Website system and method for providing on-line data-exchange and a collaborative service of return and repair process

• US 20020120535A1
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Run Service Pte Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Run Service Pte Ltd.
• Inventors: Yu, Spencer
• Application Number:
  US09/793,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120535A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

The present invention discloses a website system for providing on-line data-exchange and a collaborative service for return and repair processes via a network. The website system has: a website server connected to the network, which has: a database for storing attribute data provided by each member of the service community and generated by the website system; an access controlling means for generating a user ID code for each member of the service community according to the attribute information; a data exchanging means for providing three different interfaces for three parties, respectively, to receive and exchange different data real-time from three parties, the interface having a plurality of unified data formats; a return material authorization (RMA) processor for generating an RMA for a proper repair center and a service requester and managing a life cycle of the RMA, when receiving a service request with the associated data of a returned product from the service requester; a repair execution system (RES) connected to the RMA processor, for administering and tracking a repair activity (process) of the returned product, according to repair data provided by the repair center; a bill evaluating system for evaluating a bill of the repair activity (process) of the returned product for involved parties intelligently, according to the repair data and a predetermined bill splitting rule; and a part procuring system for processing parts procurement for the repair activity (process) by gaining repair data from the RES and the repair center, and sending part data to the product supplier and the bill evaluating system.

Claims

1. A website system for providing on-line data-exchange and a collaborative service for return and repair processes via a network, the website system enabling integration of service information from a service community, the service community including:

a service requester party, a repair center party and a product supplier party, the website system comprising;

a website server connected to the network;

a database for storing attribute data provided by each member of the service community and generated by the website system;

an access controlling means for generating a user ID code for each member of the service community according to the attribute information;

a data exchanging means for providing three different interfaces for three parties, respectively, to receive and exchange different data real-time among three parties, each interface having a plurality of information items for the same party;

a return material authorization (RMA) processor for generating an RMA for a proper repair center and a service requester and managing a life cycle of the RMA, when receiving a service request with the associated data of at least one returned product from the service requester;

a repair execution system (RES) connected to the RMA processor, for administering and tracking a repair process of the returned product, according to repair data provided by the repair center;

.

a bill evaluating system for evaluating a bill of the repair process of the returned product for involved parties intelligently, according to the repair data and a predetermined bill splitting rule; and

a part procuring system for processing parts procurement for the repair process by gaining repair data from the RES and the repair center, and sending part data to the product supplier and the bill evaluating system;

2. The website system of claim 1, wherein the associated data of the returned product includes:

a series number and a failure description inputted by the service requester.

3. The website system of claim 2, wherein the series number indicates manufacturing data about the returned product, like producing factory, producing time, etc.

4. The website system of claim 1, wherein the access controlling means further comprising:

a power limiting means for defining usage limitation of exchanged data for each party.

5. The website system of claim 1, wherein the return material authorization (RMA) processor further comprising:

an intelligent service routing means for determining the proper repair center for each service request according to the location of the repair center provided by the user ID.

6. The website system of claim 1 further comprising:

a repair report sharing means for integrating repair report from each repair center and automatically informing to the other related member via the website system.

7. The website system of claim 1, wherein the life cycle of the RMA includes:

status, turn-around time (TAT), the date of different period, yield rate, failure rate, and part usage.

8. The website system of claim 1, wherein the interface presents a plurality of different information items for each party, respectively.

9. The website system of claim 1, wherein the bill includes the repair cost, the parts procurement cost, and the other return and repair related cost.

10. The website system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined splitting rule includes a warranty agreement provided by the product supplier party and repair execution.

11. The website system of claim 10, wherein the repair execution is decided by a plurality of failure symptoms and the failure symptoms is provided by the repair center party.

12. The website system of claim 1, wherein the repair execution system (RES) is further for monitoring any quality issue discovered in the repair process and altering quality control personnel.

13. The website system of claim 1, wherein the part procuring system further comprising:

a part logistic means connected to every inventory database of the repair center party and the product supplier party for ordering lacking part from the related product supplier.

14. The website system of claim 1, wherein every member of the service community can be defined as more than one party.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the associated data of the returned product includes:

a series number and a failure description inputted by the service requester.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the series number shows manufacturing data about the returned product, like producing factory, producing time, etc.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising a step of:

integrating repair report from each repair center and automatically informing to the related repair center via the website system.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the life cycle of RMA includes:

status, turn-around time (TAT), yield rate, failure rate and part usage.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface presents a plurality of different information items for each party, respectively.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the bill includes the repair cost, the parts procurement cost, and the other return and repair related cost.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising a step of:

determining a proper repair center for each service request according to the location of the repair center provided by the user ID.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined splitting rule includes a warranty agreement provided by the product supplier party and repair execution.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the repair execution is decided by a plurality of broken symptoms, and the broken symptoms is provided by the repair center party.

25. The method of claim 15 further comprising a step of:

monitoring any quality issue discovered in the repair process and altering quality control personnel.

26. The method of claim 15 further comprising a step of:

ordering lacking part from the related product supplier by connecting to every inventory database of the repair center party and the product supplier party.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein every member of the service community can be defined as more than one party.

15. A method for providing on-line data-exchange and a collaborative service for return and repair processes via a network, which enabling integration of service information from a service community, the service community including:

a service requester party, a repair center party and a product supplier party, the method comprising;

providing a website system on the network that provides service for connecting three parties of the service community;

requesting every member of the service community to provide associated attribute information and storing the information;

generating a user ID code for each member of the service community according to the attribute information to define a proper party role for every login user;

providing different interfaces for each three parties to input data and to exchange data real-time

defining usage limitation of the exchanged data for each party of the service community;

receiving a service request for a returned product including associated data from a service requester;

generating an RMA of the returned product for a proper repair center and the service requester and managing a life cycle of the RMA;

receiving repair data for a repair process provided from the repair center party and sharing repair data with the other parties;

evaluating a bill of the repair activity process of the returned product and determining related payers intelligently, according to the repair data and a predetermined bill splitting rule; and

processing part procurement for the repair process.