Auto diagnostic method and device
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A vehicle monitoring and maintenance device capable of being connected to a diagnostic port of a vehicle, the monitoring and maintenance device comprisinga hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device including (a) a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle;
- (b) a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device; and
(c) a processor and memory unit capable of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data containing error codes from the vehicle via the first data link, storing the unproccessed diagnostic data for a time period, and transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device, through the second data link wherein the global computer network communicable device is capable of communicating, over a global computer network, with a server containing a processor and a database for processing the unprocessed diagnostic data into natural language diagnostic information, and wherein the hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human-useable diagnostic information.
3 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to the present invention, a vehicle monitoring and maintenance device capable of being connected to a diagnostic port of a vehicle is provided. The monitoring and maintenance device comprises a hand holdable, data acquisition and transfer device. The data acquisition and transfer device includes a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle; and a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device. The data acquisition and transfer device also includes a processor and memory unit capable of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data containing error codes from the vehicle via the first data link, storing unprocessed diagnostic data for a limited time, and transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device, to the second data link. The hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human useable diagnostic information.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A vehicle monitoring and maintenance device capable of being connected to a diagnostic port of a vehicle, the monitoring and maintenance device comprising
a hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device including (a) a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle; -
(b) a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device; and
(c) a processor and memory unit capable of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data containing error codes from the vehicle via the first data link, storing the unproccessed diagnostic data for a time period, and transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device, through the second data link wherein the global computer network communicable device is capable of communicating, over a global computer network, with a server containing a processor and a database for processing the unprocessed diagnostic data into natural language diagnostic information, and wherein the hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human-useable diagnostic information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
a random access memory for storing the operating system, and a non-volatile random access memory for storing the unprocessed diagnostic data retrieved from the vehicle. -
7. The vehicle monitoring and maintenance device of claim 1 wherein the non-volatile random access memory comprises a flash memory capable of retaining the unprocessed diagnostic data retrieved from the vehicle, even in the absence of an electrical power source.
-
8. The vehicle monitoring and maintenance device of claim 1 wherein the hand holdable device includes a battery power source, and at least one of the first and second data links communicating with the respective vehicle and global computer network communicable device through a short range radio link.
-
9. The vehicle monitoring and maintenance device of claim 8 wherein the short range radio link comprises a bluetooth-type short range radio link.
-
-
10. A vehicle monitoring and maintenance system designed for use by vehicle owners comprising
(1) a hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device including (a) a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from a vehicle diagnostic system; -
(b) a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device, the global computer network communicable device comprising a personal computer capable of communicating through a global computer network; and
(c) a data capture and memory unit capable only of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data from the vehicle via the first data link, storing the unprocessed diagnostic data for a time period, transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device, through the second data link, and transferring reset codes to the vehicle diagnostic system wherein the hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human-useable diagnostic information, and (2) a remotely located server capable of communicating, over a global computer network, with the personal computer, the server containing a database of information relating to a wide variety of vehicles and a processor having sufficient processing capability for processing the unprocessed data transmitted by the personal computer into natural language diagnostic information, and transmitting the natural language diagnostic information back to the personal computer for presentation to a user. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method of monitoring and maintaining a vehicle having a diagnostic port comprising
(1) retrieving unprocessed data from a diagnostic data port of a vehicle by employing a hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device designed for use by vehicle owners, the data acquisition and transfer device comprising: -
(a) a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data from a vehicle, (b) a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device; and
(c) a data capture and memory unit capable of retrieving unprocessed data from the vehicle via the first data link, storing the unprocessed diagnostic data for a limited time period, and transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network, through the second data link, wherein the hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human-useable diagnostic information;
(2) transferring the data from the data acquisition and transfer unit to a global computer network communicable device, (3) transferring the data, via a global computer network, from the global computer network communicable device to a server, (4) providing a remote server including software having diagnostic information necessary to identify, from the unprocessed data, sources of conditions within the vehicle giving rise to error codes in the unprocessed data, (5) using the remote server to process the unprocessed data and to prepare a vehicle condition report in a natural language; and
(6) transferring the vehicle condition report, via a global computer network, to a global computer network communicable device, for displaying the vehicle condition report in a natural language thereon. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A vehicle monitoring and maintenance device capable of being connected to a diagnostic port of a vehicle, for the monitoring and maintenance device comprising
a hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device including (a) a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from a vehicle diagnostic system; -
(b) a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device; and
(c) a data capture and memory unit capable generally only of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic from the vehicle via the first data link, storing the unprocessed diagnostic data for a time period, transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device located remotely from the vehicle through the second data link, and transferring reset codes to the vehicle diagnostic system, wherein the global computer network communicable device is capable of communicating, over a global computer network, with a remotely located server containing a processor and a database of error code related information for processing the unprocessed diagnostic data into natural language diagnostic information and transferring the natural language information back to the global computer network communicable device for display thereon, and wherein the hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human-useable diagnostic information. - View Dependent Claims (24)
-
Specification