Granted Patent B2

US 8,107,736 · App. 12/171,078 · Granted Jan 31, 2012

Abstract

Claims (41)

1. A method for mapping a location of each of a plurality of devices in a data center, the method comprising:

receiving image data comprising an image of at least a portion of the data center from a source;

processing the image data to locate visual identifiers displayed in the image, wherein each of the visual identifiers is associated with one of the devices or with a spatial reference point;

extracting the located visual identifiers and determining spatial coordinates for each of the identified visual identifiers from the image;

determining the spatial reference points from the image;

developing groups based on extracted visual identifiers and spatial coordinates thereof and the spatial reference points, wherein allowances are made for an angle of the image, wherein each group comprises a subset of related ones of the devices;

for each group, comparing each of the visual identifiers of the group with a key to determine information regarding the associated device to obtain processing results; and

combining processing results corresponding to multiple images to remove redundant information and produce final results.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising outputting the final results in a selected format comprising a graphic, a report, an html document, or a pdf document.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the visual identifiers comprise barcodes.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying an organizational template to the groups.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the spatial reference points comprise device support apparatuses.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the spatial reference points comprise permanent or semi-permanent features of the data center.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the source comprises a digital camera.

8. A system for mapping a location of each of a plurality of devices in a data center, wherein each of the devices have a visual identifier associated therewith, the system comprising:

means for producing image data comprising an image of at least a portion of the data center;

means for receiving and processing the image data to locate the visual identifiers displayed in the image, wherein each of the visual identifiers is associated with one of the devices or with a spatial reference point;

means for extracting the located visual identifiers and determining spatial coordinates for each of the identified visual identifiers from the image;

means for determining the spatial reference points from the image;

means for developing groups based on extracted visual identifiers and spatial coordinates thereof and the spatial reference points, wherein allowances are made for an angle of the image, wherein each group comprises a subset of related ones of the devices;

means for, for each group, comparing each of the visual identifiers of the group with a key to determine information regarding the associated device to obtain processing results; and

means for combining processing results corresponding to multiple images to remove redundant information and produce final results.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising means for outputting the final results in a selected format comprising one of a graphic, a report, an html document, or a pdf document.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the visual identifiers comprise barcodes.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein each group comprises a subset of the devices that are similarly situated with respect to one of the spatial reference points.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein each group comprises a subset of the devices that are of a similar type.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the spatial reference points comprise permanent or semi-permanent features of the data center.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for producing comprises a digital camera.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for mapping a location of each of a plurality of devices in a data center, the instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving image data comprising an image of at least a portion of the data center from a source;

processing the image data to locate visual identifiers displayed in the image, wherein each of the visual identifiers is associated with one of the devices or with a spatial reference point;

extracting the located visual identifiers and determining spatial coordinates for each of the identified visual identifiers from the image;

determining the spatial reference points from the image;

developing groups based on extracted visual identifiers and spatial coordinates thereof and the spatial reference points, wherein allowances are made for an angle of the image, wherein each group comprises a subset of related ones of the devices;

for each group, comparing each of the visual identifiers of the group with a key to determine information regarding the associated device to obtain processing results; and

combining processing results corresponding to multiple images to remove redundant information and produce final results.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for outputting the final results in a selected format comprising at least one of a graphic, a report, an html document, or a pdf document.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the instructions further comprise instructions for applying an organizational template to the groups.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the spatial reference points comprise device support apparatuses.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the spatial reference points comprise permanent or semi-permanent features of the data center.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the source comprises a digital camera.

Assignments (16)