Interactive diagnostic system and method driven by expert system

• US 20040117151A1
• Filed: 12/14/2002
• Published: 06/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perspicuous Insights LLC
• Original Assignee: Perspicuous Insights LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Gerald A., Wilson, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 6,959,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems

Abstract

The present invention discloses a unique interactive diagnostic system and method driven by expert systems. In particular, a system and method for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, driven by an inference engine which controls both the user interaction and the operation of and collection of data from diagnostic tools, are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention comprises a knowledge base 200, an inference engine 201, a communications processor 210 for handling requests to and from the inference engine and the other components (except the knowledge base), an interaction management processor 220 for handling interactions with a plurality of end users 230 over a communications network 240, and a plurality of peripheral control units 250 and their associated peripheral units 250, which collectively can gather status information and perform diagnostic tests on the said networked electronic devices.

Claims

1. A system for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, comprising:

an input responsive to verbal or text commands from an operator;

an inference engine computer program;

a data store for containing a knowledge base for use by said inference engine; and

a plurality of peripheral devices suitable for gathering information about, sending information to, or gathering operational data from the said networked electronic devices;

wherein the said operator provides text or verbal commands to said input to notify the system of a fault in the said networked electronic devices, and the said input asserts a fact to the said inference engine, the said fact corresponding to the said text or verbal commands, and the said inference engine adds the said fact to the said knowledge base, and the said inference engine applies rules from the said knowledge base which are triggered by the said fact in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in the said knowledge base, the said rules including one or a plurality of rules requiring the said inference engine to send commands to one or a plurality of the said peripheral devices or to the said input, the said commands from the said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about the said networked electronic devices, and the said peripheral devices and the said input provide responses to the said commands from the said inference engine, which said responses in turn trigger the said inference engine to assert new facts into the said knowledge base, which said new facts may trigger new rules to be executed by the said inference engine, said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot the said networked electronic devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is the said networked electronic devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are cable modems.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are building security systems.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between the said inference engine program and the said input and the said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of the said peripheral devices or the said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to the said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from the said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between the said inference engine program and the said input and the said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of the said peripheral devices or the said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to the said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from the said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices; and

a computer with a stored program that exerts executive control over the system, wherein the said stored program automatically starts the said inference engine computer program, the said communications processor, the said input, and the plurality of peripheral control devices, and informs the said inference engine program, input and the said plurality of peripheral devices of location of the said communications processor, whereby each of the components is capable of communicating as needed by the system while utilizing a single point of configuration for the system, namely the startup configuration of the said stored program.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the input includes an automated speech recognition computer program for receiving verbal commands from the said operator, and a text-to-speech computer program for rendering commands from the said inference engine program to the said operator verbally.

8. A method for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, comprising the steps of:

an operator sending text or verbal commands to an input device, said commands functioning to notify the system of a problem with the said networked electronic devices;

the said input device asserting a fact to an inference engine, which said fact corresponds to the said verbal or text commands;

the said inference engine adding said fact to a knowledge base;

the said inference engine applying rules from the said knowledge base that are triggered by the assertion of the said fact, in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in the said knowledge base;

the said inference engine sending commands specified by one or a plurality of the said rules to one or a plurality of the said peripheral devices or to the said input, the said commands from the said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about the said networked electronic devices;

the said input and the said peripheral devices providing responses to the said commands from the said inference engine;

the said responses in turn triggering the said inference engine to assert new facts into the said knowledge base;

the said new facts optionally triggering new rules in the said knowledge base;

the said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot the said networked electronic devices; and

the said inference engine finally either resolving the problem with the said networked electronic device or, optionally, the said inference engine suspends troubleshooting when no more rules are triggered in said knowledge base, and leaves the fault for resolution by a human technician.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the plirality of said peripheral devices is the said networked electronic devices.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are cable modems.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are building security systems.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

the verbal commands from the said operator being translated into text by an automated speech recognition system; and

the commands from the said inference engine to the said operator being converted by a text to speech system into verbal requests.

13. A system for troubleshooting of cable modems, comprising:

an input responsive to verbal or text commands from an operator;

an inference engine computer program;

a data store for containing a knowledge base for use by said inference engine; and

a plurality of peripheral devices suitable for gathering information about, sending information to, or gathering operational data from the said cable modems;

wherein the said operator provides text or verbal commands to said input to notify the system of a fault in the said cable modems, and the said input asserts a fact to the said inference engine, the said fact corresponding to the said text or verbal commands, and the said inference engine adds the said fact to the said knowledge base, and the said inference engine applies rules from the said knowledge base which are triggered by the said fact in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in the said knowledge base, the said rules including one or a plurality of rules requiring the said inference engine to send commands to one or a plurality of the said peripheral devices or to the said input, the said commands from the said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about the said cable modems, and the said peripheral devices and the said input provide responses to the said commands from the said inference engine, which said responses in turn trigger the said inference engine to assert new facts into the said knowledge base, which said new facts may trigger new rules to be executed by the said inference engine, said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot the said cable modems.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is the said cable modems.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between the said inference engine program and the said input and the said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of the said peripheral devices or the said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to the said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from the said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between the said inference engine program and the said input and the said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of the said peripheral devices or the said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to the said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from the said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to the said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices; and

a computer with a stored program that exerts executive control over the system, wherein the said stored program automatically starts the said inference engine computer program, the said communications processor, the said input, and the plurality of peripheral control devices, and informs the said inference engine program, input and the said plurality of peripheral devices of location of the said communications processor, whereby each of the components is capable of communicating as needed by the system while utilizing a single point of configuration for the system, namely the startup configuration of the said stored program.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the input includes an automated speech recognition computer program for receiving verbal commands from the said operator, and a text-to-speech computer program for rendering commands from the said inference engine program to the said operator verbally.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the peripheral devices include one of a cable head-end management system that provides cable system status information, a customer database, a network address database, or a cable modem test device capable of sending and receiving test signals to and from the said cable modem directly.

19. A method for troubleshooting of cable modems, comprising the steps of:

an operator sending text or verbal commands to an input device, said commands functioning to notify the system of a problem with the said cable modems;

the said input device asserting a fact to an inference engine, which said fact corresponds to the said verbal or text commands;

the said inference engine adding said fact to a knowledge base;

the said inference engine applying rules from the said knowledge base that are triggered by the assertion of the said fact, in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in the said knowledge base;

the said inference engine sending commands specified by one or a plurality of the said rules to one or a plurality of the said peripheral devices or to the said input, the said commands from the said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about the said cable modems;

the said input and the said peripheral devices providing responses to the said commands from the said inference engine;

the said responses in turn triggering the said inference engine to assert new facts into the said knowledge base;

the said new facts optionally triggering new rules in the said knowledge base;

the said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot the said cable modems.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is the said cable modems.