Abstract:
The present invention relates to diagnosis of issues of individual mobile electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, portable media players, or tablet or other computers). The issues are addressed by logic and data on the device and/or in a mobile device diagnosis center, possibly in collaboration. The center may contain information relating to such devices generally, as well as particular information relating to a device being diagnosed. The general information might include information about product specifications; statistical information based on data gathered about actual usage of such devices; information about service providers and service plans; and information about possible solutions for various kinds of issues. The device-specific information might include a history of the usage, repairs, and other activities and issues pertaining to the particular device. Diagnosis by the center may result in a recommendation to the device, which may automatically take action, possibly after backing itself up to the center.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to diagnosis of mobile devices. More specifically, it relates to collaboration between individual devices and a center for diagnosis of such devices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Diagnosis of issues of individual mobile electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, portable media players, or tablet or other computers) is described herein. The issues may be addressed by logic and data, by the device and/or a mobile device diagnosis center. The diagnosis center may contain information relating to such devices generally, as well as particular information relating to a device being diagnosed. The general information might include information about product specifications; statistical information based on data gathered about actual usage of such devices; information about service providers and service plans; and information about possible solutions for various kinds of issues. The device-specific information might include a history of the usage, repairs, and other activities and issues pertaining to the particular device. Diagnosis by the center may result in a recommendation to the device, which may automatically take action, possibly after backing itself up to the center. Such action may modify some configuration or functionality of the mobile device, or suggest some user action. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between a mobile device diagnosis center and individual mobile devices, as well as various information sources. 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a mobile device, and information that might be stored either the device or a mobile device diagnosis center. 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating components of a mobile device diagnosis center. 
           [0006]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating steps or functions that might be performed by a mobile device diagnosis center. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating steps or functions that might be performed by a mobile electronic device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
       [0008]    This description provides embodiments of the invention intended as exemplary applications. The reader of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the invention has broader scope than the particular examples described here. 
         [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates resources that can collaborate to diagnose a mobile electronic device  100  (herein also, a “mobile device  100 ” or a “device  100 ”); that is, to analyze some aspect of the device, and to recommend repairs or improvements. Examples of mobile electronic devices  100  include cell phones, portable media players, tablets and other portable computers. The mobile electronic device  100  in the figure typifies a plurality of such devices that may interact for purposes of diagnosis with a mobile device diagnosis center  110 , which is a repository of information about mobile electronic devices  100 . 
         [0010]    A number of different kinds of information may be important for improving the usefulness or performance of a given mobile electronic device  100 . If the device  100  uses a mobile device service plan for, say, cellular communication, then information about the service plan and the service plan provider  140  are relevant. The plan may set limits on particular kinds of usage (e.g., volume of data transferred per month, or number of text messages sent and received), and possibly impose charges, sometimes substantial ones, for exceeding the limits. A particular plan may be unsuited for a particular device (or group of devices in, say, a family plan), because usage may routinely exceed limits, or may be close to exceeding some limit in a current time period. On the other hand, a user may never come close to the limits of their plan, indicating a less expensive plan may be adequate. In a group plan, some particular users (e.g., teenagers in a family plan) may be causing particular limits to be exceeded. Information about the plan may be obtained from the service plan provider  140 . Information about actual usage may be obtained by the center  110  from the mobile electronic device  100  itself. 
         [0011]    Diagnostic facilities may be on the mobile electronic device  100  itself, or in a mobile device diagnosis center  110 , or shared between them. A given facility may gather and/or use some or all of these types of data, and how the facility may exploit such types of data may vary. Note that a diagnosis may be triggered by a user request, by a problem recognized by logic on the device  100  or the center  110 , or by some application or scan run occasionally or periodically. 
         [0012]    Specifications about the device  100  itself, and about software applications (apps) installed on the device  100  may also be useful. For example, permissions associated with some app may be particularly intrusive from a privacy perspective, a fact that a user might want to know. Another example is an application that “hogs” one or more resources on the device  100 . If a user has a particular goal that they want to achieve, then perhaps a change of device, or of installed software is warranted. Information about specifications of devices  100  and apps might be obtained by the device  100  or the center  110 , for example, from manufacturers and vendors  130  of devices  100  or apps, or from service plan providers  140 . 
         [0013]    A user may have short-term needs for which they might want adjustments made to the mobile electronic device  100 . For example, a user about to travel abroad might want to disable or limit functionality to keep unusual costs down. A device  100  may have the capability to receive a request to make appropriate changes, and do so automatically either using its logic on the device  100  and/or logic at the center  110 . Alternatively, the user interface  254  may present the user with some options or suggestions. 
