Method and system for providing advisory information to a field service provider

• US 7,505,914 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab, Inc.
• Inventors: McCall, John E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): WU, RUTAO
• Application Number:
  US09/923,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,780 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/5.6, 705/8, 705/9, 706/55, 379/201.12
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation

Abstract

A network advisory system that provides advisory information to a field service provider is disclosed. The network advisory system receives collected data from one or more destination facilities and analyzes the information to generate advisory information. The advisory information is used by the field service provider to provide a service at the destination facility. The field service provider may receive the advisory information while in transit to the destination facility or while located at a destination facility. The field service provider receives the advisory information through a network connection. The network connection may be either a wireless connection or a land-based connection.

Claims

1. In a computer network having a server computer communicating with field service providers through network devices, a method in the server computer for providing advisory information to the field service providers, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of collected data related to a destination facility, each of the plurality of collected data being associated with one of a plurality of data types;

generating data conclusions based on an analysis between each of the plurality of collected data and an advisory rule corresponding to the data type of the collected data being analyzed;

mapping the data conclusions to advisory information;

storing the advisory information in a storage module for subsequent access by the field service providers, wherein the storage module comprises a plurality of data type records, the advisory information being categorized in the plurality of data type records based on the data type of the collected data from which the advisory information is derived;

receiving a request from a specific field service provider for presentation of advisory information, the request comprising a provider identification code associated with the specific field service provider and representative of a specific data type of advisory information that the specific field service provider is authorized to access; and

in response to receipt of the request, retrieving advisory information from a specific data type record of the storage module based on the provider identification code; and

presenting the retrieved advisory information to the specific field service provider through the network device.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving act comprises:

collecting device data associated with a utility device maintained at the destination location;

collecting business data associated with a customer of a service providing company employing the field service provider to provide a service to the customer at the destination facility; and

collecting census data associated with the destination facility.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the network device is a wireless interface module and the presenting act comprises:

transmitting the retrieved advisory information to the wireless interface module via a wireless network connection.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the transmitting act comprises transmitting the retrieved advisory information to the wireless interface module as the specific field service provider is in transit between a first destination facility and a second destination facility.

5. A method as defined in claim 3, wherein the wireless interface module is a wireless telephone and the presenting act comprises:

providing the retrieved advisory information as a script in an audio format.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the presenting act comprises:

providing the retrieved advisory information as a script in a format based on the network device through which the specific field service provider is communicating to the computer network.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the script is in an audio format.

8. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the script is in a visual format.

9. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the script is in a textual format.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the specific field service provider provides a service at the destination facility based on the retrieved advisory information.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the storage module further comprises a plurality of customer account records the advisory information to which each data conclusion is mapped being further categorized in the storage module within the customer account records, wherein the retrieving act comprises:

accessing the specific data type record and a specific customer account record based on the provider identification code.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the storage module further comprises a plurality of customer account records the advisory information to which each data conclusion is mapped being further categorized in the storage module within the customer account records, wherein each of the plurality of customer account records is associated with at least a plurality of the data type records, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing a specific customer account record based on a customer account code input to the computer network by the specific field service provider communicating via the network device, wherein the specific data type record is one of the plurality of data type records associated with the specific customer account record.

13. A method as defined in claim 12, wherein the provider identification code comprises a specialty area code corresponding to a specialty area associated with the specific field service provider, the act of accessing a specific data-type record comprising:

selecting the specific data-type record based on the specialty area code.

27. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the provider identification code comprises a specialty area code corresponding to a specialty area associated with the specific field service provider, the retrieving act comprising:

selecting the specific data-type record based on the specialty area code.

28. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise one or more business data type records and one or more device data type records.

29. A method as defined in claim 28, wherein the provider identification code represents that the specific field service provider is authorized to access advisory information derived from device data, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing the specific data type record from the one or more device data type records and retrieving advisory information therefrom.

30. A method as defined in claim 28, wherein the provider identification code represents that the specific field service provider is authorized to access advisory information derived from business data, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing the specific data type record from the one or more business data type records and retrieving advisory information therefrom.

31. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise a device data type record, a business data type record and a census data type record, the storing act comprising:

storing advisory information derived from the collected device data in the device data type record;

storing advisory information derived from the collected business data in the business data type record; and

storing advisory information derived from the collected census data in the census data type record.

32. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the receiving act comprises:

collecting device data associated with a utility device maintained at the destination location; and

collecting business data associated with a customer of a service providing company employing the field service provider to provide a service to the customer at the destination facility.

33. A method as defined in claim 32, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise a device data type record and a business data type record, the specific data type recording being one of the device data type record and the business data type record and wherein the storing act comprises:

storing advisory information derived from the collected device data in the device data type record; and

storing advisory information derived from the collected business data in the business data type record.

34. A method as defined in claim 33, wherein the device data type record and the business data type record are categorized in the storage module as being associated with a specific customer account record associated with the destination location, the retrieving act further comprising:

accessing the specific customer account record based on the provider identification code.

