DE20013458U1 - System for collecting and holding and recycling assembly instructions, instructions for use, repair instructions, information on device additions and the like. information - Google Patents

Description

System for collecting, storing and using assembly instructions, operating instructions, repair instructions, information on equipment supplements and

similar information

The innovation concerns a system for collecting, keeping and using assembly instructions, operating instructions, repair instructions, information on equipment additions and similar information, whereby this information is kept in a specific order in storage media.

It is a well-known practice to collect operating instructions for technical devices for private and commercial use in loose-leaf binders or folders and, when necessary, to remove the relevant information from the loose-leaf binders or folders, i.e. from the storage media, in order to then put the information back in the right place.

This known system for collecting, storing and using information of the above type has the disadvantage that even with careful handling, the desired information is often not available because the assembly instructions or user manual in question have not been put back in the right place after use. Furthermore, experience shows that user manuals or assembly instructions or repair instructions for storage in storage media in the form of loose-leaf binders or files must be kept in such a way that they are sufficiently small in size and volume, which can make them difficult to understand. More extensive written and graphic works cannot be accommodated in the known storage media and, despite their larger volume, are not always conducive to understanding.
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[File: 100292796.doc//WO31K03] Description 03 August 2000 System for collecting, storing and utilising ... Cuneo AG

A further disadvantage of the known system of the type considered here is that sometimes the information stored in an orderly manner is not updated in a timely manner, so that a person seeking information ultimately receives from the storage means assembly instructions or operating instructions or repair instructions or information on additional equipment that no longer fits the device that is the target of his information request.

The aim of the present innovation is therefore to design a system of the type defined at the outset in such a way that the information desired by the user of the type under consideration here can be obtained simply and quickly and, in particular, in an easily understandable form in response to a request that includes a variety of questions.

This aim is achieved according to the innovation in that image information corresponding to devices and/or device parts as well as associated explanatory text information can be stored in the storage means of a computer and that the addressing of the associated text information or image information can be derived from the image information and/or the text information.

Preferably, the computer containing the storage means and the user's computer can be coupled via a data transmission network, so that the computer containing the storage means can be called from the user's computers and the part of the storage means of the computer containing these storage means called up by addressing from the user's computer is transmitted to display means of the user's computer.

The image information and/or text information requested by addressing is displayed on a screen of the user's computer and the additional text information and/or image information is called up by the user via touch screen control or mouse click control and transferred to the screen of his computer, for which purpose an appropriate screen division is provided.

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[File: l00292796.doc//WO31K03] Description 03 August 2000 System for collecting, storing and utilising ... Cuneo AG

According to a very advantageous feature of a further development of the system specified here, functional programs belonging to the devices are stored in the storage means, which can be requested by the user for the appropriate control of the image information displayed on the screen of his computer. If the computer containing the storage means can be controlled by at least one other computer connected to it via a or the data transmission network, at the location of which a user is located, the remote user can enter device designation data or device origin data or device function data or the like on the remote computer as call addresses.

According to another development, additional information, in particular text and/or image information, about other devices of a device family can be kept available in the storage means of the first computer when addressing, which are displayed on the screen of a user's computer.

It is also advantageous if the number of times information is addressed for a specific device or a specific device family is recorded in the first computer and stored in an accounting memory of the first memory. In conjunction with this, the type of addressing, i.e. the specific addressing request, can also be recorded in a separate type of memory or also in the accounting memory.

In the following, an embodiment is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which a highly schematic circuit diagram of a system of the type specified here is shown.

The figure shows a hatched area symbolically representing a data transmission network 1, with which computers 2 and 3, which are assigned to users, and computers 4 and 5, which are assigned to device manufacturers, can be coupled, if necessary via intermediate devices or stations, such as provider servers. On the other hand, a main computer 6 is connected to the data transmission network 1, which has a

[File: 100292796.doc ZZ WO31K03] Description August 3, 2000 System for collecting, storing and utilizing ... Cuneo AG

arithmetic unit 7 and storage means 8. The storage means contain, among other things, a file with data records which are indicated in the drawing at 9, 10, 11 and 12 and relate, for example, to four different devices. The data records each contain an address part, a text part, an image part, a function part and a reference part.

The address part is designed in such a way that, with regard to each data record 9 to 12, a query regarding a text keyword, an image feature, a function or a make calls up the relevant data record.

The information in the text part and in the image part are related to one another in such a way that in the storage means 8, related information in the text part and in the image part, and incidentally also in the functional part in their relationship, are retrieved simultaneously and, after transmission to the users' computers, are synoptically displayed in separate screen parts of display devices of these computers.

The information from the functional part of the data sets is displayed on the user's screen in the form of keywords. At the same time, however, the functional part of the data sets 9 to 12 contains function programs which, after processing in the main computer processor 7, modulate the image information so that the image information on the user's screens is animated, as it were, which reproduces the function of a device part over time.

The reference part of the data sets, after being displayed on the screen of the user's computer, gives the user the opportunity to select addresses of other data sets in order to collect additional information, for example on the availability of similar devices, new devices or on the availability of additional and supplementary devices.

According to a modification or further development not shown in the drawing, each data record of the file in the storage means 8 can also contain a sound information part

[File: 100292796.CiOcZZWOSlKOa] Description 03 August 2000
System for collecting, storing and recycling ...
Cuneo AG

which, after selection of the relevant data record, is assigned to entries in the text part and the image part and, if applicable, in the functional part, for reproduction via the main computer processor or the arithmetic unit 7 to the users' computers.

Of great importance for the information value of the system specified here for the user is that due to the representation of the contents of the data records from the file of the storage means 8 on the screens of the computers of users 2 and 3, a touch screen control or a mouse click control can be installed there, which allows rapid access to certain entries in the file of the storage means 8 via the data transmission network 1 and the main computer processor 7.

