Dynamic linking of part items to repair data

• US 8,140,411 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glenn E. Staats
• Original Assignee: Glenn E. Staats
• Inventors: Staats, Glenn E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORTIZ ROMAN, DENISSE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/766,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20070295800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Providing repair information for a part. A first website may be provided which includes part information. The part information may include at least one of a plurality of possible vehicles and/or a plurality of possible parts. First user input may be received to the first website specifying a vehicle from the plurality of possible vehicles. Second user input may be received specifying a part of the plurality of possible parts, and third user input may be received to view labor cost information associated with the part. Correspondingly, labor cost information may be automatically provided which is associated with the part in response to the third user input to the first website to view the labor cost information. Automatically providing the labor cost information may be performed without further user input specifying the part or another website.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing labor cost information, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computer, input specifying a vehicle and/or a vehicle system;

receiving, by the computer, user input to the computer specifying part information, wherein the part information comprises a specific part;

receiving, by the computer, user input to view repair jobs associated with the part information;

providing, by the computer, a plurality of repair jobs associated with the specific part;

receiving, by the computer, user input to view labor cost information associated with at least one of the repair jobs, wherein said receiving the user input to view the labor cost information is received after the user input specifying the part information and the input specifying the vehicle and/or the vehicle system; and

automatically providing, by the computer, the labor cost information associated with the at least one of the repair job for display in response to the user input to view the labor cost information, wherein the labor cost information is automatically determined based on the vehicle and/or the vehicle system and the at least one repair job, wherein the labor cost information specifies a cost of labor for installing the specific part, and wherein said automatically providing the labor cost information is performed without further user input specifying the part information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the part information comprises a stock keeping unit (SKU) number.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving descriptions associated with the SKU; and

determining a part type based on the SKU and the descriptions;

wherein said automatically providing the labor cost information is based on the part type.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the part information comprises a part type, and wherein said automatically providing the plurality of repair jobs is based on the part type.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving input specifying a vehicle and/or a vehicle system comprises receiving user input selecting a vehicle from a plurality of possible vehicles via one or more websites over a network;

wherein said receiving user input specifying part information comprises receiving user input selecting a part from a plurality of possible parts via the one or more websites;

wherein said receiving user input to view labor cost information associated with the part information is received to the one or more websites; and

wherein said automatically providing comprises receiving the labor cost information from the one or more websites and providing the labor cost information for display by the computer system.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein said receiving input specifying a vehicle and/or a vehicle system is performed over a network, wherein said receiving user input specifying part information is performed over the network, wherein said receiving user input to view labor cost information associated with the part information is received over the network, and wherein said automatically providing is performed over the network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list of a plurality of possible vehicles and/or vehicle systems;

wherein said receiving user input specifying the vehicle and/or the vehicle system comprises selecting the vehicle and/or the vehicle system from the list of the plurality of possible vehicles and/or vehicle systems.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a list comprising the part information;

wherein said receiving user input specifying the part information comprises selecting the part information from the list.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving input specifying a vehicle and/or a vehicle system comprises receiving previously stored data regarding the vehicle and/or the vehicle system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing repair information, based on the vehicle and/or the vehicle system and the part information, wherein the repair information comprises technical service bulletins, wherein the technical service bulletins are specific to the vehicle, vehicle system, and/or the part information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing repair information, based on the vehicle and/or the vehicle system and the part information, wherein the repair information comprises repair procedures, wherein the repair procedures are specific to the vehicle, vehicle system, and/or the part information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of repair jobs comprise one or more correlated activities associated with the at least one repair job, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving input selecting one or more of the correlated activities, wherein the labor cost information is also based on the one or more of the correlated activities.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing one or more part types associated with the at least one repair job;

receiving input selecting at least one part type of the one or more part types;

providing one or more specific parts of the at least one part type.

14. A non-transitory memory medium comprising program instructions for providing repair information, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor to implement:

providing one or more websites comprising part information for display, wherein the part information comprises at least one of a plurality of possible vehicles and/or a plurality of possible parts;

receiving user input to the one or more websites specifying a vehicle from the plurality of possible vehicles;

receiving user input to the one or more websites specifying a specific part of the plurality of possible parts;

providing a plurality of repair jobs associated with the specific part;

receiving user input to the one or more websites to view labor cost information associated with the at least one repair job of the plurality of repair jobs; and

automatically providing the labor cost information associated with the at least one repair job for display in response to the user input to the one or more websites to view the labor cost information, wherein the labor cost information is based on the vehicle and the part, wherein the labor cost information specifies a cost of labor for installing the part, wherein said automatically providing the labor cost information is performed without further user input specifying the part.

15. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 14,

wherein said automatically providing the repair information associated with the part for display is performed without further user input specifying the vehicle.

16. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 14,

wherein the one or more websites comprise a GUI element that indicates the repair information;

wherein said receiving user input to the one or more websites to view the labor cost information comprises receiving user input to the GUI element.

17. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 14,

wherein said automatically providing the labor cost information associated with the at least one repair job for display comprises accessing a rules engine to obtain the labor cost information of the at least one repair job.

18. The non-transitory memory medium of claim 14, wherein the part has a part name, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

accessing a rules engine to determine a normalized part type for the part name;

accessing the rules engine to determine the labor cost information for the normalized part type.