Patent ID: 7325170
Filing Date: 2008-01-29
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for providing information for the remote support of one or more devices connected to a user's computer, comprising: installing an information harvester and a formatter on the computer; using the information harvester, enumerating, identifying, and testing at least some of the devices connected to the user's computer, using the standard APIs of the operating system installed on the computer to execute at least some of the testing steps, and collecting information about the devices and any results of the testing; formatting at least some of the collected information for display to the user and presentation to a support specialist; displaying the formatted information as part of a user display also having provision whereby the user may enter additional comments about device problems into the user display; if the user so chooses, collecting any comments that the user provides and sending the combined formatted collected information and the collected user comments to a support specialist by means of a network transport mechanism.