US20090083000A1 - Automated appliance diagnostics and reporting - Google Patents
Automated appliance diagnostics and reporting Download PDFInfo
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- US20090083000A1 US20090083000A1 US12/237,396 US23739608A US2009083000A1 US 20090083000 A1 US20090083000 A1 US 20090083000A1 US 23739608 A US23739608 A US 23739608A US 2009083000 A1 US2009083000 A1 US 2009083000A1
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- electrical appliance
- appliance
- information
- communication card
- diagnostic
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M15/00—Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q30/00—Commerce
- G06Q30/06—Buying, selling or leasing transactions
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
- Y02D30/00—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
- Y02D30/70—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks in wireless communication networks
Definitions
- 61/063,668 entitled MODULAR WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR, filed on Feb. 5, 2008 by inventors Dov Moran, Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Itay Cohen, Yaron Segalov, Tami Demri, Eran Miller, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry.
- This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/080,264, entitled AUTOMATED CONSUNER ELECTRONICS DEVICE REPORTING, filed on Jul. 13, 2008 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry.
- the field of the present invention is wireless communication applied to automated maintenance of appliances.
- Malfunction reports include information about the appliance and information about the owner of the appliance.
- Information about the appliance includes a serial number, a model number, a point of purchase and a date of purchase.
- Information about the owner includes name and contact details.
- the present invention employs a communication card that includes a controller, a flash storage memory, a battery, a wireless modem, a power amplifier, and an interface for connecting the card to an appliance.
- the communication card includes program code for diagnostic testing of the appliance.
- the program code runs diagnostic maintenance tests on the appliance.
- the card automatically collects information about the appliance and its owner, and transmits the collected information along with a diagnostic report, to the seller or service provider for the appliance. In turn, if a malfunction is reported, the seller or service provider contacts the owner about repairing the appliance. In this way, the seller or service provider is able to maintain the appliance, and proactively repair appliance malfunctions before they become severe.
- the seller or service provider is able to identify the precise problem, act upon accurate information, and send a technician with an appropriate appliance part or instruct the owner by phone how to fix the problem remotely.
- user explanations are often inaccurate.
- diagnostic maintenance tests may be scheduled periodically, or initiated manually by the owner, or initiated remotely, over the air, by the service provider via the communication card.
- a system for maintaining an appliance including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and a communication card including an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, and a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the communication card causes program code to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electrical appliance and to generate test results, to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and to transmit at least a portion of the collected information and the test results to at least one remote recipient using the cellular modem.
- a method for maintaining an appliance including connecting a communication card to an electrical appliance, wherein identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase is stored within a memory in the electrical appliance, causing at least one diagnostic test to be performed on the electrical appliance, automatically collecting the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase from the memory in the electrical appliance, opening a connection with at least one remote recipient, by the communication card, and transmitting at least a portion of the collected information and the results of the at least one diagnostic test to the at least one recipient, by the communication card.
- a system for maintaining an appliance including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance, and a communication card including an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, and a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the communication card causes program code to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electrical appliance and to generate test results, to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance, and to open a TCP connection to a server computer to transmit at least a portion of the collected information and the test results to the server computer using the cellular modem.
- a method for maintaining an appliance including connecting a communication card to an electrical appliance, wherein identifying information about the electrical appliance is stored within a memory in the electrical appliance, causing at least one diagnostic test to be performed on the electrical appliance, automatically collecting the identifying information about the electrical appliance from the memory in the electrical appliance, opening a TCP connection with a server computer, by the communication card, and transmitting at least a portion of the collected information and the results of the at least one diagnostic test to the server computer, by the communication card.
- a wireless communicator including an interface configured to enable the wireless communicator to connect to a plurality of different electronic devices, wherein each of the plurality of electronic devices has device information, a memory storing a device diagnostic program, wherein the device diagnostic program includes instructions to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electronic device and to generate test results, a wireless modem configured to transmit and receive data from time to time when the wireless communicator is connected to one of the plurality of different electronic devices and from time to time when the wireless communicator is not connected to any of the plurality of different electronic devices, and a controller coupled to the interface, the memory and the wireless modem, the controller configured to receive the device information from an electronic device connected to the wireless communicator, to execute the device diagnostic program, and to cause the wireless modem to transmit at least a portion of the device information and the test results to a recipient.
