CROWD-SOURCED PROBLEM SOLVING

• US 20130097179A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Moshrefi, Afshin, Nasir, Azim, Wang, Dongchen, Xiao, Hong, Jackvony, Bradford A., Sysko, Graham David
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation

Abstract

A device includes an input device configured to receive a plurality of user inputs including a predetermined user input. A display device is configured to display a graphical user interface. A memory device is configured to store device information. A help application is in communication with the input device, the display device, and the memory device and is configured to detect the predetermined user input and, in response, populate the graphical user interface with a list of selectable solutions associated with the device information in accordance with a performance rank associated with each solution.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an input device configured to receive a plurality of user inputs including a predetermined user input;

a display device configured to display a graphical user interface;

a memory device configured to store device information; and

a help application in communication with the input device, the display device, and the memory device, and wherein the help application is configured to detect the predetermined user input and, in response to detecting the predetermined user input, populate the graphical user interface with a list of selectable solutions associated with the device information in accordance with a performance rank associated with each solution.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the help application is configured to receive the list of selectable solutions and the performance rank associated with each solution from a remote server.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the help application is configured query the remote server for the list of selectable solutions and associated performance rank in response to receiving the predetermined user input.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the help application is configured to access a previously stored list of selectable solutions and performance rank from the memory device if the remote server is unavailable.

5. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the help application is configured to transmit the selected solution to the remote server.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein one solution has a highest performance rank and another solution has a lowest performance rank, and wherein the help application is configured to populate the graphical user interface with the solution having the highest performance rank above the solution having the lowest performance rank.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the help application is configured to receive a user selection of at least one of the solutions.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the help application is configured to present information associated with the selected solution via the graphical user interface.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the information associated with the selected solution includes at least one of text, pictures, and video.

10. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the device information includes at least one of a model name, a model number, an operating system version, a kernel version, a Mobile Equipment Identifier, an Electronic Serial Number, and an International Mobile Equipment Identifier.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, at a remote server, a query from a device, the query including device information about the device;

aggregating, via the remote server, a list of solutions based upon the device information;

assigning to each solution a performance rank based at least in part on the device information received at the remote server; and

transmitting, over a communication network, the list of solutions and the performance rank associated with each solution from the remote server to the device.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising counting, at the remote server, a number of user requests for each solution to determine the performance rank of each solution.

13. A method as set forth in claim 12, wherein assigning the performance rank to each solution includes ranking each solution according to the number of customer requests for the solution.

14. A method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising filtering, via the remote server, the list of solutions to remove solutions that have a performance rank below a predetermined threshold from the list of solutions.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein transmitting the list of solutions includes transmitting, via the communication network, only those solutions that have a performance rank above the predetermined threshold to the device.

16. A method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the device information includes at least one of a model name, a model number, an operating system version, a kernel version, a Mobile Equipment Identifier, an Electronic Serial Number, and an International Mobile Equipment Identifier.

17. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable instructions comprising:

detecting a predetermined user input;

accessing device information identifying a characteristic of a device;

transmitting the device information to a remote server;

receiving, from the remote server, a list of selectable solutions based at least in part on the device information and a performance rank of each solution; and

populating a graphical user interface with the list of selectable solutions.

18. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, further comprising querying the remote server for the list of selectable solutions in response to receiving the predetermined user input.

19. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether the remote server is available to receive queries over a communication network; and

accessing a previously stored list of selectable solutions and performance rank from a memory device if the remote server is unavailable.

20. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of at least one of the selectable solutions; and

transmitting the selected solution to the remote server.

21. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 20, further comprising presenting, via the graphical user interface, information associated with the selected solution.

22. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 21, wherein the information associated with the selected solution includes at least one of text, pictures, and video.

23. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, wherein populating the graphical user interface with the list of selectable solutions includes:

identifying one of the solutions as having a highest performance rank;

identifying one of the solutions as having a lowest performance rank; and

populating the graphical user interface with the solution having the highest performance rank above the solution having the lowest performance rank.

24. A computer readable medium as set forth in claim 17, wherein the device information includes at least one of a model name, a model number, an operating system version, a kernel version, a Mobile Equipment Identifier, an Electronic Serial Number, and an International Mobile Equipment Identifier.