Web-based asset management

• US 8,321,468 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2010
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Caldvor Acquisitions Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Thomas, Shawn, Gray, Gregory, Woodfin, Michael, Mizell, Warner, Thomas, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US12/916,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20110047170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 707/791, 707/802, 717/173, 725/132
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The method and system of the present invention provides an improved technique for replacing, implementing and managing computer-related assets. A technician accesses the World Wide Web through a user'"'"'s computer. The information resident on the computer, including information regarding the computer and the user'"'"'s preferences, are downloaded to a remote storage medium through the World Wide Web. Once downloaded, all information may be removed from the user'"'"'s computer. Subsequently, the technician accesses another computer such as, for example, a new computer that has been assigned to the same user. The technician accesses the World Wide Web through the new computer and downloads the information previously stored on the remote storage medium. This information can then be used to install the user'"'"'s prior applications, settings and preferences on the new computer.

Claims

1. A method for asset management utilizing the World Wide Web, the method comprising:

receiving information from at least one first computer-related hardware device through the World Wide Web at a storage medium that is remote from the first computer-related hardware device;

transferring the information from the storage medium to a second computer-related hardware device;

defining configuration settings on the second computer-related hardware device based on the information from the at least one first computer-related hardware device;

determining if any of the configuration settings are not specified by the information; and

in response to determining that at least one of the configuration settings is not specified by the information, prompting a user to define the at least one configuration setting that is not specified by the information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving information includes receiving information from at least one first computer-related hardware device that is selected from the group consisting of desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, printers, scanners, networking devices and storage devices.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the information to formatted data files prior to transferring the information to the second computer-related hardware device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the information on the storage medium in a relational database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said defining configuration settings on the second computer-related hardware device occurs on a real-time basis.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a report of the information after defining configuration setting on the second computer-related hardware device based on the information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the information from the storage medium includes filtering at least a portion of the information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely monitoring, updating, and controlling versions of software resident on the second computer-related hardware device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising translating the information.

10. A system for asset management utilizing the World Wide Web, the system comprising:

a first computer-related hardware device associated with a user, the first computer-related hardware device being configured to access the World Wide Web;

at least one second computer-related hardware device configured to be associated with the user and to access the World Wide Web;

means for transferring information from the first computer-related hardware device through the World Wide Web to a remote storage medium;

means for transferring at least a portion of the information from the remote storage medium to the at least one second computer-related hardware device; and

means for defining user settings on the at least one second computer-related hardware device based on at least a portion of the information from the first computer-related hardware device, assessing if any of the user settings were not specified by the information, and for prompting a user to define at least one user setting that is not specified by the information, in response to determining that at least one of the user settings is not specified by the information.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computer-related hardware device is selected from the group consisting of desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, printers, scanners, networking devices and storage devices.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computer-related hardware device and the at least one second computer-related hardware device are configured to access the World Wide Web over the Internet.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first computer-related hardware device and the at least one second computer-related hardware device are configured to access the World Wide Web utilizing secure, encrypted transmission.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the first computer-related hardware device and the at least one second computer-related hardware device are configured to access the World Wide Web through a local area network.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for transferring information further comprises means for converting the information to formatted data files prior to transferring the information from the first computer-related hardware device through the World Wide Web to the remote storage medium.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the remote storage medium comprises a relational database configured to store said information.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said means for defining user settings on the at least one second computer-related hardware device occurs on a real-time basis.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further includes means for generating a report of the information after the user settings on the at least one second computer-related hardware device have been defined.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for transferring information from the first computer-related hardware device through the World Wide Web to the remote storage medium includes means for filtering unwanted or redundant information.

20. A method for asset management using the World Wide Web, the method comprising:

receiving respective information regarding a plurality of computer-related hardware devices at a storage medium that is remote from the plurality of computer-related hardware devices;

deriving respective further information related to the plurality of computer-related hardware devices from the respective information residing on the storage medium;

defining configuration settings on at least one further computer-related hardware device that is to be associated with a user based on the respective information or the respective further information from at least one of the plurality of computer-related hardware devices;

determining if any of the configuration settings are not specified by the information; and

in response to determining that at least one of the configuration settings is not specified by the information, prompting a user to define the at least one configuration setting that is not specified by the information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein receiving respective information includes receiving the respective information from the plurality of computer-related hardware devices that are selected from the group consisting of:

desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, printers, scanners, networking devices and storage devices.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising preparing and disseminating reports compiled from the respective further information.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising transferring the respective information or the respective further information from the storage medium to the at least one further computer-related hardware device.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising converting the respective information or the respective further information to formatted data files prior to transferring the respective information or the respective further information to the at least one further computer-related hardware device.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising storing the respective information or the respective further information on the storage medium in a relational database.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising receiving updates to the respective information on a real-time basis.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising filtering at least a portion of the respective information or the respective further information.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising monitoring, updating, and controlling versions of software resident on the at least one further computer-related hardware device.