The inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP) involves estimation of a surface heat flux from transient temperature measurements inside a heat conducting body. Commonly an insulated remote boundary or one with a known heat transfer coefficient is modeled. However, in many practical applications, the precise thermal condition at the remote boundary is not known. In this paper, a method of accounting for thermal action at the remote boundary using a second measured temperature history is presented. The measurement need not be at an actual boundary but can be at an interior point in the domain. The IHCP solution herein is achieved through the filter coefficient method, which uses filter coefficients in a convolution summation. By using the filter technique, near real-time heat flux measurements can be continuously obtained in manufacturing settings to enhance productivity. Also the filter concept opens the way for the development of new scientific instruments that incorporate inverse problem methods. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.