METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN REMOTE DIAGNOSTICS

• US 20110258307A1
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Seki, Masahiko, Konopka, Courtney
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices and/or providing content. The method for use in remotely diagnosing includes the initiating a diagnostic analysis of an electronic device, identifying the electronic device, receiving scripts communicated over a distributed network for diagnosing, remotely initiating diagnostic instructions with the scripts and receiving a response based on the instruction. The method can further determine further diagnostic instructions based on responses, and remotely initiate further instructions with the scripts. Additionally, a system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices includes a script generator coupled with a distributed network, and a remote diagnostic controller coupled with the distributed network and with an electronic device. The script generator compiles scripts and forwards them over the distributed network. The diagnostic controller implements the scripts to forward instructions to and to receive replies from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for use in remotely diagnosing an electronic device, comprising:

initiating a diagnostic analysis of an electronic device;

receiving a plurality of scripts for diagnosing the electronic device communicated over a distributed network, where the receiving the plurality of scripts comprises receiving within a diagnostic controller at least one web page having one or more of the plurality of scripts and the diagnostic controller extracting at least one of the plurality of scripts from the at least one web page;

determining whether at least one of the plurality of scripts was previously received;

storing those scripts that were not previously received;

determining whether one or more of the plurality of scripts determined to have been previously received are updated scripts of one or more scripts previously received;

storing the one or more updated scripts when the one or more updated scripts are updated scripts of the one or more previously received scripts; and

remotely initiating a first diagnostic instruction with at least one of the plurality of scripts.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

remotely receiving the diagnostic controller over the distributed network;

identifying the electronic device after receiving the diagnostic controller such that the diagnostic controller is received prior to the identifying of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying the electronic device comprises electronically accessing the electronic device and receiving an identity of the electronic device from the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of identifying the electronic device comprises determining whether an identity of the electronic device can be directly determined;

and

requesting the identity of the electronic device from a user when the identity cannot be directly determined.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

locally determining a plurality of scripts needed to implement the diagnosis of the electronic device in response to receiving the identification of the electronic device; and

receiving the plurality of scripts from over the distributed network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of receiving the plurality of scripts comprises receiving within the diagnostic controller at least one web page with the plurality of scripts incorporated therein.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

wherein the plurality of scripts are generated for diagnosing the electronic device based on an identity of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more of the plurality of scripts provide polling of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein one or more of the plurality of scripts initiate remote maintenance of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one web page wherein the diagnostic controller is incorporated into the at least one web page;

extracting the diagnostic controller from the at least one web page; and

initializing the diagnostic controller.

11. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at the diagnostic controller a response based on the first diagnostic instruction;

locally determining a second diagnostic instruction based on the response; and

remotely initiating the second diagnostic instruction with at least one of the plurality of scripts.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

locally determining whether one or more additional scripts are needed to initiate the second diagnostic instruction;

requesting from over the distributed network the one or more additional scripts when it is determined that the one or more additional scripts are needed; and

receiving the one or more additional scripts from over the distributed network such that the initiating the second diagnostic instruction comprises implementing the one or more additional scripts.

13. A system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices, comprising:

a remote diagnostic controller, implemented through a processing device, coupled with a distributed network and with an electronic device to be diagnosed;

the remote diagnostic controller configured to receive from over the distributed network one or more web pages from a remote script generator where at least one of the web pages comprises at least one script, implement the at least one script such that the remote diagnostic controller forwards a first instruction to the electronic device to be performed by the electronic device, to receive a first reply from the electronic device, to determine at least a second diagnostic instruction based on the first reply and to forward at least the second instruction to the electronic device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to determine whether one or more additional scripts are needed to implement the second instruction, and to request from over the distributed network at least a second script configured to allow an implementation of the second instruction when the remote diagnostic controller determines that one or more additional scripts are needed.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

the script generator coupled with the distributed network, where the script generator is configured to compile the at least one script, incorporate the at least one script into a web page and forward the web page with the at least one script over the distributed network to the diagnostic controller.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to analyze the first reply and determine whether one or more further diagnostic instructions are needed, and identify at least the second instruction when the one or more further diagnostic instructions are needed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the diagnostic controller is maintained within a host computer, wherein the host computer provides processing capabilities for the diagnostic controller in determining the second instruction.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the diagnostic controller is maintained within the electronic device, wherein the electronic device provides processing capabilities for the diagnostic controller in determining the second instruction.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to:

receive a first plurality of scripts in the one or more web pages;

determine whether at least one of the first plurality of scripts was previously received;

store those scripts that were not previously received;

determine whether one or more of the first plurality of scripts determined to have been previously received are updated scripts of one or more scripts previously received;

store the one or more updated scripts when the one or more updated scripts are updated scripts of the one or more previously received scripts;

receiving within the diagnostic controller an identification of the electronic device;

locally determine a second script needed to implement the diagnosis of the electronic device in response to receiving the identification of the electronic device; and

receive the second script from over the distributed network.