Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Automated computer electronics device reporting

Automated computer electronics device reporting description/claims

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/995,575, entitled AUTOMATED CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DEVICE REPORTING, filed on Sep. 26, 2007 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/062,171, entitled MODULAR WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR, filed on Jan. 23, 2008 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Itay Cohen, Tami Demri, Hagay Katz, Eran Miller, Hagit Perry, Uri Ron and Yaron Segalov. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/063,668, entitled MODULAR WIRELESS COMMUNICATOR, filed on Feb. 5, 2008 by inventors Dov Moran, Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Itay Cohen, Yaron Segalov, Tami Demri, Eran Miller, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/080,264, entitled AUTOMATED CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DEVICE REPORTING, filed on Jul. 13, 2008 by inventors Itay Sherman, Eyal Bychkov, Uri Ron, Hagay Katz and Hagit Perry.

The field of the present invention is wireless communication.

Consumer electronics manufacturers and retailers, service providers, and accessory merchandise sellers, benefit greatly from keeping in touch with purchasers of consumer electronics devices and from being informed of consumer usage behavior for the devices. By keeping in touch with purchasers, they are able to offer the purchasers related goods and services. For example, a purchaser of a digital camera is a potential candidate for buying a newer model of the camera. If the memory card in the camera often fills up, the purchaser is a potential candidate for buying a larger memory card. The purchaser is also a potential candidate for services, such as training courses in photography.

Currently, reporting of purchaser information for consumer electronics devices, and reporting of consumer usage behavior is limited. Often the devices do not have convenient network connectivity, and relevant information is reported manually by contacting a purchaser by phone, e-mail, Internet web-site, or when the purchaser visits a store, or by conducting surveys. Moreover, even for devices that do have convenient network connectivity, such connectivity is typically used for uploading and downloading files, and for device settings, but not for submitting reports about the devices.

Reporting of purchaser information is voluntary, and often such information is not reported due to lack of time. In some cases purchasers report information because of incentives; for example, to activate a warranty, or to receive a gift.

Nevertheless, even when reports are provided, reporting of consumer information is limited and does not provide usage behavior information.

Aspects of the present invention enable automated generation and submission of reports about consumer electronics devices. The reports may include technical information about a device, personal information about the owner of the device, and information describing the owner's usage of the device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, generation and submission of reports is enabled by connecting a wireless transmitter in the form of a communication card to consumer electronics devices.

The consumer electronics devices supported by the present invention are of many types, including inter alia cameras, media players, computers, home entertainment systems, home appliances, kitchen appliances, and electric tools.

The consumer electronics devices generally include memories that store technical and usage information about the devices, and the communication card includes a memory that stores information about the owner of the devices. When connected to a device, the communication card automatically generates and sends reports about the device and about the owner of the device and about the owner's usage behavior, to one or more appropriate recipients, including inter alia sellers and manufacturers of the device, and technical support centers.

Report generation and submission for an electronics device may be automatically initiated when one or more pre-designated events involving the device occur, may be scheduled periodically, and may be manually initiated either by the owner of the device or by a remote recipient of the report.

Reports may be sent to recipients in the form of SMS messages, MMS messages, e-mail messages, voice messages, or other such GPRS or IP network messages. In addition, the communication card may open voice channels, thereby enabling owners of devices to speak directly with recipients.

The present invention applies to a wide variety of different types of reports, including inter alia registration of electrical appliances, maintenance and diagnostic reports, and marketing-based consumer reports.

The present invention also applies to access control security, whereby an electronics device only operates if an authorized communication card is connected thereto. Moreover, if the consumer device is reported as being missing or stolen, then it does not operate at all, even if an authorized communication card is connected thereto.

Further aspects of the present invention apply to jacket covers for communication cards. A “jacket” is a passive device that operates only in combination with the communication card. A jacket generally does not have its own processor. A jacket may include one or more of a keypad, display, microphone, speaker, earpiece, headset port and USB port. A jacket is connected to a communication card via dedicated connector having a communication bus. Using the present invention, reports may be automatically generated and submitted about jackets and their usages.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a system for generating and submitting reports about consumer electronics devices, including a consumer electronics device, including a host interface, for connecting a wireless communication card to a consumer electronics device, and a host memory storage unit, for storing technical information and usage information about the consumer electronics device, denoted INF-1, and a wireless communication card, including a controller, for executing programmed instructions, a power subsystem for supplying power to the communication card, a wireless modem coupled with the controller for receiving and transmitting data over the air, and a card interface for connecting the communication card to the consumer electronics device, wherein the controller is programmed to collect information INF-1, to generate a report including at least a portion of information INF-1, to collect recipient address information, denoted INF-2, and to submit the report to a recipient address as per information INF-2, via the wireless modem, over a wireless communication network that connects the communication card and the recipient.

There is additionally provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a method for generating and submitting reports about consumer electronics devices, including storing technical and usage information about a host consumer electronics device, denoted INF-1, in a storage unit of the device, connecting a wireless communication card to the consumer electronics device, collecting, by the communication card, information INF-1, and recipient address information, denoted INF-2, when the communication card is connected to the consumer electronics device, generating a report about the consumer electronics device, the report including at least a portion of information INF-1, and submitting the report to a recipient address as per information INF-2, by the communication card, over a wireless communication network that connects the communication card and the recipient.

There is further provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention a system for generating and submitting reports about consumer electronics devices, including a consumer electronics device, including a host interface, for connecting a wireless communication card to a consumer electronics device, and a host memory storage unit, for storing technical information and usage information about the consumer electronics device, denote INF-1, and a wireless communication card, including a controller, for executing programmed instructions, a power subsystem for supplying power to the communication card, a wireless modem coupled with the controller for receiving and transmitting data over the air, and a card interface for connecting the communication card to the consumer electronics device, wherein the controller is programmed to collect information INF-1, to retrieve personal information about an owner of the consumer electronics device, denoted INF-3, from a network computer, to generate a report including at least a portion of information INF-1 and INF-3, to collect recipient address information, denoted INF-2, and to submit the report to a recipient address as per information INF-2, via the wireless modem, over a wireless communication network that connects the communication card, the network computer, and the recipient.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws