Method and system for providing vehicle-service alerts to a vehicle technician

• US 20070043487A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 02/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Grier, Jeff, Reddy, Sunil, Krzystofczyk, Carl, Lewis, Brad, Cancilla, Jim
• Application Number:
  US11/208,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20070043487A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A method and system for providing vehicle-service alerts to a vehicle technician is disclosed. A technician alert system receives from a vehicle technician information identifying a given type of vehicle scheduled for service. Based on the received information, the technician alarm system determines one or more vehicle-service alerts, if any, for the given type of vehicle. The system then provides the one or more vehicle service alerts to the vehicle technician.

Claims

1. A method for providing vehicle-service alerts to a user, the method comprising:

receiving from a user information identifying a given type of vehicle scheduled for service;

using the information to determine one or more vehicle-service alerts, if any, for the given type of vehicle; and

providing the one or more vehicle-service alerts to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service includes repair service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the service includes maintenance service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the given type of vehicle includes a set of vehicles attributes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of attributes includes a vehicle make, a vehicle model, a vehicle model year, or a vehicle mileage.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the set of attributes includes a geographic location of a vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more vehicle-service alerts are based at least in part on the geographic location of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle-service alerts include prognostic information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the prognostic information includes information recommending to the user one or more vehicle service procedures.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle-service alerts include diagnostic information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more vehicle-service alerts include maintenance information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the user information identifying the given type of vehicle includes receiving the information via a voice recognition system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein using the information to determine one or more vehicle-service alerts, if any, for the given type of vehicle includes:

using the information as search criteria for searching a number of vehicle-information sources to determine the one or more vehicle-service alerts.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the number of vehicle-information sources include up-to-date vehicle information.

15. A technician alarm system for providing vehicle-service alerts to a vehicle technician, comprising:

a processor;

a data storage; and

program logic stored in the data storage and executable by the processor to (i) receive from a vehicle technician information identifying a given type of vehicle scheduled for service, (ii) use the information to determine one or more vehicle-service alerts, if any, for the given type of vehicle, and (iii) provide the one or more vehicle-service alerts to the vehicle technician.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor further executes the program logic to create a search-results report, the search-results report including the one or more vehicle service alerts.

17. A method for providing vehicle-service alerts to a vehicle-technician, the method comprising:

receiving information identifying one or more given types of vehicles scheduled for service, wherein the information includes a set of vehicle attributes for each given type of vehicle scheduled for service;

using the set of vehicle attributes for each given type of vehicle as search criteria for searching a number of vehicle-information sources to determine one or more vehicle-service alerts, if any, for each given type of vehicle;

creating a search-results report including the one or more vehicle-service alerts for each given type of vehicle; and

sending the search-results report for presentation to a vehicle technician.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more given types of vehicles scheduled for service include at least two given types of vehicles.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the search-results report is formatted according to a communication method selected for sending the search-results report to the vehicle technician.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving information identifying the one or more given types of vehicles scheduled for service includes receiving the information via vehicle telematics.