Method and appartus for use in remote diagnostics

• US 8,880,675 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Konopka, Courtney, Seki, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US14/012,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 714/38.15, 717/173
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2814 Exchanging control software or macros for controlling appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving configuration of the network and network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2825 Reporting to a device located outside the home and the home network access arrangements H04L12/2856; for remote control or remote monitoring of applications H04L67/025; telephonic communication systems adapted for combination with telemetering systems H04M11/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus, system and method for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices and/or providing content. The method for use in remotely diagnosing includes the initiating a diagnostic analysis of an electronic device, identifying the electronic device, receiving scripts communicated over a distributed network for diagnosing, remotely initiating diagnostic instructions with the scripts and receiving a response based on the instruction. The method can further determine further diagnostic instructions based on responses, and remotely initiate further instructions with the scripts. Additionally, a system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices includes a script generator coupled with a distributed network, and a remote diagnostic controller coupled with the distributed network and with an electronic device. The script generator compiles scripts and forwards them over the distributed network. The diagnostic controller implements the scripts to forward instructions to and to receive replies from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices, comprising:

a remote diagnostic controller incorporated within an electronic device to be diagnosed and coupled with a distributed network;

the remote diagnostic controller configured to;

receive from over the distributed network one or more web pages from a remote script generator wherein at least one of the web pages comprises at least one script, determine whether the at least one script was previously received, store the at least one script when determined that the at least one script was not previously received, determine whether the at least one script was previously received is an updated script of at least one script previously received, store the at least one script when the at least one script is an updated script of at least one script previously received, implement the at least one script such that the remote diagnostic controller identifies a first diagnostic instruction and causes the electronic device to perform the first diagnostic instruction, determine results from implementing the first diagnostic instruction, determine at least a second diagnostic instruction based on the results from implementing the first diagnostic instruction, and cause the electronic device to perform at least the second diagnostic instruction.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to determine whether one or more additional scripts are needed to implement the second diagnostic instruction, and to request from over the distributed network at least a second script configured to allow an implementation of the second diagnostic instruction when the remote diagnostic controller determines that one or more additional scripts are needed.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

the script generator coupled with the distributed network, where the script generator is configured to compile the at least one script, incorporate the at least one script into a web page and forward the web page with the at least one script over the distributed network to the diagnostic controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to analyze the results to implementing the first diagnostic instruction and determine whether one or more further diagnostic instructions are needed, and identify at least the second diagnostic instruction when the one or more further diagnostic instructions are needed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to:

receiving within the diagnostic controller an identification of the electronic device;

determine within the diagnostic controller a second script needed to implement the diagnosis of the electronic device in response to receiving the identification of the electronic device; and

receive the second script from over the distributed network.

5. A system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices, comprising:

a remote diagnostic controller incorporated within an electronic device to be diagnosed and coupled with a distributed network;

the remote diagnostic controller configured to;

receive from over the distributed network one or more web pages from a remote script generator wherein at least one of the web pages comprises at least one script, implement the at least one script such that the remote diagnostic controller identifies a first diagnostic instruction and causes the electronic device to perform the first diagnostic instruction, determine results from implementing the first diagnostic instruction, determine at least a second diagnostic instruction based on the results from implementing the first diagnostic instruction, and cause the electronic device to perform at least the second diagnostic instruction;

wherein the remote diagnostic controller is further configured to;

receive a first plurality of scripts in the one or more web pages;

determine whether at least one of the first plurality of scripts was previously received;

store those scripts that were not previously received;

determine whether one or more of the first plurality of scripts determined to have been previously received are updated scripts of one or more scripts previously received; and

store the one or more updated scripts when the one or more updated scripts are updated scripts of the one or more previously received scripts.

7. A system for use in remotely diagnosing electronic devices, comprising:

a remote diagnostic controller incorporated within a host computer coupled with a distributed network and in communication over the distributed network with an electronic device to be diagnosed;

the remote diagnostic controller configured to receive from over the distributed network one or more web pages from a remote script generator where at least one of the web pages comprises at least one script, determine whether the at least one script was previously received, store the at least one script when determined that the at least one script was not previously received, determine whether the at least one script was previously received is an updated script of at least one script previously received, store the at least one script when the at least one script is an updated script of at least one script previously received, implement the at least one script such that the remote diagnostic controller forwards a first diagnostic instruction to the electronic device to be performed by the electronic device, to receive a first reply from the electronic device, to determine at least a second diagnostic instruction based on the first reply and to forward at least the second diagnostic instruction to the electronic device, wherein the host computer provides processing capabilities for the diagnostic controller in determining the second diagnostic instruction.