Device and method for supporting error correction in an information processing system

• US 20060142996A1
• Filed: 11/14/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Stade, Christoph, Sankowski, Jan, Achilles, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,512,831 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3636 by tracing the execution of the program

Abstract

In a device and method for supporting error correction in an information processing system, a data acquisition device acquires damage information pertaining to the information processing system. A data storage contains information about possible damage cases in the information processing system as well as possible countermeasures. A computer linked with the data acquisition device as well as with the data storage, the computer being designed (in terms of programming) to generate a damage-specific questions and actions catalog. An output unit displays the questions and actions catalog.

Claims

1. A device for supporting error correction in an information processing system, comprising:

a data acquisition device that acquires damage information pertaining to operation of an information processing system;

a memory containing first information characterizing possible damage situations for said information processing system and second information characterizing possible counter measures for said damage situations;

a computer in communication with said data acquisition device and having access to said memory, said computer being programmed to generate a damage-specific questions and actions catalog dependent on said damage information acquired by said data acquisition device and said first information and said second information stored in said memory; and

an output unit connected to the computer at which said computer causes said damage-specific questions and actions catalog to be visually displayed.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising an evaluation module that interrogates a state of said information processing system to automatically respond to at least one question in said question and actions catalog.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said data acquisition device is a first data acquisition device and wherein said output unit is a first output unit, and comprising a plurality of further data acquisition devices, in addition to said first acquisition device, each of said further data acquisition devices having a further output unit respectively connected thereto.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of said data acquisition devices has a communication link allowing communication via a network among all of said data acquisition devices.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said computer generates said damage-specific questions and actions catalog with a plurality of complexity levels.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a self-test module connected to said computer for automatically initiating testing of at least a portion of said information processing system dependent on said damage-specific questions and actions catalog.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said computer is located remote from said information processing system and comprising a speech transmission system allowing speech transmission between the location of said computer and the location of said information processing system.

8. A method for supporting error correction in an information processing system, comprising the steps of:

acquiring damage information in electronic form pertaining to operation of an information processing system;

electronically storing first information characterizing possible damage situations for said information processing system and second information characterizing possible counter measures for said damage situations;

in a computer in communication with said data acquisition device and having access to the stored first and second information, electronically generating a damage-specific questions and actions catalog dependent on said damage information and said first information and said second information stored in said memory; and

at an output unit connected to the computer, visually displaying said damage-specific questions and actions catalog.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising electronically interrogating a state of said information processing system to automatically respond to at least one question in said question and actions catalog.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising in said computer, generating said damage-specific questions and actions catalog with a plurality of complexity levels.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 comprising, in a self-test module connected to said computer, automatically initiating testing of at least a portion of said information processing system dependent on said damage-specific questions and actions catalog.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said computer is located remote from said information processing system and comprising conducting a speech transmission via a speech transmission system between the location of said computer and the location of said information processing system.