US20170140580A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20170140580A1
Application number: US14/943,126
Authority: US
Inventors: Cary D. Marr
Original assignee: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co
Current assignee: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co
Priority date: 2015-11-17
Filing date: 2015-11-17
Publication date: 2017-05-18
Also published as: US11380143B2; US20200294326A1; EP3171305A1

Abstract

A method and system to determine a selected service response for servicing a damaged portion of a vehicle using a vehicle technician system. The selected service response is based upon a digital media file acquired with the vehicle technician system and representative of the damaged portion of the vehicle. The digital media file is communicated from the vehicle technician system to an authority such as a vehicle owner. The communication may be indirectly through an intermediary such as a vehicle service management system. Inasmuch as the digital media file is inherently unbiased, the authority evaluates the digital media file when considering the appropriate service, such as repairing or replacing a damaged part. The authority then selects a selected service response based at least in part on the digital media file and the selected service response is thereafter applied to the vehicle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is generally related to roadside service, more specifically to facilitating efficient decision making between a roadside service technician and a vehicle owner regarding service options.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle maintenance while on the road is an important issue for many commercial truck fleets. Even optimal maintenance between trips cannot eliminate the possibility of mechanical issues arising when vehicles are distant from a local repair source. For that reason, national roadside repair services exist and contract with fleets to repair vehicles wherever they break down. In some cases, a repair service is specific to certain features of the vehicle, such as a tire repair service or a windshield repair service.

Coordinating a roadside repair service typically involves the driver calling the vehicle owner and reporting the issue. The vehicle owner or the driver thereafter typically contact a roadside service technician or service and provide information regarding the vehicle owner, the vehicle damage or malfunction, and the location of the vehicle. The repair service may reference the vehicle location against a list of available roadside service technicians, which may be employed directly by the company providing the service or may work independently through a network service agreement as known in the art.

Once the roadside service technician arrives at the location, the technician generally assesses the situation and facilitates decisions regarding the service. Often a decision must be made between repairing a malfunctioning part or replacing the part entirely. The decision to repair or replace may turn on the relative cost involved, but often the decision turns on the status of the part itself. For example, a tire may be repaired if only minor damage has occurred or the damage has occurred at a repairable location of the tire. If the tire is severely damaged, or the damage has occurred in a non-repairable location of the tire, the tire may need replaced entirely. The vehicle owners often make the final decision on whether to repair or replace a damaged part.

However, in practice, the vehicle owner may not have detailed knowledge regarding the extent of damage to the part. As such, a vehicle owner generally may need to rely entirely on the physical description of the damaged part or malfunction provided over the phone by the repair technician.

In addition to the above, vehicle owners such as commercial truck fleet owners may need to report the status of the vehicle repair to a client awaiting a delivery by the broken down truck. However, again, the vehicle owner may not have detailed knowledge regarding the status of the repair because the repair technician typically must stop servicing the vehicle and call into a dispatcher at a call center to report the status of the repair and provide any relevant updates. The reporting process may be time consuming and disruptive for the roadside service technician. Compounding the problem is the dispatcher may quickly become unavailable due to other calls and may be difficult to contact as needed. Given the disruptive and unreliable nature of updating the vehicle owner during the repair process, roadside service technicians often do not update the vehicle owner during and throughout the repair process. The repair technicians typically report their arrival at the location and thereafter report the completion of the repair, with no updates in between for the vehicle owner to relay to the customer awaiting a delivery.

Therefore, a need exists in the art for a manner of evaluating roadside service issues to provide information to a vehicle owner regarding damaged parts, associated service options, and status updates, while also minimizing or eliminating the need for direct phone contact between the roadside service technician and the vehicle owner.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for determining a selected service response for servicing a damaged portion of a vehicle. The method includes acquiring a digital media file with a vehicle technician system, wherein the digital media file is associated with the damaged portion of the vehicle. The method further includes communicating the digital media file from the vehicle technician system to an authority over a communication network. The method further includes receiving the selected service response from the authority, wherein the selected service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file.

In another embodiment of the invention, a system is provided for servicing a damaged portion of a vehicle. The system includes a vehicle technician system, the vehicle technician system including at least one first processor and a first memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one first processor, cause the vehicle technician system to acquire a digital media file representing the damaged portion of the vehicle. The instructions further cause the system to communicate the digital media file to an authority over a communication network. The instructions further cause the system to receive a service response selected by the authority, wherein the service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file.

In another embodiment of the invention, a computer program product is provided which comprises a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to acquire a digital media file representing a damaged portion of a vehicle. The instructions further cause the at least one processor to communicate the digital media file to an authority over a communication network. The instructions further cause the at least one processor to receive a service response selected by the authority from a plurality of proposed service responses, wherein the service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for brokering a repair of a damaged vehicle between a service technician and an authority. The method includes dispatching the service technician to the damaged vehicle. The method further includes receiving a digital media file from the service technician, wherein the digital media file is associated with a damaged portion of the damaged vehicle. The method further includes communicating the digital media file to the authority. The method further includes receiving a selected service response from the authority, wherein the selected service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file. The method further includes communicating the selected service response to the service technician.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for brokering a repair of a damaged vehicle between a plurality of service technicians and an authority. The method includes selecting a set of potential service technicians from the plurality of potential service technicians. The method further includes transmitting a solicitation to a vehicle technician system of each service technician in the set of service technicians. The method further includes receiving a response from each of the service technicians in the set of service technicians. The method further includes selecting a responding service technician from the set of service technicians based at least in part on the response. The method further includes dispatching the responding service technician to the damaged vehicle.

These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, that are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve to explain the embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary operating environment including a vehicle service management system, vehicle technician system, vehicle owner system, and vehicle owner system in communication with one another via a network.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of an exemplary computer system ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a vehicle technician system and a vehicle service management system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process for selecting an open service event.

FIG. 5 a flowchart illustrating a process for navigating a menu to transmit media to a vehicle owner or transmit a status update to a vehicle owner.

FIG. 6 is a graphical view of an exemplary log in screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 7 is a graphical view of an exemplary service event list screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 8 is a graphical view of an exemplary menu screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 9 is a graphical view of an exemplary status selection screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 10 is a graphical view of an exemplary message entry screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 11 is a graphical view of an exemplary media selection screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 12 is a graphical view of an exemplary technician application associated with a vehicle technician system and in communication with a vehicle owner system.

FIG. 13 is a graphical view of an exemplary media selection interface screen associated with a technician application.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a map showing three service technicians and three vehicles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention is directed to system for supplying information regarding a roadside service call from a roadside service technician to an authority during the service call. The authority may be an entity such as a vehicle owner or a proxy for the vehicle owner such as an employee, agent, or service provider having the authority to make decisions in response to queries from a service technician regarding service to a damaged portion of a vehicle. Hereinafter the authority will be referred to as the vehicle owner. Rather than relying on a telephone call between the vehicle owner and the service technician to transfer information regarding the service call, the invention provides a software application configured to work in conjunction with a vehicle technician system. The vehicle technician system may comprise a mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer, or may comprise an application executable on a mobile computing device. The vehicle technician system is configured to gather data regarding the service call or the underlying damage to the vehicle and transfer the data to the vehicle owner.

Modern smart phones often have a number of features that can be used to gather relevant information regarding the service call or the underlying damage to the vehicle. By having a repair technician interface with an application of the vehicle technician system, which may be a mobile computing system such as a smart phone, information can be efficiently captured and transferred between the vehicle owner and the service technician. The most relevant information, and often the most difficult to accurately determine, is the status and the extent of the damage done to the vehicle undergoing a service call. The traditional phone call method relies entirely on the repair technician to accurately assess and articulate the condition of the damaged portion of the vehicle. The description provided by the roadside service technician may be biased or otherwise insufficient for the purpose of determining whether the part should be repaired or replaced. Further, the vehicle owner has no way of knowing whether the description provided by the repair technician is accurate.

Inasmuch as the vehicle technician system may comprise a mobile computing device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer, many modern web-enabled phones or tablet computers include a media capture device, such as a camera, which may capture digital media files such as still images sufficient for a vehicle owner to determine the extent of damage done to a part. In addition, many web-enabled phones are configured to transfer the captured images to applications residing thereon, which in turn may be configured to communicate the images to external computing devices by way of a network or the Internet. Many mobile computing devices further include a video camera function, which may capture digital media such as motion video sufficient for a vehicle owner to view a damaged part from many angles and provide a more complex representation of the damaged part. The present invention takes advantage of these capabilities of vehicle technician systems, such as mobile phones or tablet computers, in order to increase the accuracy and availability of information while putting fewer demands on the repair technician and to accurately describe and articulate the damage done to the vehicle.

Referring now toFIG. 1, an operatingenvironment10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention may include or reside within a vehicleservice management system12. In general, the vehicleservice management system12 operates to coordinate or broker various business issues or situations that arise regarding a fleet of vehicles, and particular between a vehicle owner, a vehicle driver, and a vehicle technician.Operating environment10 may further include avehicle technician system14, avehicle owner system16, and avehicle driver system18. In an embodiment of the invention, vehicleservice management system12 receives transmissions and communications from one of thevehicle technician system14, thevehicle owner system16, and thevehicle driver system18 and forwards the transmissions or communications on to another of thevehicle technician system14, thevehicle owner system16, and thevehicle driver system18. In this embodiment, each of thevehicle technician system14, thevehicle owner system16, and thevehicle driver system18 contacts the vehicleservice management system12 in order to communicate with the other systems. As such, thevehicle technician system14, thevehicle owner system16, and thevehicle driver system18 may not have direct access to one another, which allows vehicleservice management system12 to coordinate communication. Inasmuch as the vehicleservice management system12 is the centralized authority for communication within operatingenvironment10, vehicle technicians may only indirectly communicate with the vehicle owners and communications may be coordinated.

The vehicleservice management system12, thevehicle technician system14, thevehicle owner system16, andvehicle driver system18 may communicate with each other through anetwork24.Network24 may include one or more private or public networks (e.g. the Internet) that enable the exchange of data. In general,vehicle technician system14,vehicle owner system16, andvehicle driver system18 may communicate with one another through thevehicle management system12. Thevehicle management system12 acts as a proxy to broker communication. For example, if a vehicle technician needs to transmit a message to the vehicle owner, thevehicle technician system14 initiates communication with thevehicle management system12 overnetwork24 and transmits the message from thevehicle technician system14 to thevehicle management system12. In turn, thevehicle management system12 transmits the message from thevehicle management system12 to thevehicle owner system16. As such, thevehicle management system12 may act to coordinate or act as a proxy between the vehicle technician, the vehicle owner, and the vehicle driver. Inasmuch as the vehicle technician may not know the vehicle owner or may not have a way to directly contact the vehicle owner,vehicle management system12 provides a standard contact entity for the vehicle technician to interface with when servicing a vehicle.

Referring now toFIG. 2, the vehicleservice management system12,vehicle technician system14,vehicle owner system16,vehicle driver system18, andnetwork24 of operatingenvironment10 may be implemented on one or more computing devices or systems, such asexemplary computer system26. Thecomputer system26 may include aprocessor28, amemory30, a massstorage memory device32, an input/output (I/O)interface34, and a Human Machine Interface (HMI)36. Thecomputer system26 may also be operatively coupled to one or moreexternal resources38 via thenetwork24 or I/O interface34. External resources may include, but are not limited to, servers, databases, mass storage devices, peripheral devices, cloud-based network services, or any other suitable computer resource that may used by thecomputer system26.

Theprocessor28 may include one or more devices selected from microprocessors, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, or any other devices that manipulate signals (analog or digital) based on operational instructions that are stored in thememory30.Memory30 may include a single memory device or a plurality of memory devices including, but not limited, to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory, or any other device capable of storing information. The massstorage memory device32 may include data storage devices such as a hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid state device, or any other device capable of storing information.

Processor

28 may operate under the control of anoperating system40 that resides inmemory30. Theoperating system40 may manage computer resources so that computer program code embodied as one or more computer software applications, such as anapplication42 residing inmemory30, may have instructions executed by theprocessor28. In an alternative embodiment, theprocessor28 may execute theapplication42 directly, in which case theoperating system40 may be omitted. One ormore data structures44 may also reside inmemory30, and may be used by theprocessor28,operating system40, orapplication42 to store or manipulate data.

The I/O interface34 may provide a machine interface that operatively couples theprocessor28 to other devices and systems, such as thenetwork24 orexternal resource38. Theapplication42 may thereby work cooperatively with thenetwork24 orexternal resource38 by communicating via the I/O interface34 to provide the various features, functions, applications, processes, or modules comprising embodiments of the invention. Theapplication42 may also have program code that is executed by one or moreexternal resources38, or otherwise rely on functions or signals provided by other system or network components external to thecomputer system26. Indeed, given the nearly endless hardware and software configurations possible, persons having ordinary skill in the art will understand that embodiments of the invention may include applications that are located externally to thecomputer system26, distributed among multiple computers or otherexternal resources38, or provided by computing resources (hardware and software) that are provided as a service over thenetwork24, such as a cloud computing service.

TheHMI36 may be operatively coupled to theprocessor28 ofcomputer system26 in a known manner to allow a user to interact directly with thecomputer system26. TheHMI36 may include video or alphanumeric displays, a touch screen, a speaker, and any other suitable audio and visual indicators capable of providing data to the user. TheHMI36 may also include input devices and controls such as an alphanumeric keyboard, a pointing device, keypads, pushbuttons, control knobs, microphones, etc., capable of accepting commands or input from the user and transmitting the entered input to theprocessor28.

Adatabase46 may reside on the massstorage memory device32, and may be used to collect and organize data used by the various systems and modules described herein. Thedatabase46 may include data and supporting data structures that store and organize the data. In particular, thedatabase46 may be arranged with any database organization or structure including, but not limited to, a relational database, a hierarchical database, a network database, or combinations thereof. A database management system in the form of a computer software application executing as instructions on theprocessor28 may be used to access the information or data stored in records of thedatabase46 in response to a query, where a query may be dynamically determined and executed by theoperating system40,other applications42, or one or more modules. In some embodiments,database46 may also be remote tocomputer system26 and accessible overnetwork24.

Referring toFIG. 3, thevehicle technician system14 includes amedia capture device50 for use in capturing media files. Themedia capture device50 may comprise hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment of the invention, thevehicle technician system14 is a web-enabled mobile telephone and themedia capture device50 is a hybrid still image and video camera included in the mobile telephone. In this embodiment, themedia capture device50 may selectively capture digital still images or digital video in accordance with a setting of thevehicle technician system14. The vehicle technician system further includes atechnician application client52 for use in facilitating communication between the vehicle technician and the vehicle owner. As shown with a dashed reference line inFIG. 3, the technician application client may be communicatively coupled with atechnician application server54 of vehicleservice management system12. While the dashed reference line is shown bypassing thenetwork24, communication between thetechnician application client52 and thetechnician application server54 occurs overnetwork24.Technician application client52 andtechnician application server54 may communicate to pass information regarding the vehicle and the service call therebetween. In an embodiment of the invention, the vehicleservice management system12 is operated by a third party which acts as a proxy or coordinating interface between the vehicle technician and the vehicle owner. While thevehicle application server54 is illustrated inFIG. 3 as associated with the vehicleservice management system12, in another embodiment of the invention, thetechnician application server54 may reside onvehicle owner system16.

