Vehicle service status tracking system and method

• US 6,813,549 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Original Assignee: U-Haul International Incorporated (U-Haul Holding Co.)
• Inventors: Good, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/281,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29-35, 701/207, 705/7, 705/9, 340/438, 340/531, 455/427, 455/12.1, 455/512
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system and methods to allow multiple stations in geographically dispersed locations to monitor and track vehicle repair record and service status information in a coordinated fashion. In a service area comprised of a number of geographically-bounded service regions, at least one regional communications terminal is provided in communication with a plurality of local communications terminals. Each local communications terminal and regional communications terminal communicates with a vehicle service status database. Vehicle service events are entered into a vehicle tracking system and maintained using the vehicle status database. Database files are exchanged between local communications terminals and regional communications terminals and with a central equipment manager in order to provide timely and accurate dissemination of service status. Vehicle service status, including an equipment availability prediction, is shared with marketing offices and retail locations to enable personnel at such locations to make informed decisions in allocating particular equipment to a customer based on the customer'"'"'s needs.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, in a moving equipment database, status information of a plurality of moving equipment items;

receiving an event notification related to one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items, wherein the event notification is a service event notification;

predicting a status change time based on the event notification; and

,

determining when a predetermined number of service event notifications has been received within a predetermined time period.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating a notification when it is determined that the predetermined number of service event notifications has been received within the predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of service event notifications is two service event notifications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is a sixty day period.

5. A method comprising the steps of:

maintaining, in a moving equipment database, status information of a plurality of moving equipment items;

receiving an event notification related to one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items;

predicting a status change time based on the event notification;

changing a status of the one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items to a first indicator based on the event notification;

tracking a time period while the status remains at the first indicator; and

,

generating a notification if the time period exceeds a predetermined amount, wherein the predetermined amount is twenty-four hours.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined amount is an overdue amount of time past the status change time and the overdue amount of time is selectable from two hours to four weeks.

7. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein comprising:

computer readable code for maintaining, in a moving equipment database, status information of a plurality of moving equipment items;

computer readable code for receiving an event notification related to one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items, wherein the event notification is a service event notification;

computer readable code for predicting a status change time based on the event notification; and

,

computer readable code for determining when a predetermined number of service event notifications has been received within a predetermined time period.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, further comprising computer readable code for generating a notification when it is determined that the predetermined number of service event notifications has been received within the predetermined time period.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the predetermined number of service event notifications is two service event notifications.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the predetermined time period is a sixty day period.

11. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein comprising:

computer readable code for maintaining, in a moving equipment database, status information of a plurality of moving equipment items;

computer readable code for receiving an event notification related to one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items;

computer readable code for predicting a status change time based on the event notification;

computer readable code for changing a status of the one of the moving equipment items in the plurality of moving equipment items to a first indicator based on the event notification;

computer readable code for tracking a time period while the status remains at the first indicator; and

,

computer readable code for generating a notification if the time period exceeds a predetermined amount, wherein the predetermined amount is twenty-four hours.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the predetermined amount is an overdue amount of time past the status change time and the overdue amount of time is selectable from two hours to four weeks.