VIN SCAN/CODE CATALOG AND INFORMATION LOOKUP

• US 20130332488A1
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Published: 12/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dayco IP Holdings, LLC (Dayco Products LLC)
• Original Assignee: Dayco Products LLC
• Inventors: Christy, Robert C., Thao, Johnny, Wilson, Scott, Mathis, Sherry M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering

Abstract

Electronic-based systems and methods for enhancing a user'"'"'s experience when shopping for components of a mechanical or electrical device or apparatus, which include downloadable software (i.e., a mobile device application) that provides access to component information/data using the mobile device, in particular component information/data provided by a manufacturer from its personal database, electronic devices that include such software, and methods of accessing the component information and optionally, acting upon the information to order the component.

Claims

1. Downloadable software for storage in an electronic device comprising:

a first instruction executable by the electronic device to provide a user a display from which to select a means for a component lookup in a restricted access database of an identified component manufacturer;

an access code to the restricted access database;

a second instruction executable by the electronic device to export the access code and any information proved in response to the selection of the means for the component lookup to an external source;

a third instruction executable by the electronic device to import data from the restricted access database about a component found during the user selected component lookup; and

a fourth instruction executable by the electronic device to display the data.

2. The downloadable software of claim 1, wherein the data from the restricted access data base includes one or more of a summary of the component, a description of the component, a picture of the component, a component number, instructions regarding installation, a video regarding installation, a video describing the component, a brochure about the component, a specification sheet regarding the component, availability of the component including retail locations, price estimates for component, manuals, and ordering instructions for the component.

3. The downloadable software of claim 1, wherein the access code is a username and password associated with a specific electronic device, wherein the restricted access database authenticates the username and password before the third instruction can import data therefrom.

4. The downloadable software of claim 3, wherein when the username and password are associated with a direct customer of the component manufacturer, and the data from the restricted access data base includes at least one of the direct customer'"'"'s current price for the component and the availability of the component from the component manufacturer.

5. The downloadable software of claim 4, wherein the fourth instruction to display the vehicle data includes a displayable prompt regarding placing an order when the availability of the component indicates said components are available.

6. The downloadable software of claim 1, in response to the selection of a means for the component lookup, includes fifth instruction executable by the electronic device to display prompts requesting information related to the means for the component lookup.

7. The downloadable software of claim 2, further comprising sixth instructions executable by the electronic device to display said information along with a prompt for the user to verify that said information is correct.

8. The downloadable software of claim 2, wherein the second instruction includes a route to an external decoder to convert the information into vehicle identification information and instructions to send the vehicle identification information to the restricted access database for use in the component lookup.

9. The downloadable software of claim 8, wherein the vehicle identification information includes one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine of the vehicle.

10. The downloadable software of claim 2, wherein the second instruction includes a route to an external decoder to convert the information into vehicle identification information and instructions to import and display the vehicle identification information on the electronic device along with a prompt for the user to verify the correctness of the information, wherein upon verification of the vehicle identification information, the software comprises a seventh instruction to export the vehicle identification information and the access code to the restricted access database for retrieval of the data.

11. The downloadable software of claim 10, wherein the instruction to display the vehicle identification information also includes a prompt to store the vehicle identification information in the electronic device.

12. The downloadable software of claim 1, further comprising an introductory instruction to display the company name of the single, specific component manufacturer.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a device for importing a vehicle identification number (VIN) or code containing said VIN;

communication circuitry comprising signal transmitting and signal receiving capability, wherein the signal transmitting capability sends the VIN to a database external to the electronic device to lookup component information related to the VIN and the signal receiving capability receives information sent back to the electronic device in response to the lookup of component information;

an information processor to process the information received by the signal receiving capability of the communication circuitry into a displayable form; and

a display to display the information once in a displayable form;

wherein the information received is from a restricted access database of component-related information from an identified component manufacturer.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the information received includes photographs, videos, documents, audio recordings, individual data points, and combinations thereof related to the components associated with the VIN.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the communication circuitry sends the VIN to a decoder external to the electronic device to decode the VIN into one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine of the vehicle, receives the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine, and the information processor displays said make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for the user of the electronic device to verify the correctness thereof.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the information processor in response to a favorable response to the prompt to verify the correctness instructs the communication circuitry to send the make, model, year, type and engine information to the restricted access database to retrieve component information relative thereto.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the component information relative thereto includes one or more of part numbers and part names.

18. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising storage, wherein the information processor displays the one or more of the vehicle make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for the user of the electronic device to save the vehicle identification information in the storage of electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the device includes at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera.

20. A method for accessing the contents of a component manufacturer'"'"'s database of part-related information, the method comprising:

providing software that is storable in an electronic device, wherein the software enables a user to initiate a component lookup by one or more of browsing a catalog, scanning or reading a vehicle identification number (VIN), manually entering a VIN, entering a part number, entering another manufacturer'"'"'s part number or part name;

providing a database of component-related data specific to one component manufacturer stored on a password protected server;

providing a mobile site as a communication link between the electronic device and the database;

wherein the mobile site accesses the database in response to the user initiated component lookup;

wherein the software instructs the electronic device to communicate with the database to use the user initiated component lookup to lookup component related data stored therein and to send said data to the electronic device for display.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the password protected server is at least a webserver having the database stored as a web service;

and the method further comprising the mobile site calling the web service for each user initiated component lookup and providing a password thereto, and the web service authenticating the password and thereafter sending said data to the mobile site for relying to the electronic device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the password protected server is at least an FTP server having the data stored as comma-separated value files.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising accessing the database, once daily, with a password and copying the database to a cloud server;

and the mobile site calling the cloud server for each user initiated component lookup without using a password.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the mobile site includes a VIN decoder and the user initiates a component lookup by scanning or reading a vehicle identification number (VIN) or manually entering a VIN, the method further comprising the mobile site decoding the VIN into identification information related to the vehicle and sending the identification information to the electronic device for display and verification by the user.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the user initiates a component lookup by scanning or reading a vehicle identification number (VIN) or manually entering a VIN, the method further comprising the mobile site sending the VIN to an external decoder and receiving from the external decoder identification information relating to the vehicle, and the mobile site sending the identification information to the electronic device for display and verification by the user.