Enterprise wide system and methods for configuring, diagnosing, and updating appliances

A method to provide appliance field support for an enterprise wide system having a client side and a server side, said method comprising:

• operatively connecting a portable field computer to a generic electronic control board of an appliance on a client side of an enterprise wide system;
• operatively connecting said portable field computer to a network on said client side of said enterprise wide system;
• transmitting data for said generic electronic control board from a factory computer-based apparatus located at a factory of said enterprise wide system to at least one of a product software storage (PSS) database server and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system;
• downloading at least one of configuration data and control data from a server, operatively connected to said network on a server side of said enterprise wide system, to said portable field computer;
• updating said generic electronic control board by electronically transferring at least a portion of said at least one of configuration data and control data from said portable field computer to said generic electronic control board;
• and
• commanding said portable field computer to perform a diagnostic procedure on said appliance via said generic electronic control board while said appliance is operating.

An enterprise wide system to provide appliance field support for a plurality of appliance types, said enterprise wide system comprising:

• a client-side configuration including a portable field computer having a client software application residing thereon providing a universal user interface which is common across all appliance types of said enterprise wide system, and an appliance configured to operatively communicate with said portable field computer and having a programmable generic service board configured to be programmed for any appliance type of said enterprise wide system;
• a server-side configuration including a web server, a central system database server operatively connected to said web server, a product software storage (PSS) database server operatively connected to said central system database server, and a technical documentation system (TDS) database server operatively connected to said central system database server;
• and
• a network configured to communicatively connect said portable field computer of said client-side configuration to said web server of said server-side configuration.

A method to provide appliance field support for an enterprise wide system having a client side and a server side, said method comprising:

• operatively connecting a portable field computer to a generic electronic control board of an appliance on a client side of an enterprise wide system;
• operatively connecting said portable field computer to a network on said client side of said enterprise wide system;
• transmitting data for said generic electronic control board from a research and development computer-based apparatus located at a research and development facility of said enterprise wide system to at least one of the product software storage (PSS) database server and the technical documentation system (TDS) database server on a server side of said enterprise wide system;
• downloading at least one of configuration data and control data from a server, operatively connected to said network on a server side of said enterprise wide system, to said portable field computer;
• updating said generic electronic control board by electronically transferring at least a portion of said at least one of configuration data and control data from said portable field computer to said generic electronic control board;
• and
• commanding said portable field computer to perform a diagnostic procedure on said appliance via said generic electronic control board while said appliance is operating.