35. A method as defined in claim 33, wherein the device data type record and the business data type record are categorized in the storage module as being associated with a specific customer account record associated with the destination location, the retrieving act further comprising:

accessing the specific customer account record based on a customer account code input to the computer network by the specific field service provider in addition to the provider identification code.

14. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for providing advisory information to field service providers communicating with the computing system over a computer network via network devices, the computer process comprising:

receiving a plurality of collected data related to a destination facility, each of the plurality of collected data being associated with one of a plurality of data types;

generating data conclusions based on an analysis between each of the plurality of collected data and an advisory rule corresponding to the data type of the collected data being analyzed;

mapping the data conclusions to advisory information;

storing the advisory information in a storage module for subsequent access by the field service providers, wherein the storage module comprises a plurality of data type records, the advisory information being categorized in the plurality of data type records based on the data type of the collected data from which the advisory information is derived;

receiving a request from a specific field service provider for presentation of advisory information, the request comprising a provider identification code associated with the specific field service provider and representative of a specific data type of advisory information that the specific field service provider is authorized to access; and

in response to receipt of the request, retrieving advisory information from a specific data type record of the storage module based on the provider identification code; and

presenting the retrieved advisory information to the specific field service provider through the network device.

15. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the receiving act comprises:

collecting device data associated with a utility device maintained at the destination location;

collecting business data associated with a customer of a service providing company employing the field service provider to provide a service to the customer at the destination facility; and

collecting census data associated with the destination facility.

16. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the network device is a wireless interface module and the presenting act comprises:

transmitting the retrieved advisory information to the wireless interface module via a wireless network connection.

17. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 16, wherein the transmitting act comprises transmitting the retrieved advisory information to the wireless interface module as the specific field service provider is in transit between a first destination facility and a second destination facility.

18. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 16, wherein the wireless interface module is a wireless telephone and the presenting act comprises:

providing the retrieved advisory information as a script in an audio format.

19. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the presenting act comprises:

providing the retrieved advisory information as a script in a format based on the network device through which the specific field service provider is communicating to the computer network.

20. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, wherein the script is in an audio format.

21. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, wherein the script is in a visual format.

22. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 19, wherein the script is in a textual format.

23. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the specific field service provider provides a service at the destination facility based on the retrieved advisory information.

24. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the storage module further comprises a plurality of customer account records the advisory information to which each data conclusion is mapped being further categorized in the storage module within the customer account records, wherein the retrieving act comprises:

accessing the specific data type record and a specific customer account record based on the provider identification code.

25. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the storage module further comprises a plurality of customer account records the advisory information to which each data conclusion is mapped being further categorized in the storage module within the customer account records, wherein each of the plurality of customer account records is associated with at least a plurality of the data type records, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing a specific customer account record based on a customer account code input to the computer network by the specific field service provider communicating via the network device, wherein the specific data type record is one of the plurality of data type records associated with the specific customer account record.

26. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 25, wherein the provider identification code comprises a specialty area code corresponding to a specialty area associated with the specific field service provider, the act of accessing a specific data-type record comprising:

selecting the specific data-type record based on the specialty area code.

36. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the provider identification code comprises a specialty area code corresponding to a specialty area associated with the specific field service provider, the retrieving act comprising:

selecting the specific data-type record based on the specialty area code.

37. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise one or more business data type records and one or more device data type records.

38. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 37, wherein the provider identification code represents that the specific field service provider is authorized to access advisory information derived from device data, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing the specific data type record from the one or more device data type records and retrieving advisory information therefrom.

39. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 37, wherein the provider identification code represents that the specific field service provider is authorized to access advisory information derived from business data, the retrieving act comprising:

accessing the specific data type record from the one or more business data type records and retrieving advisory information therefrom.

40. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 15, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise a device data type record, a business data type record and a census data type record, the storing act comprising:

storing advisory information derived from the collected device data in the device data type record;

storing advisory information derived from the collected business data in the business data type record; and

storing advisory information derived from the collected census data in the census data type record.

41. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 14, wherein the receiving act comprises:

collecting device data associated with a utility device maintained at the destination location; and

collecting business data associated with a customer of a service providing company employing the field service provider to provide a service to the customer at the destination facility.

42. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 41, wherein the plurality of data type records comprise a device data type record and a business data type record, the specific data type recording being one of the device data type record and the business data type record and wherein the storing act comprises:

storing advisory information derived from the collected device data in the device data type record; and

storing advisory information derived from the collected business data in the business data type record.

43. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 42, wherein the device data type record and the business data type record are categorized in the storage module as being associated with a specific customer account record associated with the destination location, the retrieving act further comprising:

accessing the specific customer account record based on the provider identification code.

44. The computer process in the computer program product of claim 42, wherein the device data type record and the business data type record are categorized in the storage module as being associated with a specific customer account record associated with the destination location, the retrieving act further comprising:

accessing the specific customer account record based on a customer account code input to the computer network by the specific field service provider in addition to the provider identification code.