Vehicle service status tracking system and method

• US 20030114967A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Original Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Good, Gary D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,813,549 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system and methods to allow multiple stations in geographically dispersed locations to monitor and track vehicle repair record and service status information in a coordinated fashion. In a service area comprised of a number of geographically-bounded service regions, at least one regional communications terminal is provided in communication with a plurality of local communications terminals. Each local communications terminal and regional communications terminal communicates with a vehicle service status database. Vehicle service events are entered into a vehicle tracking system and maintained using the vehicle status database. Database files are exchanged between local communications-terminals and regional communications terminals and with a central equipment manager in order to provide timely and accurate dissemination of service status. Vehicle service status, including an equipment availability prediction, is shared with marketing offices and retail locations to enable personnel at such locations to make informed decisions in allocating particular equipment to a customer based on the customer'"'"'s needs.

Claims

1. A method of tracking and disseminating vehicle repair record and service status information at a plurality of geographically remote service locations, comprising the steps of:

maintaining vehicle repair record and service status information for a plurality of vehicles at a local communications terminal using a vehicle status database, said vehicle status database operably coupled to at least one of said local communications terminals;

creating a service event notification pertaining to one of said vehicles using said local communications terminals;

collecting a plurality of said service event notifications into a vehicle service status file;

uploading said vehicle service status file from said local communications terminals to a regional communications terminal using an electronic network;

generating an availability prediction for each said vehicle contained in said vehicle status database based on the vehicle service status information contained in said vehicle status database;

collecting a plurality of said vehicle service status files into a vehicle service status report at each of said regional communications terminals;

transmitting said vehicle service status report from each of said regional communications terminals to a central equipment manager; and

transmitting said vehicle service status report from said central equipment manager to each of said local communications terminals and regional communications terminals, such that each local service location having said local communications terminal is provided with current vehicle repair record and service status information regardless of the geographic region in which the vehicle is located.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

receiving at said regional communications terminal a repair history message transmitted by said central equipment manager, said repair history message listing the service event notifications associated with a particular vehicle;

determining at said regional communications terminal a condition in which the number of service event notifications contained in said repair history message has exceeded a predefined threshold; and

providing a warning notification at said regional communication terminal if the predefined threshold has been exceeded, said warning notification useful for prompting a user to take corrective action.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

comparing the estimated repair completion time to the current vehicle service status for each said vehicle contained in said vehicle status database using said regional communications terminal;

determining at said regional communications terminal a condition in which the actual repair completion has not occurred within a predefined period of elapsed time after the estimated repair completion time; and

providing a warning notification at said regional communication terminal if the predefined period of elapsed time has been exceeded, said warning notification useful for prompting a user to take corrective action.

5. The method of claim 1 in which said step of maintaining further comprises forming a control number for each said service event notification by appending an event sequence number to a date indicator, such that said control number conveys timeliness information upon visual inspection.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of receiving said service event notification at said local communications terminal from an external source via an electronic network.

2. A method of tracking and disseminating vehicle repair record and service status information at a plurality of geographically remote service locations, comprising the steps of:

maintaining vehicle repair record and service status information for a plurality of vehicles at a local communications terminal using a vehicle status database, said vehicle status database operably coupled to each said local communications terminal;

providing a regional communications terminal in electronic communication with a plurality, of geographically remote local communications terminals;

providing a plurality of said regional communications terminals in electronic communication with a central equipment manager;

creating a service event notification pertaining to one of said vehicles using one of said local communications terminals;

generating an availability prediction for each said vehicle contained in said vehicle status database based on the vehicle service status information contained in said vehicle status database using said local communications terminal;

transmitting said availability prediction to a marketing communications terminal, said marketing communications terminal provided in electronic communication with said local communications terminal;

storing said service event notification at said local communications terminal using said vehicle status database;

collecting a plurality of said service event notifications into a vehicle service status file;

uploading said vehicle service status file from said local communications terminals to said regional communications terminal using an electronic network;

storing said vehicle service status file at said regional communications terminal using said vehicle status database;

collecting a plurality of said vehicle service status files into a vehicle service status report at each of said regional communications terminals; and

transmitting said vehicle service status report from each of said regional communications terminals to said central equipment manager.

7. A method of managing a fleet of vehicles comprising the steps of:

maintaining in an availability database information on availability of all of the vehicles in the fleet;

maintaining in a vehicle status database vehicle repair information for a plurality of vehicles in said fleet;

creating a service event notification in said vehicle status database pertaining to one of said plurality of vehicles in said fleet;

generating a predicted service completion date for said one vehicle based on said service event notification; and

automatically communicating said predicted service completion date for said one vehicle to said availability database.

8. A method of managing vehicle repair information comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of local communications terminals located in a plurality of geographically remote locations;

providing a shared communications terminal in electronic communication with said plurality of local communications terminals;

creating a vehicle service event notification pertaining to a service event for a vehicle using a first one of said local communications terminals, said vehicle located at the same geographic location as said first local communications terminal;

transmitting a first service message incorporating information contained in said vehicle service event notification from said first local communications terminal to said shared communications terminal; and

transmitting a second service message incorporating information contained in said first service message from said shared communications terminal to a second one of said local communications terminals;

wherein said shared communications terminal, said first local communications terminal, and said second local communications terminal are all geographically remote from each other.

9. A system for tracking and disseminating vehicle repair record and service status information at a plurality of geographically remote service locations comprising:

a plurality of non-collocated local communications terminals;

a plurality of non-collocated regional communications terminals, each one of said regional communications terminals provided in electronic communication with a subset of said local communication terminals within a particularly bounded geographic region;

each one of said local communications terminals and said regional communications terminals provided in electronic communication with at least one marketing communications terminal;

a vehicle status database operably coupled to each one of said local communications terminals and said regional communications terminals, said vehicle status database containing vehicle repair record and service status information for a plurality of vehicles;

said local communications terminals and said regional communications terminals capable of exchanging information with a central equipment manager using an electronic network;

said local communications terminal including means for generating an availability prediction for each said vehicle contained in said vehicle status database based on the vehicle service status information contained in said vehicle status database;

said local communications terminal including means for transmitting said availability prediction to said marketing communications terminal;

said local communications terminals including transmission means for uploading a vehicle service status file from one of said local communications terminals to said regional communications terminal using an electronic network; and

said regional communications terminals including means for collecting a plurality of vehicle service status files received from said local communications terminals and transmitting said plurality of vehicle service status files to said central equipment manager.