System and method for dynamically-changeable displayable pages with vehicle service information

• US 20170098200A1
• 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: Covington, Joshua C., Southward, Thomas, Merg, Patrick S., Foreman, Jacob G., Mercer, Todd, Cacabelos, Kahlil H.
• Granted Patent: US 11,429,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092

Abstract

A method and system for generating a displayable page with a display card is described. A computer server receives data indicating a vehicle symptom and searches a computer-readable database to determine a most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom, a most-probable component associated with the most-likely cause, a component-type identifier associated with the most-probable component, a subset of information categories from among a set of information categories associated with at least one component-type identifier, and data to populate the display card. The server generates the displayable page including the display card and the data to populate in the display card. The server transmits the displayable page to a display device for displaying the displayable page on a display screen. The server receives data indicating selection of an action trigger in the display card occurred and responsively provides the display device with data to update the display card or another displayable page.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computer server, data indicating a vehicle symptom;

determining, at the server by searching a computer-readable database coupled to the server based on the vehicle symptom, a most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom;

determining, at the server by searching the database, a most-probable component associated with the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom;

determining, at the server by searching the database, a component-type identifier associated with the most-probable component, wherein the component-type identifier is one of a plurality of component type identifiers identified within the database, wherein the plurality of component-type identifiers stored at the database comprise at least two of an electrical component-type, a mechanical component-type, an electro-mechanical component-type, an electro-pneumatic component-type, or an electro-hydraulic component-type;

determining, at the server by searching the database, a subset of information categories from among a set of information categories, wherein the subset of information categories is associated with the determined component-type identifier;

determining, at the server by searching the database, data to populate in a first displayable page, wherein the first displayable page pertains to the subset of information categories and to the vehicle symptom; and

generating, at the server, the first displayable page including the data to populate in the first displayable page.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of component-type identifiers stored at the database comprise an electrical component-type, a mechanical component-type, an electromechanical component-type, an electro-pneumatic component-type, and an electro-hydraulic component-type.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the component-type identifier determined by the server is the mechanical component-type,

wherein the set of information categories includes a wiring diagram category and an exploded view category, and

wherein the subset of information categories includes the exploded view category, but not the wiring diagram category.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the component-type identifier determined by the server is the electrical component-type,

wherein the set of information categories includes a wiring diagram category and a second category, and

wherein the subset of information categories includes the wiring diagram category, but not the second category.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle symptom includes at least one diagnostic trouble code that may be set by an electronic control unit within a vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the database comprises a distributed database including at least a first database and a second database, and

wherein the server comprises multiple servers including a first server to search the first database and a second server to search the second database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first database includes data indicating the most-probable component, and the second database includes data indicating the set of information categories.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the database includes metadata determined at the server by analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom,

wherein the set of information categories includes a possible-causes category associated with data pertaining to at least one possible cause of the vehicle symptom other than the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom,

wherein a first display card of the first displayable page pertains to the possible-causes category, and

wherein data to be populated in the first display card is based on the metadata determined at the server by analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom.

9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising:

displaying, within the first display card, an action-trigger corresponding to the at least one possible cause of the vehicle symptom other than the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom,

receiving, at the server, a selection of the action-trigger; and

generating, at the server, a second displayable page in response to the selection of the action-trigger,

wherein the second displayable page includes, within a first display card of the second displayable page, data pertaining to the at least one possible cause of the vehicle symptom other than the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom, and

wherein at least a portion of the data pertaining to the at least one possible cause of the vehicle symptom other than the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom is different than the data to populate in respective display cards of the first displayable page.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the database includes metadata determined by the server by analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom,

wherein the set of information categories includes a commonly-serviced-component category,

wherein a first display card of the first displayable page pertains to the commonly-serviced-component category, and

wherein data to be populated in the first display card is based on the metadata determined at the server by analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the database includes metadata determined at the server by analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom,

wherein the set of information categories includes a testing graph category, and

wherein a display card of the first displayable page pertaining to the testing graph category is defined to display a graphical representation based on the metadata determined by the server analyzing repair orders pertaining to prior instances of vehicle repairs made to vehicles exhibiting the vehicle symptom.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying, within the display card pertaining to the testing graph category, an action-trigger corresponding to a test procedure identified on the analyzed repair orders,

receiving, at the server, a selection of the action-trigger; and

generating, at the server, a second displayable page in response to the selection of the action-trigger,

wherein the second displayable page includes, within a first display card of the second displayable page, data pertaining to the test procedure corresponding to the action-trigger, and

wherein at least a portion of the data pertaining to the test procedure corresponding to the action-trigger is different than the data to populate in respective display cards of the first displayable page.

13. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data indicating the vehicle symptom includes data indicating a year, make, and model of an instance of a vehicle exhibiting the vehicle symptom, and

wherein the server determines the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom and the most-probable component based on, at least in part, the year, make, and model of the instance of a vehicle exhibiting the vehicle symptom.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each information category of the subset of information categories defines a respective display card of the first displayable page.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the first displayable page includes generating a markup language page comprising at least one display card of the first displayable page and data to populate in the at least one display card of the first displayable page.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the data to populate in the first displayable page further pertains to the most-probable component and the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom.

17. The method claim 1,

wherein the set of information categories includes a parts and labor category, and

wherein a display card of the first displayable page pertaining to the parts and labor category is defined to display data pertaining to the most-probable component and data pertaining to labor operations associated with the most-probable component.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

serving, by the server to a display device, at least one display card of the first displayable page as a web service.

86. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a sub-class component-type identifier that is associated with the most-probable component,

wherein the subset of information categories is further associated with the determined sub-class component-type identifier.

87. The method of claim 86,

wherein the determined component-type identifier is the electrical component-type, and

wherein the determined sub-class component-type identifier comprises a solenoid sub-class component-type identifier, a sensor sub-class component-type identifier, or a module sub-class component-type identifier.

19. A system comprising:

a computer-readable database containing data to populate in a first displayable page to be displayed at a display of a display device; and

a computer server coupled to the computer-readable database and programmed to;

(i) receive, from the display device by way of a network coupled to the computer server, data indicating a vehicle symptom;

(ii) search the database to determine a most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom;

(iii) search the database to determine a most-probable component associated with the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom;

(iv) search the database to determine a component-type identifier associated with the most-probable component, wherein the component-type identifier is one of a plurality of component type identifiers identified within the database, wherein the plurality of component-type identifiers stored at the database comprise at least two of an electrical component-type, a mechanical component-type, an electro-mechanical component-type, an electro-pneumatic component-type, or an electro-hydraulic component-type;

(v) search the database to determine a subset of information categories from among a set of information categories, wherein the subset of information categories is associated with the determined component-type identifier;

(vi) search the database to determine data to populate in the first displayable page, wherein the first displayable page pertains to the subset of information categories and to the vehicle symptom; and

(vii) generate the first displayable page including the data to populate in the first displayable page.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer server is further programmed to:

receive, from the display device by way of the network coupled to the computer server, data indicating a characteristic of a vehicle,

wherein the search of the database to determine the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom is based at least in part on the vehicle symptom and the characteristic of the vehicle,

wherein the search of the database to determine the most-probable component associated with the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom is based at least in part on the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom and the characteristic of the vehicle, and

wherein the search of the database to determine the data to populate in the first displayable page is based at least in part on the most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom and the characteristic of the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer server is further programmed to:

transmit, to the display device, the first displayable page including the data to populate in the first displayable page.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer server is further programmed to:

receive, from the display device by way of the network coupled to the computer server, data indicating a first display card and data indicating an action-trigger within the first display card;

search the database to determine data to modify the first display card as a result of the action-trigger being selected at the display device; and

transmit, to the display device, the data to modify the first display card.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer server is further programmed to:

receive, from the display device by way of the network coupled to the computer server, data indicating an action-trigger corresponding to a second displayable page was selected from the first displayable page,

wherein the first displayable page is one of a diagnose display page, a job preview displayable page, a repair displayable page, or a job summary displayable page, and

wherein the second displayable page is one of the diagnose display page, the job preview displayable page, the repair displayable page, or the job summary displayable page, but is not the first displayable page.

24. The system of claim 19,

wherein the first displayable page includes a second display card having a vehicle usage indicator and multiple action-triggers positioned at different respective positions in proximity to the vehicle usage indicator,

wherein the multiple action-triggers include a first action-trigger and a second action trigger,

wherein a size of each action trigger of the multiple action-triggers corresponds to a probability of an event occurring at a usage amount indicated by a position of the action trigger, and

wherein a size of the first action trigger corresponding to a first probability is greater than a size of the second action trigger corresponding to a second probability less than the first probability.

25-85. -85. (canceled)