Integrated automotive service system and method

• US 6,263,322 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vetronix Corp (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Hunter Engineering Company
• Inventors: Butler, Roger, Johnson, Christopher H., Erdrich, Mark, Pfistor, Robert J., Kirkevold, Tom, Blumenthal, Arthur J., Johnson, Steven F., McIntyre, Scott E., Brookings, Ken, Strege, Timothy A., Colarelli, Nicholas J., Larson, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US09/111,024
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 731/172, 731/173, 731/21, 340/820.28, 700/90, 705/1, 705/16, 705/30, 705/400, 707/1, 707/10, 707/104, 707/500, 707/501, 707/513
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An integrated automotive repair shop network is designed to greatly enhance the efficiency and quality of diagnostic and repair work performed in an automotive repair shop. The network employs a data entry terminal for the entry of routine customer information into a shop management system, including the identification of the vehicle to undergo diagnosis or repair. The shop management system is configured to generate an appropriate repair order. Computerized diagnostic and repair devices linked through the network to the shop management system are configured to access the customer information contained in the repair orders, as well as to extract relevant technical specifications, service bulletins, parts listings, and prior services records from interconnected information databases. Each computerized diagnostic and repair device provides updated information to the repair shop management system upon the completion of a diagnostic routine, enabling other computerized diagnostic and repair devices to access the most current vehicle parameters. Completed repair orders are stored in a customer information database for rapid retrieval and display of the prior work history for each vehicle serviced.

Claims

1. A networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders and transferring vehicle information, comprising:

at least one service order input interface configured to receive service order information from an operator;

a service order processor communicatively connected to each of said service order input interfaces to receive service order information, and communicatively connected to at least one informational database for storing and retrieving data, said service order processor further configured to generate a service order in response to received service order information, said service order including at least one service procedure to be completed;

at least one access interface in communication with said service order processor;

at least one computerized automotive service device communicatively connected to said service order processor through said at least one access interface to receive a service procedure, said computerized automotive service device configured to transmit service data to said service order processor through said at least one access interface upon the completion of a service procedure;

said service data includes procedure results and instruction modules, said instruction modules configured to interpret and display said service procedure results; and

said service order processor modifying said generated service order in response to said received service data.

2. The networked automotive repair shop management system of claim 1 wherein said service order processor is configured to process said instruction modules to interpret and display said service procedure results.

3. The networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders and transferring vehicle information of claim 1 wherein said at least one access interface in communication with said service order processor is configured to provide a set of standardized functions for bi-directional data transfer.

4. The networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders and transferring vehicle information of claim 1 wherein said at least one access interface in communication with said service order processor is configured to facilitate the addition of a second at least one computerized automotive service device.

5. The networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders and transferring vehicle information of claim 1 further including a second access interface, said second access interface configured to facilitate data transfer between said service order processor and said at least one informational database, and between said at least one computerized automotive service device and said at least one informational database.

6. The networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders and transferring vehicle information of claim 5 wherein said second access interface is configured to facilitate the addition of a second at least one informational database.

7. A method of integrating automotive repair shop operations between at least one computerized service device and a shop management system the method comprising the steps of:

for each customer, inputting customer information and at least one service request into said shop management system;

identifying a vehicle associated with each customer, said vehicle identified by make, model, and year information;

generating a service order, said service order assigned a service order number, and including as service order information said input customer information, said vehicle make, model, and year information, and at least one service procedure corresponding to said service request;

inputting said service order number into said at least one computerized service device. said computerized service device responsive to the input of said service order number to request and receive said service order information from said shop management system over a communications link;

extracting stored information related to said service order from an interconnected electronic database;

displaying said service order information and said extracted stored information for operator review on said at least one computerized service device;

completing, on said at least one computerized service device said at least one service procedure, responsive to said completion, said computerized service device communicating a data packet of results to said shop management system;

incorporating said data packet of results into said service order information within said shop management system;

storing completed service orders in an customer information database linked to said shop management system; and

wherein identifying a vehicle associated with each customer includes inputting a vehicle identifier number at a data entry terminal.

8. The method of integrating automotive repair shop operations set forth in claim 7 wherein said vehicle make, model, and year information is retrieved from a database, said database retrieval indexed by said vehicle identifier number.

9. The method of integrating automotive repair shop operations set forth in claim 7 wherein said vehicle identification number is a standard Vehicle Identification Number, said vehicle identified by make, model, and year information extracted from said Vehicle Identification Number.

10. The method of integrating automotive repair shop operations set forth in claim 9 wherein extracting said vehicle make, model, and year information from said Vehicle Identification Number comprises the steps of:

verifying the correct input of said vehicle identification number;

extracting a manufacturer identification code from said vehicle identification number;

translating said manufacturer identification code to determine said vehicle make;

extracting a model year code from said vehicle identification number;

translating said model year code to determine said vehicle year information;

selecting at least one vehicle model choice based on said vehicle make and said vehicle year information;

extracting a model code from said vehicle identification number; and

cross referencing said model code with said selected vehicle model choice to determine said vehicle model.

11. A method of integrating automotive repair shop operations comprising the steps of:

retrieving, on a shop management system, a stored service order;

extracting from said retrieved service order, a data packet of service procedure results;

allocating a portion of a display associated with said shop management system for display of said service procedure results;

receiving from a computerized automotive service device which generated said service procedure results, instruction through a first access interface for interpretation and display of said service procedure results; and

displaying, by utilizing said interpretation and display instructions, the contents of said data packet of service procedure results in said allocated portion of said display.

12. A networked automotive repair shop management system for processing automotive service orders, the system comprising:

a data transfer network;

at least one computerized automotive service device communicatively interconnected to said data transfer network, said automotive service device configured with a standardized service device network interface to facilitate the transfer of service data to and from said data transfer network;

a database system communicatively interconnected with said at least one computerized automotive service device by said data transfer network, said database system configured to transfer said service data to and from said data transfer network; and

at least one computerized shop management system communicatively interconnected with said automotive service device and said database system by said data transfer network, said shop management system configured to interact with said standard service device network interfaces and said database system to transfer said service data over said data transfer network;

said service data including repair results and at least one software object module, said software object module comprising instructions for interpretation and display of said repair results.

13. In a networked automotive service system, a method including:

generating a repair order using a first computer system, said repair order including at least one service task to be completed;

transferring data contained in said repair order to a computerized automotive service device over a data communications network using a data access interface;

completing said at least one service task to be completed on said computerized automotive service device;

communicating the results of said completed service task to said first computer system over said data communications network using said data access interface;

incorporating said results into said repair order;

storing said repair order in a database system;

subsequent to the storing of said repair order in a database system, retrieving said repair order from said database system for display of said results;

extracting information from said repair order indicative of the computerized automotive service device which created said results;

transferring control of an allocated portion of a display associated with said first computer system to said indicated service device for display of said results;

interpreting said results; and

displaying said results in said allocated portion of said display said display controlled by said indicated service device over said data communications network.