FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The invention generally relates to system and method for servicing installed devices and more particularly to methods of communicating with the service provider for providing servicing to installed devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Prior art methods of detecting and servicing the error suggest creating a local log that is capable of generating high alerts upon detecting errors.

[0003] Alternative methods suggest providing options such as generating audio or video alarms in response to detecting errors. The alerts or alarms thus generated are conveyed to the user and subsequently to the service provider along with details.

[0004] Because of the varying business needs involved  many of the users of installed communication systems have shown dissatisfaction with conventional error logging  and are seeking to be able to make real-time responses to certain error conditions.

[0005] Hence there exists a need for a method that enables real time communication of the user of an installed communication system with the service provider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The above-mentioned shortcomings  disadvantages and problems are addressed herein which will be understood by reading and understanding the following specification.

[0007] In one embodiment  a method of communicating with a service provider is provided. The method comprises steps of generating a message trigger in a system installed by the service provider  creating a status message describing error detection and transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider.

[0008] In another embodiment  a method of providing maintenance service of an installed system is provided. The method comprises steps of detecting an error in a system installed by the service provider  creating a status message describing error detection and transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider.

[0009] Systems and methods of varying scope are described herein. In addition to the aspects and advantages described in this summary  further aspects and advantages will become apparent by reference to the drawings and with reference to the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment in which various embodiments of the invention may function; and

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram depicting a method of communicating with a service provider for providing maintenance of an installed system as described in an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In the following detailed description  reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof  and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments  which may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments  and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that logical  mechanical  electrical and other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description is  therefore  not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0013] Maintenance of an installed system will be easy if system itself gives out a health report. The installed system may be an electronic device  an electrical device  a communication system including a home automation system.

[0014] Health report is needed from the installed embedded system to ensure that one or more of the intended functionalities are functioning in a desired manner. During the execution of one of the various applications  protocols  services or functions  a problem may occur which causes an associated error to be logged to the error log for later analysis.

[0015] Error logs are normally maintained as files in the installed systems in the communication network that serve the client systems in the network. The error log maintains a record of everything that went wrong while the installed system was running. It also contains diagnostic messages  such as notifications of when the particular installed system was started or shut down. The user and/or the service provider is enabled to set his error log level to control the number and type of messages that will be in his error log file. The errors may be in several categories  e.g. document errors such as "document not found"; communication errors  on the Web  for example  CGI (Common Gateway Interface) errors; as well as "installed system start"  "installed system stop messages".

[0016] Conventionally  such communication error logs were used for diagnostic or trouble-shooting purposes in response to installed system or other communication shortcomings or failures. Consequently  the error data was sensed or listened for at selected points or nodes in the installed system controlled communications and the data  indicative of particular error conditions  stored in error log files in association with the installed systems in the communication network. Subsequently  the stored data in the error log was periodically sampled in regular cycles.

[0017] The error log is analyzed and compared to entries in one of a plurality of records in a message look-up table. If there is a match between the fields of the error log request and selected entries of a record in the look-up table  a user message is generated which facilitates the display of a pre-existing user friendly message as modified with data included in the generated error message.

[0018] Most of the systems are designed to maintain such log into an internal storage. For centralizing the maintenance  systems are configured to upload the reports to an internet server that can be accessed from anywhere.

[0019] In an event when there is a problem with the cloud or the internet server  or the network connecting the installed system with the internet server  an alternate method is provided so as to communicate with the service provider about the health of the system. In one embodiment  the alternate method comprises employing one of the wireless communication means including a cellular network  a paging network  a local area network  and a wide area network  a wired network  and the Internet for communicating the information about the health of the system.

[0020] The alternate methods for example use cellular or personal communications service (PCS) networks including GSM network and SMSE gateways. In the exemplary embodiment  the message is sent to the message gateway using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

[0021] Accordingly  in one embodiment of the invention  the installed electronic device may communicate to the service provider a message containing one or more logged errors  using an appropriate communication link. Examples of appropriate links include wireless application protocol (WAP) links  or http links  employing an appropriate format such as  for example  a SyncML message format. Such protocols may be used over wireless networks such as  for example  cellular or personal communications service (PCS) networks.

[0022] In one embodiment  a health monitoring system is provided that monitors the desired functionalities of the installed electronic device and is capable of generating alerts to the service provider. Further  the health monitoring system generated alerts upon detecting two predetermined conditions  the predetermined conditions being detecting an abnormality or error in the installed system and suspecting a potential error. On detecting a potential error  the health monitoring system generates a preventive check message. The preventive check message includes information detailing one or more changes that have occurred in the system that may create potential error.

[0023] In one embodiment  the messages thus generated may be sent to the service provider via a short message service. The message can be sent using an SMSE gateway on the internet or by using a cellular network such as GSM. Skilled artisans shall however appreciate the use of other cellular networks such as CDMA  WCDMA  GSM  AMPS  or PHS network. Such usage of the established communication network is cost effective and easy from the implementation point of view. Using the cellular communication network in particular  has as advantage in that it addresses the issues arising out of connectivity to the cloud.

[0024] In order for the health monitoring system to be able to send the message via the cellular network  the system comprises at least one SIM embedded within the system.

