Patent ID: 6711738
Filing Date: 2004-03-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method for replacing technologically aging sub-systems in a system, comprising the steps of:maintaining a central customer databank for customers of a party responsible for servicing systems respectively owned by said customers, each of said systems containing at least one sub-system using technologically aging hardware and using technologically aging software; in said databank, for each customer, classifying said sub-system in an age class dependent on an age of said hardware and said software; before repairing said hardware of a sub-system for a customer, interrogating said databank to determine, dependent on the age class of the sub-system for said customer, whether a complete sub-system replacement is required; if interrogation of said databank indicates a complete sub-system replacement is required, completely replacing the sub-system for said customer and updating said databank entry for that customer to indicate replacement of the sub-system; before upgrading said software of a sub-system for a customer, interrogating said databank to determine whether a complete sub-system replacement for that customer is required dependent on the age class of the sub-system; and if interrogation of said databank indicates that a complete replacement of the sub-system is required, replacing said sub-system and upgrading software for the replacement sub-system to a latest generation, and updating said databank to indicate the replacement sub-system and the upgraded software.