Automated service and support notices using electronic shopping lists

• US 8,676,657 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: IBM International Group BV (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fenton, Charles Stanley
• Primary Examiner(s): HAQ, NAEEM U
• Application Number:
  US12/334,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20100066498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/26.2, 705/26.25, 705/26.3, 705/26.35, 705/26.4, 705 2641- 2644, 705/26.5, 705 2661- 2664, 705/26.7, 705/26.8, 705/26.81, 705/26.82, 705/26.9, 705/27.1, 705/27.2
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A method and system of updating an electronic shopping list (ESL) indicating items that may be purchased in response to detecting, by a wireless device having access to the ESL, a service request event corresponding to an asset. Upon detection of the service request event, a service request item may be inserted into the ESL. The asset may be queried from time to time to verify operation of the asset. The items listed in the ESL may be ordered according to a date the service request event was detected.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring maintenance tasks, the method comprising:

detecting, by a mobile telephony device, a wirelessly transmitted message indicative of a maintenance task associated with an asset lacking means for wirelessly transmitting messages, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message is transmitted by an asset proxy, and wherein the asset proxy resides on a device selected from;

the mobile telephony device; and

the asset; and

responsive to detecting the wirelessly transmitted message, modifying an electronic shopping list, stored in a computer readable storage medium of the mobile telephony device, to include a purchasable item associated with the maintenance task;

wherein the asset includes an asset communication interface employing a communication protocol not supported by the mobile telephony device and wherein asset proxy includes a compliant protocol adapter connected to the asset communication interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the asset from time to time to verify asset operation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message includes an asset response to a service request query generated by the mobile telephony device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the asset communication interface includes an on board diagnostic (OBD) interface and the compliant protocol adapter employs a protocol compliant with a protocol selected from Bluetooth and Wifi to transmit the wirelessly transmitted message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the OBD interface comprises an OBD-II interface.

6. A mobile telephone device, comprising:

a processor;

a radio frequency module suitable for cellular communication;

a wireless adapter suitable for communicating via a wireless data network; and

a computer readable storage medium, accessible to the processor, including program instructions, executable by the processor, for monitoring maintenance tasks, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor, perform operations comprising;

detecting a wirelessly transmitted message indicative of a maintenance task associated with an asset lacking means for wirelessly transmitting messages, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message is transmitted by an asset proxy residing on the asset; and

responsive to detecting the wirelessly transmitted message, modifying an electronic shopping list stored in the computer readable storage medium to include a purchasable item associated with the maintenance task;

wherein the asset includes a limited protocol interface that is non-compliant with protocols supported by the mobile telephone device and wherein the asset proxy includes a compliant protocol adapter connected to the limited protocol interface.

7. The mobile telephone device of claim 6, wherein the operations include:

querying the asset to verify asset operation.

8. The mobile telephone device of claim 6, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message includes a response to a service request query generated by the mobile telephony device.

9. The mobile telephone device of claim 6, wherein the limited protocol interface includes an on board diagnostic interface.

10. The mobile telephone device of claim 9, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message is received from an adapter selected from a Bluetooth adapter and a Wifi adapter.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium including stored processor-executable program instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations for monitoring maintenance tasks, the operations comprising:

detecting, by a mobile telephony device, a wirelessly transmitted message indicative of a maintenance task associated with an asset lacking means for wirelessly transmitting messages, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message is transmitted by an asset proxy, and wherein the asset proxy resides on a device selected from;

the mobile telephony device; and

the asset; and

responsive to detecting the wirelessly transmitted message, modifying an electronic shopping list, stored in a computer readable storage medium of the mobile telephony device, to include a purchasable item associated with the maintenance task;

wherein the asset includes an asset communication interface employing a communication protocol not supported by the mobile telephony device and wherein asset proxy includes a compliant protocol adapter connected to the asset communication interface.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations include:

querying the asset from time to time to verify asset operation.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the wirelessly transmitted message includes an asset response to a service request query generated by the mobile telephony device.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the asset communication interface includes an on board diagnostic (OBD) interface and the compliant protocol adapter employs a protocol compliant with a protocol selected from Bluetooth and WiFi to transmit the wirelessly transmitted message.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the OBD interface comprises an OBD-II interface.