[0025] In one embodiment  a method of communicating with a service provider is provided. The method comprises steps of receiving a message trigger in a system installed by the service provider  creating a status message describing error detection and transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1  there is shown a block diagram of the message/error log handling facility 100. The installed system 110 is communicatively coupled to other devices such as personal communication device 102  104  106 and 108 of the service provider  a remote management system and a central database system 114 and 116 via the network 112. The network 112 can be formed as an intranet  a PAN (Personal Area Network)  a LAN (Local Area Network)  a WAN (Wide Area Network)  a MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) or other type of network. The network 112 may alternatively use wireless technology to connect devices together. The installed system may also communicate with the Internet via an Internet service provider. The network may operate using any network-enabled code  such as Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)  Dynamic HTML  Extensible Markup Language (XML)  Extensible style sheet and Specification Language (DSSSL)  Java.TM.  etc.

[0027] In one embodiment  the message trigger may be generated upon detecting an error in the system installed. In an alternative embodiment  the message trigger may be generated upon detecting a potential fault in the system installed. The method of detecting the potential fault comprises analyzing a system log generated by the system installed.

[0028] Error log and message log/display requests  which are generated by the components of the installed system  are placed into a message/error log queue. A router examines each of the error log and routes the request to the error log request handler. The error log request handler performs a comparison of the record with entries in the message look-up table to determine if a message should be generated as a result of the error log. If a match is found  a message is generated using data specified in the message look-up table. The message request generated by the error log request handler is passed to the message log request handler.

[0029] A message number entry that contains registered number of the service provider’s personal communication device  along with any error data to be inserted into the message is transmitted to the message handler as a part of the generated message request. One or more of pre-existing messages with along with error data is gathered by the message handler in response to the generated message request. The message handler subsequently send the generated message to the registered number of the service provider’s personal communication device.

[0030] Further  the message trigger may also depend on time and trends in the changes of the monitored parameters. Accordingly  the message trigger may be detected upon detecting elapse of a predetermined time period or upon detecting a booting of the system installed.

[0031] In addition to delivering the message to the service provider  the health monitoring system may be configured to generate an alert to one or more users of the installed device  to indicate error detection. The alert may be one of an audio  visual and tactile.

[0032] Most of the systems are designed to maintain such log into an internal storage. For centralizing the maintenance  systems are configured to upload the reports to an internet server that can be accessed from anywhere. Accordingly  the method further comprises posting a report comprising a detailed message  in response to error detection  on internet so as to enable the service provider to download the report.

[0033] Further  the message generated may be sent to a remote management system for seeking repair of the installed system. An operation log may be formed by combining the operation information with the error log containing information about occurrences of errors in the installed system. The operation log may be transferred to the remote management system connected to the installed system by a communication line. The remote management apparatus performs remote management of the condition of the installed system on the basis of the transmitted operation log.

[0034] Further  in one embodiment  a computer program product for executing the method 200 of providing maintenance service of an installed system is provided. The method 200 comprises steps of detecting an error in a system installed by the service provider at step 202  creating a status message describing error detection at step 204 and transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider at step 206.

[0035] Accordingly  one of the implementations of the invention is as an application program made up of programming steps or instructions resident in RAM  during computer operations. Until required by the computer system  the program instructions may be stored in another readable medium  e.g. in disk drive or in a removable memory  such as an optical disk for use in a CD ROM computer input or in a floppy disk for use in a floppy disk drive computer input. Further  the program instructions may be stored in the memory of another computer prior to use in the system of the present invention and transmitted over a LAN or a WAN  such as the Internet  when required by the user of the present invention. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media of a variety of forms.

[0036] In various embodiments of the invention  method of communicating with the service provider is described. However  the embodiments are not limited and may be implemented in connection with different applications. The application of the invention can be extended to other areas  for example service industry. The invention provides a broad concept of enhancing communication between user and service provider. The design can be carried further and implemented in various forms and specifications.

[0037] This written description uses examples to describe the subject matter herein  including the best mode  and also to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the subject matter. The patentable scope of the subject matter is defined by the claims  and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims  or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

CLAIMS

What is claimed is:
1. A method of communicating with a service provider  the method comprising:
generating a message trigger in a system installed by the service provider;
creating a status message describing error detection; and
transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider.

2. The method of claim 1  wherein generating the message trigger comprises:
detecting an error in the system installed.

3. The method of claim 1  wherein generating the message trigger comprises:
detecting a potential fault in the system installed.

4. The method of claim 3  wherein detecting the potential fault comprises:
analyzing a system log generated by the system installed.

5. The method of claim 1  wherein generating the message trigger comprises:
detecting elapse of a predetermined time period.

6. The method of claim 1  wherein generating the message trigger comprises
detecting a booting of the system installed.

7. The method of claim 1  further comprising generating an alert to indicate error detection.

8. The method of claim 7  wherein the alert is one of an audio  visual and tactile.

9. The method of claim 1  wherein the message is transmitted via a global system for mobile communication (GSM) network.

10. The method of claim 9  wherein the message is transmitted by a subscriber identity module (SIM) installed in the system.

11. The method of claim 1  wherein the message is transmitted via internet message gateway.

12. The method of claim 1  further comprising posting a report comprising a detailed message  in response to error detection  on a network so as to enable the service provider to download the report.

13. A method of providing maintenance service of an installed system  the method comprising:
detecting an error in a system installed by the service provider;
creating a status message describing error detection; and
transmitting the status message to at least one personal communication device of the service provider.