Dynamic Asset Delivery for Vehicle Manuals
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing complexity of products with numerous options and features leads to cumbersome printed manuals that include irrelevant information, making it time-consuming for users to find relevant information and costly for manufacturers to produce and distribute.
Innovation Solution
An asset authoring and delivery system that uses item identifiers to dynamically generate or retrieve asset content objects associated with specific components, devices, or systems, compiling them into tailored authored assets for remote devices, eliminating unnecessary information and enabling contextually relevant information delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a single printed manual covers all available options for every item of manufacture, then supply chain logistics are simplified and the same document can be provided with every item, but the manual becomes voluminous and contains much irrelevant information that makes it time-consuming for users to locate needed information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single voluminous manual into multiple specialized manuals, each covering specific options or features. Users receive only the manuals relevant to their particular item configuration, eliminating the need to search through irrelevant sections. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining comprehensive coverage while reducing the information volume each user must process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of manual delivery from a static single document to a dynamic multi-document set that varies based on item configuration parameters. By using the item's identification number to determine which combination of manuals to provide, the system adapts the manual set to match the specific features present on each item, thereby eliminating irrelevant information while maintaining supply chain efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single printed manual covers all available options for every item of manufacture, then the same document can be provided with every item, but the cost of producing and distributing such a sizable publication is substantial
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the single large manual into multiple smaller specialized manuals, the system reduces the total paper and printing resources required. Each manual is printed only when needed for specific item configurations, eliminating the waste of including all possible content in every distribution. This segmentation directly addresses the cost issue by matching publication quantity to actual demand.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the distribution model from providing a fixed-size manual to providing a variable-size set of manuals based on item parameters. The identification number serves as a key to determine the exact combination of manuals needed, optimizing resource allocation and reducing overall production and distribution costs while maintaining complete coverage of relevant information.
3Loss of information
If printed manuals include all optional features with qualifiers like 'IF EQUIPPED', then coverage of all options is provided, but the conveyance of relevant information depends on the owner's knowledge of specific features present on their item
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manual content so that each manual covers a specific option or feature set. By providing only the manuals corresponding to features actually present on the user's item, the system eliminates the need for users to navigate through sections marked 'IF EQUIPPED' that they don't need. This segmentation makes all provided information directly relevant and easily operable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the item's identification number to automatically determine and provide the correct set of manuals without requiring the user to know which features their item has or which manuals they need. The process is self-service in that the system autonomously matches the item configuration to the appropriate manual set, eliminating the burden of user knowledge while ensuring complete coverage of relevant options.
Data Source
AI summary
An asset authoring and delivery system generates a number of authored assets. Each of the authored assets includes a number of asset content objects that are logically associated with one or more components included in the item of manufacture. The authored assets generated by the asset authoring and delivery system are formatted and communicated to one or more remote devices logically associated with the item of manufacture. Authored assets may be provided responsive to one or more sensed characteristics, for instance vehicle operational parameters, vehicle operation and/or driver behavior, and may be customized to a make and/or model of vehicle.