Remote anomaly diagnosis and reconfiguration of an automatic data collection device platform over a telecommunications network

• US 20050034029A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Katsandres, James T., Ramberg, Jon R., Hunt, Jeffrey M., Shoeman, Paul David
• Granted Patent: US 8,069,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test

Abstract

The invention provides a system and method for remotely diagnosing and repairing a plurality of device platforms. A remote service technician utilizes a computing system having browsing software that communicates with a network of platform devices.

Claims

1. A computing system for a computing platform having a reportedly anomalous element, comprising:

a communications unit that receives performance data associated with the reportedly anomalous element of the computing platform;

a diagnostic analysis unit that analyzes the received performance data and identifies an anomaly associated with the reportedly anomalous element; and

a reconfiguration unit that sends reconfiguration instructions to the computing platform to resolve the anomaly.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the reconfiguration instructions reconfigure another element of the computing platform.

3. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second communications unit in the computing platform that receives the reconfiguration instructions from the reconfiguration unit, translates the reconfiguration instructions into a computing platform command, and sends the translated reconfiguration instructions to an element of the computing platform.

4. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction generator that retrieves instructions for repair of the anomaly if repair is a recommended solution for resolving the anomaly.

5. The computing system of claim 4 wherein the retrieved instructions include a video clip illustrating a recommended repair procedure.

6. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a pre-diagnostic unit that analyzes a reported anomaly message from the computing platform and identifies an element of the computing platform associated with the reported anomaly message; and

an anomaly reporting subsystem on the computing platform that generates and sends the reported anomaly message to the pre-diagnostic unit.

7. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an anomaly reporting subsystem on the computing platform that alerts the communications unit of a reportedly anomalous element on the computing platform by sending the communications unit an electronic mail message that identifies a reported anomaly.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic analysis unit analyzes the received performance data by comparing the received performance data against a set of performance characteristics for the reportedly anomalous element.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the computing platform resides in a network of computing platforms and the communications unit may receive performance data from another computing platform.

10. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an Automatic Data Collection (“

ADC”

) reader on the computing platform wherein the ADC reader has been identified as a reportedly anomalous element;

a test ADC pattern readable by the ADC reader when operating normally; and

a testing unit that directs the ADC reader to read the test ACD pattern and sends test data produced by the ADC reader to the diagnostic analysis unit wherein the diagnostic analysis unit compares the test data against data normally generated by reading the test ADC pattern.

11. A method for reporting anomalies in an automatic data collection (“

ADC”

) device platform having a plurality of elements, comprising;

receiving anomaly reports in a remote computing system over a communications network from the ADC device platform;

formatting the anomaly reports for transmission over the communication network and sending the anomaly reports to the remote computing; and

collecting anomaly reporting data and forwarding the anomaly reporting as an anomaly report to the communications unit.

12. The method recited in claim 11, further comprising:

determining in an anomaly detector when an element of the plurality of elements cannot be conformed to operation within expected parameters; and

instructing the anomaly report generator to compose an anomaly report for the element.

13. The method recited in claim 11, further comprising:

invoking the anomaly report generator to retrieve a prepared anomaly report by an automated distress unit; and

forwarding the anomaly report to the communications unit for transmission to the remote computing system.

14. The method recited in claim 11 wherein the anomaly report generator includes an electronic mail message composition unit that receives input data pertaining to an anomaly condition in the ADC device, further comprising;

constructing an electronic mail message containing the data; and

forwarding the electronic mail message as an anomaly report to the communications unit.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing in a prediagnostic unit in the remote computing system received anomaly reports and identifying an element of the plurality of elements associated with the reported anomaly.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sending a diagnostic query over the communications network to the ADC device platform in response to analysis by the prediagnostic unit;

translating the diagnostic query into an appropriate format for retrieving performance data associated with the identified elements;

translating retrieved performance data associated with the identified element into an appropriate communications format for transmission to the remote computing system; and

analyzing the retrieved performance data associated with the identified element in a diagnostic analysis unit in the remote computing system and identifying an anomaly associated with the identified element.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

selecting an appropriate document from a diagnostic analysis server based upon the received anomaly report; and

loading a diagnostic application program from the document, wherein the diagnostic application program allows a diagnostic query to be sent over the communications network to the ADC device platform.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

analyzing in a diagnostic analysis unit in the remote computing system the anomaly reports- and identifying an anomaly associated with a reportedly anomalous element of the plurality of elements by comparing performance data for the reportedly anomalous element against a set of performance characteristics for the reportedly anomalous element.

19. A method for diagnosing and correcting anomalies in an automatic data collection (“

ADC”

) device platform having a reportedly anomalous element, comprising;

receiving in a communications unit performance data associated with the reportedly anomalous element of the ADC device platform;

analyzing the received performance data in a diagnostic analysis unit and identifying an anomaly associated with the reportedly anomalous element; and

sending reconfiguration instructions from a reconfiguration unit to the ADC device platform to resolve the anomaly.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

reconfiguring another element of the ADC device platform using the reconfiguration instructions.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

retrieving instructions by an instruction generator for repair of the anomaly if repair is a recommended solution for resolving the anomaly.

22. In a computing system for diagnosing and correcting anomalies in an automatic data collection (“

ADC”

) device platform having a plurality of elements, a computer-readable medium having a data structure, comprising;

an analysis field containing computer programming instructions that analyze performance data associated with an element of the plurality of elements; and

a diagnostic analysis field containing computer programming instructions that identify an anomaly associated with the ADC device platform based on input data.

23. A configurable automatic data collection device, comprising:

an imager to image a machine-readable symbol;

a communications device;

a system management support unit coupled to the communications device to receive a software upgrade; and

a processor coupled to control the imager based on a set of instructions comprising the software upgrade.

24. The configurable automatic data collection device of claim 23 wherein the imager comprises a laser scanner.

25. A configurable automatic data collection device, comprising:

an RF interrogator;

a communications device; and

a system management support unit coupled to the communications device to receive a software upgrade; and

a processor coupled to control the RF interrogator based on a set of instructions comprising the software upgrade.

26. The configurable automatic data collection device of claim 25 wherein the imager comprises an RF radio.

27. A method of configuring an automatic data collection device, comprising:

receiving a notice that replacement software is available for the automatic data collection device;

downloading the replacement software from a remote site over communications channel;

storing the replacement software to a memory in the automatic data collection device; and

performing diagnostic testing on the replacement software.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein downloading the replacement software from a remote site over a communications channel includes accessing a website.