Method and system of determining status of automobile undergoing repair
First Claim
1. A method of determining the status of an article on which work is being performed comprising the steps of:
- (1) electronically transferring data on the status of an article to a computer database;
(2) searching the computer database to locate the article; and
(3) identifying data on the status of the article.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of determining the status of a vehicle undergoing autobody repair having the steps of: (1) electronically transferring data on the status of a vehicle being repaired to a computer database, (2) searching the database for the vehicle, (3) identifying data on the status of the vehicle, and (4) transferring the status data of step (3) to a remote location. A system for practicing this method includes one or more repair shops in communication with a plurality of vehicle owners via an autobody repair Internet website. Each repair shop maintains a computer into which data on the status of vehicles being repaired are transferred via a portable data transfer device. Vehicle owners may access the status of their vehicles being repaired via the website.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method of determining the status of an article on which work is being performed comprising the steps of:
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(1) electronically transferring data on the status of an article to a computer database;
(2) searching the computer database to locate the article; and
(3) identifying data on the status of the article. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of tracking the repair process of a vehicle that is in a repair shop comprising the steps of:
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(1) periodically electronically transferring data on the status of a plurality of vehicles undergoing repair to a database on a computer;
(2) determining the length of time that the status data for each vehicle remains unchanged via software on the computer; and
(3) identifying a vehicle for which the status data is unchanged beyond a predetermined length of time and identifying the unchanged status data. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for determining the status of an article on which work is being performed comprising:
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a data transfer device for entering data on the status of an article on which work is being performed;
a computer database for tabulating data entered in the data transfer device and transferred to said computer database;
software for identifying an article in said database and the corresponding data on the status of the article; and
means for transferring the corresponding data to a remote location. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system of determining the status of an article on which work is being performed comprising:
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(1) means for electronically transferring data on the status of an article to a computer database;
(2) means for searching the computer database to locate the article; and
(3) means for identifying the data on the status of the article. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A system of tracking the repair process of a vehicle that is in a repair shop comprising:
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(1) means for electronically transferring data on a periodic basis on the status of a plurality of vehicles undergoing repair to a database of a computer;
(2) means for determining the length of time that the status data for each vehicle remains unchanged via software on the computer; and
(3) means for identifying a vehicle for which the status data is unchanged beyond a predetermined length of time and identifying the unchanged status data. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification