Customer-based product design module
View Patent ↗A network, including a product sub-system that interacts with a user, gathers information from the user, communicates the information to the product's vendor, and receives new pre-programmed interactions from the vendor for future interactions with the user. The sub-system is in or attached to a product. Further components include a data processing system for constructing and downloading pre-programmed interactions to the product sub-system; a communications sub-system for transmitting the data from the product sub-system to the vendor's computer; a communications apparatus for reading the product sub-system's data, transmitting it to the vendor's computer, and downloading new pre-programmed interactions to the product sub-system; a data processing system residing in the product sub-system for conducting interactions with a user; and a data processing system residing in the vendor's computer for analyzing and reporting information gathered from users.
1. A unit, comprising:
a memory;
a transmitter; and
a processor, coupled to the memory and to the transmitter, configured to:
monitor a product for an occurrence in the product of a trigger event of a predefined plurality of trigger events,
increment a counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the trigger event,
cause the display of a user interface, configured to probe for information regarding a use of the product, if the counter exceeds a threshold,
cause the memory to store an input received from the user interface, and
cause the transmitter to transmit the input to a server.
2. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the input reflects a request to schedule maintenance.
3. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the input reflects a submission of a purchase order.
4. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the input reflects a request for interactive assistance.
5. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
monitor the product for an occurrence in the product of a second trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events, and
increment a second counter corresponding to the second trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the second trigger event in the product.
6. The unit of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
cause the memory to store the second counter; and
cause the transmitter to transmit a value of the second counter.
7. The unit of claim 1 , wherein one trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events is an exiting of a feature of the product without a use of the feature.
8. The unit of claim 1 , wherein one of the predefined plurality of trigger events is a problem associated with the product.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the problem is an equipment problem.
10. The unit of claim 1 , wherein a trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events is a use of at least one product feature.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one product feature is “undo.”
12. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the product is a medical instrument.
13. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the product is a cellular telephone.
14. The unit of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to increment the counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of a second occurrence of the trigger event.
15. A method, comprising:
monitoring a product for an occurrence in the product of a trigger event of a predefined plurality of trigger events;
incrementing a counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the trigger event in the product;
displaying a user interface, configured to probe for information regarding a use of the product, if the counter exceeds a threshold;
storing an input received from the user interface on a device; and
transmitting the input to a server.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
forwarding the input based on a priority code associated with the input.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
monitoring the product for an occurrence in the product of a second trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events;
incrementing a value of a second counter corresponding to the second trigger event upon detection of the second trigger event in the product.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
storing the second counter on the device; and
transmitting a value of the second counter to the server.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein one of the predefined plurality of trigger events is a problem associated with the product.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein one of the predefined plurality of trigger events is an exiting of a feature of the product without a use of the feature.
21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the problem is an equipment problem.
22. The method of claim 15 , wherein one of the predefined plurality of trigger events is a use of at least one product feature.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the at least one product feature is “undo.”
24. The method of claim 15 , wherein the product is a medical instrument.
25. The method of claim 15 , wherein the product is a cellular telephone.
26. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
incrementing the counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of a second occurrence of the trigger event in the product.
27. A tangible computer readable medium having stored thereon, computer executable instructions that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:
monitoring a product for an occurrence in the product of a trigger event of a predefined plurality of trigger events,
incrementing a counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the trigger event in the product;
displaying a user interface, configured to probe for information regarding a use of the product, if the counter exceeds a threshold;
storing an input received from the user interface on a device; and
transmitting the input to a server.
28. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 27 , wherein the monitoring further includes:
monitoring the product for an occurrence in the product of a second trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events; and
incrementing a value of a second counter corresponding to the second trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the second trigger event in the product.
29. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 27 , wherein the method further includes:
storing the second counter on the device; and
transmitting the value of the second counter to the server.
30. A physical unit, comprising:
means for monitoring a product for an occurrence in the product of a trigger event of a predefined plurality of trigger events;
means for incrementing a counter corresponding to the trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the trigger event;
means for probing for information regarding a use of the product if the counter exceeds a threshold;
means for storing an input received from the means for probing; and
means for transmitting the input to a server.
31. The unit of claim 30 , further comprising:
means for monitoring the product for an occurrence in the product of a second trigger event of the predefined plurality of trigger events; and
means for incrementing a value of a second counter corresponding to the second trigger event upon detection of the occurrence of the second trigger event in the product.
32. The unit of claim 30 , further comprising:
means for storing the second counter on the device; and
means for transmitting the value of the second counter to the server.