Automated searching for solutions to support self-diagnostic operations of web-enabled devices

An automated self-diagnostic method for a device having data connectivity to a remote network-based search engine, the method comprising:

• receiving a search query at the remote network-based search engine, the search query intended to find information necessary for the device to address a self-diagnosed problem related to an environment surrounding the device, wherein the problem requires a solution, wherein the search query is automatically generated by the device using its native functionality and processing capabilities, and is generated automatically and autonomously by the device without any human involvement, wherein the search query includes captured information related to the environment surrounding the device, the captured information being automatically captured by one or more sensors onboard the device, and wherein the search query is arranged in compliance with a format supported by the remote network-based search engine;
• processing the search query to identify search parameters, wherein the processing is performed by the remote network-based search engine;
• searching for information using the search parameters and the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device, wherein the searching is performed by the remote network-based search engine;
• generating a response that includes response data related to the solution, wherein the response data includes one or more descriptors of the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device, and wherein the generating is performed by the remote network-based search engine;
• and
• sending the response to the device.

An automated diagnostic system comprising:

• a network-enabled device;
• a remote network-based search engine;
• and
• a data communication network to facilitate data communication between the network-enabled device and the remote network-based search engine;
• wherein:
• the network-enabled device automatically detects an issue associated with its operation in the context of an environment surrounding the network-enabled device using its native functionality and processing capabilities, and without any human involvement, automatically captures, by one or more sensors onboard the network-enabled device, information related to the environment surrounding the device, and automatically sends a corresponding search query to the remote network-based search engine using its native functionality and processing capabilities, and without any human involvement, the search query intended to find information related to a solution to the issue, wherein the network-enabled device appends the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device to the search query for sending to the remote network-based search engine;
• the remote network-based search engine receives the search query including the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device and, in response to the search query, searches for relevant information pertaining to the issue and pertaining to the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device, and sends a corresponding response to the network-enabled device, the response including response data associated with the solution, wherein the response data includes one or more descriptors of the captured information related to the environment surrounding the device;
• and
• the network-enabled device receives the response, processes at least some of the response data to determine a course of action, and initiates the course of action.