Remote handset diagnostics

• US 8,611,889 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Peddireddy, Sudheer Kumar, Budhati, Vani, Fan, Guoxin, Chellappan, Sundararajan, Kothari, Rohit, Bernitz, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US11/535,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,639 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/423, 455/424, 455/425
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/24 Arrangements for testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system for remote handset diagnostics is provided. The system includes a plurality of handsets each having a diagnostic engine, and a carrier system having a plurality of encoder/decoder components. Each encoder/decoder component is operable to promote communication with at least one diagnostic engine to obtain diagnostic data. The carrier system further includes a diagnostic component that is operable to provide a common interface for diagnosing handsets. The diagnostic component is also operable to communicate with the plurality of encoder/decoder components and to facilitate diagnosis of the handset.

Claims

1. A method for remote handset diagnostics comprising:

transmitting, in response to a first request from a carrier diagnostic computer, first diagnostic data from a handset diagnostic engine to the carrier diagnostic computer, the first diagnostic data proprietary to a specified manufacturer of the handset associated with the handset diagnostic engine;

receiving first information that is configured to assist a user of the handset to operate the handset, the first information transmitted by the carrier diagnostic computer in response to the first diagnostic data obtained from the handset;

transmitting, in response to a second request from the carrier diagnostic computer, second diagnostic data from the handset diagnostic engine to a manufacturer diagnostic computer; and

receiving second information that is configured to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset, the second information transmitted by the manufacturer in response to the second diagnostic data obtained from the handset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving second information that is configured to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset comprises receiving second information that is configured to assist the user with handset problems.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is generated by encoding the first request for the first diagnostic data to the handset diagnostic engine and decoding the first diagnostic data received from the handset diagnostic engine, and

wherein the second request is generated by encoding the second request for the second diagnostic data to the handset diagnostic engine and decoding the second diagnostic data received from the handset diagnostic engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the handset comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first diagnostic data and the second diagnostic data comprise handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, by the handset diagnostic engine, a carrier knowledge base to obtain third information related to the handset , the third information configured to promote assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset, the third information obtained based on the obtained first diagnostic data; and

accessing, by the handset diagnostic engine, a manufacturer knowledge base to obtain fourth information related to the handset , the fourth information configured to promote assisting the user of the handset to operate the handset, the fourth information obtained based on the obtained second diagnostic data.

7. A remote handset diagnostics system comprising a plurality of handsets, at least some of the handsets provided by a plurality of different manufacturers, each handset comprising a handset diagnostic engine, at least some of the different manufacturers having different handset diagnostic engines, the system comprising:

a telecommunications carrier system including a carrier diagnostic component for one or more of the plurality of different handset diagnostic engines, the carrier diagnostic component configured to;

obtain, in response to a first request from the carrier diagnostic component, first diagnostic data from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine; and

remotely diagnose the handset associated with the corresponding handset diagnostic engine in response to the obtained first diagnostic data, the first diagnostic data configured to be proprietary to one manufacturer of one handset associated with the handset diagnostic engine,

wherein the handset diagnostic engine is configured to transmit, in response to a second request from the carrier diagnostic component, second diagnostic data from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine to a manufacturer system including a manufacturer diagnostic component, the manufacturer system configured to remotely diagnose the handset in response to the transmitted second diagnostic data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the telecommunications carrier system and manufacturer system are configured to remotely obtain the first and second diagnostic data, respectively, from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising an encoder and a decoder configured to promote communication between each carrier diagnostic component and the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the carrier diagnostic component includes a user interface configured to be used by a customer service representative of the telecommunications carrier to promote diagnosing handsets having different diagnostic engines.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each handset comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the first diagnostic data and the second diagnostic data comprise handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein each carrier diagnostic component is further configured to access settings information and a carrier knowledge base to obtain information related to the corresponding handset to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset.

14. A handset comprising:

a handset diagnostic engine configured to;

transmit, in response to a first request from a carrier diagnostic computer, first diagnostic data from a handset diagnostic engine to the carrier diagnostic computer, the first diagnostic data proprietary to a specified manufacturer of the handset associated with the handset diagnostic engine;

receive first information that is configured to assist a user of the handset to operate the handset, the first information transmitted by the carrier diagnostic computer in response to the first diagnostic data obtained from the handset;

transmit, in response to a second request from the carrier diagnostic computer, second diagnostic data from the handset diagnostic engine to a manufacturer diagnostic computer; and

receive second information that is configured to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset, the second information transmitted by the manufacturer in response to the second diagnostic data obtained from the handset.

15. The handset of claim 14, wherein the telecommunications carrier system and manufacturer system are configured to remotely obtain the first and second diagnostic data, respectively, from the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

16. The handset of claim 14, wherein the carrier diagnostic computer comprises an encoder and a decoder configured to promote communication between each carrier diagnostic component and the corresponding handset diagnostic engine.

17. The handset of claim 14, wherein the carrier diagnostic component includes a user interface configured to be used by a customer service representative of the telecommunications carrier to promote diagnosing handsets having different diagnostic engines.

18. The handset of claim 14, wherein each handset comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a wireless handset, a pager, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a digital camera, a digital music player, a digital calculator, and an electronic key fob for keyless entry.

19. The handset of claim 14, wherein the first diagnostic data and the second diagnostic data comprise handset system parameters including dropped calls information and error logs which are inaccessible to the user of the handset.

20. The handset of claim 14, wherein each carrier diagnostic component is further configured to access settings information and a carrier knowledge base to obtain information related to the corresponding handset to assist the user of the handset to operate the handset.