Technical virtual advisor

• US 20050187682A1
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Gault, Thomas A., Groskreutz, Bruce A., Nicolini, Daniele
• Granted Patent: US 7,280,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system and method for managing technical services within a mobile vehicle communications system. The method describes receiving a request for technical services from a telematics device, determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services, and providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination. A computer readable medium is described that includes computer readable code for controlling a communication interface implemented to receive a request for technical services from a telematics device, computer readable code for determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services, and computer readable code for providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination.

Claims

1. A method of managing technical services within a mobile vehicle communications system comprising:

receiving a request for technical services from a telematics device;

determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services; and

providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for technical services includes vehicle identification data for the telematics device requesting the technical services.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a technical services queue.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein maintaining a technical service action queue comprises:

selecting a technical service action for at least one telematics device;

associating the technical service action with a user account and a vehicle identification for the user account;

assigning the associated technical service action to a position in a technical services queuing database; and

generating a notification of a pending technical service action for a user based on the technical service action associated with the user account.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a technical service action comprises:

identifying a user account associated with the telematics device based on the received request; and

determining if one or more technical service actions associated with the user account are pending in a technical services queue.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a technical services request from the telematics device.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein generating a technical services request comprises:

activating a user interface;

receiving a command to the user interface to initiate a technical service request; and

initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence based on the received command.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence comprises:

initiating a first authenticating telephone call attempt from a telematics device to a technical services queue through a first carrier by outpulsing a first telephone number;

determining if the first telephone number is registered in the home location register of the first carrier wherein the call attempt is aborted when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the first carrier;

initiating a second authenticating telephone call attempt through a secondary carrier by outpulsing the first telephone number when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the first carrier;

determining if the first telephone number is registered in the home location register of the second carrier wherein the call is aborted when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the second carrier;

wherein vehicle identification data is exchanged between the telematics device and the technical services queue modem when the authenticating call is verified in the home location register of the first and second carrier responsive to each determination.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

initiating a third telephone call attempt from the telematics device to a call center through the first carrier by outpulsing a second telephone number when the second authenticating call attempt fails;

initiating a fourth telephone call attempt from the telematics device to the call center through the second carrier by outpulsing the second telephone number when the third telephone call attempt fails;

wherein vehicle identification data is exchanged between the telematics device and the call center modem when a telephone call is connected.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

initiating a fifth telephone call from the telematics device to the call center through the first carrier by outpulsing a failed-to-voice telephone number when the second authenticating call attempt fails wherein the failed-to-voice number connects with an advisor interface at a call center.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the technical services is selected from the group consisting of:

SID table updates, telematics device reconfigurations, mobile configurations, programming error corrections, and phone number configurations.

12. A computer readable medium storing a computer program comprising:

computer readable code for controlling a communication interface implemented to receive a request for technical services from a telematics device;

computer readable code for determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services; and

computer readable code for providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

computer readable code for associating a selected technical service action for a telematics device with a user account and a vehicle identification for the user account;

computer readable code for assigning the associated technical service action to a technical services queue; and

computer readable code for generating a notification of a pending technical service action for a user based on the technical service action associated with the user account.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein computer readable code for determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services comprises:

computer readable code for identifying a user account associated with the telematics device based on the received request; and

computer readable code for determining if one or more technical service actions associated with the user account are pending in a technical services queue.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

computer readable code for generating a technical services request from the telematics device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 wherein code for generating a technical services request comprises:

computer readable code for initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence responsive to a command received from a user interface.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein computer readable code for wherein initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence comprises:

computer readable code for initiating a first authenticating telephone call attempt from a telematics device to a technical services queue through a first carrier by outpulsing a first telephone number;

computer readable code for determining if the first telephone number is registered in the home location register of the first carrier wherein the call attempt is aborted when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the first carrier;

computer readable code for initiating a second authenticating telephone call attempt through a secondary carrier by outpulsing the first telephone number when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the first carrier;

computer readable code for determining if the first telephone number is registered in the home location register of the second carrier wherein the call is aborted when the first telephone number is not registered in the home location register of the second carrier;

wherein vehicle identification data is exchanged between the telematics device and the technical services queue modem when the authenticating call is verified in the home location register of the first and second carrier responsive to each determination.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17 further comprising:

computer readable code for initiating a third telephone call attempt from the telematics device to a call center through the first carrier by outpulsing a second telephone number when the second authenticating call attempt fails;

computer readable code for initiating a fourth telephone call attempt from the telematics device to the call center through the second carrier by outpulsing the second telephone number when the third telephone call attempt fails; and

wherein vehicle identification data is exchanged between the telematics device and the call center modem when a telephone call is connected.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 further comprising:

initiating a fifth telephone call from the telematics device to the call center through the first carrier by outpulsing a failed-to-voice telephone number when the second authenticating call attempt fails wherein the failed-to-voice number connects with an advisor interface at a call center.

20. A system for managing technical services within a mobile vehicle communications system comprising:

means for receiving a request for technical services from a telematics device;

means for determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services; and

means for providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination.