Patent ID: 8527378

Claim:
A method for providing technical support for a computing device, the method comprising: detecting, by at least one processor, a problem associated with a computing device; determining, by the at least one processor, a support level assigned to the computing device, the support level having associated therewith a set of problems for which the computing device will automatically send a message to a support provider upon occurrence of a problem in the set; determining, by the at least one processor, whether the problem belongs to a set of problems associated with the support level; automatically sending, by the at least one processor, a message to the support provider in the event the problem belongs to the set, while refraining from sending a message to the support provider in the event the problem does not belong to the set; enabling a user to upgrade the support level of the computing device, thereby expanding the set of problems for which the computing device will automatically send a message to the support provider; and enabling a user to downgrade the support level of the computing device, thereby reducing the set of problems for which the computing device will automatically send a message to the support provider.