         [0014]    For an individual mobile device  100 , a mobile device diagnosis center  110  may maintain a history of changes made to the device, such as repairs, recommendations made, service plans and providers, and user satisfaction about various aspects of the device  100 , usage, apps, and performance. The history will be relevant to diagnosis of the device  100  and to issue resolution. The historical information can also be aggregated from many devices  100  by the mobile device diagnosis center  110 , so that an individual user may benefit from the experiences of others, and from comparisons of their device  100  usage with statistics derived from such data. Data available from other sources about such devices  100  may also be acquired, maintained, and applied for diagnosis and resolution by the mobile device diagnosis center  110 . 
         [0015]    Information useful for diagnosis of a particular mobile electronic device  100  may be maintained on the device  100  itself, or by the mobile device diagnosis center  110 , alone or in combination. For example, the expiry date of a credit card used to pay for either the user&#39;s service plan or for their use of the mobile device diagnosis center  110  might be maintained only on the device  100 . Logic, in the form of processing hardware and software, to warn the user that credit information needs to be updated, might be executed either on the device  100  or by the mobile device diagnosis center  110 , again alone or in combination. For example, software executing on the device  100  may interact and collaborate with software executing at the mobile device diagnosis center  110  to diagnose situations and make recommendations. 
         [0016]    A situation or issue may be resolved in a number of ways. For example, the user might be sent a diagnostic message or alert. The alert could be communicated by e-mail, by text message, or might be displayed on a user interface  254  of the device  100 . The alert could be audible or visual. The issue might be automatically resolved. For example, following a prior instruction received through the user interface  254 , logic on the device  100  or at the center  110  may automatically swap service plans on an ongoing basis to minimize costs. The issue might be resolved by an advisor  170 , represented in  FIG. 1  by a laptop computer, who might run various diagnostic tests on the device, or help the user with choices about how to proceed. Similarly, issues or questions for resolution might be identified automatically by logic on the device  100  and/or the center  110 , by a user of the device  100 , or by an advisor  170 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  uses a cloud to represent an external communication system  120 . This might be the Internet or cell phone communication; it might be wired or wireless; it might be local or remote. We define a communication system recursively. Any combination of communication systems (including hardware and/or software) is a communication system. Our cloud representation is generic, and does not imply that, for example, communication between an advisor  170  and a mobile electronic device  100  uses the same means as communication between the mobile device diagnosis center  110  and a mobile device service plan. 
         [0018]    Arrows, typified by arrow  150 , indicate connection to the external communication system  120 . Connection from each of the represented entities to the external communication system  120  is through one or more external interfaces  151 . The external interfaces  151  may utilize hardware, but will typically be implemented at least in part by software executing on a processor. A given entity may have separate interfaces  151  for communication with different external entities or for different purposes. The external interfaces of the device  153  and of the mobile device diagnosis center  110  are suggested in the figure by reference numerals associated with arrowheads. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates some components that might be included in a mobile electronic device  100 . The device  100  may include a user interface  254 , for communication with a user. The user interface  254  might include, for example, a touch screen, some hardware controls (e.g., buttons, dials, switches), and various ports (e.g., USB or audio). The device  100  may include one or more external interfaces  151 . Operations of the device  100  are controlled by a processing system  210 , some combination of hardware and software logic, the software logic being stored in tangible storage  220 . The device  100  may contain tangible storage  220 , which may include a hardware ID and model  222  of the device  100 , and software applications  221 . Some of these software applications  221  will come pre-installed on the device  100 , and others may be user-installed. An app  221  may have permission, often granted through a clicking on an “Accept” button at the time of download, to access or change various device data and features (e.g., the user&#39;s contact list or GPS location). Displaying app permissions to a user is a diagnostic function, that may be performed by diagnostic logic executing, possibly executing as an application, on the device  100 , possibly in collaboration with the center  110 . The logic might distinguish pre-installed software, allowing the user to delete only user-installed software. The hardware ID and model  222  may be used to uniquely identify the device  100  for diagnosis, for maintaining a history of the device  100 , and for accumulation to compute statistics on various sets of devices, applications, and/or service providers. 
         [0020]    A mobile electronic device  100  has various system functions  200 , which are what the device  100  actually does—activities or tasks executed through its hardware or its software. Diagnosis of the device  100  will often pertain to how well these system functions  200  are being carried out by the device  100 , if at all. Alerts may be communicated to a user through an alert system  232 . This alert system  232  might include, for example, the user interface  254 , an audio system  231 , e-mail, and/or texting. The alert system  232  might also include a still or motion camera  230 . 
         [0021]    Information about the particular device  100  might be stored on the device  100 , in the center  110 , or both. The dual possibilities for storage may apply to, e.g., the types of data  240  shown in the dashed box including: usage and performance information  241 ; device history  242 ; device history  242 ; bank and billing information  244  (e.g., credit card expiry date); and diagnosis logic  245 . Arrows  260  and  261  suggest that the data  240  might be found in either location. 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating components that may be included in a mobile device diagnosis center  110 . The components are in three groups: diagnosis engine  300 ; interfaces  310 ; and stored information  320 . The interfaces  310  are of three types: mobile devices interface  311 ; device advisor interface  312 ; and information sources interfaces  311 . 
         [0023]    The stored information  320 , which may be saved in tangible storage, includes device specifications  321 ; information about service plans and providers  322 ; information about banks/credit/payment  323 ; mobile device statistical data  324 ; software app information  325 ; and backup storage  326  and software instructions  327 . Note that the information described here has broad applicability to many devices, as distinguished from the device- or user-specific data  240 , which might be stored on either an individual device  100  or in the center  110 . 
         [0024]    The device specifications  321  might be received from a manufacturer, a vendor, or from a service provider. The device specifications  321  essentially define the components and functionality of the device, including both software and hardware, and performance expectations and metrics. The information about service plans and providers  322  may include information about what is provided in a service plan, plan costs, who is covered (e.g., an individual, or a group or family); contact information for the service plan provider  140 , such as phone or e-mail for technical support and customer service; and any provider-specific modifications or additions to the device  100 , such as provider software applications. The information about banks/credit/payment  323  may include payment and credit information. This information might specify payment plans and deadlines for the services of the mobile device diagnosis center  110  or of a mobile device service (e.g., cellular phone service). The mobile device statistical data  324  includes data, and statistics computed from that data, derived from the community of mobile devices  100  in operation “in the field”. The software app information  325  describes individual software applications—what function they are intended to serve; what permissions they require; and how they are rated by, for example, users and reviewers. 
         [0025]    The software instructions  327  provide logic that is used by the processor  301  to operate and maintain the mobile device diagnosis center  110 . Logic executing at the mobile device diagnosis center  110  or on the mobile device  100  itself might cause changes to the mobile device  100 , as part of functions instituted automatically by the logic or by the user. The backup storage  326  is a cloud-based repository that may be used to back up the mobile device  100  contents prior to executing such an operation. 
         [0026]    The stored information  320  may include, for example, information about failures and repairs; user satisfaction with the device, application software, or service plans; adware and malware issues; and issues with software applications. Some of the data says how the device  100  ought to be performing, other data says how it actually is performing. 
         [0027]    The process of recommendation-backup-change might be fully automated. For example, information sent by the device  100  to the center  110  might cause logic on the center  110  to send the device  100  a recommendation for a change to device  100  configuration (e.g., hardware, software, service plan, payment method). Logic on the device  100  might then transmit backup information to the center  110 , which then stores the information. Perhaps after receiving an acknowledgment signal of successful completion after the backup, the device  100  then automatically executes the change to the device  100  configuration. Alternatively, the device  100  might suggest user action through a user interface  254 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  summarizes some mobile device diagnosis center functions  400 , or steps, that may be taken by a mobile device diagnosis center  110 . A given mobile device diagnosis center  110  may have some or all of these capabilities. Any process that includes at least one of these steps (in any order and possibly combined with other steps or logic), is contemplated by this Specification. The functions include: store  401  specifications from vendors, manufacturers, developers, or providers regarding mobile device models, service plans, service plan payment, or apps; respond  402  to a question from a mobile device user; communicate  403  a recommendation to fix a problem of functionality or performance; receive  404  service plan information from providers; recommend  405  a modification to a service provider or service plan; monitor and collect  406  performance, failure, and usage data from individual mobile devices; assess  407  whether features of a mobile device are working, and how well they are performing; receive  404  service plan or payment information of an individual device; recommend  409  a modification to a payment approach; communicate  410  a recommendation regarding an app that is stored or executing on the mobile device; compute or store  411  analytics based on data collected from individual mobile devices; compare  412  individual mobile device data with statistics; analyze  413  usage by individual members in a group or family plan; transmit or receive  414  information through an interface that connects to an external communication system; maintain  415  device configuration/operation history; and store  416  a backup of information received from a mobile device. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  summarizes some mobile device functions  500  that may be taken by a mobile electronic device  100 . Any combination of these actions, in any order and possibly in combination with actions described elsewhere in this document, may form methods of the invention. The functions include: receive and transmit  501  information through a user interface; through the external interface, communicate  502  with a mobile device diagnosis center  110 ; display  503  applications, permissions, usage metrics; delete or disable  504  an application; assess  505  functionality and performance of device features and apps; recommend  506  a change in service plan or provider; display  507  metrics about plan usage by group members; through the UI, send  508  an alert or alarm; recommend  509  a solution to fix a problem or to improve performance; compare  510  this mobile device with statistics regarding similar ones; display  511  information regarding usage of device resources; alert  513  about credit card expiry; back up  515  the mobile device prior to modifying its configuration; and modify  516  the configuration of the mobile device based on recommendation or information received through the external interface. 
         [0030]    Of course, many variations of the above method are possible within the scope of the invention. The present invention is, therefore, not limited to all the above details, as modifications and variations may be made without departing from the intent or scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention should be limited only by the following claims and equivalent constructions.