Systems and Methods to Generate Repair Orders Using a Taxonomy and an Ontology

• US 20170364870A1
• Filed: 06/17/2016
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Merg, Patrick S., Foreman, Jacob G., Lewis, Bradley R., Kelley, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided that are related to generating repair orders, including vehicular repair orders. A computing device can receive repair-related information associated with a repair order. The repair-related information can include information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes. The computing device can determine a first ontology related to the first repair attribute. The first ontology can be further related to a first template. The computing device can determine modified repair-related information by at least utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information that includes the information about the first repair attribute. The computing device can generate an output related to the repair order that includes the modified repair-related information.

Claims

1. A method for generating repair orders, comprising:

receiving repair-related information associated with a repair order at a computing device, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute using the computing device, wherein the first ontology is further related to a first template;

determining modified repair-related information by at least utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute using the computing device; and

generating an output of the computing device related to the repair order comprising the modified repair-related information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the repair order comprises a vehicular repair order, wherein the one or more repair attributes comprise one or more vehicular-repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute comprises a first vehicular-repair attribute of the one or more vehicular-repair attribute.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more vehicular-repair attributes comprise at least one of:

a symptom-related attribute, an occurrence-related attribute, a spatially-related attribute, a system-related attribute, a speed-related attribute, a description-related attribute, an audio-related attribute, an imagery-related attribute, and a condition-related attribute.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicular repair order relates to repair of an automobile.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the repair-related information associated with the repair order comprises receiving the repair-related information associated with the repair order via a user interface of the computing device, and wherein the user interface is configured to accept one or more selections associated with the one or more repair attributes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining the first ontology comprises determining the first template based on the one or more selections of the one or more repair attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the information about the first repair attribute comprises one or more words associated with the first repair attribute, and wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining one or more preferred repair-related words associated with the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute using the first ontology; and

replacing the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute with the one or more preferred repair-related words in the first portion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining one or more partial repair-related words in the first portion;

determining one or more complete repair-related words associated with the one or more partial repair-related words using the first ontology; and

generating a display of the one or more complete repair-related words.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the modified repair-related information further comprises:

receiving a selection of a particular complete repair-related word from among the displayed one or more complete repair-related words; and

replacing at least one partial repair-related word of the one or more repair-related words with the particular complete repair-related word.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining a first ordering of repair attributes in the repair-related information;

determining a second ordering of the repair attributes in the first template, wherein the first ordering differs from the second ordering; and

modifying the repair-related information so that repair attributes in the repair-related information are ordered according to the second ordering.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the repair order is associated with a previously-generated repair order, and

wherein generating the output of the computing device related to the repair order comprises generating an output comprising at least part of the previously-generated repair order and at least part of the repair order.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first repair attribute is associated with a first taxonomy of attributes, and wherein determining the first ontology related to the first repair attribute comprises:

determining a first attribute group in the first taxonomy of attributes associated with the first repair attribute; and

determining the first template based on the first repair attribute and the first attribute group.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first template comprises the first repair attribute.

14. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to store at least computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising;

receiving repair-related information associated with a repair order, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute, wherein the first ontology is further related to a first template;

determining modified repair-related information by at least utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute; and

generating an output related to the repair order comprising the modified repair-related information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the repair order comprises a vehicular repair order, wherein the one or more repair attributes comprise one or more vehicular-repair attributes, and wherein the first repair attribute comprises a first vehicular-repair attribute of the one or more vehicular-repair attribute.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the one or more vehicular-repair attributes comprise at least one of:

a symptom-related attribute, an occurrence-related attribute, a spatially-related attribute, a system-related attribute, a speed-related attribute, a description-related attribute, an audio-related attribute, an imagery-related attribute, and a condition-related attribute.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein receiving the repair-related information associated with the repair order comprises receiving the repair-related information associated with the repair order via a user interface of the computing device, and wherein the user interface is configured to accept one or more selections associated with the one or more repair attributes.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the information about the first repair attribute comprises one or more words associated with the first repair attribute, and wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining one or more preferred repair-related words associated with the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute using the first ontology; and

replacing the one or more words associated with the first repair attribute with the one or more preferred repair-related words in the first portion.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein determining the modified repair-related information comprises:

determining one or more partial repair-related words in the first portion;

determining one or more complete repair-related words associated with the one or more partial repair-related words using the first ontology; and

generating a display of the one or more complete repair-related words.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium, configured to store at least computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving repair-related information associated with a repair order, wherein the repair-related information comprises information about a first repair attribute of one or more repair attributes;

determining a first ontology related to the first repair attribute, wherein the first ontology is further related to a first template;

determining modified repair-related information by at least utilizing the first template to modify at least a first portion of the repair-related information comprising the information about the first repair attribute; and

generating an output related to the repair order comprising the modified repair-related information.