- an electronic device including an interface configured to enable the electronic device to connect to one of a plurality of wireless communicators and to enable data to be transferred between the electronic device and a wireless communicator connected to the electronic device, a memory storing device information and storing a device diagnostic program, wherein the device diagnostic program includes instructions to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electronic device and to generate test results, and a controller coupled to the interface and the memory, the controller configured to execute the device diagnostic program when a first one of the plurality of wireless communicators is connected to the interface, and to transfer at least a portion of the device information and the test results to a wireless communicator connected to the electronic device, for transmission to a recipient.
- FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a communications network with a communication card that transmits information about an appliance to a remote manufacturer or seller or service provider, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a picture of the physical communication card of FIG. 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a system for a communication card used for diagnostic reporting of electrical appliances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart of a method for reporting diagnostics for electrical appliances using a communication card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a web-based device diagnostic system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a communications network with a communication card 100 that wirelessly transmits information about an appliance 200 to one or both of a remote seller and a remote service provider 300 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a picture of a physical communication card 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a system for a communication card 100 used for diagnostic reporting of electrical appliances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- a communication card (CC) 100 and a host electrical appliance 200 which connect to one another using a host interface 105 and a CC interface 210 .
- Host interface 105 and CC interface 210 may be a physical interface, such as a USB interface or an SD interface, or a Bluetooth interface or such other wireless interface.
- Main components of CC 100 include a controller 110 , a flash storage memory 115 , a wireless cellular modem 145 , and a power amplifier 150 .
- CC 100 optionally includes a power subsystem 125 , an input device 130 such as a keypad, and an output display 135 , an audio subsystem 140 , and an optional subscriber identification module (SIM) 170 .
- SIM subscriber identification module
- memory 115 stores information 121 about the owner of CC 100 .
- Owner information 121 includes sufficient information for identifying the owner of electrical appliance 200 .
- information 121 is stored in SIM 170 .
- Memory 115 also stores program code 122 for reporting diagnostics for host appliance 200 , as described hereinbelow.
- Modem 145 sends and receives voice and digital data using wireless communication, via an antenna 155 or via an optional wireless LAN 165 , or via both.
- Power amplifier 150 is used to amplify data transmitted by modem 145 .
- Power amplifier 150 includes an RF interface 160 .
- CC 100 when CC 100 includes the optional components shown in FIG. 3 , then CC 100 functions both as a standalone modular cell phone, and also in cooperation with electrical appliance 200 as a device for automated diagnostics and reporting as described hereinbelow. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, when CC 100 does not include the optional components shown in FIG. 3 , then CC functions only in cooperation with electrical appliance 200 .
- Electrical appliance 200 may be any of a wide variety of devices. Electrical appliance 200 may be an entertainment device, including inter alia a home entertainment center, a play station, a multimedia player, a television, an audio system and a DVD player. Electrical appliance 200 may be a communication device, including inter alia a telephone, a fax machine and a cell phone. Electrical appliance 200 may be a piece of office equipment including inter alia an office computer, and printer and a scanner. Electrical appliance 200 may be a home appliance including inter alia a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a stove, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air conditioner. Electrical appliance 200 may be a consumer appliance including inter alia a personal computer, a personal data assistant (PDA), an automobile, a treadmill and a camera.
- PDA personal data assistant
- electrical appliance 200 includes a user interface 220 for activating functions of appliance 200 , and a storage memory 230 for recording information 240 about the electrical appliance and its purchase. Such details may include inter alia a serial number for appliance 200 , a model number, a software/firmware version, a date of purchase and an identifier for the store where appliance 200 was purchased.
- electrical appliance 200 includes sensors 250 for use in diagnostics.
- a sensor is a type of transducer which converts a signal into a reading for the purpose of information transfer.
- Other sensors that may be embedded in an electrical appliance are sensors that produce an output voltage or such other electrical output which is interpreted by another device.
