between the
operations data for making fast, efficient and intuitive decisions
based upon the operations data for each activity.
Method Description
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 3, a flow diagram illustrates one
embodiment of a method 300 for implementing the present
invention.
[0027] In step 302, data is selected for an engineering model of a
well using the client interface/video interface described in
reference to FIG. 5. Data such as, for example, depth based well
logging data may be selected for the engineering model, which may
be displayed in the form of lines and/or logs.
[0028] In step 304, the engineering model is created using the data
selected in step 302 and applications well known in the art. The
engineering model may be created using Drillworks.RTM., for
example, which is a commercial software application marketed by
Landmark Graphics Corporation, to model pore pressure and wellbore
stability.
[0029] In step 306, each well issue and its components are defined
using the client interface/video interface described in reference
to FIG. 5. A well issue may be defined, for example, depending upon
a particular activity during construction of the well (e.g.
drilling, cementing, tripping) and will correspond with the same
well issues and components represented in the engineering model.
During construction of the well, for example, well issues such as
well control and hole cleaning may be defined for a drilling
activity. Furthermore, well issues may be defined for different
activities associated with different wells. Components for each
well issue may be defined such as kick, mud losses and pack-off for
a well-control issue or transport efficiency, EDC and cutting load
for a hole cleaning issue. Each component may be further defined by
its dependency factors that determine when, for example, a kick, a
mud loss or a pack-off occurs for a well control issue or when a
transport efficiency, EDC or cutting load occurs for a hole
cleaning issue. Each well issue may be defined by the same or
different components for each well.
[0030] In step 308, a weight is assigned to each component defined
in step 306 using the client interface/video interface described in
reference to FIG. 5. Weights, or percentages, may be assigned to
each component for each well issue based on its level of importance
relative to the well issue. Well control, for example, may include
kick, mud losses and pack-off components with different weights
assigned to each component such as, for example, 50%, 30% and 20%,
respectively. Hole cleaning, for example, may include transport
efficiency, EDC, and cutting loop components with different weights
assigned to each component such as, for example, 10%, 80% and 10%,
respectively. The weight assigned to each component may be
different than the examples provided depending upon the component,
the well issue and the well. Well control, for example, may be
defined by different components for one well than well control for
another well and/or the components may be the same.
[0031] In step 310, operations' parameters are defined for each
well issue using the client interface/video interface described in
reference to FIG. 5. Operations' parameters may include, for
example, conditions based on the status of the well issue such as,
for example, stop, caution and continue. Well control, for example,
may define operations' parameters for stop (<90%), caution
(90-95%) and continue (>95%). Hole cleaning, for example, may
define operations' parameters for stop (<85%), caution (85-95%)
and continue (>95%). In this manner, the status of each well
issue may be monitored relative to the operations' parameters to
determine the status of the well. The operations' parameters may be
defined in other ways and may include different conditions based on
the status of the well issue.
[0032] In step 312, real-time operations data is read during
construction of the well and may include, for example, operations
data related to the data selected for the engineering model in step
302 and the components defined in step 306. Operations data for
kick, mud losses and pack-off components may include, for example,
pore pressure and mud weight. Operations data for transport
efficiency, EDC and cutting load components may include, for
example, the amount of drill cuttings in the well, the rate at
which drill cuttings are being brought out of the well and the mud
weight necessary to maintain the balance of pore pressure and
wellbore stability.
[0033] In step 314, the engineering model and the real-time
operations data are compared using techniques well known in the art
to determine a status for each well issue. The status for each well
issue may be expressed as a percentage. For example, the
engineering model may be compared to real-time operations data to
determine the status for well control based on whether a kick, mud
loss and/or a pack-off have occurred. If one or more of these
events (components) have occurred, then the status for the well
issue (well control) can be determined based upon the weights
assigned to each component. In the example described in reference
to step 308, the status of the well issue (well control) will be
50% if a kick occurs.
[0034] In step 316, each well issue, its components, the component
weights, the well issue status and the well status are displayed
using the client interface/video interface described in reference
to FIG. 5.
[0035] In FIG. 4A, an exemplary display for monitoring operations
data during well construction activities is illustrated. Well
control is the well issue and its components are kick, mud losses
and pack-off with weights assigned to each of 50%, 30% and 20%,
respectively. The operations' parameters for this well issue are
stop (<90%), caution (90-95%) and continue (>95%). Real time
operations data including pore pressure and pore pressure
represented in the engineering model are compared to determine the
status for well control. In this example, the status for well
control is 50% because a kick occurred or a mud loss and a pack-off
occurred, which may be noted in the display. The well control
status is represented as a point 402 between 0% and 100% and may be
displayed on the face of any three-dimensional graphical
representation of an object such as, for example, a pyramid in
order that someone without expertise in the area or field of well
control may easily and intuitively recognize the well control
status. The remaining faces of the pyramid may be used to display
another well issue, its components, the component weights and the
another well issue status for the same well or a different well
during the same well construction activity or a different well
construction activity.
