Anticipatory mobile system service brokering and resource planning from multiple providers

• US 8,010,423 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Clark, Bryan William, Stryjewski, Wojciech T., Kwok, Albert Chung-Chee, Karasick, Michael, Huff, David Patrick, Del Pizzo, John Richard Jr., Thorson, Derral Charles, Bodin, William Kress
• Primary Examiner(s): Merchant; Shahid R
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, I JUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/232,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,288 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1- 88, 705 1- 50, 705/35, 705/45, 701/211, 706/12, 370/259, 800/260, 800/305
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

An opportunity server searches for potential vehicle repair transaction providers by receiving a signal from a mobile system indicating a need for a transaction with a business entity responsive to an on-board diagnostic detection of a real-time fault condition resulting in recording of a Diagnostic Trouble Code; automatically issuing requests for bids for the transaction to provider parties located in a first potential geographic point for repair service indicating estimated times of arrival at each geographic point; receiving offers from the provider parties; automatically coalescing the offers by screening to meet user preferences, and modifying and organizing into a format for uniform presentation to a user; presenting the coalesced offers to an operator of the mobile system; and automatically performing enterprise resource planning for a user-selected business transaction.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a mobile system indicating a need for a transaction with a business entity responsive to an on-board diagnostic detection of a real-time fault condition resulting in recording of a Diagnostic Trouble Code;

responsive to said receipt of said signal, automatically issuing a plurality of requests for bids for said transaction to a plurality of provider parties located in a first potential geographic point for repair service, said requests indicating estimated times of arrival at each said potential geographic point for repair service;

responsive to said request for bids, receiving a plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties for said business transaction;

responsive to said receipt of said plurality of offers, automatically coalescing said plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties, wherein said coalescing comprises screening said offers to meet one or more user preferences, and modifying and organizing said offers into a format for uniform presentation to a user;

presenting said coalesced offers to an operator of said mobile system; and

responsive to selection of one or more presented offers, automatically performing enterprise resource planning for said business transaction with one of said responding providers, said enterprise resource planning including certifying that, at an estimated time of arrival, one or more conditions selected from a group consisting of whether or not necessary components will be in stock, whether or not qualified staff will be on duty, and whether or not all necessary equipment will be available will be met.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said issuing one or more requests for bids comprises consulting one or more user profiles and one or more provider profiles to determine which, if any, provider parties are qualified to receive a request for bid for the requested transaction.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprises repeating issuing requests, coalescing and presenting offers responsive to a declination of all previously presented offers by said operator such that additional provider parties are invited to bid from a next potential geographic point for repair service at a next estimated time of arrival.

4. A computer memory comprising:

a computer readable memory suitable for encoding computer programs; and

one or more computer programs encoded by said computer memory and configured to;

receive a signal from a mobile system indicating a need for a transaction with a business entity responsive to an on-board diagnostic detection of a real-time fault condition resulting in recording of a Diagnostic Trouble Code;

responsive to said receipt of said signal, automatically issue a plurality of requests for bids for said transaction to a plurality of provider parties located in a first potential geographic point for repair service, said requests indicating estimated times of arrival at each said potential geographic point for repair service;

responsive to said request for bids, receive a plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties for said business transaction;

responsive to said receipt of said plurality of offers, automatically coalesce said plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties, wherein said coalescing comprises screening said offers to meet one or more user preferences, and modifying and organizing said offers into a format for uniform presentation to a user;

present said coalesced offers to an operator of said mobile system; and

responsive to selection of one or more presented offers, automatically perform enterprise resource planning for said business transaction with one of said responding providers, said enterprise resource planning including certifying that, at an estimated time of arrival, one or more conditions selected from a group consisting of whether or not necessary components will be in stock, whether or not qualified staff will be on duty, and whether or not all necessary equipment will be available will be met.

5. The computer memory as set forth in claim 4 wherein said issuing one or more requests for bids comprises consulting one or more user profiles and one or more provider profiles to determine which, if any, provider parties are qualified to receive a request for bid for the requested transaction.

6. The computer memory as set forth in claim 4 further comprising computer program configured to repeatedly issue requests, coalesce and present offers responsive to a declination of all previously presented offers by said operator such that additional provider parties are invited to bid from a next potential geographic point for repair service at a next estimated time of arrival.

7. A system comprising:

a computing platform having a hardware means for performing a logical process;

a signal receiver portion of said computing platform configured to receive a signal from a mobile system indicating a need for a transaction with a business entity responsive to an on-board diagnostic detection of a real-time fault condition resulting in recording of a Diagnostic Trouble Code;

a requester portion of said computing platform configured to, responsive to said receipt of said signal, automatically issue a plurality of requests for bids for said transaction to a plurality of provider parties located in a first potential geographic point for repair service, said requests indicating estimated times of arrival at each said potential geographic point for repair service;

an offer receiver portion of said computing platform configured to, responsive to said request for bids, receive a plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties for said business transaction;

a coalescer portion of said computing platform configured to, responsive to said receipt of said plurality of offers, automatically coalesce said plurality of offers from said plurality of provider parties, wherein said coalescing comprises screening said offers to meet one or more user preferences, and modifying and organizing said offers into a format for uniform presentation to a user;

an output portion of said computing platform configured to present said coalesced offers to an operator of said mobile system; and

a planner portion of said computing platform configured to, responsive to selection of one or more presented offers, automatically perform enterprise resource planning for said business transaction with one of said responding providers, said enterprise resource planning including certifying that, at an estimated time of arrival, one or more conditions selected from a group consisting of whether or not necessary components will be in stock, whether or not qualified staff will be on duty, and whether or not all necessary equipment will be available will be met.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said requester portion is configured to consult one or more user profiles and one or more provider profiles to determine which provider parties are qualified to receive a request for bid for the requested transaction.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 further configured to repeatedly issue requests, coalesce and present offers responsive to a declination of all previously presented offers by said operator such that additional provider parties are invited to bid from a next potential geographic point for repair service at a next estimated time of arrival.