- Most sensors are electrical or electronic, although other types exist.
- Sensors used in diagnostics of appliance 200 in accordance with the present invention include inter alia thermal sensors, electromagnetic sensors, mechanical sensors, chemical sensors, optical radiation sensors, ionizing radiation sensors and acoustic sensors.
- CC 100 is used to send information about electrical appliance 200 and its owner to one or more of the seller, manufacturer and service provider 300 .
- the information sent by CC 100 includes diagnostic reports for appliance 200 .
- appliance 200 serves as a host device.
- diagnostic program code 122 programs CC 100 (i) to run diagnostic tests on appliance 200 ; and (ii) to forward the test results to the seller, to the manufacturer or to the service provider 300 for appliance 200 , as appropriate, using modem 145 .
- CC 100 creates a file or text message that includes the relevant diagnostic monitoring data, shown as service report 320 in FIG. 1 .
- An example of such file or text message is as follows.
- Audio Receiver Brand Yamaha Model: RX-V2700 S/N: 12345-ABCDE Problem Diagnosed Description: Over-heating Owner Details Name: John Smith Phone: 123-456-7890 Cell: 098-765-4321 Email: John.Smith@anonymous.com
- CC 100 transmits the service report via an e-mail message. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, CC 100 transmits the service report via an SMS or MMS message. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, CC 100 places a voice call to the seller, manufacturer or service provider 300 with the information indicated in the text above, using text-to-speech conversion.
- diagnostic tests may be scheduled periodically, or initiated manually by the owner, or initiated remotely via the CC.
- FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart of a method for reporting diagnostics for electrical appliances using a communication card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- a consumer inserts a communication card into an electronic appliance, which serves as a host device for the CC.
- the CC monitors the appliance by running diagnostic testing program code that is stored in memory of the CC.
- a determination is made whether a problem has been detected. If not, the method returns to step 420 to continue monitoring the appliance while the CC is connected thereto. Such monitoring may be continuous monitoring or scheduled periodic monitoring.
- the CC controller collects host appliance information that is stored in a host memory. Such information includes inter alia an appliance serial number and a model number. The CC controller also identifies a malfunction type corresponding to the detected problem.
- the CC controller collects owner data that is stored in memory of the CC or in the SIM of the CC.
- the CC controller collects contact information for the seller, manufacturer or service provider of the host appliance.
- the CC contacts the seller or service provider and transmits an alert notification regarding the malfunction.
- the seller, manufacturer or service provider contacts the owner of the appliance regarding the malfunction.
- CC 100 instead of or in addition to generating reports, CC 100 sends diagnostic information it collects to a server computer.
- FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram of a web-based device diagnostic system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- a server computer 500 includes a database with serial numbers, or such other identifiers of electrical appliances 200 , and information about their corresponding manufacturers, sellers or service providers 300 .
- CC 100 When CC 100 generates diagnostic reports, triggered by malfunctions or by routine maintenance schedules, CC 100 opens a TCP connection and generates an HTTP request to computer server 500 , the request including inter alia the serial number of appliance 200 , contact information, such as a telephone number, for the owner, and a malfunction descriptor.
- An example of such an HTTP call is:
- Server information for computer server 500 including inter alia a server URL, which may be a server IP address, a server domain name, or such other locator, is generally stored in CC 100 .
- server computer 500 After receiving the HTTP request with the serial number of appliance 200 , server computer 500 locates the relevant information about manufacturer, seller or service provider 300 for the serial number, and transmits a diagnostic report for appliance 200 to manufacturer, seller and service provider 300 , via the API.
- the diagnostic report may be transmitted ad-hoc, in the case of a malfunction, or routinely.
- manufacturer, sellers and service providers 300 receive diagnostic reports for the appliances 200 that they are responsible for. This embodiment is described as “push” mode, since server computer 500 pushes the diagnostic reports to manufacturers, sellers and service providers 300 .
- manufacturer, seller or service provider 300 uses the API to access server computer 500 and extract diagnostic reports for the appliances 200 that they are responsible for from a website 510 .
- manufacturers, sellers or service providers 300 pull their diagnostic reports from website 510 .
- server computer 500 is of particular advantage when manufacturer, seller or service provider 300 changes its contact information. The change is recorded once in server computer 500 , and does not need to be changed in appliances 200 .
- server computer 500 may vary the format of messages sent to manufacturer, seller or service provider 300 , so that diagnostic reports are transmitted via SMS, MMS, phone call, e-mail, HTTP request, or such other transmission format.
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Abstract
Description
- This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/995,575, entitled AUTOMATED CONSUNER ELECTRONICS DEVICE REPORTING, filed on Sep. 26, 2007 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/062,171, entitled MODULAR WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR, filed on Jan. 23, 2008 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Itay Cohen, Tami Demri, Hagay Katz, Eran Miller, Hagit Perry, Uri Ron and Yaron Segalov. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/063,668, entitled MODULAR WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR, filed on Feb. 5, 2008 by inventors Dov Moran, Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Itay Cohen, Yaron Segalov, Tami Demri, Eran Miller, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/080,264, entitled AUTOMATED CONSUNER ELECTRONICS DEVICE REPORTING, filed on Jul. 13, 2008 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry.
- The field of the present invention is wireless communication applied to automated maintenance of appliances.
- Consumers who buy electrical appliances generally contact the seller or the seller's service provider when the appliance malfunctions, to report a problem and to have the appliance fixed.
- Currently malfunction reporting is performed manually. Specifically, to report an appliance malfunction a consumer generally contacts the seller or service provider by phone or via the Internet. Malfunction reports include information about the appliance and information about the owner of the appliance. Information about the appliance includes a serial number, a model number, a point of purchase and a date of purchase. Information about the owner includes name and contact details.
- Consumer appliances are not generally examined periodically on a regular maintenance schedule. When malfunctions do occur they may be severe and costly. Reporting malfunction of an appliance is often time consuming and cumbersome.
- There is thus a need for monitoring appliances on a regular basis and automatically sending diagnostic reports to service provides, in order to avoid or reduce severity of malfunctions with the appliances. There is also a need for automated methods and systems for reporting malfunctions of electrical appliances.
- Aspects of the present invention concern automated diagnostic testing and malfunction reporting for electrical appliances. In one embodiment, the present invention employs a communication card that includes a controller, a flash storage memory, a battery, a wireless modem, a power amplifier, and an interface for connecting the card to an appliance.
- The communication card includes program code for diagnostic testing of the appliance. When the communication card is connected to the appliance, the program code runs diagnostic maintenance tests on the appliance. The card automatically collects information about the appliance and its owner, and transmits the collected information along with a diagnostic report, to the seller or service provider for the appliance. In turn, if a malfunction is reported, the seller or service provider contacts the owner about repairing the appliance. In this way, the seller or service provider is able to maintain the appliance, and proactively repair appliance malfunctions before they become severe.
- In addition, the seller or service provider is able to identify the precise problem, act upon accurate information, and send a technician with an appropriate appliance part or instruct the owner by phone how to fix the problem remotely. In distinction, user explanations are often inaccurate.
- In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, diagnostic maintenance tests may be scheduled periodically, or initiated manually by the owner, or initiated remotely, over the air, by the service provider via the communication card.
- There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a system for maintaining an appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and a communication card including an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, and a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the communication card causes program code to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electrical appliance and to generate test results, to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase, and to transmit at least a portion of the collected information and the test results to at least one remote recipient using the cellular modem.
- There is additionally provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a method for maintaining an appliance, including connecting a communication card to an electrical appliance, wherein identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase is stored within a memory in the electrical appliance, causing at least one diagnostic test to be performed on the electrical appliance, automatically collecting the identifying information about the electrical appliance and its purchase from the memory in the electrical appliance, opening a connection with at least one remote recipient, by the communication card, and transmitting at least a portion of the collected information and the results of the at least one diagnostic test to the at least one recipient, by the communication card.
