REMOTE SERVICE EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION

• US 20140012460A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AutoVitals, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AutoVitals, Inc.
• Inventors: Kleinschmidt, Uwe, Rilov, Svatjoslav, Gerlach, Ute
• Granted Patent: US 9,317,840 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/31.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/00 Registering or indicating the working of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

There is disclosed a method and apparatus for remote service evaluation and recommendation. The method includes obtaining owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship and obtaining diagnostic data for the automobile. The method further includes transmitting, via a network connection, the diagnostic data to the owner-designated repair technician at a location remote from the automobile and receiving, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic data, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service.

Claims

1. A method for remote service evaluation and recommendation comprising:

obtaining owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship;

obtaining diagnostic data for the automobile;

transmitting, via a network connection, the diagnostic data to the owner-designated repair technician at a location remote from the automobile; and

receiving, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic data, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein, when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the recommendation further includes an identity of a local repair technician recommended by the owner-designated repair technician to complete the recommended service.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the local repair technician and the owner-designated repair technician are both members of a trusted referral group.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the time for completing the recommended service is one of:

as desired by the owner;

during the next regularly-scheduled service;

at the next available opportunity; and

as soon as possible, the recommendation further including the identity of a local repair technician to complete the recommended service when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the local repair technician recommended by the remote owner-designated repair technician.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic data is generated as an output from a service warning system associated with the automobile.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, via the network connection, the diagnostic data to the local repair technician in anticipation of the recommended service.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising transmitting the recommendation to the local repair technician in anticipation of the recommended service.

8. An apparatus comprising a storage medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

obtain owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship;

obtain a diagnostic evaluation for the automobile;

transmit, via a network connection, the diagnostic data to the owner-designated repair technician at a location remote from the automobile; and

receive, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic evaluation, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein, when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the recommendation further includes an identity of a local repair technician recommended by the owner-designated repair technician to complete the recommended service.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the local repair technician and the owner-designated repair technician are both members of a trusted referral group.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the time for completing the recommended service is one of:

as desired by the owner;

during the next regularly-scheduled service;

at the next available opportunity; and

as soon as possible, the recommendation further including the identity of a local repair technician to complete the recommended service when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the local repair technician recommended by the remote owner-designated repair technician.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the diagnostic evaluation is generated as an output from a service warning system associated with the automobile.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the instructions will further cause the processor to transmit, via the network connection, the diagnostic data to the local repair technician in anticipation of the recommended service.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 rein the instructions will further cause the processor to transmit, via the network connection, the recommendation to the local repair technician in anticipation of the recommended service.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

the processor;

a memory;

wherein the processor and the memory comprise circuits and software for performing the instructions on the storage medium.

19. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the instructions will further cause the processor to transmit, via the network connection, the diagnostic evaluation and the recommendation to the local repair technician in anticipation of the recommended service

16. Apparatus comprising a storage medium storing a program having instructions which when executed by a processor will cause the processor to:

obtain owner authorization to access diagnostic data associated with an automobile for a trusted, owner-designated repair technician with whom the owner has a preexisting relationship;

receive, via a network connection and at a computing device associated with the owner-designated repair technician, a diagnostic data for an automobile associated with the owner;

obtain a diagnostic evaluation for the automobile based upon the diagnostic data; and

transmit, via the network connection, a recommendation from the owner-designated repair technician based upon the diagnostic evaluation, the recommendation including a recommended service and a time for completing the recommended service.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein, when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the recommendation further includes an identity of a local repair technician recommended by the owner-designated repair technician to complete the recommended service.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the time for completing the recommended service is one of:

as desired by the owner;

during the next regularly-scheduled service;

at the next available opportunity; and

as soon as possible, the recommendation further including the identity of a local repair technician to complete the recommended service when the owner is not local to the owner-designated repair technician, the local repair technician recommended by the owner-designated repair technician.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

the processor;

a memory;

wherein the processor and the memory comprise circuits and software for performing the instructions on the storage medium.