The service technician may use thetechnician application client52 associated with thevehicle technician system14 to aid in performing a service call after arriving at the location of a damaged vehicle. Thetechnician application client52 enables thevehicle technician system14 to carry out a variety of communication functions with the vehicle owner through the vehicleservice management system12. In order to communicate with the vehicle owner, the repair technician may log onto thetechnician application client52 by supplying an identification and password. This places the technician application11 in communication with the vehicleservice management system12, via thenetwork24.

In an embodiment of the invention, vehicleservice management system12 includes thetechnician application server54, which comprises a software program enabling vehicleservice management system12 to carry out a variety of communication functions and communicate withtechnician application client52 onvehicle technician system14 over thenetwork24. Rather than synchronous communication, which is typically provided by a direct telephone call over a circuit-switched communication link, the communication betweentechnician application client52 andtechnician application server54 is asynchronous and facilitated by a packet-switched communication link built on the exchange of data packets.Technician application server54 may maintain a list of pending roadside service events and facilitate communication between each roadside service technician and the vehicle owner.Technician application server54 provides a user interface for use by the administrator in coordinating communication between the vehicle owner and the various roadside service technicians sending updates and information for review by the vehicle owner.

Thetechnician application client52 gives the repair technician the opportunity to log in. Logging in authenticates and identifies the roadside service technician as a proper user, and may provide the service technician with information associated with the vehicle owner, the vehicle owner's account, the vehicle itself, general information regarding the damaged part, specific information regarding the damaged part, or any combination thereof. For example, thetechnician application client52 may provide the repair technician with information relating to whether the damaged part was previously repaired when the technician logs into thetechnician application client52. In another example, the repair technician may also be provided with information regarding the vehicle owner or owner's account, such as the account number, service notes, billing requirements, and contact information. Through thetechnician application client52, the repair technician may also be provided with information regarding the vehicle driver such as the driver's name and phone number, unit information such as the unit number and type of unit, breakdown information such as location and direction, and repair information such as wheel position, actions required, or products needed.

In one embodiment, a roadside service technician that has logged into thetechnician application client52 can initiate a communication session with the vehicle owner through thetechnician application client52. In doing so, thetechnician application server54 provides a list of open service calls or service events currently pending and provides this list totechnician application client52. The roadside service technician reviews the list on thevehicle technician system14 and selects the open service call assigned to the technician. The selection associates the roadside service technician andvehicle technician system14 with a particular open service call intechnician application server54. The roadside service technician may then gather and confirm the details of the service with the vehicle owner through the communication betweentechnician application client52 and thetechnician application server54. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 3, in an embodiment of the invention, thevehicle technician system14 communicates with thevehicle management system12 and thevehicle management system12 in turn relays this information to the vehicle owner. Inasmuch as many vehicle technicians must communicate with many owners,vehicle management system12 brokers the communication and provides a proxy for eliminating direct communication between the vehicle technicians and the vehicle owners.

Once the vehicle service technician and the vehicle owner are indirectly linked in communication throughvehicle management system12, the roadside service technician may provide details relevant to the nature of the damage or malfunction, as well as information regarding the nature of the vehicle, including the vehicle model, size, and any identification numbers such as a vehicle identification number (VIN), a license plate number, or a national auto glass specification (NAGS) number. Similarly, the roadside service technician may be provided important information from the vehicle owner or the central authority such as whether the damaged part was previously repaired. Further, the technician may be asked to verify information to ensure the technician and the vehicle owner are referencing the same vehicle. Information valuable to the roadside service technician during the repair may be accessed in a standardized section of thetechnician application client52. For example, regarding a tire repair, information such as required tire pressure, preferred tread depth, or any other information relating to the vehicle may be provided to the technician through thetechnician application client52.

In an embodiment of the invention, through thetechnician application client52, the roadside service technician is able to view comments from the various parties related to the vehicle or the service call, such as the vehicle owner, fleet coordinators, or other agents. These comments can be any relevant information the roadside service technician may need or desire for servicing the vehicle. Similarly, the roadside service technician is able to enter comments into thetechnician application client52 for the vehicle owner or other authority to view and consider. In another embodiment of the invention, the comments are provided as a live chat between the authority and the roadside service technician within thetechnician application client52. The live chat may be through a text based communication such as a messaging program, or may be a live video chat between the two parties. In another embodiment of the invention, communication between the authority and the roadside service technician is live using a web services architecture against a cloud database similar todatabase46 and accessed throughnetwork24. As such, communication between each party may be conducted in essentially real-time.

In an embodiment of the invention, an offline mode is provided through thetechnician application client52, whereby the data and information intended to be transmitted to thetechnician application server54 is saved locally while thevehicle technician system14 does not have a data connection tonetwork24. For example, in the embodiment of the invention where thevehicle technician system14 comprises a cellular telephone, the offline mode allows data to reside on the cellular telephone while the telephone is not connected or out of range of a cellular tower. Once the cellular telephone becomes reconnected with a network capable of delivering the data to thetechnician application server54, the offline mode provides this data and facilitates the transfer of the locally stored data when appropriate.