- There is further provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a system for maintaining an appliance, including a storage housed within an electrical appliance for storing identifying information about the electrical appliance, and a communication card including an interface connector for connecting the communication card to the electrical appliance, and a wireless cellular modem for transmitting data, wherein when the communication card is connected to the electrical appliance via the interface connector, the communication card causes program code to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electrical appliance and to generate test results, to collect the identifying information about the electrical appliance, and to open a TCP connection to a server computer to transmit at least a portion of the collected information and the test results to the server computer using the cellular modem.
- There is further provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a method for maintaining an appliance, including connecting a communication card to an electrical appliance, wherein identifying information about the electrical appliance is stored within a memory in the electrical appliance, causing at least one diagnostic test to be performed on the electrical appliance, automatically collecting the identifying information about the electrical appliance from the memory in the electrical appliance, opening a TCP connection with a server computer, by the communication card, and transmitting at least a portion of the collected information and the results of the at least one diagnostic test to the server computer, by the communication card.
- There is yet further provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a wireless communicator, including an interface configured to enable the wireless communicator to connect to a plurality of different electronic devices, wherein each of the plurality of electronic devices has device information, a memory storing a device diagnostic program, wherein the device diagnostic program includes instructions to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electronic device and to generate test results, a wireless modem configured to transmit and receive data from time to time when the wireless communicator is connected to one of the plurality of different electronic devices and from time to time when the wireless communicator is not connected to any of the plurality of different electronic devices, and a controller coupled to the interface, the memory and the wireless modem, the controller configured to receive the device information from an electronic device connected to the wireless communicator, to execute the device diagnostic program, and to cause the wireless modem to transmit at least a portion of the device information and the test results to a recipient.
- There is moreover provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention an electronic device, including an interface configured to enable the electronic device to connect to one of a plurality of wireless communicators and to enable data to be transferred between the electronic device and a wireless communicator connected to the electronic device, a memory storing device information and storing a device diagnostic program, wherein the device diagnostic program includes instructions to perform at least one diagnostic test on the electronic device and to generate test results, and a controller coupled to the interface and the memory, the controller configured to execute the device diagnostic program when a first one of the plurality of wireless communicators is connected to the interface, and to transfer at least a portion of the device information and the test results to a wireless communicator connected to the electronic device, for transmission to a recipient.
- The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a communications network with a communication card that transmits information about an appliance to a remote manufacturer or seller or service provider, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a picture of the physical communication card ofFIG. 1 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a system for a communication card used for diagnostic reporting of electrical appliances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart of a method for reporting diagnostics for electrical appliances using a communication card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and -
FIG. 5 , which is a simplified block diagram of a web-based device diagnostic system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. - Aspects of the present invention relate to a communication card that connects to an electrical appliance and automatically performs various functions for the owner of the appliance. Reference is now made to
FIG. 1 , which is a simplified illustration of a communications network with acommunication card 100 that wirelessly transmits information about anappliance 200 to one or both of a remote seller and aremote service provider 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Reference is also made toFIG. 2 , which is a picture of aphysical communication card 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Whencommunication card 100 is connected toappliance 200, the communication card (i) automatically runs diagnostic tests on the appliance, and (ii) automatically preparesdiagnostic summary reports 320 for the appliance and transmits them to a remote seller, manufacturer orservice provider 300 for the appliance. - Reference is now made to
