METHOD & APPARATUS FOR CONFIGURING A REMOTE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SERVICE
First Claim
1. A method for configuring a remote product management service, comprising:
- assigning a unique product origination code to the source of a product;
selling one or more product units to a customer and notifying the customer of the product origination code;
initializing a customer software client using the product origination code;
the remote product management service receiving a request from the software client to register one or more product units with the service; and
using information included in the request, received from the software client by the remote product management service, to configure a data base file that is identified by at least the product origination code and which is used to store a record of product operational information associated with the one or more product units registered with the service.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A product source site, a VAR site and a customer site are connected to a communications network. A mobile communications device is sold by a VAR to the customer, and the VAR notifies the customer of a product origination code (POC) that is unique to the product source and to each VAR that sells products to the customer. The customer uses the POC to activate a software client that can be used to both control a product unit and to register the product unit with the remote product monitoring and management service. The remote product monitoring and management service can be configured to create a data base record that corresponds to the POC that can be used to store product operational information that is gather from the customers product by the remote product monitoring and management service.
7 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for configuring a remote product management service, comprising:
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assigning a unique product origination code to the source of a product; selling one or more product units to a customer and notifying the customer of the product origination code; initializing a customer software client using the product origination code; the remote product management service receiving a request from the software client to register one or more product units with the service; and using information included in the request, received from the software client by the remote product management service, to configure a data base file that is identified by at least the product origination code and which is used to store a record of product operational information associated with the one or more product units registered with the service. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12)
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11. The method of claim 11, wherein the unique product unit identity is a unit serial number.
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13. A remote product management system, comprising:
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a wide area network; a customer site connected to the wide area network, the customer site comprising a trusted software client used to control the operation of a product unit and to request registration of the product unit with a remote product management service; and a source site connected to the wide area network, the source site comprising the remote product management service that operates to receive a request from the trusted customer software client to register the product unit and to use information in the request to configure a data base file used to store a record of operational information associated with the product unit for which registration is requested. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification