Help center and print center applications

• US 20030084335A1
• Filed: 04/30/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Greg Weston, Haddock, Gail, Brannam, Todd, Moran, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

Various disclosed help center features provide help to a user without a staffed help center, provide help to a user before the user recognizes the need, or create targeted commerce opportunities for a provider of goods or services. One help center feature provides a user with help that is specifically related to a component in the user'"'"'s computer system and that is supplied to the help center feature by the component manufacturer. Another help center feature detects a condition that degrades performance, and hence user satisfaction, and alerts the user. Another help center feature detects an attempt by a computer system to inform the user of degraded performance and offers the user a solution. Another help center feature provides a user with a commerce opportunity specifically related to a component in the user'"'"'s computer system and/or to the user'"'"'s geographic location.

Claims

1. A method of providing automated electronic customer service for a computer, the method comprising:

accessing electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

selecting electronically based on the component identification item at least one but less than all of multiple service providers for which electronic component support items are available;

accessing electronically a component support item relating to support of the identified component; and

determining electronically a support recommendation based on the component support item accessed and the at least one service provider selected.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the component support item is based on the at least one selected service provider.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing the component identification item and selecting the service provider are performed by a first computer system, and

accessing the component support item and determining the support recommendation are performed by a second computer system.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the first computer system comprises the target computer system and the second computer system comprises a computer system of the service provider, the method further comprising providing the component identification item to the service provider computer system.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the target computer system provides the component identification item to the service provider computer system after selecting the service provider.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

the target computer system providing the component identification item to a computer system of a second service provider; and

the target computer system receiving a first support recommendation from the service provider computer system and a second support recommendation from the second service provider computer system,

wherein the target computer system selects the service provider after receiving the first and second support recommendations.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein:

accessing the component identification item is performed by a first computer system, and

accessing the component support item, selecting the at least one service provider, and determining the support recommendation are performed by a second computer system.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the component is a printer, and accessing the component identification item comprises deriving, at least in part, the component identification item from a filename for a device driver associated with the printer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a single computer system accesses the component identification item, selects the service provider, accesses the component support item, and determines the support recommendation.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the single computer system is the target computer system.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the target computer system selects among several potential component support items made accessible by a support computer system, the potential component support items representing support for various components by various service providers.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the single computer system is a second computer system that is physically remote from the target computer system, and further comprising forwarding electronically the support recommendation from the second computer system to the target computer system.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the component support item comprises a header and a body,

the header identifies the component being supported by the component support item, and

the body comprises an item selected from a group consisting of a warning regarding the component, a notice of an available upgrade, and a software patch.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the component identification item comprises performing a scan of the target computer system.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving pre-authorization by an owner of the target computer system for performing the scan automatically.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein accessing the component identification item comprises accessing a profile of the target computer system.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying electronically the support recommendation.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing electronically the support recommendation.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein executing the support recommendation comprises downloading and installing a piece of software.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein executing the support recommendation comprises modifying a configuration parameter of the target computer system.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying electronically the service provider that is selected.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the support recommendation comprises determining a non-commerce support recommendation.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the non-commerce support recommendation comprises a recommendation selected from a group consisting of a notice of a recall, help operating or installing an application or device, an application note, a notice of a software patch, and news.

24. The method of claim 22 further comprising communicating the non-commerce support recommendation to a user using an application that is not primarily a component support application.

25. A computer program for providing automated electronic customer service for a computer, the computer program residing on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform at least the following operations:

access electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

select electronically based on the component identification item at least one but less than all of multiple service providers for which electronic component support items are available;

access electronically a component support item relating to support of the identified component; and

determine electronically a support recommendation based on the component support item accessed and the at least one service provider selected.

