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US 11,113,642 B2Granted
Mobile application for assisting a technician in carrying out an electronic work order
AssigneeCommScope Connectivity UK Limited
InventorsOwen Marshall, Simon Colley, Kevin David Townend, Ian Butler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One embodiment is directed to a mobile application executing on a smartphone that is used to assist a technician in carrying out electronic work orders. In some embodiments, the mobile application uses a camera in the smartphone to take photos that are associated with one or more steps of the work order. In some embodiments, the mobile application is used to cause one or more LEDs associated with a step of the work order to be illuminated or otherwise visually actuated.
Claims15
A method, comprising:
- generating an electronic work order, the electronic work order comprising a set of steps that are to be carried out by a single technician at a particular location, wherein at least one step of the set of steps includes adding, moving, or changing a connection made at a first port of a device;
- communicating the electronic work order to a mobile application executing on a smartphone;
- displaying information about the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order with the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- receiving a first user input, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the first user input requesting that an electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, wherein the electronic visual indicator is located on the device, distinct from the smartphone, having one or more ports to attach cables to the device, wherein the electronic visual indicator is associated with the first port of the one or more ports where a connection is changed as part of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order;
- in response to the received first user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, sending a request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to an external entity, wherein the external entity visually actuates the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- receiving a second user input, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated;
- and
- in response to the received second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated, sending a stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to the external entity, wherein the external entity is configured to stop visually actuating the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- and
- wherein the method further comprises at least one of:
- receiving an additional user input, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, indicating that a second step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order has been completed;
- and
- receiving a communication from the external entity, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, verifying that the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order that includes adding, moving, or changing the connection made at the first port of the device has been correctly completed.
10 more elements
A program product for implementing a mobile application on a smartphone, tangibly stored on a non-transitory storage medium, comprising instructions operable to cause at least one programmable processor in the smartphone to:
- receive an electronic work order comprising a set of steps that are to be carried out by a single technician at a particular location, wherein at least one step of the set of steps includes adding, moving, or changing a connection made at a first port of a device;
- display information about the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order;
- receive a first user input during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the first user input requesting that an electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, wherein the electronic visual indicator is located on a device, distinct from the smartphone, having one or more ports to attach cables to the device, wherein the electronic visual indicator is associated with the first port of the one or more ports where a connection is changed as part of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order;
- in response to the received first user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, send a request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to an external entity, wherein the external entity visually actuates the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- receive a second user input during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated;
- and
- in response to the received second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated, send a stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to the external entity, wherein the external entity is configured to stop visually actuating the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- and
- wherein the program product further comprises instructions operable to cause the at least one programmable processor in the smartphone to:
- receive an additional user input, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, indicating that a second step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order has been completed;
- and/or
- receive a communication from the external entity, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, verifying that the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order that includes adding, moving, or changing the connection made at the first port of the device has been correctly completed.
9 more elements
A system comprising:
- an aggregation point configured to receive and store information about connections made in a communication network;
- an electronic work order entity configured to generate an electronic work order, the electronic work order comprising a set of steps that are to be carried out by a single technician at a particular location, wherein at least one step of the set of steps includes adding, moving, or changing a connection made at a first port of a device;
- and
- a smartphone configured to receive the electronic work order using a mobile application executing on a smartphone;
- wherein the mobile application executing on the smartphone is configured to:
- display information about the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order with the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- receive a first user input during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the first user input requesting that an electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, wherein the electronic visual indicator is located on the device, distinct from the smartphone, having one or more ports to attach cables to the device, wherein the electronic visual indicator is associated with the first port of the one or more ports where a connection is changed as part of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order;
- in response to the received first user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order be visually actuated, send a request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to the aggregation point, wherein the aggregation point visually actuates the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- receive a second user input during performance of the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order, the second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated;
- and
- in response to the received second user input requesting that the electronic visual indicator associated with visually assisting the technician in carrying out the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order stop being visually actuated, send a stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone to the aggregation point, wherein the aggregation point is configured to stop visually actuating the electronic visual indicator in response to receiving the stop request from the mobile application executing on the smartphone;
- and
- wherein the mobile application executing on the smartphone is further configured to:
- receive an additional user input, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, indicating that a second step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order has been completed;
- and/or
- receive a communication from the aggregation point, at the mobile application executing on the smartphone, verifying that the at least one step of the set of steps included in the electronic work order that includes adding, moving, or changing the connection made at the first port of the device has been correctly completed.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.