Interactive diagnostic system and method driven by expert system

• US 6,959,263 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2002
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Perspicuous Insights LLC
• Original Assignee: Perspicuous Insights LLC
• Inventors: Wilson, Gerald A., Wilson, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US10/318,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20040117151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,046 Days
• Field of Search: 702/182, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 702/186, 714/26, 714/43, 706/45, 706/46, 706/47
• US Class Current: 702/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/046 Forward inferencing; Production systems

Abstract

The present invention discloses a unique interactive diagnostic system and method driven by expert systems. In particular, a system and method for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, driven by an inference engine which controls both the user interaction and the operation of and collection of data from diagnostic tools, are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the invention includes a knowledge base 200, an inference engine 201, a communications processor 210 for handling requests to and from the inference engine and the other components (except the knowledge base), an interaction management processor 220 for handling interactions with a plurality of end users 230 over a communications network 240, and a plurality of peripheral control units 250 and their associated peripheral units 250, which collectively can gather status information and perform diagnostic tests on the said networked electronic devices.

Claims

1. A system for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, comprising:

an input responsive to verbal or text commands from an operator;

said operator not being required to have any specialized knowledge;

an inference engine computer program;

a data storage for containing a knowledge base for use by said inference engine; and

a plurality of peripheral devices suitable for gathering information about, sending information to, or gathering operational data from said networked electronic devices;

wherein said operator provides text or verbal commands to said input to notify the system of a fault in said networked electronic devices, and said input asserts a fact to said inference engine, said fact corresponding to said text or verbal commands, and said inference engine adds said fact to said knowledge base, and said inference engine applies rules from said knowledge base which are triggered by said fact in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in said knowledge base, said rules including one or a plurality of rules requiring said inference engine to send commands to one or a plurality of said peripheral devices or to said input, said commands from said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about said networked electronic devices, and said peripheral devices and said input provide responses to said commands from said inference engine, which said responses in turn trigger said inference engine to assert new facts into said knowledge base, which said new facts may trigger new rules to be executed by said inference engine, said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot said networked electronic devices.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is said networked electronic devices.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are cable modems.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are building security systems.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between said inference engine program and said input and said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of said peripheral devices or said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between said inference engine program and said input and said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of said peripheral devices or said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices; and

a computer with a stored program that exerts executive control over the system, wherein said stored program automatically starts said inference engine computer program, said communications processor, said input, and the plurality of peripheral control devices, and informs said inference engine program, input and said plurality of peripheral devices of location of said communications processor, whereby each of the components is capable of communicating as needed by the system while utilizing a single point of configuration for the system, namely the startup configuration of said stored program.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the input includes an automated speech recognition computer program for receiving verbal commands from said operator, and a text-to-speech computer program for rendering commands from said inference engine program to said operator verbally.

8. A method for troubleshooting of networked electronic devices, comprising the steps of:

an operator sending text or verbal commands to an input device, said commands functioning to notify the system of a problem with said networked electronic devices;

said operator not being required to have any specialized knowledge;

said input device asserting a fact to an inference engine, which said fact corresponds to said verbal or text commands;

said inference engine adding said fact to a knowledge base;

said inference engine applying rules from said knowledge base that are triggered by the assertion of said fact, in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in said knowledge base;

said inference engine sending commands specified by one or a plurality of said rules to one or a plurality of said peripheral devices or to said input, said commands from said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about said networked electronic devices;

said input and said peripheral devices providing responses to said commands from said inference engine;

said responses in turn triggering said inference engine to assert new facts into said knowledge base;

said new facts optionally triggering new rules in said knowledge base;

said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot said networked electronic devices; and

said inference engine finally either resolving the problem with said networked electronic device or, optionally, said inference engine suspends troubleshooting when no more rules are triggered in said knowledge base, and leaves the fault for resolution by a human technician.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is said networked electronic devices.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are cable modems.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said networked electronic devices to be troubleshot are building security systems.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

the verbal commands from said operator being translated into text by an automated speech recognition system; and

the commands from said inference engine to said operator being converted by a text to speech system into verbal requests.

13. A system for troubleshooting of cable modems, comprising:

an input responsive to verbal or text commands from an operator;

said operator not being required to have any specialized knowledge;

an inference engine computer program;

a data storage for containing a knowledge base for use by said inference engine; and

a plurality of peripheral devices suitable for gathering information about, sending information to, or gathering operational data from said cable modems;

wherein said operator provides text or verbal commands to said input to notify the system of a fault in said cable modems, and said input asserts a fact to said inference engine, said fact corresponding to said text or verbal commands, and said inference engine adds said fact to said knowledge base, and said inference engine applies rules from said knowledge base which are triggered by said fact in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in said knowledge base, said rules including one or a plurality of rules requiring said inference engine to send commands to one or a plurality of said peripheral devices or to said input, said commands from said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about said cable modems, and said peripheral devices and said input provide responses to said commands from said inference engine, which said responses in turn trigger said inference engine to assert new facts into said knowledge base, which said new facts may trigger new rules to be executed by said inference engine, said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot said cable modems.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is said cable modems.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between said inference engine program and said input and said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of said peripheral devices or said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a communications processor that mediates the communications between said inference engine program and said input and said plurality of peripheral devices by receiving events from one of said peripheral devices or said input, transforming the events into a computer-readable format suitable for use by the inference engine program, and then sending the transformed event to said inference engine computer program, and by receiving commands from said inference engine program, converting those commands into a format appropriate for said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices, and then sending the transformed command to said input or one of the plurality of said peripheral devices; and

a computer with a stored program that exerts executive control over the system, wherein said stored program automatically starts said inference engine computer program, said communications processor, said input, and the plurality of peripheral control devices, and informs said inference engine program, input and said plurality of peripheral devices of location of said communications processor, whereby each of the components is capable of communicating as needed by the system while utilizing a single point of configuration for the system, namely the startup configuration of said stored program.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the input includes an automated speech recognition computer program for receiving verbal commands from said operator, and a text-to-speech computer program for rendering commands from said inference engine program to said operator verbally.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the peripheral devices include one of a cable head-end management system that provides cable system status information, a customer database, a network address database, or a cable modem test device capable of sending and receiving test signals to and from said cable modem directly.

19. A method for troubleshooting of cable modems, comprising the steps of:

an operator sending text or verbal commands to an input device, said commands functioning to notify the system of a problem with said cable modems;

said operator not being required to have any specialized knowledge;

said input device asserting a fact to an inference engine, which said fact corresponds to said verbal or text commands;

said inference engine adding said fact to a knowledge base;

said inference engine applying rules from said knowledge base that are triggered by the assertion of said fact, in conjunction with a plurality of previously asserted facts contained in said knowledge base;

said inference engine sending commands specified by one or a plurality of said rules to one or a plurality of said peripheral devices or to said input, said commands from said inference engine being for the purpose of gathering data about said cable modems;

said input and said peripheral devices providing responses to said commands from said inference engine;

said responses in turn triggering said inference engine to assert new facts into said knowledge base;

said new facts optionally triggering new rules in said knowledge base;

said inference engine thus gathering data and following rules to troubleshoot said cable modems.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein one of the plurality of said peripheral devices is said cable modems.