Systems and methods to utilize smart components

• US 10,318,930 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Cattone, Jeremy Leigh
• Primary Examiner(s): Thein, Marissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kringen, Michelle T
• Application Number:
  US14/588,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20160189115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

Systems and methods to utilize smart components are described. The system receives a maintenance message from a mobile device at a network-based marketplace. The maintenance message includes part log information including a timestamp and characterization information. The characterization information is received by the mobile device from a component in a vehicle that includes a sensor that senses a first part that is assembled into the vehicle and generates the characterization information based on the sense of the sensor. The component communicates the characterization information to the mobile device that, in turn, communicates the maintenance message to network-based marketplace. The system identifies user profile information based on the maintenance message and stores the part log information in the user profile information at the network-based marketplace. The system compares the part log information with part maintenance information and receives a triggering event to initiate an electronic commerce activity.

Claims

1. A system to facilitate a diagnosis of a complex failure in a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one processor and executable instructions accessible on a computer-readable medium that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a maintenance message, over a network, from a mobile device, the maintenance message being received by a network-based marketplace and being associated with a first user, the maintenance message further including part log information including a timestamp and characterization information, the characterization information being received by the mobile device from a component in the vehicle, the component including a sensor that senses a first part assembled into the vehicle, the component to generate the characterization information based on a sense of the first part, as sensed by the sensor, and to communicate the characterization information to the mobile device;

identifying user profile information, at the network-based marketplace, based on the maintenance message, the user profile information being associated with the first user on the network-based marketplace and the mobile device;

storing the part log information in the user profile information at the network-based marketplace;

comparing the part log information that corresponds to the first part in the user profile information, at the network based marketplace, with corresponding part maintenance information to generate a service level for the first part;

receiving a triggering event, at the network-based marketplace, the triggering event including the maintenance message; and

processing the triggering event responsive to receipt of the triggering event, the processing the triggering event including identifying sub-system processing rules based on the triggering event and executing the sub-system processing rules, the sub-system processing rules causing a smart component engine to perform operations comprising;

identifying a first sub-system from a plurality of sub-systems, the first sub-system including a plurality of parts comprised of a plurality of different part types and scanning each part of the plurality of parts to retrieve characterization information from the plurality of parts to identify original equipment authentication information, the identifying and scanning being responsive to identifying the service level for the first part as indicating an increase in a likelihood of failure of the first part,

registering in a database at least one part of the plurality of parts as not being original equipment by utilizing at least one public key to decrypt a portion of the characterization information retrieved from the plurality of parts, and

communicating a user interface, over the network, to the mobile device, the user interface including original equipment authentication information to facilitate a diagnosis of a complex failure in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, identifying whether a derivative of the part log information, with respect to time, exceeds a threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the threshold is dynamically calculated.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the threshold is predetermined.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the characterization information includes a percentage of wear of the first part and further comprising identifying whether an aggregate of the percentage of wear of the first part is greater than a predetermined threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising identifying a second part on the vehicle and registering the second part in the user profile information, wherein the second part was manufactured to include a sensor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the sensor on the second part operates to sense an elasticity of the second part, and wherein the second part is an engine belt.

8. The system of claim 6, authenticating the second part as authentic based on original equipment manufacturer tracking information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the maintenance message includes vehicle identification information that identifies a make and model of the vehicle.

10. Al method to facilitate a diagnosis of a complex failure in a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a maintenance message, over a network, from a mobile device, the maintenance message being received by a network-based marketplace, the maintenance message being associated with a first user and including part log information including a timestamp and characterization information, the characterization information being received by the mobile device from a component in the vehicle, the component including a sensor that senses a first part assembled into the vehicle, the component to generate the characterization information based on a sense of the first part, as sensed by the sensor, and to communicate the characterization information to the mobile device;

identifying user profile information, at the network-based marketplace, based on the maintenance message, the user profile information being associated with the first user on the network-based marketplace and the mobile device;

storing the part log information in the user profile information at the network-based marketplace;

comparing the part log information corresponding to the first part in the user profile information, at the network-based marketplace, with corresponding part maintenance information to generate a service level for the first part;

receiving a triggering event, at the network-based marketplace, the triggering event including the maintenance message; and

processing the triggering event responsive to receiving the triggering event, the processing the triggering event including identifying sub-system processing rules based on the triggering event and executing the sub-system processing rules, the sub-system processing rules causing a smart component engine to perform operations comprising;

identifying a first sub-system from a plurality of sub-systems, the first sub-system including a plurality of parts comprised of a plurality of different part types and scanning each part of the plurality of parts to retrieve characterization information from the plurality of parts to identify original equipment authentication information, the identifying and scanning being responsive to identifying the service level for the first part as indicating an increase in a likelihood of failure of the first part,

registering in a database at least one part of the plurality of parts as not being original equipment by utilizing at least one public key to decrypt a portion of the characterization information retrieved from the plurality of parts, and

communicating a user interface, over the network, to the mobile device, the user interface including original equipment authentic information to facilitate a diagnosis of a complex failure in the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the comparing the part log information corresponding to the first part in the user profile information with corresponding part maintenance information includes identifying whether a derivative of the part log information, with respect to time, exceeds a threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the threshold is dynamically calculated.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the threshold is predetermined.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the characterization information includes a percentage of wear of the first part and wherein the comparing the part log information corresponding to the first part in the user profile information with corresponding part maintenance information includes identifying whether an aggregate of the percentage of wear of the first part is greater than a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying whether a second part is installed on the vehicle, and registering the second part in the user profile information, wherein the second part was manufactured to include a sensor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor of the second part operates to sense an elasticity of the second part and wherein the second part is an engine belt.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising authenticating the second part as an authentic part based on original equipment manufacturer tracking information.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the maintenance message includes vehicle identification information that identifies a make and model of the vehicle.

19. A machine-readable hardware storage device having no transitory signals storing a set of instructions that, when executed by a processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving a maintenance message, over a network, from a mobile device, the maintenance message being received by a network-based marketplace, the maintenance message being associated with a first user and including part log information including a timestamp and characterization information, the characterization information being received by the mobile device from a component in a vehicle, the component including a sensor that senses a first part assembled into the vehicle, the component to generate the characterization information based on a sense of the first part, as sensed by the sensor, and to communicate the characterization information to the mobile device;

identifying user profile information, at the network-based marketplace, based on the maintenance message, the user profile information being associated with the first user on the network-based marketplace and the mobile device;

storing the part log information in the user profile information at the network-based marketplace;

comparing the part log information corresponding to the first part in the user profile information, at the network-based marketplace, with corresponding part maintenance information to generate a service level for the first part;

receiving a triggering event, at the network-based marketplace, the triggering event including the maintenance message; and

processing the triggering event responsive to receiving the triggering event, the processing the triggering event including identifying sub-system processing rules based on the triggering event and executing the sub-system processing rules, the sub-system processing rules causing a smart component engine to perform operations comprising;

identifying a first sub-system from a plurality of sub-systems, the first sub-system including a plurality of parts comprised of a plurality of different part types and scanning each part of the plurality of parts to retrieve characterization information from the plurality of parts to identify original equipment authentication information, the identifying and scanning being responsive to identifying the service level for the first part as indicating an increase in a likelihood of failure of the first part,

registering in a database at least one part of the plurality of parts as not being original equipment by utilizing at least one public key to decrypt a portion of the characterization information retrieved from the plurality of parts, and

communicating a user interface, over the network, to the mobile device, the user interface including original equipment authentic information to facilitate a diagnosis of a complex failure in the vehicle.

20. The machine-readable hardware storage device of claim 19, wherein the comparing the part log information corresponding to the first part in the user profile information with corresponding part maintenance information includes identifying whether a derivative of the part log information, with respect to time, exceeds a threshold.