Automated equipment tracking for service technicians

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11222308-B2
Application number	US-201916712649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Dec 12, 2019
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

The concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to automated tool tracking for service technicians. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a tool tracking system can collect tool data from a vehicle system of a vehicle. The tool data can be associated with a tool that is to be utilized by a service technician to provide, at least in part, a service at a customer location. The tool tracking system can store the tool data in a data store. The tool tracking system can map the tool data to the vehicle and can determine when the tool is no longer mapped to the vehicle. This can be indicative of the tool having been left, for example, at the customer location. The tool tracking system can create an alert to inform the service technician and/or another entity that the tool is no longer mapped to the vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool tracking system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising
receiving, from a vehicle system of a first vehicle, via a network, tool data associated with a tool to be utilized by a service technician to provide, at least in part, a service at a customer location, wherein the tool data is received by the vehicle system of the first vehicle from a tool sensor of the tool, and wherein the tool data comprises a sensor address that uniquely identifies the tool sensor and a signal strength of a connection between the tool sensor and the vehicle system of the first vehicle,
storing the tool data in a data store of the tool tracking system,
mapping the tool data to the first vehicle to create a record,
determining that the sensor address associated with the tool sensor of the tool is being reported by both the vehicle system of the first vehicle and a vehicle system of a second vehicle,
determining, based at least in part on the signal strength of the connection between the tool sensor and the vehicle system of the first vehicle, that the tool is present in the second vehicle and not the first vehicle,
in response to determining that the tool is present in the second vehicle and not the first vehicle,
removing the record mapping the tool data to the first vehicle from the data store, and
mapping the tool data to the second vehicle,

determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle, and
in response to determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle, creating an alert.

2. The tool tracking system of claim 1 , wherein receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, the tool data comprises receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, the tool data in response to a scan performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle to identify the tool via the tool sensor of the tool.

3. The tool tracking system of claim 2 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, vehicle data that uniquely identifies the first vehicle and a location of the first vehicle when the scan was performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle.

4. The tool tracking system of claim 3 , wherein mapping the tool data to the first vehicle comprises mapping the tool data to the vehicle data and to the location of the first vehicle after the scan was performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle.

5. The tool tracking system of claim 2 , wherein determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle comprises determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle based upon a scan performed by the vehicle system of the second vehicle, wherein the scan performed by the vehicle system of the second vehicle does not identify the sensor address that uniquely identifies the tool sensor.

6. The tool tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise providing the alert to a device associated with the service technician to inform the service technician that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle.

7. The tool tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise providing the alert to a service provider management system that can present the alert to a supervisor of the service technician to inform the supervisor that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a tool tracking system, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
receiving, from a vehicle system of a first vehicle, via a network, tool data associated with a tool to be utilized by a service technician to provide, at least in part, a service at a customer location, wherein the tool data is received by the vehicle system of the first vehicle from a tool sensor of the tool, and wherein the tool data comprises a sensor address that uniquely identifies the tool sensor and a signal strength of a connection between the tool sensor and the vehicle system of the first vehicle;
storing the tool data in a data store of the tool tracking system;
mapping the tool data to the first vehicle to create a record;
determining that the sensor address associated with the tool sensor of the tool is being reported by both the vehicle system of the first vehicle and a vehicle system of a second vehicle;
determining, based at least in part on the signal strength of the connection between the tool sensor and the vehicle system of the first vehicle, that the tool is present in the second vehicle and not the first vehicle;
in response to determining that the tool is present in the second vehicle and not the first vehicle,
removing the record mapping the tool data to the first vehicle from the data store, and
mapping the tool data to the second vehicle;

determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle; and
in response to determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle, creating an alert.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, the tool data comprises receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, the tool data in response to a scan performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle to identify the tool via the tool sensor of the tool.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the vehicle system of the first vehicle, vehicle data that uniquely identifies the first vehicle and a location of the first vehicle when the scan was performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein mapping the tool data to the first vehicle comprises mapping the tool data to the vehicle data and to the location of the first vehicle after the scan was performed by the vehicle system of the first vehicle.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle comprises determining that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle based upon a scan performed by the vehicle system of the second vehicle, wherein the scan performed by the vehicle system of the second vehicle does not identify the sensor address that uniquely identifies the tool sensor.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise providing the alert to a device associated with the service technician to inform the service technician that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise providing the alert to a service provider management system that can present the alert to a supervisor of the service technician to inform the supervisor that the tool is no longer mapped to the second vehicle.

15. A method comprising:
receiving, from a vehicle system of a first vehicle, by a tool tracking system comprising a processor, via a network, tool data associated with a tool to be utilized by a service technician to provide, at least in part, a service at a customer location, wherein the tool data is received by the vehicle system of the first vehicle from a tool sensor of the tool, and wherein the tool data comprises a sensor address that uniquely identifies the tool sensor and a signal strength of a conn

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp
• Interwise Ltd

Inventors

• Nukala Sreenivas
• Hersh Adam
• Ganani Nir
• Janardan Satish
• Goettsch Bryan
• Willis Donald
• Cao Quang
• Patel Saurav
• Taylor Jesse
• Hamdy Mirage
• Smith Valerie
• Sasson Meni
• Benyamin Amir
• Roberts Jr Stephen Alexander

Classifications

• G06Q10/20

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q10/08778 Primary

  for managing mis-shipments, lost items or stolen goods · CPC title