VIN scan/code catalog and information lookup
Electronic-based systems and methods for enhancing a user's experience when shopping for components of a mechanical or electrical device or apparatus, which include downloadable software (i.e., a mobile device application) that provides access to component information/data using the mobile device, in particular component information/data provided by a manufacturer from its personal database, electronic devices that include such software, and methods of accessing the component information and optionally, acting upon the information to order the component.
1. A portable, handheld electronic device comprising:
a device for importing a vehicle identification number (VIN) or a code containing said VIN as an image thereof, the device comprising at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera;
an information processor to extract VIN data from the image imported by the device;
communication circuitry comprising signal transmitting and signal receiving capability, wherein the signal transmitting capability sends the VIN to a database external to the electronic device to lookup component information related to the VIN and the signal receiving capability receives information sent back to the electronic device in response to the lookup of component information;
a memory in communication with the information processor;
software and a password unique to the software that grants access to a restricted access database of component-related information of an identified component manufacturer embodied in the memory, the software comprising instructions to export the password through the communication circuity along with the VIN or the component information related to the VIN;
wherein the information processor processes the information received by the signal receiving capability of the communication circuitry into a displayable form; and
a display to display the information once in a displayable form;
wherein the information received is from the restricted access database of component-related information from an identified component manufacturer.
2. The portable, handheld electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the information received includes photographs, videos, documents, audio recordings, individual data points, and combinations thereof related to the components associated with the VIN.
3. The portable, handheld electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the communication circuitry sends the VIN to a decoder external to the electronic device to decode the VIN into one or more of make, model, year, type and engine of the vehicle, receives the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine, and the information processor displays said make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for the user of the electronic device to verify the correctness thereof.
4. The portable, handheld electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the information processor in response to a favorable response to the prompt to verify the correctness instructs the communication circuitry to send the make, model, year, type and engine information to the restricted access database to retrieve component information relative thereto.
5. The portable, handheld electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the component information relative thereto includes one or more of part numbers and part names.
6. The portable, handheld electronic device of claim 3 , further comprising storage, wherein the information processor displays the one or more of the vehicle make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for the user of the electronic device to save the vehicle identification information in the storage of the electronic device.
7. A method for accessing the contents of a component manufacturer's restricted access database of part-related information, the method comprising:
providing software and a password unique to the software that grants access to a restricted access database of part-related information of an identified component manufacturer that are storable in a portable, handheld electronic device having at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera, wherein the software enables a user to initiate a component lookup by activating at least one of the scanner, the reader, and the camera to import an image of a vehicle identification number (VIN), extracts VIN data from the image, sends the VIN data to a VIN decoder, and receives identification information from the VIN decoder;
providing the restricted access database of part-related data specific to one component manufacturer stored on a password protected server; and
providing a mobile site as a communication link between the portable, handheld electronic device and the database;
wherein the mobile site accesses the database in response to the user initiated component lookup;
wherein the software instructs the portable, handheld electronic device to export the password to the password protected server and the password protected server verifies the password; and
wherein the software instructs the portable, handheld electronic device, subsequent to verifying the password, to communicate with the database to use the identification information from the VIN decoder to lookup component related data stored therein and to send said data to the electronic device for display.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the password protected server is at least a webserver having the database stored as a web service; and the method further comprising the mobile site calling the web service for each user initiated component lookup and providing the password thereto, and the web service authenticating the password and thereafter sending said data to the mobile site for relaying to the electronic device.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the password protected server is at least an FTP server having the data stored as comma-separated value files.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the mobile site includes the VIN decoder, the method further comprising the mobile site decoding the VIN data into identification information related to the vehicle and sending the identification information to the portable, handheld electronic device for display and verification by the user.
11. The method of claim 7 further comprising the mobile site receiving from the VIN decoder identification information relating to the vehicle, and sending the identification information to the electronic device for display and verification by the user.
12. The method of claim 7 wherein the software further enables a user to initiate a component lookup by one or more of browsing a catalog, manually entering a VIN, entering a part number, and entering another manufacturer's part number or part name.
13. A method for accessing the contents of one component manufacturer's database of part-related information particular to that component manufacturer, the method comprising:
providing software that is storable in a portable, handheld electronic device having at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera, wherein the software enables a user to initiate a component lookup by activating at least one of the scanner, the reader, and the camera to import an image of a vehicle identification number (VIN), extracts VIN data from the image, sends the VIN data to a VIN decoder, and receives identification information from the VIN decoder;
providing a database of part-related data specific to only one component manufacturer stored on a password protected FTP server having the data stored as comma-separated value files;
providing a mobile site as a communication link between the portable, handheld electronic device and the database;
accessing the database, once daily, with a password and copying the database to a cloud server; and
having the mobile site call the cloud server for each user initiated component lookup without a password;
wherein the software instructs the portable, handheld electronic device to communicate with the database copied to the cloud server to use the identification information from the VIN decoder to lookup component related data stored therein and to send said data to the electronic device for display.