Technical virtual advisor

• US 7,280,900 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2004
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Gault, Thomas A., Groskreutz, Bruce A., Nicolini, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/784,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20050187682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/32, 701/33, 701/1, 701/31, 455/419, 455/420
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

A system and method for managing technical services within a mobile vehicle communications system. The method describes receiving a request for technical services from a telematics device, determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services, and providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination. A computer readable medium is described that includes computer readable code for controlling a communication interface implemented to receive a request for technical services from a telematics device, computer readable code for determining a technical service action based on the received request for technical services, and computer readable code for providing a technical service to the telematics device responsive to the technical service action determination.

Claims

1. A method for providing technical services to a telematics device, the method comprising:

selecting, at a service center configured to facilitate communications to and from the telematics device, a technical service action for at least one telematics device;

associating, at the service center, the selected technical service action with a unique identification code assigned to a respective telematics device;

storing the associated technical service action in a technical services database;

then

receiving, at the service center, a request for technical services from the telematics device, the request for technical services including an associated unique identification code;

comparing the assigned unique identification code to the associated unique identification code; and

providing the technical service action from the service center to the respective telematics device if the assigned unique identification code matches the associated unique identification code.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the request for technical services at the telematics device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein generating the request for technical services comprises:

activating a user interface;

receiving a command at the user interface to initiate the request for technical services; and

initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence based on the received command.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user of the stored associated technical service action.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein prior to notifying the user, the method further includes generating a notification of the stored associated technical service action.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the assigned unique identification code and the associated unique identification code is selected from a vehicle identification number, a vehicle system electronic serial number, a telematics unit electronic serial number, and combinations thereof.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the technical services are selected from system identifier (SID) table updates, telematics device reconfigurations, mobile configurations, programming error corrections, phone number configurations, and combinations thereof.

4. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for providing technical services to a telematics device, the medium comprising:

computer readable code for selecting, at a service center configured to facilitate communications to and from the telematics device, a technical service action for at least one telematics device;

computer readable code for associating, at the service center, the selected technical service action with a unique identification code assigned to a respective telematics device;

storing the associated technical service action in a technical services database;

computer readable code for receiving, at the service center, a request for technical services from the telematics device, the request for technical services including an associated unique identification code;

computer readable code for comparing the assigned unique identification code to the associated unique identification code; and

computer readable code for providing the technical service action from the service center to the respective telematics device if the assigned unique identification code matches the associated unique identification code.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, further comprising computer readable code for generating the request for technical services at the telematics device.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the computer readable code for generating the request for technical services comprises:

computer readable code for activating a user interface;

computer readable code for receiving a command at the user interface to initiate the request for technical services; and

computer readable code for initiating a technical services communication protocol sequence based on the received command.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 4, further comprising computer readable code for generating a notification of the stored associated technical service action.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, further comprising computer readable code for notifying a user of the stored associated technical service action.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein each of the assigned unique identification code and the associated unique identification code is selected from a vehicle identification number, a vehicle system electronic serial number, a telematics unit electronic serial number, and combinations thereof.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein the technical services are selected from SID table updates, telematics device reconfigurations, mobile configurations, programming error corrections, phone number configurations, and combinations thereof.