Patents by Inventor Jacob G. Foreman

Jacob G. Foreman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170286888
    Abstract: An example method includes receiving a first service procedure for servicing a vehicle, determining an expected pace of performance of the first service procedure, receiving at least one input signal during performance of the first service procedure, determining, based on the at least one input signal, a current pace of performance of the first service procedure, and providing for display of a first pace indicator on a display interface of the computing device, where the first pace indicator is representative of the current pace of performance of the first service procedure relative to the expected pace of performance of the first service procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Todd Mercer, Roy Steven Brozovich
  • Publication number: 20170228947
    Abstract: A method performed by a first computing system includes receiving, from a second computing system, a message identifying a symptom of a first vehicle; and sending a repair tip to the second computing system. The repair tip includes a first phrase describing a first procedure performed on a second vehicle that exhibited the symptom, wherein the first procedure performed on the second vehicle yielded a result insufficient to determine that a component of the second vehicle associated with the symptom is defective. The repair tip also includes a second phrase describing a second procedure performed on a given vehicle, wherein the given vehicle is either (i) the second vehicle or (ii) a third vehicle that also exhibited the symptom, wherein the second procedure performed on the given vehicle yielded a result sufficient to determine that a component of the given vehicle associated with the symptom is defective.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman
  • Patent number: 9704141
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for repairing vehicles. A computing device can receive post-repair data regarding a first vehicle. The computing device can compare the post-repair data to a post-repair dataset regarding at least one vehicle other than the first vehicle. The post-repair dataset can include at least one of an instance of successful post-repair data and an instance of unsuccessful post-repair data. The computing device can determine that a repair to the first vehicle is successful if the post-repair dataset matches an instance of successful post-repair data of the post-repair dataset. The computing device can determine that the repair to the first vehicle is unsuccessful if the post-repair dataset matches an instance of unsuccessful post-repair data within the post-repair dataset. The computing device can indicate whether the repair is successful or unsuccessful.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Snap-on Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Roy Steven Brozovich
  • Patent number: 9672497
    Abstract: Methods and systems for using natural language processing and machine-learning algorithms to process vehicle-service data to generate metadata regarding the vehicle-service data are described herein. A processor can discover vehicle-service data that can be clustered together based on the vehicle-service data having common characteristics. The clustered vehicle-service data can be classified (e.g., categorized) into any one of a plurality of categories. One of the categories can be for clustered vehicle-service data that is tip-worthy (e.g., determined to include data worthy of generating vehicle-service content (e.g., a repair hint). Another category can track instances of vehicle-service data that are considered to be common to an instance of vehicle-service data classified into the tip-worthy category. The vehicle-service data can be collected from repair orders from a plurality of repair shops. The vehicle-service content generated by the systems can be provided to those or other repair shops.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Snap-on Incorporated
    Inventors: Bradley R. Lewis, Patrick S. Merg, Tilak B. Kasturi, Brett A. Kelley, Jacob G. Foreman
  • Patent number: 9665994
    Abstract: A method performed by a first computing system includes receiving, from a second computing system, a message identifying a symptom of a first vehicle; and sending a repair tip to the second computing system. The repair tip includes a first phrase describing a first procedure performed on a second vehicle that exhibited the symptom, wherein the first procedure performed on the second vehicle yielded a result insufficient to determine that a component of the second vehicle associated with the symptom is defective. The repair tip also includes a second phrase describing a second procedure performed on a given vehicle, wherein the given vehicle is either (i) the second vehicle or (ii) a third vehicle that also exhibited the symptom, wherein the second procedure performed on the given vehicle yielded a result sufficient to determine that a component of the given vehicle associated with the symptom is defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Snap-on Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman
  • Publication number: 20170132578
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for repairing vehicles. A computing device can receive post-repair data regarding a first vehicle. The computing device can compare the post-repair data to a post-repair dataset regarding at least one vehicle other than the first vehicle. The post-repair dataset can include at least one of an instance of successful post-repair data and an instance of unsuccessful post-repair data. The computing device can determine that a repair to the first vehicle is successful if the post-repair dataset matches an instance of successful post-repair data of the post-repair dataset. The computing device can determine that the repair to the first vehicle is unsuccessful if the post-repair dataset matches an instance of unsuccessful post-repair data within the post-repair dataset. The computing device can indicate whether the repair is successful or unsuccessful.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Roy Steven Brozovich
  • Publication number: 20170132854
    Abstract: A method performed by a first computing system includes receiving, from a second computing system, a message identifying a symptom of a first vehicle; and sending a repair tip to the second computing system. The repair tip includes a first phrase describing a first procedure performed on a second vehicle that exhibited the symptom, wherein the first procedure performed on the second vehicle yielded a result insufficient to determine that a component of the second vehicle associated with the symptom is defective. The repair tip also includes a second phrase describing a second procedure performed on a given vehicle, wherein the given vehicle is either (i) the second vehicle or (ii) a third vehicle that also exhibited the symptom, wherein the second procedure performed on the given vehicle yielded a result sufficient to determine that a component of the given vehicle associated with the symptom is defective.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman
  • Publication number: 20170132577
    Abstract: A processor may determine that a particular computer-readable vehicle repair order (RO) (e.g., including first and second RO portions) corresponds to an existing cluster of ROs due to the particular RO including RO data that refers to a particular vehicle symptom. The processor may determine that the first RO portion includes first data representative of a non-specific vehicle component and may then responsively also determine that the second RO portion includes second data that the at least one processor can use to determine a specific vehicle component associated with the particular RO. Responsively, the processor may determine the specific vehicle component based on the first and second data and may then add the particular RO to a different cluster of ROs that is arranged to contain ROs that correspond to the particular vehicle symptom and to the specific vehicle component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Bradley R. Lewis
  • Publication number: 20170132576
    Abstract: A processor may determine that a first repair order (RO) of an existing cluster of ROs (e.g. corresponding to first and second vehicle symptoms and to first and second corrective actions) refers to a first vehicle related to a set of vehicles. The processor may identify ROs that refer to vehicles from the set and may determine among these identified ROs (i) a first relationship between the first symptom and the first action without the first symptom relating to the second action and/or (ii) a second relationship between the second symptom and the second action without the second symptom relating to the first action. The processor may (i) if the first relationship exists, add the first RO to a first different cluster corresponding to the first relationship and (ii) if the second relationship exists, add the first RO to a second different cluster corresponding to the second relationship.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Publication date: May 11, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Bradley R. Lewis
  • Publication number: 20170098199
    Abstract: A method and system for generating and outputting a real-fix tip (RFT) augmented with a pointer to additional content. The additional content may be relevant to any of a complaint, vehicle, cause of complaint, how the cause for complaint was discovered, and service-operation performed on the vehicle to resolve the complaint. The RFT may include a complaint, cause, and correction, and may be stored within a database containing repair orders that include complaints, causes, and corrections regarding various vehicles. A processor may generate the RFT after determining a threshold number of RO with a common complaint, vehicle, cause, and correction. A processor may search the database for the RFT based on a complaint and vehicle, display a list of RFT located during the search, display an RFT selected from the list, obtain additional content pointed to by a pointer in the RFT, and output the additional content to a display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Joshua C. Covington
  • Publication number: 20170098200
    Abstract: A method and system for generating a displayable page with a display card is described. A computer server receives data indicating a vehicle symptom and searches a computer-readable database to determine a most-likely cause of the vehicle symptom, a most-probable component associated with the most-likely cause, a component-type identifier associated with the most-probable component, a subset of information categories from among a set of information categories associated with at least one component-type identifier, and data to populate the display card. The server generates the displayable page including the display card and the data to populate in the display card. The server transmits the displayable page to a display device for displaying the displayable page on a display screen. The server receives data indicating selection of an action trigger in the display card occurred and responsively provides the display device with data to update the display card or another displayable page.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Todd Mercer, Joshua C. Covington, Kahlil H. Cacabelos, Thomas Southward
  • Publication number: 20170031997
    Abstract: An example method includes receiving a first service procedure including a plurality of procedural steps for servicing a vehicle, identifying at least one procedural step of the plurality of procedural steps to supplement with supplemental service information, receiving information about vehicles sharing one or more attributes with the vehicle, determining at least one piece of supplemental service information to supplement the at least one identified procedural step, and providing a supplemented service procedure comprising the first service procedure with the at least one piece of supplemental service information included with the at least one identified procedural step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Todd Mercer
  • Publication number: 20170032333
    Abstract: Methods and systems may relate to clustering of repair orders based on alternative repair indicators. Accordingly, a processor may determine that a particular computer-readable vehicle repair order (RO) corresponds to an existing cluster of ROs due to the particular RO including data that refers to a particular vehicle symptom. This existing cluster may be arranged to contain ROs that correspond to the particular vehicle symptom. In response to determining that the particular RO correspond to the existing cluster, the processor may determine that the particular RO includes data indicating an alternative repair that defines a vehicle repair for resolving the particular vehicle symptom other than by replacement of a particular vehicle component. Responsively, the processor may add the particular RO to a different cluster of ROs. This different cluster may be arranged to contain ROs that correspond to the particular vehicle symptom and to the alternative repair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Bradley R. Lewis
  • Publication number: 20140207515
    Abstract: A method and system for publishing a real-fix tip associated with one or more repairs orders. A fix-generator data processing machine (DPM) can retrieve a repair order (RO) from an RO database configured to store published or unpublished RO. The fix-generator DPM can select standard text phrases to identify a complaint, a cause, and a correction to generate a real-fix tip. A coordinator DPM can review the real-fix tip prior to publication of the real-fix tip. The coordinator DPM can return the real-fix tip for revising at the fix-generator DPM and can display the revised real-fix tip for further review of the real-fix tip. Published real-fix tips, alone or along with the RO associated with the real-fix tip, can be presented to an RO receiver DPM. Unpublished RO can be received in an electronic form or in paper form and converted to the electronic form.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: Snap-on Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Hannah E.A. Bunting