26. A system for providing automated electronic customer service for a computer, the system comprising:

a storage device; and

one or more processors, collectively programmed to perform at least the following operations;

access electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system,

select electronically based on the component identification item at least one but less than all of multiple service providers for which electronic component support items are available,

access electronically a component support item relating to support of the identified component, and

determine electronically a support recommendation based on the component support item accessed, and the at least one service provider selected.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein at least one processor is programmed to perform each, but not necessarily more than one of the operations of accessing the component identification item, selecting at least one but less than all of multiple service providers, accessing the component support item, and determining the support recommendation.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein one processor is programmed to perform at least the operations of accessing the component identification item, selecting at least one but less than all of multiple service providers, accessing the component support item, and determining the support recommendation.

29. A method of providing automated electronic customer service for a computer, the method comprising:

accessing electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

accessing electronically a component support item relating to support of the identified component;

accessing electronically a geographic indicator related to the computer for which automated electronic customer service is provided; and

determining electronically a geographically-based support recommendation based on the component identification item, the component support item, and the geographic indicator.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein accessing the component support item is based on the component identification item.

31. The method of claim 29 further comprising selecting a service provider based on the component identification item.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein accessing the geographic indicator comprises accessing a zip code in a profile for a user of the target computer system.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein accessing a geographic indicator comprises accessing local point-of-presence information.

34. The method of claim 29 wherein the geographically-based support recommendation comprises an advertisement from a service provider in a zip code related to a zip code of the user.

35. A method of providing automated electronic customer support for a computer, the method comprising:

accessing electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

selecting electronically one of multiple service providers based on identification of the component identified by the electronically accessed component identification item; and

providing the user electronic access to a component support item relating to support of the identified component and to the selected service provider.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein accessing the component identification item comprises scanning the target computer system.

37. The method of claim 35 wherein accessing the component identification item comprises querying a user of the target computer system for information.

38. The method of claim 35 wherein selecting a service provider comprises performing a table look-up based on the information in the component identification item.

39. The method of claim 35 wherein providing access comprises providing an Internet link to an on-line store associated with the selected service provider, the store having the component support item.

40. The method of claim 35 wherein providing access comprises:

supplying electronically the selected service provider with the component identification item; and

receiving the component support item electronically from the selected service provider.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein the component support item comprises an advertisement relating to the identified component.

42. The method of claim 35 wherein accessing the component identification item comprises issuing an application-program interface (“

API”

) call to an operating system running on the target computer system to determine the device driver file name for an active printer on the target computer system.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein providing access comprises:

determining if the device driver is a current version; and

providing, if the device driver is not the current version, the user electronic access to the current version.

44. The method of claim 43 wherein determining if the device driver is the current version comprises:

storing electronically a current version number for the device driver;

issuing a second API call to determine a version number of the device driver; and

comparing the device driver'"'"'s version number to the current version number.

45. The method of claim 35 further comprising accessing electronically a geographic indicator indicating a location of the target computer system, and wherein the component support item is tailored to the geographic indicator.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein:

the target computer system is connected to a network, and

the geographic indicator comprises a city identifier determined from the target computer system'"'"'s connection to the network.

47. The method of claim 45 wherein the geographic indicator comprises a zip code of the user of the target system.

48. The method of claim 47 further comprising querying the user to determine if the user is presently in the zip code.

49. A computer program for providing automated electronic customer support for a computer, the computer program residing on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions for causing a computer to perform at least the following operations:

access electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

select electronically one of multiple service providers based on identification of the component identified by the component identification item; and

provide the user electronic access to a component support item relating to support of the identified component and to the selected service provider.

50. An apparatus for providing automated electronic customer support for a computer, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device; and

a processor programmed to perform at least the following operations;

access electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system,

select electronically one of multiple service providers based on identification of the component identified by the component identification item, and

provide the user electronic access to a component support item relating to support of the identified component and to the selected service provider.

51. A method of providing automated electronic customer support for a computer, the method comprising:

accessing electronically a component identification item identifying a component of a target computer system;

accessing electronically a geographic indicator indicating the location of the target computer system; and

providing the user electronic access to a component support item relating to support of the identified component and to the geographic indicator.

52. The method of claim 51 further comprising selecting electronically a service provider based on the component identification item, and wherein the component support item to which the user is provided access also relates to the selected service provider.