Patent ID: 7444216
Filing Date: 2008-10-28
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A computer readable medium having a computer executable program executing on a computing device, wherein the computer executable program is configured to generate, on a display device, a graphical user interface including information related to a vehicle, wherein the graphical user interface comprises: a procedure pane including procedure information, wherein the procedure information comprises a plurality of sub-procedures describing respective steps of the procedure, and the computer executable program is configured to display one of the plurality of sub-procedures in the procedure pane in response to communication with an input device of the computing device; a reference pane including selectable reference information tabs, each of the reference information tabs being related to the displayed one of the plurality of sub-procedures, wherein the reference information tabs are updated in response to changing which of the one of the plurality of sub-procedures is displayed, the reference pane configured to display reference information from a plurality of separate information sources and from a plurality of locations within a single information source, the plurality of separate information sources comprising vehicle specification manuals and Internet reference materials and the single information source comprising a vehicle specification manual; a plurality of sub-procedure tabs associated with the procedure pane such that each of the plurality of sub-procedure tabs relates to at least one of the plurality of sub-procedures of the procedure pane, the plurality of sub-procedure tabs configured to initiate change of the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane when one of the plurality of sub-procedure tabs is selected by the input device of the computing device, wherein the information displayed in the reference pane is automatically updated in response to a change in the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane through selection of at least one of the plurality of sub-procedure tabs, the information displayed in the reference pane being related to the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane; and one or more sub-procedure links embedded in the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane, wherein the one or more sub-procedure links are configured to initiate change of the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane when one of the one or more sub-procedure links is selected by the input device of the computing device, wherein the information displayed in the procedure pane is automatically updated through selection of at least one of the one or more sub-procedure links and the information displayed in the reference pane is updated in response to updating of the sub-procedure displayed in the procedure pane; wherein the procedure information is selected from a list comprising a plurality of ranked procedures, the plurality of ranked procedures being related to respective vehicle symptoms and ranked according to information received from one or more vehicle service centers based on the effectiveness of the respective procedures in reducing the vehicle symptom.