Automated voice response to deliver remote vehicle diagnostic service

• US 6,735,503 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Ames, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/001,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20030088347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/30, 701/31, 701/33, 701/34, 701/32
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns

Abstract

A method for remotely diagnosing a vehicle includes the steps of receiving a vehicle diagnostic request, retrieving at least one diagnostic code from the vehicle, filtering the at least one diagnostic code based on at least one usability factor and sending a preset diagnostic response associated with the filtered diagnostic code to the vehicle. A system for remotely diagnosing a vehicle comprises means for receiving a vehicle diagnostic request, means for retrieving at least one diagnostic code from the vehicle, means for filtering the at least one diagnostic code based on at least one usability factor and means for sending a preset diagnosis response associated with the filtered diagnostic code to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of remotely diagnosing a vehicle comprising:

receiving a vehicle diagnostic request;

retrieving at least one diagnostic code from the vehicle;

filtering the at least one diagnostic code based on at least one usability factor; and

sending a preset diagnostic response associated with the filtered diagnostic code to the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the preset diagnostic response is an associated voice response.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining the usability factor based on a user location, a vehicle code complexity, and a severity factor.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the vehicle diagnostic request comprises receiving a voice request at a service management application, the voice request being associated by a speech recognition system to a check diagnostic command.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

authenticating the vehicle diagnostic request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the at least one vehicle diagnostic code at a service management application on a remote server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transferring to a live representative in response to a user reply to a satisfaction inquiry.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating vehicle diagnostic codes.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein updating the vehicle diagnostic codes comprises downloading the vehicle diagnostic codes to an in-vehicle diagnostic computer.

10. A system for remotely diagnosing a vehicle comprising:

means for receiving a vehicle diagnostic request;

means for retrieving at least one diagnostic code from the vehicle;

means for filtering the at least one diagnostic code based on at least one usability factor; and

means for sending a preset diagnosis response associated with the filtered diagnostic code to the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

means for determining the usability factor based on a user location, a vehicle code complexity, and a severity factor.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

means for authenticating the vehicle diagnostic request.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

means for storing the at least one vehicle diagnostic code at a service management application on a remote server.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

means for transferring to a live representative in response to a user reply to a satisfaction inquiry.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

means for updating vehicle diagnostic codes.

16. A computer usable medium including a program for remotely diagnosing a vehicle comprising:

computer readable program code that receives a vehicle diagnostic request;

computer readable program code that retrieves at least one diagnostic code from the vehicle;

computer readable program code that filters at least one diagnostic code based on at least one usability factor; and

computer readable program code that sends a preset diagnostic voice response associated with the filtered diagnostic code to the vehicle.

17. The medium of claim 16 wherein the preset diagnostic response is an associated voice response.

18. The medium of claim 16 further comprising:

computer readable program code that determines the usability factor based on a user location, a vehicle code complexity, and a severity factor.

19. The medium of claim 16 wherein the vehicle diagnostic request comprises computer readable program code that receives a voice request at a service management application, the voice request being associated by a speech recognition system to a check diagnostic command.

20. The medium of claim 16 further comprising:

computer readable program code that authenticates the vehicle diagnostic request.

21. The medium of claim 16 further comprising:

computer readable program code that stores the at least one vehicle diagnostic code at a service management application on a remote server.

22. The medium of claim 16 further comprising:

computer readable program code that transfers to a live representative in response to a user reply to a satisfaction inquiry.

23. The medium of claim 16 further comprising:

computer readable program code that updates the vehicle diagnostic codes.

24. The medium of claim 23 wherein updating the vehicle diagnostic codes comprises downloading the vehicle diagnostic codes to an in-vehicle diagnostic computer.