TESTING APPARATUS OR OTHER SIMILAR APPARATUS

Abstract: A testing apparatus which is arranged to execute selectively commandable preprogrammed operations comprises a credit memory (12) for storing a credit balance and input means (14, 16) for inputting a credit code defining a predetermined credit sum into the apparatus which is arranged, upon an input of a credit code, to check the validity of said code (block 31) and, if the code is found to be valid, to increase the stored credit balance by the sum corresponding to said code (block 34), the apparatus being further arranged, upon a command for an operation subject to a charge, to check whether the stored credit balance amounts at least to a sum corresponding to the stipulated charge for said operation and to permit an execution of said operation only if this is the case (block 22) and to decrease the stored credit balance by said sum (block 26) in connection with the execution of said operation (block 25).

Description: Testing apparatus or other similar apparatus The present invention relates to a testing appa¬ ratus or other similar apparatus which is arranged to execute selectively commandable operations preprogram¬ med in said apparatus. Especially, the invention relates to such a testing apparatus which may be utilized for checking the condi¬ tion of electric and electronic systems in cars and other vehicles and for the localization of faults in such systems. By way of example, it could be mentioned that one previously known testing apparatus used for said purpose is marketed by Rymedika AB, Stocksund, Sweden, under the designation Pilot 1010. The invention has for its purpose to provide an apparatus of the kind initially set forth which is con- structed so as to permit a charge to be put on the use of the apparatus and hereby makes it possible to reduce the fixed remuneration which a user has to pay in order to have access to the apparatus and to compensate this by a variable remuneration based on the extent of use of the apparatus. Such an alteration of the payment basis makes it possible also for a user, who needs to utilize the apparatus only on comparatively rare occa¬ sions, to have it available at econimically justifiable total costs. The apparatus, according to the invention proposed for the above purpose, is primarily characterized in that, in order to make it possible to put a charge on at least some of said operations, the apparatus com¬ prises a credit memory for storing a credit balance and input means for inputting a credit code defining a predetermined credit sum into the apparatus which is arranged, upon an input of a credit code, to check the validity of said code and, if the code is found to be valid, to increase the credit balance stored in the credit memory by the sum corresponding to said code, the apparatus being further arranged, upon a command for an operation subject to a charge, to check whether the credit balance stored in the credit memory amounts at least to a sum corresponding to the stipulated charge for said operation and to permit an execution of said operation only if this is the case and to decrease the credit balance stored in the credit memory by said sum in connection with the execution of said operation. In order to make it easier to fix the price of a credit code in different currencies and, additionally, to make it easy to change the price when so required, the apparatus should preferably be arranged to define the credit balance as well as the credit sum defined by an input credit code and the stipulated charge for an operation subject to a charge in predetermined charge units. In order to make it impossible for a user of the apparatus to utilize one and the same credit code repeatedly and to force the user to obtain and pay for a new credit code each time he desires to increase the credit balance, the apparatus may suitably be arranged to accept an input credit code as valid only on the first occasion of an input of said code. In order to attain such a function, the apparatus may comprise a code memory, containing a plurality of acceptable credit codes previously stored therein and, additionally, the apparatus may be arranged to check the validity of a credit code, input by said input means, by comparing said code with codes stored in the code memory and to accept the input code as valid only if it is consistent with a code previously stored in the code memory and not earlier input into the apparatus by said input means. In this case, the apparatus may be arranged, in connection with an increase of the credit balance stored in the credit memory, effected as a result of an input of a valid code, to delete the corresponding code from the code memory. Alternatively, the apparatus may in¬ stead comprise a second code memory in which it is arranged successively to store credit codes, input into the apparatus and accepted therein, and the apparatus may be arranged to accept an input code only if said code has not already been stored in said second code memory on an earlier occasion. In order to make it easy to increase the credit balance stored in the credit memory by sums of different magnitudes, the apparatus may be arranged to accept input credit codes defining credit sums of at least two different magnitudes. Said input means may comprise a keypad which may be utilized also to command an execution of a preprogram¬ med operation and/or an interconnection means by which the apparatus may be connected to an external source of credit codes which may be input in the apparatus. Below the invention is described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus according to the invention, Figure 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the manner of operation of said apparatus upon a command for a preprogrammed operation, Figure 3 shows a general flowchart illustrating the manner of operation of said apparatus upon an input of a credit code, Figures 4, 5 and 6 show more detailed flowcharts illustrating three different alternative manners of operation of the apparatus upon an input of a credit code. The apparatus shown in Figure 1 is substantially constructed as a microcomputer. More particularly, it comprises a microprocessor 10, and I/O port 11, a memory unit 12, a display 13, a keypad 14 connected to I/O port 11, two interconnection means 15 and 16 connected to the I/O port, a data bus 17, an address bus 18 and a check bus 19. The apparatus may for instance consist of a testing apparatus of the kind