Method and system for providing a global product services electronic laboratory

• US 6,783,367 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2002
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wu, Chun, Le, Thuy, Chi, Yu-Tien, Hong, Douglas, Wang, Geefu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US10/079,227
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 434/118, 434/169, 434/201, 434/219, 434/276, 434/307.R, 434/308, 434/322, 434/323, 434/335, 434/350, 434/362, 434/365, 434/432, 345/419, 345/420, 600/300, 600/437, 382/133, 700/104, 700/250, 700/266, 700/3, 702/84, 702/104, 702/187, 705/2, 705/28, 707/500.1, 709/204, 709/218, 709/220, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 434/276
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a global product services electronic laboratory (E-Lab). For example, the E-Lab may be an on-line virtual laboratory for company employees and/or field engineers for learning how to implement new technology products via actual “hands-on” configurations and troubleshooting. Specifically, the E-Lab of the present embodiment enables an authorized user to utilize a computing device to remotely access the E-Lab via the Internet, a company network or a dial-up connection. Once communicatively coupled to the E-Lab, the user is provided a variety of different topics and categories associated with the products and/or equipment labs currently available within the E-Lab. After selecting one of the topics or categories, the user may be provided more specific information regarding tutorials and/or troubleshooting corresponding to the selected lab equipment. Additionally, the user is able to directly interact with the actual equipment on-line thereby having a “hands-on” learning experience.

Claims

1. A method for providing an electronic laboratory for learning purposes that includes a physical product having an interface that is utilized by a remote computing device, said method comprising:

establishing said electronic laboratory to include said physical product;

enabling said remote computing device to communicate with said electronic laboratory and said physical product via a first communication network or a second communication network that does not involve said first communication network;

restricting access to said physical product by providing a log-in process;

scheduling a time slot wherein said remote computing device may interact with said physical product; and

in response to said time slot substantially beginning, enabling said remote computing device to interact with said interface of said physical product of said electronic laboratory for learning purposes.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

determining an access priority to said physical product of said electronic laboratory for a plurality of remote computing devices; and

implementing said access priority.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

providing training information associated with said physical product.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

providing troubleshooting information associated with said physical product.

5. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

restricting access to said physical product by providing a registration process.

6. The method as described in claim 1

wherein said physical product is a router, a switch, a server, a firewall, or a gateway.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first communication network is the Internet.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said second communication network is a telephone network.

9. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

enabling said remote computing device to communicate with said electronic laboratory and said physical product via a third communication network that does not involve said first communication network and said second communication network.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein said third communication network is an internal network.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said remote computing device is a computer, a portable computing device, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a server computer or a pager.

12. A computer readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a system to perform:

enabling a remote computing device to communicate with an interface of a physical product of an electronic laboratory via a first communication network or a second communication network that does not involve said first communication network;

restricting access to said physical product by providing a log-in process;

scheduling a time slot wherein said remote computing device may access said interface of said physical product; and

in response to said time slot substantially beginning, enabling said remote computing device to access said interface of said physical product of said electronic laboratory for learning purposes.

13. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 further comprising:

determining an access priority to said physical product of said electronic laboratory for a plurality of remote computing devices; and

implementing said access priority.

14. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 further comprising:

providing training information associated with said physical product.

15. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 further comprising:

providing troubleshooting information associated with said physical product.

16. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 further comprising:

restricting access to said physical product by providing a registration process.

17. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12

wherein said physical product is a router, a switch, a server, a firewall, or a gateway.

18. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 wherein said first communication network is selected from a telephone network, an internal network or the Internet.

19. The computer readable medium as described in claim 12 wherein said remote computing device is selected from the group consisting of a computer, a portable computing device, a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a server computer and a pager.

20. A system for providing an electronic laboratory for learning purposes including a physical product having an interface that is utilized by a remote computing device, said system comprising:

said electronic laboratory including said physical product having said interface;

a server coupled to said physical product and for providing and controlling access to said physical product, said server enables scheduling of a time slot wherein said remote computing device may interact with said physical product, said server to restrict access to said physical product by providing a log-in process;

a first communication network coupled to said server and for enabling said remote computing device to communicate with said server and said physical product; and

a second communication network that does not involve said first communication network, said second communication network coupled to said server and for enabling said remote computing device to communicate with said server and said physical product.

21. The system as described in claim 20 further comprising:

a third communication network that does not involve said first communication network and said second communication network, said third communication network coupled to said server and for enabling said remote computing device to communicate with said server and said physical product.

22. The system as described in claim 21 wherein said first communication network comprises the Internet.

23. The system as described in claim 22 wherein said second communication network comprises a telephone network.

24. The system as described in claim 23 wherein said third communication network comprises an internal network.

25. The system as described in claim 20 wherein said physical product is a router, a switch, a second server, a firewall, or a gateway.

26. The system as described in claim 20 wherein said server determines and implements an access priority to said physical product of said electronic laboratory for a plurality of remote computing devices.

27. A system for providing an electronic laboratory means for learning purposes including a physical product means having an interface means that is utilized by a remote computing device means, said system comprising:

said electronic laboratory means including said physical product means;

means for enabling said remote computing device means to communicate with said electronic laboratory means and said physical product means via a first communication means or a second communication means that does not involve said first communication means;

means for restricting access to said physical product means by providing a log-in process;

means for scheduling a time slot wherein said remote computing device means may interact with said physical product means; and

in response to said time slot substantially beginning, means for enabling said remote computing device means to interact with said interface means of said physical product means of said electronic laboratory means for learning purposes.

28. The system as described in claim 27 further comprising:

means for determining an access priority to said physical product means of said electronic laboratory means for a plurality of remote computing devices means; and

means for implementing said access priority.

29. The system as described in claim 27 further comprising:

means for providing training information associated with said physical product means.

30. The system as described in claim 27 further comprising:

means for providing troubleshooting information associated with said physical product means.

31. The system as described in claim 27 further comprising:

means for restricting access to said physical product means by providing a registration process.

32. The system as described in claim 27

wherein said physical product means is a router, a switch, a server, a firewall, or a gateway.

33. The system as described in claim 27 wherein said first communication means is selected from a telephone network means, a internal network means or an Internet means.

34. The system as described in claim 27 further comprising:

means for enabling said remote computing device means to communicate with said electronic laboratory means and said physical product means via a third communication means that does not involve said first communication means and said second communication means.

35. The system as described in claim 27 wherein said remote computing device means is selected from the group consisting of a computer means, a portable computing device means, a personal digital assistant means, a mobile phone means, a server computer means and a pager means.