Patent ID: 8145713

Claim:
A method of cooperatively processing a care request, the method comprising the steps of: (a) creating, at a requesting end user device in a plurality of end user devices, a care request comprising a set of data relating to a fault in operating the requesting end user device; (b) receiving, at a processing end user device in the plurality of end user devices, the care request; (c) utilizing the processing end user device to initiate processing of the care request; (d) assembling a set of working data comprising an indication of a first cause which had been examined to determine a first relationship between the first cause and at least one symptom from one or more symptoms indicated by the set of data comprised in the care request; (e) evaluating an option of processing the care request using an additional device, wherein evaluating the option of processing the care request using the additional device comprises determining if the additional device has a capability to determine a second relationship between a second cause and at least one symptom from the one or more symptoms indicated by the set of data comprised in the care request; (f) after utilizing the processing end user device to initiate processing of the care request, utilizing the additional device to continue processing of the care request; and (g) after utilizing the additional device to continue processing of the care request, determining a response to the care request.