As shown inFIG. 3, thevehicle technician system14 may include amedia capture device50 capable of generating digital media files such as still image files or motion video files. Thevehicle technician system14 may be configured to share the digital media files with thetechnician application client52. In turn, thetechnician application client52 may transmit the digital media files to the vehicle owner by way of thetechnician application server54. The vehicle owner may visually inspect the still images or motion video of the digital media files and consider the details contained therein. Specifically, the roadside service technician may capture images related to the underlying damaged part of the vehicle and transmit these images to the vehicle owner for inspection. The images portray the damaged part inherently without bias and facilitates informed decisions by the vehicle owner regarding the servicing of the vehicle. For example, if the damaged part is a punctured tire resulting in a flat, the vehicle owner may be given the option of deciding whether to repair the tire or replace the tire completely. Often the decision on whether to repair or replace a punctured tire depends on the location of the damage. Damage inflicted on the sidewall portion of a tire is more likely to require replacement of the tire, while damage to the tread area may lend itself to simple repair of the tire. While the roadside service technician may provide a description of the location of the damage, the vehicle owner may be provided with an unbiased view of the damage through images captured bymedia capture device50 and transferred to the vehicle owner through thetechnician application client52. Similarly, if a windshield is cracked or chipped, often the size and placement of the damage dictates whether the windshield needs to be replaced or simply repaired.

Technician application client

52 may include functionality directed to providing the vehicle owner with status updates during the service call. The status update may be generated by manually selecting a graphical icon on thevehicle technician system14 to quickly and asynchronously send the vehicle owner a status update through thetechnician application server54. Providing consistent updates to the vehicle owner allows the vehicle owner to communicate the status of the service call to a client of the vehicle owner, for example, a merchant awaiting delivery of the goods stored on the vehicle. Receiving consistent and incremental status updates allows the vehicle owner to understand where the roadside service technician is within the service process and allows the vehicle owner to respond accordingly and to plan ahead.Technician application client52 may include pre-formed incremental status updates. For example,technician application client52 may include graphical buttons corresponding to “30% completed,” “60% completed,” and “90% completed.”Technician application client52 may alternatively include pre-formed broad status updates in graphical buttons corresponding to “En Route,” “Arrived,” “Service Completed,” and “Returned.” These buttons, when actuated by the roadside service technician, send the associated pre-formed status update to the vehicle owner. Inasmuch as the buttons are pre-formed, incremental, and linked to the vehicle owner, sending a status update requires minimal effort by the roadside service technician, thereby minimizing the disruption to the technician when providing status updates.

As shown inFIG. 3, in an embodiment of the invention, thevehicle technician system14 includes aGPS receiver53 for determining location coordinates of thevehicle technician system14. As such, each time a service technician actuates a selected one or more buttons of thetechnician application client52, GPS coordinates for thevehicle technician system14 are collected from theGPS receiver53, time-stamped, and transmitted to the vehicleservice management system12 vianetwork24 for storage. This information may thereafter be provided on a map or in a text message or other form of communication to the vehicle owner, vehicle driver, or the fleet owner/coordinator to provide information regarding the vehicle technician's whereabouts and incremental relative position. Further, this information may be used to determine an estimated time of arrival (ETA) in real-time and provide the ETA to the driver via text message or through a driver application.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of atechnician application client52 process in more detail. In response to arriving at the location of a vehicle requiring roadside assistance, the roadside service technician manipulates thevehicle technician system14 to initializetechnician application client52, typically by selecting a graphical user interface button on a home screen of thevehicle technician system14. Once open,technician application client52 provides a display login screen (block102), whereby the technician enters login credentials such as a user identification and a password. Once the technician enters login information,technician application client52 verifies whether the login information is valid (block104), either delivering an error message and another opportunity to log in (block106), or displaying a list of open service events (108) for the technician to review and select. Open service events are roadside service situations that may be in the area. For example, the list of open service events may display a flat tire service event on Road ABC and a windshield service event on Road XYZ. The technician reviews the list of open service events and selects the appropriate service event (block110). The roadside service technician thereafter communicates with the vehicle owner or the vehicleservice management system12 through technician application client52 (block112), having been authenticated and having associated the particulartechnician application client52 with a particular open service event.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary login screen in accordance withblock102 ofFIG. 4. The exemplary login screen is displayed on an exemplaryvehicle technician system14 through an exemplarytechnician application client52. Text blocks are available for a user identification and password, which when entered may be checked against a database accessible to thetechnician application client52 to authenticate the technician.FIG. 7 shows an exemplary screen listing open service events in accordance withblock108 ofFIG. 4. Selection boxes are positioned proximate a basic description of an open service event. For example, aselection box53 is positioned proximate an exemplary open service event55. Service event55 is listed as a “Flat Tire” on a vehicle associated with “ABC Trucking” and located at “471 North,Mile #109”. The technician selects the box proximate the relevant open service event and actuates the “SELECT” button to complete the selection. While selection boxes are shown and described herein, any method for selecting a particular open service event may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Vehicleservice management system12 may be configured to broker a service request by broadcasting a request for information to multiple service technicians in the area of the damaged vehicle by way of each technician's associatedvehicle technician system14. If interested in servicing the damaged vehicle, the technicians are invited to respond to the service request with an estimated time of arrival based on metrics associated with the technician such as current workload, distance from the damaged vehicle, availability of necessary equipment required to service the vehicle, or any other metric useful in determining an estimated time of arrival at the damaged vehicle. Vehicleservice management system12 may select the technician with the best reported estimated time of arrival after all of the polled technicians have reported back, or after a set amount of time has elapsed. Vehicleservice management system12 may be configured to thereafter select the technician with the shortest estimated time of arrival to provide the best service to the damaged vehicle. After a particular technician is selected by the vehicleservice management system12, the other technicians are notified that the service request has been filled and the service request to these non-servicing technicians is rescinded.