[0036] In FIG. 4B, another exemplary display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities is illustrated.
Hole cleaning is the well issue and its components are transport
efficiency, EDC and cutting load with weights assigned to each of
10%, 80% and 10%, respectively. The operations' parameters for this
well issue are stop (<85%), caution (85%-95%) and continue
(>95%). Real-time operations data including pore pressure and
pore pressure represented in the engineering model are compared to
determine the status for hole cleaning. In this example, the status
for hole cleaning is 90% because a transport efficiency occurred or
a cutting load occurred, which may be noted in the display. The
hole cleaning status is represented as a point 404 between 0% and
100% and may be displayed on the face of any three-dimensional
graphical representation of an object such as, for example, a
pyramid in order that someone without expertise in the area or
field of hole cleaning may easily and intuitively recognize the
hole cleaning status. The remaining faces of the pyramid may be
used to display another well issue, its components, the component
weights and the another well issue status for the same well or a
different well during the same well construction activity or a
different well construction activity.
[0037] In FIG. 4C, another exemplary display for monitoring
operations data during well construction activities is illustrated.
The base of an object such as, for example, the pyramid illustrated
in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be used to optionally monitor another well
issue. In this example, the well issue may represent an anticipated
depth (2,000 meters) for a granite formation during construction of
the well. The components for this well issue may include
resistivity and gamma-ray readings. The engineering model would
therefore, include the resistivity and gamma-ray readings
anticipated for granite. In this example, weights are not assigned
to each component. When real-time operations data including
real-time resistivity and gamma-ray readings are read, they may be
compared to the resistivity and gamma-ray readings in the
engineering model to determine the status for the well issue. The
well issue status in FIG. 4C is represented by point 406, which
could confirm that the well issue has been met during construction
of the well. If, for example, the granite transformation is met at
a different depth, earlier or later than anticipated, then the
point 406 will be centered at the depth the real-time resistivity
and gamma-ray readings substantially match the resistivity and
gamma-ray readings in the engineering model, and the well
construction activity may be stopped to determine if the
engineering model should be modified. If, however, the granite
formation is met at the anticipated depth, then the point 406 will
be centered at 2000 meters. Up to four components (C1-C4) may be
displayed in this example for any given well issue. Various
additional or alternative components may be utilized depending upon
the well issue and the three-dimensional graphical representation
of the object.
[0038] In step 318, the method 300 determines if the well
construction activity should continue. If the well construction
activity should continue, then the method 300 proceeds to step 320.
If the method 300 determines that well construction activity should
not continue, then the method 300 proceeds to step 322. Determining
whether the well construction activity should continue may be based
on the operations' parameters defined for each well issue in step
310 and/or other well known factors impacting construction of the
well. In FIG. 4D, an exemplary display for monitoring well status
during well construction activities is illustrated. Well 1, for
example, represents a drilling activity, which may be displayed
with the drilling activity for well 2 and the tripping activity for
well 3 in the same display. In fact, any number of wells and
corresponding well construction activities may be displayed at the
same time in the same display for simultaneously monitoring
operations data for multiple wells in real-time. The well status
for each well illustrated in FIG. 4D may also be displayed in step
316 with each display in FIGS. 4A-4C or separately. If, for
example, each display in FIGS. 4A-4C represented a different well,
then the status for each respective well may be represented in the
display illustrated in FIG. 4D. The status of the well issue (well
control) in FIG. 4A for well 1 confirms that it is 50%. When
compared to the operations' parameters defined for this well issue
in step 310, the status for well 1 is displayed in FIG. 4D as red,
which means stop. The well status may be displayed in text and/or
color coded to correspond with the operations' parameters defined
for each well issue in step 310. For example, yellow may be used
for caution and green may be used for continue. Further, the status
for each well displayed in FIG. 4D may be displayed along a line
representing the well construction activity (e.g. drilling) at a
particular point in time. If the well status for any well in FIG.
4D is red, meaning stop in this example, then all drilling
activities for this well would stop either manually or
automatically. In this manner, the status for multiple wells may be
simultaneously monitored in order that someone with relatively
little technical experience may easily and intuitively recognize
and react to the status for each well displayed.
[0039] In step 320, the method 300 determines if the well is
completed using techniques well known in the art and the real-time
operations data read in step 312. If the method 300 determines that
the well is completed (e.g. no more real-time operations data),
then the method 300 ends. If the method 300 determines that the
well is not completed (e.g. available real-time operations data),
then the method 300 returns to step 312 and continues to read
real-time operations data in the manner described until the method
300 determines that the well is completed in step 320.
