System and method for generating warranty and pricing information for data storage apparatus

• US 20060122854A1
• Filed: 12/02/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands BV (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: New, Richard, Wilson, Bruce A., Campello, Jorge
• Granted Patent: US 7,606,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/15
• 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 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and a method for generating warranty and pricing information for one or more data storage apparatuses. In one embodiment, a system for processing status parameters of one or more data storage apparatuses comprises at least one host system configured to retrieve one or more status parameters of one or more data storage apparatus; a vendor system; and a network coupled with the at least one host system and the vendor system. The at least one host system is configured to send the one or more status parameters via the network to the vendor system. The vendor system is configured to use the one or more status parameters to generate any one or more of warranty information, pricing information, and design improvement information for the data storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of processing status parameters of one or more data storage apparatuses, the method comprising:

receiving, via a network by a vendor system, one or more status parameters of a data storage apparatus retrieved by a host system from the data storage apparatus; and

using the one or more status parameters to generate any one or more of warranty information, pricing information, and design improvement information for the data storage apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more status parameters are stored in a nonvolatile storage in the data storage apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more status parameters are retrieved automatically by the host system on a periodic basis.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more status parameters are sent automatically by the host system to the vendor system on a periodic basis.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a request by the vendor system to the host system for retrieval of the one or more status parameters prior to retrieving and sending the one or more status parameters to the vendor system by the host system.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the request from the vendor system includes computer-readable instructions on retrieving and sending the one or more status parameters.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the warranty information generated includes any one or more of warranty length, warranty termination, and warranty factor statistics for the data storage apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the pricing information generated includes any one or more of pricing of the data storage apparatus, warranty pricing of the data storage apparatus, and lease pricing of the data storage apparatus.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the design improvement information generated includes any one or more of a main factor affecting longevity of the data storage apparatus, and product specification that can be relaxed as having little or no influence on the longevity of the data storage apparatus.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving comprises receiving one or more status parameters of a random sample of multiple data storage apparatuses by the vendor system.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending by the vendor system to the host system via the network an alert regarding warranty violation if the one or more status parameters fall outside an acceptable range.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending by the vendor system to the host system via the network a notification regarding remaining warranty length of the data storage apparatus based on the one or more status parameters.

13. A system for processing status parameters of one or more data storage apparatuses, the system comprising:

at least one host system configured to retrieve one or more status parameters of one or more data storage apparatus;

a vendor system; and

a network coupled with the at least one host system and the vendor system;

wherein the at least one host system is configured to send the one or more status parameters via the network to the vendor system; and

wherein the vendor system is configured to use the one or more status parameters to generate any one or more of warranty information, pricing information, and design improvement information for the data storage apparatus.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the at least one host system is configured to retrieve and send the one or more status parameters to the vendor system automatically on a periodic basis.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the vendor system is configured to send a request to the at least one host system, the request including computer-readable instructions on retrieving and sending the one or more status parameters to the vendor system.

16. The system of claim 13,

wherein the warranty information generated includes any one or more of warranty length, warranty termination, and warranty factor statistics for the data storage apparatus;

wherein the pricing information generated includes any one or more of pricing of the data storage apparatus, warranty pricing of the data storage apparatus, and lease pricing of the data storage apparatus; and

wherein the design improvement information generated includes any one or more of a main factor affecting longevity of the data storage apparatus, and product specification that can be relaxed as having little or no influence on the longevity of the data storage apparatus.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein the vendor system is configured to send an alert via the network to the at least one host system regarding warranty violation if the one or more status parameters fall outside an acceptable range.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the vendor system is configured to send a notification via the network to the at least one host system regarding remaining warranty length of the one or more data storage apparatus based on the one or more status parameters.

19. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable storage medium for processing status parameters of one or more data storage apparatuses, the computer program product comprising:

code for receiving, via a network by a vendor system, one or more status parameters of a data storage apparatus retrieved by a host system from the data storage apparatus; and

code for using the one or more status parameters to generate any one or more of warranty information, pricing information, and design improvement information for the data storage apparatus.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising code for sending a request by the vendor system to the host system for retrieval of the one or more status parameters prior to retrieving and sending the one or more status parameters to the vendor system by the host system.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein the request from the vendor system includes computer-readable instructions on retrieving and sending the one or more status parameters.

22. The computer program product of claim 19,

wherein the warranty information generated includes any one or more of warranty length, warranty termination, and warranty factor statistics for the data storage apparatus;

wherein the pricing information generated includes any one or more of pricing of the data storage apparatus, warranty pricing of the data storage apparatus, and lease pricing of the data storage apparatus; and

wherein the design improvement information generated includes any one or more of a main factor affecting longevity of the data storage apparatus, and product specification that can be relaxed as having little or no influence on the longevity of the data storage apparatus.

23. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the code for receiving comprises code for receiving one or more status parameters of a random sample of multiple data storage apparatuses by the vendor system.

24. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising code for sending by the vendor system to the host system via the network an alert regarding warranty violation if the one or more status parameters fall outside an acceptable range.

25. The computer program product of claim 19 further comprising code for sending by the vendor system to the host system via the network a notification regarding remaining warranty length of the data storage apparatus based on the one or more status parameters.