Thetechnician application client52 may be configured to accessGPS receiver53 included in thevehicle technician system14 to acquire location data regarding the service technician. This location data may be provided to thetechnician application server54 of vehicleservice management system12 to coordinate arrival at the damaged vehicle and to notify the vehicle owner through thevehicle owner system16 and the driver throughvehicle driver system18 of the location of the technician assigned to the damaged vehicle. The vehicle driver may further be provided with dynamic updates regarding the estimated time of arrival of the technician. Further,vehicle owner system16 orvehicle driver system18 may include a map feature to display the location of the technician on a map with the location of the damaged vehicle also displayed.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of atechnician application client52 process in more detail. After the roadside service technician is authenticated to use thetechnician application client52 and after the technician selects an open service, a main menu is presented to the technician (block202). The main menu presents the technician with the option to transmit media to the vehicle owner (block204) or to transmit a status update to the vehicle owner (block210). If the technician desires to transmit media to the vehicle owner, the technician either captures or selects the desired media (block206). The technician may at this juncture usemedia capture device50 ofvehicle technician system14 to capture an image or a video of the damaged part or any other relevant portions of the damaged vehicle. Alternatively, the technician may have already captured an image or a video previously and simply selects the desired media for transfer. Thereafter, the technician transfers the selected media to the vehicle owner (block208). If the roadside service technician desires to transmit a status update to the vehicle owner (block210), the technician may either construct a message by entering in the appropriate text, or alternatively, thetechnician application client52 may include pre-formed status update messages which the technician may select as appropriate (block212). For example “30% complete” for conveying to the vehicle owner that the technician estimates the service is almost one third complete. Thereafter, the technician transfers the status update to the vehicle owner (block214).

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary main menu display in accordance withblock202 ofFIG. 5. The exemplary main menu is displayed on an exemplaryvehicle technician system14 through an exemplarytechnician application client52. Selection boxes are positioned proximate a description of a menu option. For example, aselection box56 is positioned proximate amenu option58 with a description of “Transmit media to vehicle owner”. The technician selectsbox56 and actuates the “SELECT” button to indicate the technician desires to transmit media to the vehicle owner (block204). Thereafter, the technician may either actuate themedia capture device50 to capture an image or a video of the damaged part (block206) or select an image or video previously captured by the media capture device50 (block206). After the digital media is selected, the technician sends the selected digital media file to the vehicle owner (block208). Aselection box60 is positioned proximate amenu option62 with a description of “Provide status update to vehicle owner”. A technician selectsbox60 and actuates the “SELECT” button to indicate the technician desires to transmit a status update to the vehicle owner (block210). Thereafter, the technician may either construct (block212) or select a pre-formed status update (block212) to send to the vehicle owner (block214).FIG. 8 provides aselection box64 positioned proximate a menu option66 with a description of “Send message to vehicle owner”. The technician selectsbox64 and actuates the “SELECT” button to indicate that the technician desires to transmit a message to the vehicle owner. The message may be a free form text entry similar to a text message or may be a pre-formed message selected from a group of pre-formed messages.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary display of a group of pre-formed status update messages the roadside service technician may send to the vehicle owner throughtechnician application client52. Any pre-formed status update in the group may be selected by the technician and send to the vehicle owner by actuating the “SELECT” button. This allows the technician to quickly send an update to the vehicle owner, regardless of whether the vehicle owner is available or responsive. Pre-forming the status update allows for a consistent and standardized feedback mechanism for the vehicle owner. The standardized status updates may be transformed into a graph or a chart withintechnician application server54 and transmitted to the vehicle owner throughvehicle owner system16, which facilitates quick visual assessment by the vehicle owner of the status of the service event. Inasmuch as the vehicle owner may own and maintain an entire fleet of vehicles across a wide geographical area, standardized pre-formed status updates facilitate consistent and efficient understanding between the roadside service technician and the vehicle owner regarding the status of the service.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary display of a free-form text entry function to allow the technician to send a message to the vehicle owner throughtechnician application client52. In one embodiment of the invention, the technician types a message into abox68 and actuates the “SEND” button to communicate the message to the vehicle owner. The vehicle owner may see a “pop-up box” or an alert on the screen ofvehicle owner system16 generated bytechnician application server54. Alternatively, the vehicle owner may observe a new message notification or any other mechanism for prompting the vehicle owner to view the message.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of amedia selection interface70 of thetechnician application client52. Themedia selection interface70 collects media available to the technician onvehicle technician system14 and displays a “thumbnail” representation of the media in a grid pattern for review by the technician. The technician selects the media for transmitting to the vehicle owner by clicking on the associated thumbnails. For example, the technician may desire to transfer the images associated withthumbnails72A,72B, and72C. The technician selects these thumbnails by pressing on the interface of thevehicle technician system14 to highlight the associated thumbnail. Thereafter, the technician actuates the “SELECT” button to communicate the underling digital media files associated withthumbnails72A,72B, and72C to the vehicle owner. Upon receiving the selected digital media files, the vehicle owner may study and consider the transferred media to determine whether a damaged part should be repaired or replaced, or whether more information is needed from the roadside service technician.

