Method and system for augmenting real-fix tips with additional content

• US 20170098199A1
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Merg, Patrick S., Foreman, Jacob G., Covington, Joshua C.
• Granted Patent: US 11,144,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/08 Registering or indicating performance data other than driving, working, idle, or waiting time, with or without registering driving, working, idle or waiting time

Abstract

A method and system for generating and outputting a real-fix tip (RFT) augmented with a pointer to additional content. The additional content may be relevant to any of a complaint, vehicle, cause of complaint, how the cause for complaint was discovered, and service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint. The RFT may include a complaint, cause, and correction, and may be stored within a database containing repair orders that include complaints, causes, and corrections regarding various vehicles. A processor may generate the RFT after determining a threshold number of RO with a common complaint, vehicle, cause, and correction. A processor may search the database for the RFT based on a complaint and vehicle, display a list of RFT located during the search, display an RFT selected from the list, obtain additional content pointed to by a pointer in the RFT, and output the additional content to a display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor for generating a real-fix tip pertaining to a complaint and a vehicle, first text describing at least one of a cause of the complaint and how the cause for the complaint was discovered, and second text describing a service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint;

determining, by the at least one processor, at least one of (i) first additional content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, and a portion of the first text, and (ii) second additional content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, the cause, and a portion of the second text;

generating, by the at least one processor, a first real-fix tip, wherein the first real-fix tip includes a first file comprising the first text, the second text, and a respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content;

storing, by the at least one processor, the first real-fix tip within a computer-readable medium;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a request for a real-fix tip pertaining to the complaint and the vehicle; and

outputting, by the at least one processor in response to the request, the first file stored within the computer-readable medium.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes a first pointer pointing to one of the first additional content and the second additional content,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor after outputting the first file, a selection of the first pointer;

obtaining, by the at least one processor in response to receiving the selection of the first pointer, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the first pointer; and

outputting, by the at least one processor, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the first pointer.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein the respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes a second pointer pointing to one of the first additional content and the second additional content not pointed to by the first pointer,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor after outputting the first file, a selection of the second pointer;

obtaining, by the at least one processor in response to receiving the selection of the second pointer, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the second pointer but not by the first pointer; and

outputting, by the at least one processor, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the second pointer but not by the first pointer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each respective pointer includes a hyperlink within the first file.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the vehicle indicates a particular vehicle year, make, and model,

wherein determining the first text and the second text includes determining, by the at least one processor, a quantity of repair orders that identify the cause and the service-operation for the complaint and the particular vehicle year, make, and model, and

wherein the quantity of repair orders equals or exceeds a threshold quantity of repair orders.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes content selected from the group consisting of an image, a measurement instruction executable by a data processing machine to perform a measurement, a vehicle data request executable by the data processing machine to request data from the vehicle, and a textual test description.

7. A system comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

at least one processor coupled to the computer-readable medium and programmed to;

determine, for generating a real-fix tip pertaining to a complaint and a vehicle, first text describing at least one of a cause of the complaint and how the cause for the complaint was discovered, and second text describing a service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint;

determine at least one of (i) first additional content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, and a portion of the first text, and (ii) second additional content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, the cause, and a portion of the second text;

generate a first real-fix tip, wherein the first real-fix tip includes a first file comprising the first text, the second text, and a respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content;

store the first real-fix tip within the computer-readable medium;

receive a request for a real-fix tip pertaining to the complaint and the vehicle; and

output, in response to the request, the first file stored within the computer-readable medium.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein the respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes a first pointer pointing to one of the first additional content and the second additional content,

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive, after outputting the first file, a selection of the first pointer;

obtain, in response to receiving the selection of the first pointer, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the first pointer; and

output the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the first pointer.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the respective pointer to the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes a second pointer pointing to one of the first additional content and the second additional content not pointed to by the first pointer,

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive, after outputting the first file, a selection of the second pointer;

obtain, in response to receiving the selection of the second pointer, the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the second pointer but not by the first pointer; and

output the one of the first additional content and the second additional content pointed to by the second pointer but not by the first pointer.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein each respective pointer includes a hyperlink within the first file.

