Method and system for automating product support

• US 20020138786A1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mohindra, Ajay, Chefalas, Thomas E.
• Granted Patent: US 6,785,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

According to the teachings of the present invention there are provided a system and method for automatically supporting one or more registered products at a computing device, the computing device being enabled to communicate via a communication network to a support web server, the method comprising: downloading to the computing device a software agent; diagnosing malfunctions of the one or more products at the computing device and transmitting the malfunctions to said web server; communicating from the support web server to the software agent one or more solutions in response to receiving the malfunctions; and installing at least one of the one or more solutions thus transmitted at the computing device.

Claims

1. A method for automatically supporting one or more products at a computing device, said computing device being enabled to communicate via a communication network to a support web server, said method comprising:

(a) downloading to said computing device a software agent capable of diagnosing malfunctions of said one or more products;

(b) diagnosing said malfunctions of said one or more products at said computing device and transmitting information regarding said malfunctions to said support web server;

(c) communicating from said support web server to said software agent information regarding one or more solutions for correcting said malfunctions in response to receiving said information regarding said malfunctions; and

(d) implementing at least one of said one or more solutions for correcting said malfunctions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said one or more solutions is a hardware solution.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one of said one or more solutions is a software solution.

4. The method according to claim 1, said step of diagnosing further comprising a step of discovering said one or more products at said computing device.

5. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising a step of initiating support of the one or more products at said computing device by a user.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said computing device is Internet-enabled and supports a browser capable of displaying web pages.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software agent is one selected from the group consisting of:

an ActiveX control;

a Java Applet; and

a binary device dependent agent.

8. The method according to claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of:

displaying said one or more solutions on said computing device for user selection; and

selecting at least one of said one or more solutions for correcting said malfunctions.

9. The method according to claim 2, said method further comprising the steps of:

displaying said hardware solution on said computing device for user selection; and

delivering said hardware solution to said user for installation by said user in said computing device.

10. The method according to claim 3, said method further comprising the a step of determining whether said software solution may be electronically transmitted via said communication network to said computing device.

11. The method according to Claim 10, wherein upon determining that the software solution may be electronically transmitted, said method further comprises the steps of:

automatically transmitting said software solution to said computing device; and

automatically installing said software solution on the computing device for correcting said malfunctions;

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein upon determining that the software solution may not be electronically transmitted, said method further comprises a step of delivering said software solution to said user for installation by said user in said computing device.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more products include hardware resources at said computing device, said diagnosing step further comprises the steps of:

building a list of said hardware resources installed at said computing device; and

querying each hardware resource in said list for obtaining operational status of each said hardware device; and

storing an operational status for each said hardware device within the list.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more products include software applications at said computing device, said diagnosing step further comprises the steps of:

building a list of said one or more software applications installed at said computing device; and

scanning event and log files associated with each of said one or more software applications in said list for obtaining an operational status of each said one or more software applications; and

storing said operational status for each said software application within the list.

15. The method according claim 1, said method further comprising a step of comparing information regarding said malfunctions for said one or more products received from the software agent with information regarding known problems at the support website for determining said one or more solutions.

16. The method according claim 1, said method further comprising the steps of:

querying said computing device regarding a type of software agent it can accept; and

uploading a software agent to said computing device based on said querying.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said one or more solutions is a hardware solution.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein at least one of said one or more solutions is a software solution.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the software agent comprises a means for discovering said one or more products at said computing device.

21. The system according to claim 17, said system further comprising a user for initiating support of the one or more products at said computing device.

22. The system according to claim 17, wherein said computing device is Internet-enabled and supports a browser capable of displaying web pages.

23. The system according to claim 17, wherein the software agent is one selected from the group consisting of:

an ActiveX control;

a Java Applet; and

a binary device dependent agent.

24. The system according to claim 17, said software agent further comprising:

a means for display said one or more solutions on said computing device for user selection; and

a means for selecting at least one of said one or more solutions for correcting said malfunctions.

25. The system according to claim 18, said system further comprising the steps of:

a means for displaying said hardware solution on said computing device for user selection;

a means delivery of said hardware solution to said user for installation in said computing device.

26. The system according to claim 19, said system further comprising:

a means for determining whether said software solution may be electronically transmitted via said communication network to said computing device.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein determining that said software solution may be electronically transmitted, said system further comprises:

a means for automatically transmitting said software solution to said computing device; and

a means for automatically installing said software solution on the computing device for correcting said malfunctions.

28. The system according to claim 26, wherein upon determining that said software solution may not be electronically transmitted, said system further comprises a means for delivery of said software solution to a user for installation in said computing device by said user.

29. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more products include hardware resource at said computing device, said software agent further comprises:

a means for building a list of said hardware resources installed at said computing device;

a means for querying each hardware resource in said list for obtaining an operational status thereof; and

a means for storing said operational status for each said hardware device within the list.

30. The system according to claim 17, wherein said one or more products include software applications at said computing device, said software agent further comprises:

a means for building a list of said one or more software applications installed at said computing device;

a means for scanning event and log files associated with each of said one or more software applications in said list for obtaining an operational status of each said one or more software applications; and

a means for storing said operational status for each said software application within the list.

31. The system according claim 17, said support web server further comprising:

a means for querying said computing device regarding a type of software agent it can accept; and

a means for uploading a software agent to said computing device based on said querying.

17. A system for automatically supporting one or more products, said system comprising:

(a) a computing device being enabled to communicate via a communication network, said computing device including said one or more products;

(b) a software agent capable of being downloaded to the computing device and enabled to diagnose malfunctions of one or more products at said computing device and to generate information relating to the diagnosed malfunctions; and

(c) a support web server being enabled to receive said information relating to said diagnosed malfunctions and to compare said malfunctions for said one or more products received from said software agent with known problems, to determine one or more solutions based upon successful comparisons; and

to transmit said one or more solutions to said computing device for correcting said malfunctions.