Method and system for predicting the services needs of remote point of sale devices

• US 20030101257A1
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Isochron Data Corporation (Isochron Data Corp /Harris/)
• Inventors: Godwin, Bryan W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,182 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/006 False operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for identifying malfunctioning remote devices, such as point of sale devices, are disclosed. In operation, a performance history for one or more remote devices is built and a normal operating day is determined from the performance history. Also extracted from this performance history are average and variance values for various aspects of satisfactory remote device performance. During remote device evaluations, the current operating performance of each remote device is compared with the normal day and the average and variance values for the respective remote device. For remote devices operating outside of the normal day, average and variances values, a likelihood estimate that the remote device is actually malfunctioning is calculated. For remote devices determined likely to be malfunctioning, an approximation of the remote device'"'"'s losses are made such that the remote device with the greatest losses may be prioritized for maintenance or other purposes.

Claims

1. A method for determining an operational status of a remote device comprising:

building a performance history for the remote device;

identifying standard measures of satisfactory, periodic performance from the performance history;

determining current operational characteristics of remote device performance corresponding to the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance;

identifying differences between a current operating status of the remote device and the current operational characteristics of remote device performance; and

calculating a likelihood estimator to determine whether the differences indicate that the remote device is operating within acceptable variances from the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance or that the remote device is not functioning satisfactorily.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating the likelihood estimator using an exponential distribution.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising approximating an amount of losses resulting from the remote device not functioning satisfactorily.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising prioritizing at least one of a plurality of remote devices for maintenance based on the amount of losses resulting from the respective remote devices not functioning satisfactorily.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising scheduling maintenance for the remote device not functioning satisfactorily according to the amount of losses.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the remote device operable to perform at least one vending operation.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein building a performance history further comprises extracting at least one operational characteristic from operational data gathered by the remote device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating the likelihood estimator in response to a determination that the differences exceed the current operational characteristics of remote device performance.

9. A remotely located point of sale device comprising:

at least one application controller operably coupled to the remotely located point of sale device;

the application controller having at least one microprocessor operably coupled to at least one memory device;

the application controller operable to communicate at least one operational characteristic of the remotely located point of sale device to at least one destination;

a program of instructions storable in the at least one memory device and executable in the at least one microprocessor; and

the program of instructions operable to build a performance history based on the at least one operational characteristic of the remotely located point of sale device, identify a standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance for the remotely located point of sale device based on the performance history, identify current operational characteristics of the remotely located point of sale device based on the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance, compare a current operating status of the remotely located point of sale device to the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance to identify differences that exceed the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance, evaluate the differences that exceed the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance to determine if they indicate a malfunction of the remotely located point of sale device and approximate economic losses resulting from the malfunction.

10. The remotely located point of sale device of claim 9 further comprising a vending machine.

11. The remotely located point of sale device of claim 9 further comprising the program of instructions operable to determine whether the differences are within a tolerable variance.

12. The remotely located point of sale device of claim 9 further comprising the program of instructions operable to maintain a rolling performance history of remotely located point of sale device operational performance.

13. The remotely located point of sale device of claim 9 further comprising the program of instruction operable to calculate a confidence interval to indicate the likelihood that the differences that exceed the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance indicate a remotely located point of sale device operational malfunction.

14. A remote device management system comprising:

at least one remote device operably coupled to a wide area network;

a network operations center operably coupled to the wide area network;

the network operations center having at least one wide area network interface and at least one control;

the network operations center operable to communicate with the at least one remote device via the wide area network interface and via the wide area network; and

the network operations center control operable to build an operational performance history for the at least one remote device, identify a standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance for the remote device, generate parameters of current performance for the remote device, and identify remote devices likely to be malfunctioning based on differences between the standard measure of satisfactory, periodic performance and a current operating status of the remote device where the differences exceed the parameters of current performance for the remote device.

15. The remote device management system of claim 14 further comprising the network operations center control operable to approximate losses resulting from a malfunctioning remote device.

16. The remote device management system of claim 15 further comprising the network operations center control operable to prioritize remote device maintenance according to the approximated losses.

17. The remote device management system of claim 14 further comprising the at least one remote device having point of sale hardware.

18. The remote device management system of claim 14 further comprising the network operations center control operable to maintain a rolling operational performance history for each remote device.

19. The remote device management system of claim 14 further comprising the network operations center control operable to calculate a likelihood estimator to identify any remote device likely to be malfunctioning.

20. The remote device management system of claim 19 further comprising the network operations center control operable to calculate the likelihood estimator using a binomial distribution.