[0040] In step 322, the well issue causing the well construction
activity to stop in step 318 is resolved using techniques well
known in the art. After the well issue is resolved, the method 300
returns to step 312 and continues to read real-time operations data
in the manner described until the method 300 determines the well is
completed in step 320.
System Description
[0041] The present invention may be implemented through a
computer-executable program of instructions, such as program
modules, generally referred to as software applications or
application programs executed by a computer. The software may
include, for example, routines, programs, objects, components, and
data structures that perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. The software forms an interface to
allow a computer to react according to a source of input.
Drillworks.RTM. may be used to implement the present invention. The
software may also cooperate with other code segments to initiate a
variety of tasks in response to data received in conjunction with
the source of the received data. The software may be stored and/or
carried on any variety of memory media such as CD-ROM, magnetic
disk, bubble memory and semiconductor memory (e.g., various types
of RAM or ROM). Furthermore, the software and its results may be
transmitted over a variety of carrier media such as optical fiber,
metallic wire and/or through any of a variety of networks such as
the Internet.
[0042] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
invention may be practiced with a variety of computer-system
configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor
systems, microprocessor-based or programmable-consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Any number of
computer-systems and computer networks are acceptable for use with
the present invention. The invention may be practiced in
distributed-computing environments where tasks are performed by
remote-processing devices that are linked through a communications
network. In a distributed-computing environment, program modules
may be located in both local and remote computer-storage media
including memory storage devices. The present invention may
therefore, be implemented in connection with various hardware,
software or a combination thereof, in a computer system or other
processing system.
[0043] Referring now to FIG. 5, a block diagram illustrates one
embodiment of a system for implementing the present invention on a
computer. The system includes a computing unit, sometimes referred
to a computing system, which contains memory, application programs,
a client interface, a video interface and a processing unit. The
computing unit is only one example of a suitable computing
environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the
scope of use or functionality of the invention.
[0044] The memory primarily stores the application programs, which
may also be described as program modules containing
computer-executable instructions, executed by the computing unit
for implementing the present invention described herein and
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4A-4D. The memory therefore, includes a
real-time monitoring module, which enables the methods illustrated
and described in reference to FIG. 3 and integrates functionality
from the remaining application programs illustrated in FIG. 5. In
particular, Drillworks.RTM. may be used to execute the functions
described in reference to steps 302, 304 and 312 in FIG. 3 while
the real-time monitoring module is used to execute the functions
described in reference to steps 306, 308, 310, 314, 316, 318, 320
and 322 in FIG. 3.
[0045] Although the computing unit is shown as having a generalized
memory, the computing unit typically includes a variety of computer
readable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer
readable media may comprise computer storage media. The computing
system memory may include computer storage media in the form of
volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM)
and random access memory (RAM), A basic input/output system (BIOS),
containing the basic routines that help to transfer information
between elements within the computing unit, such as during
start-up, is typically stored in ROM. The RAM typically contains
data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to
and/or presently being operated on by the processing unit. By way
of example, and not limitation, the computing unit includes an
operating system, application programs, other program modules, and
program data.
[0046] The components shown in the memory may also be included in
other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer
storage media or they may be implemented in the computing unit
through application program interface ("API"), which may reside on
a separate computing unit connected through a computer system or
network. For example only, a hard disk drive may read from or write
to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive
may read from or write to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk,
and an optical disk drive may read from or write to a removable,
nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD ROM or other optical media.
Other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer
storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating
environment may include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape
cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital
video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The
drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above
provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures,
program modules and other data for the computing unit.
[0047] A client may enter commands and information into the
computing unit through the client interface, which may be input
devices such as a keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred
to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Input devices may include a
microphone, joystick, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These
and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit
through a system bus, but may be connected by other interface and
bus structures, such as a parallel port or a universal serial bus
(USB).
[0048] A monitor or other type of display device may be connected
to the system bus via an interface, such as a video interface. A
graphical user interface ("GUI") may also be used with the video
interface to receive instructions from the client interface and
transmit instructions to the processing unit. In addition to the
monitor, computers may also include other peripheral output devices
such as speakers and printer, which may be connected through an
output peripheral interface.
[0049] Although many other internal components of the computing
unit are not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that such components and their interconnection are well
known.
[0050] While the present invention has been described in connection
with presently preferred embodiments, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that it is not intended to limit the
invention to those embodiments. It is therefore, contemplated that
various alternative embodiments and modifications may be made to
the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention defined by the appended claims and
equivalents thereof.
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