11. The system of claim 7,

wherein the vehicle indicates a particular vehicle year, make, and model,

wherein determining the first text and the second text includes determining, by the at least one processor, a quantity of repair orders that identify the cause and the service-operation for the complaint and the particular vehicle year, make, and model, and

wherein the quantity of repair orders equals or exceeds a threshold quantity of repair orders.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the first additional content and the second additional content includes content selected from the group consisting of an image, a measurement instruction executable by a data processing machine to perform a measurement, a vehicle data request executable by the data processing machine to request data from the vehicle, and a textual test description.

13. A method comprising:

outputting, by at least one processor, a request for a real-fix tip pertaining to a complaint and a vehicle, wherein the request includes an identifier of the complaint and an identifier of the vehicle;

receiving, by the at least one processor after outputting the request, a first file of a first real-fix tip pertaining to the complaint and the vehicle;

outputting, by the at least one processor to a display connected to the at least one processor, first text and second text of the first file, wherein the first text describes at least one of a cause of the complaint and how the cause of the complaint was discovered, wherein the second text describes a service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint, wherein one of the first text and the second text includes a first pointer pointing to first additional content, wherein if the first text includes the first pointer, the first additional content includes content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, and a portion of the first text, and wherein if the second text includes the first pointer, the first additional content includes content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, the cause, and a portion of the second text;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a selection of the first pointer while displayed by the display; and

outputting, by the at least one processor to the display, the first additional content pointed to by the first pointer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein outputting the first additional content includes outputting the first additional content that is overlaid at least a portion of the first text and second text of the first file.

15. The method of claim 13,

wherein the first additional content output to the display includes a measurement selection for a first measurement the at least one processor may perform,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an input selecting the measurement selection;

performing, by the at least one processor, the first measurement; and

outputting to the display a value determined by performing the first measurement.

16. The method of claim 13,

wherein the first additional content displayed by the display includes a parameter identifier associated with vehicle data the at least one processor may request,

the method further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an input selecting the vehicle data parameter identifier;

requesting, by the at least one processor, the vehicle data associated with the parameter identifier;

receiving, by the at least one processor, the vehicle data requested by the at least one processor; and

outputting to the display a value determined from the vehicle data received by the at least one processor.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein outputting the value includes outputting a status of whether a diagnostic trouble code is active.

18. A system comprising:

a display; and

at least one processor coupled to the display and programmed to;

output a request for a real-fix tip pertaining to a complaint and a vehicle, wherein the request includes an identifier of the complaint and an identifier of the vehicle;

receive, after outputting the request, a first file of a first real-fix tip pertaining to the complaint and the vehicle;

output, to the display, first text and second text of the first file, wherein the first text describes at least one of a cause of the complaint and how the cause of the complaint was discovered, wherein the second text describes a service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint, wherein one of the first text and the second text includes a first pointer pointing to first additional content, wherein if the first text includes the first pointer, the first additional content includes content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, and a portion of the first text, and wherein if the second text includes the first pointer, the first additional content includes content relevant to the complaint, the vehicle, the cause, and a portion of the second text;

receive a selection of the first pointer while displayed by the display; and

output, to the display, the first additional content pointed to by the first pointer.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein outputting the first additional content includes outputting the first additional content that is overlaid at least a portion of the first text and second text of the first file.

20. The system of claim 18,

wherein the first additional content output to the display includes a measurement selection for a first measurement the at least one processor may perform,

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:

receive an input selecting the measurement selection;

perform the first measurement; and

output to the display a value determined by performing the first measurement.

21. The system of claim 18,

wherein the first additional content displayed by the display includes a parameter identifier associated with vehicle data the at least one processor may request,

wherein the at least one processor is programmed to:

received an input selecting the vehicle data parameter identifier;

request the vehicle data associated with the parameter identifier;

receive the vehicle data requested by the at least one processor; and

output to the display a value determined from the received vehicle data received by the at least one processor.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein outputting the value includes outputting a status of whether a diagnostic trouble code is active.