Patent ID: 6842676

Claim:
A method for updating an electronic service tool (EST) that has an electronic data processing (EDP) system which is placed in bi-directional data communication with an EDP system in an electrical system of a motor vehicle when the vehicle is being serviced, the method comprising: with the vehicle motor not running, but with electric power being applied to the vehicle's EDP system, a) transmitting a compatibility request from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to solicit a return of data from the vehicle's EDP system to the EST's EDP system identifying a current set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system; b) processing, in the EST's EDP system, the data returned from the vehicle's EDP system to the EST's EDP system in response to the compatibility request and data identifying each of one or more sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in the EST's EDP system to distinguish a match of the identity of the set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system with that of any of the sets of vehicle-related parameters stored in the EST's EDP system from a non-match; c) after step b) has disclosed a non-match, transmitting an update request from the EST's EDP system to the vehicle's EDP system to solicit a return of set data containing the current set of vehicle-related parameters stored in the vehicle's EDP system; and d) then storing, in the EST's EDP system, the set data returned from the vehicle's EDP system as another set of vehicle-related parameters.