Automated remote monitoring and diagnostics service method and system

• US 7,734,764 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Weiner, Allison Leigh, Avinash, Gopal B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqi; Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US11/015,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/239, 709/249, 707/1, 707/6, 707/10, 705/1, 705/2, 705/3, 705/29
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A technique is provided for detecting and responding to serviceable conditions in systems. Following detection of an indicator of a serviceable condition, a service request is generated and transmitted to a service provider. The requests results in consultation of a service knowledge base that contains information on the indicators, potential causes or conditions that could result in the indicators, and responses to the conditions. Responses may then be generated automatically for satisfying the service requests.

Claims

1. A method for operationally servicing medical systems comprising:

using one or more physical computing devices for;

detecting an indicator of a serviceable condition in a serviced medical system;

automatically generating a request for service of the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system;

accessing a knowledge base stored on at least one of the one or more physical computing devices, the knowledge base including system data defining operational performance parameters of a plurality of serviced medical systems, service data defining known serviceable conditions for the serviced medical systems and indicators of potential malfunction based upon the performance parameters, and response data defining a plurality of responses to the serviceable conditions;

reconciling a plurality of responses possible for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system based upon rules contained in the knowledge base;

prioritizing the reconciled plurality of responses for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system possible for servicing the serviceable condition based upon prioritization scores stored in the knowledge base, wherein the prioritization scores indicate prioritization between a plurality of responses to different potential serviceable conditions for the serviced medical system;

adjusting priority of the prioritized plurality of responses for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system based upon rules contained in the knowledge base; and

automatically generating a response to the service request based upon the indicator and the response data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization scores indicate prioritization between responses to different serviceable medical systems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the prioritization scores are generated based upon probability of a particular serviceable condition, severity of a particular serviceable condition, or cost of a potential serviceable condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting priority of the prioritized plurality of responses is based upon service contract data for the serviced medical systems.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes automatically requesting operational data from the serviced medical system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes automatically transmitting a software service packet to the serviced medical system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the software service packet includes code for reconfiguration of the serviced medical system.

8. A method for operationally servicing medical systems comprising:

using one or more physical computing devices for;

receiving a request for operational service from a serviced medical system, the request identifying an indicator of a serviceable condition in the serviced medical system;

accessing a knowledge base stored on at least one of the one or more physical computing devices, the knowledge base including system data defining operational performance parameters of a plurality of serviced medical systems, service data defining known serviceable conditions for the serviced medical systems and indicators of potential malfunction based upon the performance parameters, and response data defining a plurality of responses to the serviceable conditions;

reconciling a plurality of responses possible for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system based upon rules contained in the knowledge base;

prioritizing the reconciled plurality of responses possible for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system based upon prioritization scores stored in the knowledge base, wherein the prioritization scores are generated based upon probability of a particular serviceable condition, severity of a particular serviceable condition, cost of a potential serviceable condition, or service contract data for the serviced medical system, and wherein the prioritization scores indicate prioritization between a plurality of responses to different potential serviceable conditions for individual serviced medical systems;

adjusting priority of the prioritized plurality of responses for servicing the serviceable condition in the serviced medical system based upon rules contained in the knowledge base; and

automatically generating a response to the service request based upon the indicator and the response data.

9. A method for operationally servicing medical systems comprising:

using one or more physical computing devices for;

receiving a plurality of requests for operational service from a plurality of serviced medical systems, the requests identifying indicators of a serviceable conditions in the serviced medical systems;

accessing a knowledge base stored on at least one of the one or more physical computing devices, the knowledge base including system data defining operational performance parameters of a plurality of serviced medical systems, service data defining known serviceable conditions for the serviced medical systems and indicators of potential malfunction based upon the performance parameters, and response data defining a plurality of responses to the serviceable conditions;

reconciling a plurality of responses possible for servicing the serviceable conditions in the serviced medical systems based upon rules contained in the knowledge base;

automatically prioritizing the reconciled plurality of responses for servicing the serviceable conditions of the serviced medical systems, wherein the responses are prioritized based upon prioritization scores stored in the knowledge base, and wherein the prioritization scores indicate prioritization between a plurality of responses to different potential serviceable conditions for individual serviced medical systems;

adjusting priority of the prioritized plurality of responses for servicing the serviceable conditions in the serviced medical systems based upon rules contained in the knowledge base; and

automatically generating responses to the service requests based upon the indicators, the response data and the prioritization.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the prioritization scores indicate prioritization between responses to the serviceable medical systems.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the prioritization scores are generated based upon probability of a particular serviceable condition, severity of a particular serviceable condition, or cost of a potential serviceable condition.