System and Method for Using Vehicle Attributes to Identify a Vehicle Under Service

• US 20080306646A1
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Krzystofczyk, Carl J., McDonald, Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 8,095,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2425 Iterative querying; Query formulation based on the results of a preceding query
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

A system and method directed to determining vehicle attributes associated with a vehicle under service so as to eliminate the need for a user of a vehicle service tool to enter the vehicle attributes or to reduce the quantity of vehicle attributes that the user has to enter in order for the vehicle service tool to identify the vehicle under service and, in turn, to retrieve vehicle reference data associated with the vehicle under service. The vehicle service tool may include vehicle service applications for servicing various systems and/or components of the vehicle under service. A vehicle service application selected by the user may function as a requester application that queries other applications and/or data storage for the vehicle attributes needed by the requester application to identify the vehicle under service.

Claims

1. A method carried out via a vehicle service tool including data storage, a user interface, and a requester application that requests vehicle attributes to identify a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving from the requester application a first request for a first vehicle attribute; and

performing a first search of the data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the requester application;

wherein if a result of the first search indicates the data storage contains the first attribute for the requester application, the method further comprises providing the first vehicle attribute for the requestor application from the data storage to the requestor application;

wherein if the result of the first search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the requester application, the method further comprises performing a second search of the data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for another application, and

wherein if a result of the second search indicates the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the other application, the method further comprises providing the first vehicle attribute for the other application from the data storage to the requestor application.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein if the result of the second search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the other application, the method further comprises:

(i) displaying at the user interface a request for a user to enter the first vehicle attribute, (ii) receiving from the user interface the first vehicle attribute, and (iii) providing the first vehicle attribute received from the user interface to the requestor application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

at the data storage, storing the first vehicle attribute received from the user interface as the first vehicle attribute for the requestor application;

receiving from the requester application a second request for the first vehicle attribute;

performing a third search of data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the requestor application, and

providing to the requester application from the data storage the stored first vehicle attribute for the requester application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a third search of the data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for any of at least one other application, wherein the third search is performed if the result of the second search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the other application;

wherein if a result of the third search indicates the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for any of the at least one other application, providing to the requestor application the first vehicle attribute for one of the at least one other application, and

wherein if the result of the third search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for any of the at least one other application, the method further comprises;

(i) displaying at the user interface a request for a user to enter the first vehicle attribute, (ii) receiving from the user interface the first vehicle attribute, and (iii) providing the first vehicle attribute received from the user interface to the requester application.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the other application is defined as a master application, and

wherein each of the at least one other application is associated with at least one vehicle attribute.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein the master application comprises a pre-selected peer application, and

wherein the master application remains the master application for all vehicles connected to the vehicle service tool.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein the master application comprises an application that first identifies the vehicle, and

wherein another application that first identifies another vehicle becomes the master application for the other vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a third search of data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains any vehicle attributes from which the first vehicle attribute may be derived, wherein the third search is performed if the result of the second search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the other application;

wherein if a result of the third search indicates data storage contains a vehicle attribute from which the first vehicle attribute may be derived, the method further comprises deriving the first vehicle attribute and providing the derived first vehicle attribute to the requestor application, and

wherein if the result of the third search indicates the data storage does not contain any vehicle attributes from which the first vehicle attribute may be derived, the method further comprises;

(i) displaying at the user interface a request for a user to enter the first vehicle attribute, (ii) receiving from the user interface the first vehicle attribute, and (iii) providing the first vehicle attribute received from the user interface to the requestor application.

9. The method of claim 7,

wherein the vehicle attribute from which the first vehicle attribute may be derived is a vehicle attribute selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a vehicle model year attribute, (ii) a vehicle make attribute, (iii) a vehicle model attribute, (iv) a vehicle engine-type attribute, (v) a vehicle transmission-type attribute, (vi) a vehicle system attribute, (vii) a vehicle manufacturer attribute, and (viii) a country of manufacture attribute, and

wherein the derived vehicle attribute is selected from the group consisting of;

(i) a vehicle model year attribute, (ii) a vehicle make attribute, (iii) a vehicle model attribute, (iv) a vehicle engine-type attribute, (v) a vehicle transmission-type attribute, (vi) a vehicle system attribute, (vii) a vehicle manufacturer attribute, and (viii) a country of manufacture attribute.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the data storage, storing the first vehicle attribute for the other application as the first vehicle attribute for the requester application;

receiving from the requester application a second request for the first vehicle attribute;

performing a third search of data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the other application, and

providing to the requester application from the data storage the stored first vehicle attribute for the other application.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a vehicle identification number (VIN) associated with the vehicle, and

prior to performing the first search of the data storage, (i) using the VIN to determine at least one vehicle attribute used by the requester application to identify the vehicle, and (ii) in response to determining the at least one vehicle attribute from the VIN, storing at the data storage the at least one vehicle attribute for the requester application.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the first vehicle attribute from the requester application or the first vehicle attribute for the other application so as to identify the vehicle, and

receiving from data storage vehicle reference data for the identified vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the requestor application a request for a second vehicle attribute; and

performing a third search of data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the second vehicle attribute for the requester application;

wherein if a result of the third search indicates the data storage contains the second vehicle attribute for the requester application, the method further comprising providing the second vehicle attribute for the requester application from the data storage to the requester application,

wherein if the result of the third search indicates the data storage does not contain the second vehicle attribute for the requester application, the method further comprises performing a fourth search of the data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the second vehicle attribute the other application,

wherein if a result of the fourth search indicates the data storage contains the second vehicle attribute for the other application, the method further comprises providing the second vehicle attribute for the other application from the data storage to the requester application.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using to identify the vehicle;

(i) the first vehicle attribute from the requester application or the first vehicle attribute for the other application, and (ii) the second vehicle attribute from the requestor application or the second vehicle attribute for the other application; and

receiving from data storage vehicle reference data for the identified vehicle.

15. A vehicle service tool comprising:

a user interface;

a processor; and

data storage containing;

(i) a computer-readable requestor application, (ii) a computer-readable interceptor application, and (iii) a computer-readable common vehicle descriptor (CVD) application,

wherein the requestor application, the interceptor application, and the CVD application are executable by the processor,

wherein the requester application provides to the interceptor application a first request for a vehicle attribute, and receives from the interceptor application the requested vehicle attribute,

wherein the interceptor application (i) receives from the requester application the first request for the vehicle attribute and responsively provides the CVD application with a second request for the vehicle attribute, and (ii) receives from the CVD application (a) a non-match indicator, or (b) a match indicator and the requested vehicle attribute,

wherein in response to receiving the non-match indicator, the interceptor application provides to the user interface a third request for the vehicle attribute, receives the requested vehicle attribute from the user interface, and provides the requested vehicle attribute to the requester application,

wherein in response to receiving the match indicator, the interceptor application provides the requested vehicle attribute received from the CVD application to the requestor application, and

wherein the CVD application;

(i) searches the data storage to determine whether the data storage contains the requested vehicle attribute, and (ii) provides to the interceptor application the non-match indicator if the data storage does not contain the requested vehicle attribute or provides to the interceptor application the match indicator and the requested vehicle attribute if the data storage contains the requested vehicle attribute.

16. The vehicle service tool of claim 15,

wherein the interceptor application further provides the CVD application with the requested vehicle attribute received from the user interface, and

wherein the CVD application causes the data storage to store the vehicle attribute received from the user interface as a vehicle attribute for the requestor application.

17. A vehicle service tool comprising:

a user interface;

a processor; and

data storage containing computer-readable program instructions executable by the processor,

wherein the computer-readable program instructions comprise;

(i) a first set of program instructions arranged as a first application that requests a first vehicle attribute for use in identifying a vehicle,

(ii) a second set of program instructions arranged as second application associable with a vehicle attribute,

(iii) a third set of program instructions executable to cause the processor to perform a first search of the data storage so as to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the first application, wherein the third set of program instructions are executed in response to the first application requesting the first vehicle attribute,

(iv) a fourth set of program instructions executable to cause the first vehicle attribute for the first application to be provided to the first application, wherein the fourth set of program instructions are executed if a result of the first search indicates the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the first application,

(v) a fifth set of program instructions executable to cause the processor to perform a second search of the data storage to determine whether the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the second application, wherein the fifth set of program instructions are executed if the result of the first search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the first application, and

(vi) a sixth set of program instruction executable to cause the first vehicle attribute for the second application to be provided to the first application, wherein the sixth set of program instructions are executed if a result of the second search indicates the data storage contains the first vehicle attribute for the second application.

18. The vehicle service tool of claim 17,

wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise a seventh set of program instruction executable to cause the user interface to display a request for a user to enter the first vehicle attribute, and to provide first vehicle attribute entered via the user interface to the first application, and

wherein the seventh set of program instructions are executed if the result of the second search indicates the data storage does not contain the first vehicle attribute for the second application.

19. The vehicle service tool of claim 18,

wherein the data storage contains vehicle reference data associated with the vehicle,

wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise:

(i) an eighth set of program instructions executable to cause the processor to use the first vehicle attribute of the first application or the first vehicle attribute of the second application so as to identify the vehicle, and (ii) a ninth set of computer-readable program instructions executable to retrieve at least a portion of the vehicle reference data associated with the vehicle and to cause the user interface to display the retrieved vehicle reference data.

20. The vehicle service tool of claim 17,

wherein the computer-readable program instructions further comprise a seventh set of program instructions that cause the first vehicle attribute for the second application to be stored in the data storage as the first vehicle attribute for the first application.