Patent ID: 8620511

Claim:
A method for a user to diagnose an apparatus using a diagnostic system, the method comprising: receiving into a diagnostic system apparatus identification information; receiving into the diagnostic system an indication of a fault that can be experienced by an apparatus; in response to receiving the indication of the fault, using the apparatus identification information and stored diagnostic data to determine, via the diagnostic system, a list of possible causes and a corresponding list of tests that can be performed on the apparatus to diagnose a cause of the fault; displaying on an electronic device, via the diagnostic system, the list of possible causes and the corresponding list of tests, for selection of a test by a user; receiving into the diagnostic system from the user, via the electronic device, a selection of a test to perform on the apparatus under diagnosis, wherein the user selects the test from the corresponding list of tests; in response to the test being performed to diagnose a cause of the fault, collecting, via the diagnostic system, test data and the apparatus identification information in a remote system library; and receiving into the diagnostic system updated apparatus diagnostic data from the remote system library, wherein the updated apparatus diagnostic data is based upon at least the collected test data and the apparatus identification information.