FIG. 3 , which is a simplified block diagram of a system for acommunication card 100 used for diagnostic reporting of electrical appliances, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Shown inFIG. 3 is a communication card (CC) 100 and a hostelectrical appliance 200, which connect to one another using ahost interface 105 and aCC interface 210.Host interface 105 andCC interface 210 may be a physical interface, such as a USB interface or an SD interface, or a Bluetooth interface or such other wireless interface. - Main components of
CC 100 include a controller 110, aflash storage memory 115, a wirelesscellular modem 145, and apower amplifier 150. CC 100 optionally includes apower subsystem 125, aninput device 130 such as a keypad, and anoutput display 135, anaudio subsystem 140, and an optional subscriber identification module (SIM) 170. - In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
memory 115stores information 121 about the owner ofCC 100.Owner information 121 includes sufficient information for identifying the owner ofelectrical appliance 200. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention,information 121 is stored inSIM 170.Memory 115 also storesprogram code 122 for reporting diagnostics forhost appliance 200, as described hereinbelow.Modem 145 sends and receives voice and digital data using wireless communication, via anantenna 155 or via an optionalwireless LAN 165, or via both.Power amplifier 150 is used to amplify data transmitted bymodem 145.Power amplifier 150 includes anRF interface 160. - In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, when CC 100 includes the optional components shown in
FIG. 3 , thenCC 100 functions both as a standalone modular cell phone, and also in cooperation withelectrical appliance 200 as a device for automated diagnostics and reporting as described hereinbelow. In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, when CC 100 does not include the optional components shown inFIG. 3 , then CC functions only in cooperation withelectrical appliance 200. -
Electrical appliance 200 may be any of a wide variety of devices.Electrical appliance 200 may be an entertainment device, including inter alia a home entertainment center, a play station, a multimedia player, a television, an audio system and a DVD player.Electrical appliance 200 may be a communication device, including inter alia a telephone, a fax machine and a cell phone.Electrical appliance 200 may be a piece of office equipment including inter alia an office computer, and printer and a scanner.Electrical appliance 200 may be a home appliance including inter alia a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a stove, a washing machine, a drying machine, an air conditioner.Electrical appliance 200 may be a consumer appliance including inter alia a personal computer, a personal data assistant (PDA), an automobile, a treadmill and a camera. Generally,electrical appliance 200 includes auser interface 220 for activating functions ofappliance 200, and astorage memory 230 for recordinginformation 240 about the electrical appliance and its purchase. Such details may include inter alia a serial number forappliance 200, a model number, a software/firmware version, a date of purchase and an identifier for the store whereappliance 200 was purchased. - In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
electrical appliance 200 includessensors 250 for use in diagnostics. A sensor is a type of transducer which converts a signal into a reading for the purpose of information transfer. There are direct-indicating sensors which are human-readable, e.g., a mercury thermometer. Other sensors that may be embedded in an electrical appliance are sensors that produce an output voltage or such other electrical output which is interpreted by another device. Most sensors are electrical or electronic, although other types exist. Sensors used in diagnostics ofappliance 200 in accordance with the present invention include inter alia thermal sensors, electromagnetic sensors, mechanical sensors, chemical sensors, optical radiation sensors, ionizing radiation sensors and acoustic sensors.CC 100 is used to send information aboutelectrical appliance 200 and its owner to one or more of the seller, manufacturer andservice provider 300. The information sent byCC 100 includes diagnostic reports forappliance 200. WhenCC 100 is connected toappliance 200,appliance 200 serves as a host device. For maintenance and repair ofappliance 200,diagnostic program code 122 programs CC 100 (i) to run diagnostic tests onappliance 200; and (ii) to forward the test results to the seller, to the manufacturer or to theservice provider 300 forappliance 200, as appropriate, usingmodem 145. As above,CC 100 creates a file or text message that includes the relevant diagnostic monitoring data, shown asservice report 320 inFIG. 1 . An example of such file or text message is as follows. -
Device details Type: Audio Receiver Brand: Yamaha Model: RX-V2700 S/N: 12345-ABCDE Problem Diagnosed Description: Over-heating Owner Details Name: John Smith Phone: 123-456-7890 Cell: 098-765-4321 Email: John.Smith@anonymous.com - In another embodiment of the present invention,
CC 100 transmits the service report via an e-mail message. In yet another embodiment of the present invention,CC 100 transmits the service report via an SMS or MMS message. In yet another embodiment of the present invention,CC 100 places a voice call to the seller, manufacturer orservice provider 300 with the information indicated in the text above, using text-to-speech conversion. - In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, diagnostic tests may be scheduled periodically, or initiated manually by the owner, or initiated remotely via the CC.
- Reference is now made to
FIG. 4 , which is a simplified flowchart of a method for reporting diagnostics for electrical appliances using a communication card, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. At step 410 a consumer inserts a communication card into an electronic appliance, which serves as a host device for the CC. Atstep 420 the CC monitors the appliance by running diagnostic testing program code that is stored in memory of the CC. At step 430 a determination is made whether a problem has been detected. If not, the method returns to step 420 to continue monitoring the appliance while the CC is connected thereto. Such monitoring may be continuous monitoring or scheduled periodic monitoring. - Referring back to step 430, if a problem is detected, then at step 440 the CC controller collects host appliance information that is stored in a host memory. Such information includes inter alia an appliance serial number and a model number. The CC controller also identifies a malfunction type corresponding to the detected problem. At
step 450 the CC controller collects owner data that is stored in memory of the CC or in the SIM of the CC. Atstep 460 the CC controller collects contact information for the seller, manufacturer or service provider of the host appliance. Atstep 470 the CC contacts the seller or service provider and transmits an alert notification regarding the malfunction. Finally, atstep 480 the seller, manufacturer or service provider contacts the owner of the appliance regarding the malfunction. - In another embodiment of the present invention, instead of or in addition to generating reports,
CC 100 sends diagnostic information it collects to a server computer. In this regard, reference is now made toFIG. 5 , which is a simplified block diagram of a web-based device diagnostic system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. - A
server computer 500 includes a database with serial numbers, or such other identifiers ofelectrical appliances 200, and information about their corresponding manufacturers, sellers orservice providers 300. WhenCC 100 generates diagnostic reports, triggered by malfunctions or by routine maintenance schedules,CC 100 opens a TCP connection and generates an HTTP request tocomputer server 500, the request including inter alia the serial number ofappliance 200, contact information, such as a telephone number, for the owner, and a malfunction descriptor. An example of such an HTTP call is: -
http://www.myserver.com/action.aspx?action=diagnostic&serial= 89723464&phone=+155512122&error=overheating. - Server information for
computer server 500, including inter alia a server URL, which may be a server IP address, a server domain name, or such other locator, is generally stored inCC 100. - Also shown in
FIG. 5 is an application programming interface (API). After receiving the HTTP request with the serial number ofappliance 200,server computer 500 locates the relevant information about manufacturer, seller orservice provider 300 for the serial number, and transmits a diagnostic report forappliance 200 to manufacturer, seller andservice provider 300, via the API. The diagnostic report may be transmitted ad-hoc, in the case of a malfunction, or routinely. In this way, manufacturer, sellers andservice providers 300 receive diagnostic reports for theappliances 200 that they are responsible for. This embodiment is described as “push” mode, sinceserver computer 500 pushes the diagnostic reports to manufacturers, sellers andservice providers 300. - In accordance with a “pull” mode embodiment of the present invention, manufacturer, seller or
service provider 300 uses the API to accessserver computer 500 and extract diagnostic reports for theappliances 200 that they are responsible for from awebsite 510. In this embodiment, manufacturers, sellers orservice providers 300 pull their diagnostic reports fromwebsite 510. - Use of
server computer 500 is of particular advantage when manufacturer, seller orservice provider 300 changes its contact information. The change is recorded once inserver computer 500, and does not need to be changed inappliances 200. - Additionally,
server computer 500 may vary the format of messages sent to manufacturer, seller orservice provider 300, so that diagnostic reports are transmitted via SMS, MMS, phone call, e-mail, HTTP request, or such other transmission format. - In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to the specific exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
Claims (33)
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Also Published As
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US20090078760A1 (en) | 2009-03-26 |
US20090199025A1 (en) | 2009-08-06 |
US8517255B2 (en) | 2013-08-27 |
US20130045776A1 (en) | 2013-02-21 |
US8342394B2 (en) | 2013-01-01 |
US20120062043A1 (en) | 2012-03-15 |
US8746549B2 (en) | 2014-06-10 |
US20120120994A1 (en) | 2012-05-17 |
US8032259B2 (en) | 2011-10-04 |
US20090083060A1 (en) | 2009-03-26 |
US8994230B2 (en) | 2015-03-31 |
US8091772B2 (en) | 2012-01-10 |
US20130303115A1 (en) | 2013-11-14 |
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