above mentioned and marketed under the designation Pilot 1010 which has been modified in the required manner to be able to operate according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 2 to 6. Figure 2 illustrates the manner of operation of the apparatus upon a command for a preprogrammed opera¬ tion. If the apparatus is a testing apparatus, said operation may for instance consist in a measurement of a single quantity or a plurality of different quantities of an equipment to which the apparatus has been connected by interconnection means 15 and which for instance may consist of an electronic ignition or brake control system in a car. However, the operation may also be of many other kinds. For instance, it may consist in a successive visual presentation of information of various kinds on display 13. By means of keypad 14, the apparatus may be com¬ manded to execute a selectable operation preprogrammed in a portion of memory unit 12 serving as a program me- mory. In block 20, this command will start a process com¬ prising the following steps. In block 21, the commanded operation is identified. In block 22, it is then asked whether the operation is subject to a charge and, if this is the case, whether a portion of memory unit 12 serving as a credit memory contains a stored credit balance amounting at least to a sum corresponding to the charge in question. If the answer to this question is "no", the process continues to block 23 in which an indication of the fact that the credit balance is insufficient is produced on display 13. The process then returns to block 20 via block 24 in order to be restarted as soon as a new preprogrammed operation is commanded by means of keypad 14. If instead, the answer to the question made in block 22 is "yes", the process continues to block 25 in which an execution of the co - manded operation is initiated. The process then continues to block 26 in which the credit balance stored in the credit memory is decreased by the sum corresponding to the charge put on the commanded operation. If the opera¬ tion is not subject to a charge, any decrease of said balance is of course not effected. The process then returns to block 20 via block 27. Figure 3 illustrates the general manner of opera¬ tion of the apparatus upon an input of a credit code in order to increase the balance in the credit memory. Said code, which may consist of a decimal code comprising several digits, may be input manually by means of keypad 14 or through a transfer of the code to the apparatus via a line for the purpose connected to interconnection means 16 and for instance belonging to a telephone or data network. Upon an input of a credit code into the apparatus, a process comprising the following steps is started in block 30. In block 31, a check is made to ascertain whether the input code is valid. If this is not the case, the process continues to block 32 in which an indication of the fact that the code is invalid is gene¬ rated on display 13. A return to block 30 via block 33 is then effected in order to restart the process as soon as a new credit code has been input into the appa- ratus . If, in block 31, it is instead determined that the input code is valid, the process continues to block 34. In this block, an increase of the credit balance stored in the credit memory by a sum corresponding to said code is effected. Hereupon, a return to block 30 takes place via block 35. Figure 4 illustrates more in detail one possible embodiment of the manner of operation of the apparatus upon an input of a credit code generally shown in Figure 3. In this case, blocks 30, 32, 33, 34 and 35 serve the same purposes as in Figure 3. In Figure 4, block 31 of Figure 3 has been replaced by a block 36 in which the valitidy of the input code is checked by comparing said code with a plurality of codes stored in a portion of memory unit 12 serving as a code memory. If the input code is not consistent with one of the codes stored in said code memory, the process continues to block 32. If, on the other hand, the input code is consistent with a code stored in the code memory, the process instead continues to block 34. After block 34, the process continues to a block 37 which causes a deletion of the code in question from the code memory. This deletion ensures that one and the same credit code cannot be utilized to increase the credit balance more than once. In order to make sure that it will not be possible to use one and the same credit code in more than a single specimen of the apparatus, the codes stored in the code memory should suitably be specific for each specimen of the apparatus. Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the manner of operation of the apparatus upon an input of a credit code. Also in this case, blocks 30, 32, 33, 34 and 35 fulfil the same purposes as in Figure 3. In Figure 5, block 36 of Figure 4 has been replaced by a block 38, serving substantially the same purpose as block 36. However, in block 38, the input code is compared with a plurality of codes previously stored in a first one of two different code memories contained in memory unit 12 and in Figure 5 designated as code memory #1 and code memory #2, respectively. Code memory #1 corresponds to the code memory mentioned in the description of Figure 4, while code memory #2 constitutes a memory in which the apparatus is arranged successively to store codes input into the apparatus and accepted therein. According to Figure 5, if the input code is consis- tent with a code stored in code memory #1, the process continues from block 38 to a block 39. In this block, a check is made to ascertain whether the input code has already been stored in code memory #2. If this is the case, the process continues to block 32. In the opposite case, the process continues instead to block 34. From this block, the process continues to a block 40 which brings the utilized code to be stored in code memory #2. A special advantage of the invention is that the above described manners of operation, which serve to make it possible to put a charge on the utilization of the apparatus, need not result in any substantial increase in the manufacturing costs of the apparatus. The fact is that said manners of operation can be made possible simply by enlarging memory unit 12 so as to include, in addition to a program memory (for instance a PROM), also a credit memory (for instance a RAM) and an auxiliary memory (for instance an EEPROM) , which may serve as a single code memory or as two different code memories, and by storing the required additional software in the program memory. Figure 6 illustrates a further alternative embodi¬ ment of the manner of operation of the apparatus upon an input of a credit code. This manner of operation is based on a principle implying that a portion of memory unit 12 serving as an auxiliary memory contains on the one hand a stored unique identification number of the apparatus, and on the other hand, a stored update number which defines the number of occasions on which, as a result of credit codes previously input and accepted as valid, the credit balance has been updated by being increased by sums corre- sponding to said codes, and that the apparatus is arranged to check the validity of an input credit code through a direct or indirect comparison of information about the identification number of the apparatus and the update number contained in said code with said two numbers stored in the auxiliary memory and to increase the update number stored in the auxiliary memory by one if the input credit code is accepted as valid. The manner of operation shown in Figure 6 represents a preferred manner of implementing the above principle. Blocks 30, 32, 33, 34 and 35 serve the same purposes as in Figure 3 also in this case. In Figure 6, block 36 has been replaced by two blocks 41 and 42. In block 41, a comparison code is formed by deriving it from the identification number and the existing update number in accordance with an algorithm stored in the program memory portion of memory unit 12. In block 42, a check is made to ascertain whether the input credit code is consistent with said comparison code. If this is not the case, the process continues to block 32. However, if there exist a required consistency between said two codes, the process continues to block 34 and then to block 43, in which the update number stored in the auxiliary memory is increased by 1. The invention is not restricted to the embobiments above described and illustrated in the drawings. Instead, many other embodiments are feasible within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims: Claims 1. Testing apparatus or other similar apparatus which is arranged to execute selectively commandable operations preprogrammed in said apparatus, characterized in that, in order to make it possible to put a charge on at least some of said operations, the apparatus comprises a credit memory for storing a credit balance and input means for inputting a credit code defining a predeter¬ mined credit sum into the apparatus which is arranged, upon an input of a credit code, to check the validity of said code and, if the code is found to be valid, to increase the credit balance stored in the credit memory by the sum corresponding to said code, the apparatus being further arranged, upon a command for an operation subject to a charge, to check whether the credit balance stored in the credit memory amounts at least to a sum corresponding to the stipulated charge for said operation and to permit an execution of said operation only if this is the case and to decrease the credit balance stored in the credit memory by said sum in connection with the execution of said operation. 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it is arranged to define the credit balance as well as the credit sum defined by an input credit code and the stipulated charge for an operation subject to a charge in predetermined charge units. 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is arranged to accept an input credit code as valid only on the first occasion of an input of said code. 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises a code memory, containing a plurality of acceptable credit codes previously stored therein, the apparatus being arranged to check the validity of a credit code, input by said input means, by comparing said code with codes stored in the code memory and to accept the input code as valid only if it is consistent with a code previously stored in the code memory and not earlier input into the apparatus by said input means. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that it is arranged, in connection with an increase of the credit balance stored in the credit memory, effected as a result of an input of a valid code, to delete the corresponding code from the code memory. 6. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a second code memory in which it is arranged successively to store credit codes, input into the apparatus and accepted therein, the apparatus being arranged to accept an input code only if said code has not already been stored in said second code memory on an earlier occasion. 7. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that it comprises an auxiliary memory, containing a stored unique identification number of the apparatus and a stored update number, defining the number of occa¬ sions on which, as a result of credit codes previously input and accepted as valid, the credit balance has been updated by being increased by sums corresponding to said codes, the apparatus being arranged to check the validity of an input credit code by comparing infor¬ mation about the identification number of the apparatus and the update number contained in said code with said two numbers stored in the auxiliary memory and, if the input credit code is accepted as valid, to increase the update number stored in the auxiliary memory by one. 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that it is arranged to effect said comparison by compa¬ ring the input credit code with a comparison code de¬ rived in accordance with a preprogrammed algorithm from said two numbers stored in the auxiliary memory. 9. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is arranged to accept input credit codes defining credit sums of at least two diffe¬ rent magnitudes. 10. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said input means comprise a keypad which may be utilized also to command an execution of a preprogrammed operation. 11. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said input means comprise an inter- connection means by which the apparatus may be connected to an external source of credit codes which may be input in the apparatus.

Inventors: RYBERG MOUSINHO DE FIGUEIREDO, RYBERG MOUSINHO DE FIGUEIREDO, NUNO
Applicants: RYBERG MOUSINHO DE FIGUEIREDO, RYBERG MOUSINHO DE FIGUEIREDO, NUNO
Application year: 1996
Main classification: G07F7
IPC codes: G07F7