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of thetechnician application client52 displaying an image74A and thevehicle owner system16 displaying a corresponding larger version of the image, shown as image74B. The vehicle owner may study and consider image74B when making a determination whether to repair or replace the damaged part, shown inFIG. 12 as a truck tire. Image74B is inherently unbiased and portrays the damaged part in situ, whereby the vehicle owner can study the damaged part and consider the merits of repair or replacement with a factual representation of the damage. WhileFIG. 12 illustratesvehicle technician system14 communicating withvehicle owner system16 throughnetwork24, vehicleservice management system12 may act as a middleware service for receiving information from each of thevehicle technician system14 and thevehicle owner system16 and for transferring the information to the other party. As such, thevehicle owner system16 and the overall interface the vehicle owner may use for communicating indirectly with the vehicle technician may be in the form of email, text messages, or any other communication mechanism. Thetechnician application client52 may be configured to utilize other applications or particular hardware functionality of thevehicle technician system14 such as a video conferencing application and associated hardware or a voice communication application and the associated hardware. The technician may contact the vehicleservice management system12 through any method, include by way of voice telephone call, a video teleconference communication, a text message, etc.

As shown inFIG. 13,technician application client52 may include amedia prompt interface76. The media promptinterface76 includes several graphical elements, referred to as a prompts78, having a corresponding indicia or indication of what specific media the user should provide. For example, as shown inFIG. 13, media promptinterface76 provides a prompt78A indicating that the user should acquire a photograph of the damaged tire bolted on the vehicle. Similarly, prompt78B indicates that the user should acquire a photograph of the license plate of the vehicle, while prompt78C indicates that the user should acquire a photograph of the work area. The vehicle owner or an intermediary using the vehicleservice management system12 may create prompts78 per service event basis to prompt the technician for any specific media the vehicle owner or intermediary may desire. As such, thevehicle owner system16 orvehicle management system12 may include an interface allowing the vehicle owner or intermediary to create, modify, and delete prompts78 for display onprompt interface76.

When a vehicle technician views media promptinterface76, the technician manually clicks or actuates a particular prompt78. Thereafter,media capture device50 is activated and the user manipulates themedia capture device50 to acquire the requested subject of the particular prompt78. For example, when the user actuates prompt78B, themedia capture device50 is activated and the user may use it to capture a picture of the vehicle's license plate. Thereafter, thetechnician application client52 automatically uploads the captured media to vehicleservice management system12 or the technician may manually actuate the upload through a button on the media promptinterface76 such asbutton80.

In an embodiment of the invention, the roadside service technician is prompted to respond to a service survey of the vehicle whereby the technician records the status of relevant portions of the vehicle, such as the remaining wheels in a flat tire scenario. Media of the relevant other portions may be requested by the vehicleservice management system12 and supplied by the roadside service technician throughvehicle technician system14. As such, service issues may be identified before they present a problem to the vehicle.

Although the above embodiments are given with respect to a technician application accessed through a vehicle technician system such as a mobile communications device, it will be understood that the features of the application, including the interaction between the roadside service technician's device and the vehicle owner's device, can be carried out through a customized website accessible through a web browser of the mobile device. Thetechnician application client52 may be implemented or embodied in a series of web pages whereby the functionality of the overall invention may be implemented on the client side, the server side, or a combination thereof. For example, thetechnician application server54 may be configured to implement or facilitate communication protocols or data storage and retrieval functionality, while thetechnician application client52 may be configured to implement client side scripting functionality or rendering of the served web page data. Further, the digital media files may be streamed from thevehicle technician system14 to either directly to thevehicle owner system16 or indirectly through the vehicleservice management system12 and on to thevehicle owner system16. The vehicle owner may thereby view the damaged part in essentially real-time via the streamed digital media files and communicate with the technician about the damaged part over an audio channel.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of the invention, whether implemented as part of an operating system or a specific application, component, program, object, module or sequence of instructions, or even a subset thereof, may be referred to herein as “computer program code,” or simply “program code.” Program code typically comprises computer readable instructions that are resident at various times in various memory and storage devices in a computer and that, when read and executed by one or more processors in a computer, cause that computer to perform the operations necessary to execute operations and/or elements embodying the various aspects of the embodiments of the invention. Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the embodiments of the invention may be, for example, assembly language or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages.

Various program code described herein may be identified based upon the application within which it is implemented in specific embodiments of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular program nomenclature that follows is used merely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited to use solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by such nomenclature. Furthermore, given the generally endless number of manners in which computer programs may be organized into routines, procedures, methods, modules, objects, and the like, as well as the various manners in which program functionality may be allocated among various software layers that are resident within a typical computer (e.g., operating systems, libraries, API's, applications, applets, etc.), it should be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention are not limited to the specific organization and allocation of program functionality described herein.

The program code embodied in any of the applications/modules described herein is capable of being individually or collectively distributed as a program product in a variety of different forms. In particular, the program code may be distributed using a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the embodiments of the invention.

Computer readable storage media, which is inherently non-transitory, may include volatile and non-volatile, and removable and non-removable tangible media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer readable storage media may further include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other solid state memory technology, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and which can be read by a computer. A computer readable storage medium should not be construed as transitory signals per se (e.g., radio waves or other propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a transmission media such as a waveguide, or electrical signals transmitted through a wire). Computer readable program instructions may be downloaded to a computer, another type of programmable data processing apparatus, or another device from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network.

Computer readable program instructions stored in a computer readable medium may be used to direct a computer, other types of programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions that implement the functions, acts, and/or operations specified in the flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and/or block diagrams. The computer program instructions may be provided to one or more processors of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the one or more processors, cause a series of computations to be performed to implement the functions, acts, and/or operations specified in the flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and/or block diagrams.

In certain alternative embodiments, the functions, acts, and/or operations specified in the flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and/or block diagrams may be re-ordered, processed serially, and/or processed concurrently consistent with embodiments of the invention. Moreover, any of the flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and/or block diagrams may include more or fewer blocks than those illustrated consistent with embodiments of the invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, “comprised of”, or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising”.

While all of the invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the Applicant's general inventive concept.

Claims

1. A method for determining a selected service response for servicing a damaged portion of a vehicle, the method comprising:

acquiring a digital media file with a vehicle technician system, wherein the digital media file is associated with the damaged portion of the vehicle;

communicating the digital media file from the vehicle technician system to an authority over a communication network; and

receiving the selected service response from the authority, wherein the selected service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file.

2. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

actuating a camera integrated into the vehicle technician system to acquire the digital media file.

3. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising:

communicating the digital media file to a vehicle owner system associated with the authority.

4. The method ofclaim 3 wherein the selected service response is selected from one of a repair response and a replace response.

5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

applying the selected service response to the vehicle.

6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the authority is an owner of the vehicle.

7. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

prior to acquiring the digital media file, receiving a service request transmitted to the vehicle technician system, wherein the service request includes the physical location of the vehicle.

8. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

selecting a pre-formed status update from a plurality of pre-formed status updates in response to user input directed to the vehicle technician system; and

communicating the selected pre-formed status update from the vehicle technician system to the authority over the communication network.

9. A system for servicing a damaged portion of a vehicle, the system comprising:

a vehicle technician system, the vehicle technician system including at least one first processor and a first memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one first processor, cause the vehicle technician system to:

acquire a digital media file representing the damaged portion of the vehicle;

communicate the digital media file to an authority over a communication network; and

receive a service response selected by the authority, wherein the service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file.

10. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, further cause the vehicle technician system to:

actuate a camera integrated into the vehicle technician system to acquire the digital media file.

11. The system ofclaim 10 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, further cause the vehicle technician system to:

communicate the digital media file to a vehicle owner system associated with the authority.

12. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the selected service response is selected from one of a repair response and a replace response.

13. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the authority is an owner of the vehicle.

14. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, further cause the vehicle technician system to:

receive a service request, wherein the service request includes the physical location of the vehicle.

15. The system ofclaim 9 wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one first processor, further cause the vehicle technician system to:

select a pre-formed status update from a plurality of pre-formed status updates; and

communicate the selected pre-formed status update to the authority over the communication network.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

acquire a digital media file representing a damaged portion of a vehicle;

17. A method for brokering a repair of a damaged vehicle between a service technician and an authority, the method comprising:

dispatching the service technician to the damaged vehicle;

receiving a digital media file from the service technician, wherein the digital media file is associated with a damaged portion of the damaged vehicle;

communicating the digital media file to the authority;

receiving a selected service response from the authority, wherein the selected service response is selected based at least in part on the digital media file; and

communicating the selected service response to the service technician.

18. The method ofclaim 17 further comprising:

selecting the service technician from a plurality of service technicians.

19. The method ofclaim 18 further comprising:

receiving an estimated time of arrival from the service technician; and

selecting the service technician based at least in part on the estimated time of arrival.

20. The method ofclaim 19 further comprising:

polling each service technician in the plurality of service technicians for an estimated time of arrival.

21. A method for brokering a repair of a damaged vehicle between a plurality of service technicians and an authority, the method comprising:

selecting a set of potential service technicians from the plurality of potential service technicians;

transmitting a solicitation to a vehicle technician system of each service technician in the set of service technicians;

receiving a response from each of the service technicians in the set of service technicians;

selecting a responding service technician from the set of service technicians based at least in part on the response; and

dispatching the responding service technician to the damaged vehicle.

22. The method ofclaim 21, further comprising:

receiving a digital media file from the responding service technician, wherein the digital media file is associated with a damaged portion of the damaged vehicle;

communicating the digital media file to the authority;

communicating the selected service response to the service technician.

23. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the response includes a time estimate for the associated service technician to arrive at the damaged vehicle.