Finally, the drawing shows a chat room loop between the computers 2 and 3 of users via a chat room module 13, which is marked by a dash-colon line 14, as well as a hotline loop between a computer, for example the computer 3 of a user, and a computer of a device manufacturer, for example the computer 4, via a hotline module 15, marked by a dotted line 16. Via the chat room loop 14, users can exchange experiences, tips and tricks regarding certain devices selected in the file of the storage means 8, whereby the associated entries of individual data records in the text part, the image part, the function part and the reference part are again available for this dialog.

A user, for example the user on the computer 2, can use the hotline loop 16 to obtain information about a specific device or about an additional device or the like from the device manufacturer, for example the owner of the computer 4. Here too, the associated entries in the text part, image part, function part and reference part of a selected file section of the storage means 8 are available for the hotline dialog.

[File: 100292796.doc // WO31K03] Description August 3, 2000 System for collecting, storing and utilizing ... Cuneo AG

The creation of the file in the storage means 8, depending on information that is delivered from the computers 4 and 5 of device manufacturers to the main computer 6 via the data transmission network 1, takes place from a terminal 17 either by means of the main computer itself or by an auxiliary computer in which the incoming information is prepared, sorted and, if necessary, provided with sound information. In addition, the assignment of image processing programs for animating the image display in the image part of the data records of the storage means 8 takes place here. Work units of the auxiliary computer 18 are recorded by a counter of the auxiliary computer and stored in an accounting memory 19, with the respective counter readings also being identified by the addresses of the computers 4 and 5 of device manufacturers. In this way, a billing basis is created for the recording of information in the storage means 8 for retrieval by users.

Furthermore, counts relating to information requests for individual devices and counts relating to the type of information request are entered into the accounting memory 19. These statistical values are of interest to the device manufacturers and can be requested by them again using the computers 4 and 5. The data transmission channels to be used for this purpose have been omitted from the drawing to simplify the illustration. The advantage of using the system specified here is not only offered to users of the computers 2 and 3 who are owners of certain devices, whose operating instructions and repair instructions and the like can be requested by the users via the data transmission network from the storage means 8 of the main computer 6, but also to those computer users who want to purchase a device and bring this device up on the screen of their computer for a test drive, so to speak.

It is a fact that many devices, such as mobile phones, motor vehicles, machine tools, personal computers, household appliances and the like, have a multitude of functions that often remain unknown to the buyer beyond the basic functions or are no longer apparent after the first reading of the user manual. The use of the system specified here can therefore be found on the page

[File: 100292796.doc//WO31K03] Description 03 August 2000 System for collecting, storing and utilising ... Cuneo AG

of the user to a better use of a selected device or can lead to the user of the system purchasing devices that only have the functionalities that are of interest to the user in question. The system specified here therefore fulfils the function of a valuable sales aid, a buyer's advice and a user aid.

In general, image information, text information and function programs and possibly sound information are made available for storage in the storage means 8 of the computer 6 from the computers 4 and 5, which are assigned to device manufacturers. In a very advantageous development of the method specified here, a processing station 20 is connected to the computer 6, which carries out didactic and audiovisual processing of the information data before storing the image information, text information and function programs in the storage means 8 of the computer 6, in such a way that the previously mentioned task of sales assistance, buyer advice and user assistance can be fulfilled to an even greater extent.

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Claims (10)

1. System for collecting, keeping ready and using assembly instructions, operating instructions, repair instructions, information on device additions and similar information, wherein this information is kept in a specific order in storage means, characterized by storage means ( 8 ) of a computer ( 6 ) for storing image information corresponding to devices and/or device parts, as well as associated explanatory text information and by derivation means for deriving the addressing of the associated text information or image information from the image information and/or the text information. 2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the information desired by the user about a specific device or a specific object is called up by means of an assigned address. 3. System according to claim 2, characterized by a screen of a user computer ( 2 , 3 ) coupled to the computer via a data transmission network ( 1 ) for displaying the image information and by a touch screen control or a mouse click control for calling up supplementary text information and/or image information by the user. 4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that functional programs belonging to the devices are stored in the storage means ( 8 ), which are called up by a user for the appropriate control of the representation of the image information on the screen of his user computer ( 2 , 3 ) coupled to the computer via a data transmission network ( 1 ). 5. System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that device designation data or device origin data or device function data serve as call addresses of the text information and image information stored in the storage means ( 8 ) of the computer ( 6 ) and optionally function programs for image information processing on computers ( 2 , 3 ) which are coupled to the computer ( 6 ) having the storage means ( 10 ) via a data transmission network ( 1 ). 6. System according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that additional information, in particular text and/or image information about further devices, is kept ready in the storage means ( 8) of said computer (6 ) , which, when the storage means ( 8 ) are addressed, is displayed on screens of user computers ( 2 , 3 ) coupled to said computer via a data transmission network ( 1 ). 7. System according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by counter means for counting the addressing of the information in the storage means ( 8 ) for a specific device and by an accounting memory ( 19 ) for storing the counter reading. 8. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the type of addressing request is recorded in the computer and relevant statistical information is kept available in the computer for query by further computers via the or a connecting data transmission network ( 1 ), the further computers being assigned to device manufacturers. 9. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a chat room loop ( 14 ) and/or a hotline loop ( 16 ) is routed from the computer ( 6 ) via a data transmission network ( 1 ) coupling it to computers of users and computers of device manufacturers. 10. System according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the image information, text information and function programs and optionally sound information stored and retrievable in the storage means ( 8 ) of the computer ( 6 ) are formed by didactic, audio-visual processing in a processing station ( 20 ) connected to the computer.