Remote Handset Diagnostics

• US 20080084992A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bernitz, Gary, Budhati, Vani, Fan, Guoxin, Chellappan, Sundararajan, Peddireddy, Sudheer Kumar, Kothari, Rohit
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/433.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for remote handset diagnostics is provided. The system includes a plurality of handsets each having a diagnostic engine, and a carrier system having a plurality of encoder/decoder components. Each encoder/decoder component is operable to promote communication with at least one diagnostic engine to obtain diagnostic data. The carrier system further includes a diagnostic component that is operable to provide a common interface for diagnosing handsets. The diagnostic component is also operable to communicate with the plurality of encoder/decoder components and to facilitate diagnosis of the handset.

Claims

1. A system for remote handset diagnostics, comprising:

a plurality of handsets each having a diagnostic engine; and

a carrier system having a plurality of encoder/decoder components, each encoder/decoder component operable to promote communication with at least one diagnostic engine to obtain diagnostic data, the carrier system further including a diagnostic component operable to provide a common interface for diagnosing handsets, the diagnostic component operable to communicate with the plurality of encoder/decoder components and to facilitate diagnosis of the handset.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the carrier system is further operable to remotely communicate with the handset to diagnose the handset.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the encoder is operable to encode requests for diagnostics data to the handset diagnostic engine and the decoder is operable to decode the diagnostic data received from the handset diagnostic engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the carrier system is operable to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset based on the obtained diagnostic data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each handset is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic data includes handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the carrier system is operable to access a knowledge base related to the handset to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset.

8. A method for remote handset diagnostics, comprising:

remotely obtaining first diagnostic data from a handset diagnostic engine by a carrier diagnostic computer;

assisting a user of the handset to operate the handset, based on the first diagnostic data obtained from the handset;

remotely obtaining second diagnostic data from the handset diagnostic engine by a manufacturer diagnostic computer; and

assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset, based on the second diagnostic data obtained from the handset.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset comprises assisting the user with handset problems.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein obtaining the first diagnostic data from the handset diagnostic engine by the carrier diagnostic computer comprises encoding a request for the first diagnostic data to the handset diagnostic engine and decoding the first diagnostic data received from the handset diagnostic engine, and obtaining the second diagnostic data from the handset diagnostic engine by the manufacturer diagnostic computer comprises encoding a request for the second diagnostic data to the handset diagnostic engine and decoding the second diagnostic data received from the handset diagnostic engine.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the handset is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first diagnostic data and the second diagnostic data include handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

accessing a carrier knowledge base related to the handset to promote assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset, based on the obtained first diagnostic data; and

accessing a manufacturer knowledge base related to the handset to promote assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset, based on the obtained second diagnostic data.

14. A system for remote handset diagnostics, comprising:

a plurality of handsets, at least some of the handsets provided by different manufacturers;

a handset diagnostic engine corresponding to each handset, at least some of the different manufacturers having different handset diagnostic engines;

a telecommunications carrier system including a carrier diagnostic component for each of the plurality of different handset diagnostic engines, each of the carrier diagnostic components operable to obtain first diagnostic data from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine; and

a manufacturer system including a manufacturer diagnostic component for each of the plurality of different handset diagnostic engines manufactured by the manufacturer, each of the manufacturer diagnostic components operable to obtain second diagnostic data from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the telecommunications carrier system and manufacturer system are operable to remotely obtain the first and second diagnostic data, respectively, from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising an encoder and a decoder operable to promote communication between each carrier diagnostic component and the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the carrier diagnostic component includes a user interface operable for use by a customer service representative of the telecommunications carrier to promote diagnosing handsets having different diagnostic engines.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein each handset is selected from a group consisting of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the first diagnostic data and the second diagnostic data include handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein each carrier diagnostic component is further operable to access settings information and a carrier knowledge base related to the corresponding handset to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset.