Systems and methods to generate repair orders using a taxonomy and an ontology

• US 10,068,207 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Merg, Patrick S., Foreman, Jacob G., Lewis, Bradley R., Kelley, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US15/185,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20170364870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided that are related to generating repair orders, including vehicular repair orders. A computing device can receive repair-related information associated with a repair order. The repair-related information can include information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes. The computing device can determine a first ontology related to the first repair attribute. The first ontology can be further related to a first template. The computing device can determine modified repair-related information by at least utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information that includes the information about the first repair attribute. The computing device can generate an output related to the repair order that includes the modified repair-related information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a user interface of a computing device, repair-related information associated with a repair order to repair a complaint about a vehicle, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute is associated with a first taxonomy of attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute and a first template using the computing device for;

determining a first attribute group in the first taxonomy of attributes associated with the first repair attribute,

determining the first template based on the first repair attribute and the first attribute group, wherein the first ontology and/or the first taxonomy include one or more preferred terms that fit a canonical representation of terms;

determining modified repair-related information using the user interface of the computing device by at least;

determining that the repair-related information comprises a non-preferred term using the first ontology and/or first taxonomy,

providing one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, wherein the one or more preferred-term selections are associated with the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

receiving a particular preferred-term selection of the one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, the particular preferred-term selection associated with a particular preferred term of the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute to fit the canonical representation of terms by replacing the non-preferred term in the repair-related information with the particular preferred term using the computing device, and

displaying the modified repair-related information using the user interface; and

generating an output of the computing device related to the repair order, the output comprising the modified repair-related information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more repair attributes comprise one or more vehicular-repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute comprises a first vehicular-repair attribute of the one or more vehicular-repair attributes.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more vehicular-repair attributes comprise at least one of:

a symptom-related attribute, an occurrence-related attribute, a spatially-related attribute, a system-related attribute, a speed-related attribute, a description-related attribute, an audio-related attribute, an imagery-related attribute, and a condition-related attribute.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the repair order relates to repair of an automobile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first repair attribute relate to an image, and wherein generating the output related to the repair order comprises generating an output related to the repair order that further comprises the image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the first ontology comprises determining the first template based on the one or more selections of the one or more repair attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

receiving the particular preferred-term selection comprises receiving multiple preferred-term selections that include the particular preferred-term selection;

and

wherein replacing the non-preferred term in the repair-related information with the particular preferred term comprises replacing the non-preferred term and one or more other non-preferred terms in the repair-related information based on the multiple preferred-term selections.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining one or more partial repair-related words in the first portion;

determining one or more complete repair-related words associated with the one or more partial repair-related words using the first ontology; and

generating a display of the one or more complete repair-related words.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the modified repair-related information further comprises:

receiving a selection of a particular complete repair-related word from among the displayed one or more complete repair-related words; and

replacing at least one partial repair-related word of the one or more repair-related words with the particular complete repair-related word.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining a first ordering of repair attributes in the repair-related information;

determining a second ordering of the repair attributes in the first template, wherein the first ordering differs from the second ordering; and

modifying the repair-related information so that repair attributes in the repair-related information are ordered according to the second ordering.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first repair attribute is associated with a first taxonomy of attributes that comprises one or more of:

a vehicle information taxonomy, a parts and labor taxonomy, a diagnosis taxonomy, a commonly replaced parts taxonomy, and an additional replaced parts taxonomy.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the

repair order is associated with a previously-generated repair order, and wherein generating the output of the computing device related to the repair order comprises generating an output that further comprises at least part of the repair order and at least part of the previously-generated repair order.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first template comprises the first repair attribute.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repairing the vehicle based on the generated output of the computing device.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a diagnosis of the vehicle for repairing the complaint about the vehicle, the diagnosis based on the first ontology and the first taxonomy; and

wherein

generating the output related to the repair order comprises generating an output related to the repair order that further comprises the diagnosis of the vehicle.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a user interface;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store at least computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving, at the user interface, repair-related information associated with a repair order to repair a complaint about a vehicle, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute is associated with a first taxonomy of attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute and a first template by at least;

determining a first attribute group in the first taxonomy of attributes associated with the first repair attribute, and

determining the first template based on the first repair attribute and the first attribute group, wherein the first ontology and/or the first taxonomy include one or more preferred terms that fit a canonical representation of terms;

determining modified repair-related information using the user interface by at least;

determining that the repair-related information comprises a non-preferred term using the first ontology and/or first taxonomy,

providing one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, wherein the one or more preferred-term selections are associated with the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

receiving a particular preferred-term selection of the one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, the particular preferred-term selection associated with a particular preferred term of the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute to fit the canonical representation of terms by replacing the non-preferred term in the repair-related information with the particular preferred term, and

displaying the modified repair-related information using the user interface; and

generating an output related to the repair order, the output comprising the modified repair-related information.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the one or more repair attributes comprise one or more vehicular-repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute comprises a first vehicular-repair attribute of the one or more vehicular-repair attributes.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the one or more vehicular-repair attributes comprise at least one of:

a symptom-related attribute, an occurrence-related attribute, a spatially-related attribute, a system-related attribute, a speed-related attribute, a description-related attribute, an audio-related attribute, an imagery-related attribute, and a condition-related attribute.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the first repair attribute relate to an image, and wherein generating the output related to the repair order comprises generating an output related to the repair order that further comprises the image.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the information about the first repair attribute comprises one or more words associated with the first repair attribute, and wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining a particular preferred term of the one or more preferred terms that is associated with the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute using the first ontology; and

replacing the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute with the particular preferred term in the first portion.

21. The computing device of claim 16, wherein determining the modified repair-related information further comprises:

determining one or more partial repair-related words in the first portion;

determining one or more complete repair-related words associated with the one or more partial repair-related words using the first ontology; and

generating a display of the one or more complete repair-related words.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium, configured to store at least computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving, at a user interface of the computing device, repair-related information associated with a repair order to repair a complaint about a vehicle, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute is associated with a first taxonomy of attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute and a first template by at least;

determining a first attribute group in the first taxonomy of attributes associated with the first repair attribute, and

determining the first template based on the first repair attribute and the first attribute group, wherein the first ontology and/or the first taxonomy include one or more preferred terms that fit a canonical representation of terms;

determining modified repair-related information using the user interface of the computing device by at least;

determining that the repair-related information comprises a non-preferred term using the first ontology and/or first taxonomy,

providing one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, wherein the one or more preferred-term selections are associated with the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

receiving a particular preferred-term selection of the one or more preferred-term selections using the user interface, the particular preferred-term selection associated with a particular preferred term of the one or more preferred terms that fit the canonical representation of terms,

utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute to fit the canonical representation of terms by replacing the non-preferred term in the repair-related information with the particular preferred term, and

displaying the modified repair-related information using the user interface; and

generating an output related to the repair order, the output comprising the modified repair-related information.