Remote Television Diagnostics via Video Copying
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Remote diagnosis of television receivers is challenging for customer support agents due to the inability to visually access the receiver's output or control its operations, leading to increased costs from technician visits or equipment returns.
Innovation Solution
A system and method allowing customer support agents to remotely connect to a television receiver via a communication network, enabling them to view video output and send commands to diagnose and troubleshoot issues, comprising a call processing system, a television receiver with a network interface, and a processor that can receive and execute remote commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If customer support agents diagnose problems remotely over the telephone, then operational costs are reduced, but the ability to correctly diagnose problems is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a visual copy of the television receiver's display output and transmits it to the customer support agent's device. This allows the agent to see what the customer sees, enabling accurate remote diagnosis without requiring physical presence or equipment return, thus maintaining cost efficiency while restoring diagnostic capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system comprising a camera coupled to the television receiver's video output and a communication network that transmits the visual information to the support agent. This intermediary enables the agent to remotely observe the receiver's output, bridging the information gap without requiring physical access to the equipment.
2Measurement precision
If a technician is sent to physically examine the television receiver, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of sending a technician to physically examine the receiver, the system creates and transmits a visual copy of the receiver's display output to the support agent. This allows accurate remote diagnosis without incurring the costs of technician travel and physical equipment handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical technician deployment with an electronic information transmission system. A camera captures video output and transmits it through a communication network, substituting physical presence with digital information flow, thereby maintaining diagnostic accuracy while eliminating travel and equipment handling costs.
3Measurement precision
If the customer returns the television receiver for observation, then problem diagnosis is improved, but customer convenience deteriorates and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system transmits a visual copy of the television receiver's output to the support agent, eliminating the need for customer to physically return the equipment. The customer can remain at home while the agent remotely observes the display, maintaining diagnostic capability while preserving customer convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary video transmission system that allows the support agent to remotely observe the receiver's output without requiring the customer to physically transport the equipment. This intermediary system bridges the diagnostic need with customer convenience by enabling remote visual inspection.
4Loss of information
If customer support agents have remote visual access to the television receiver output, then diagnostic capability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes existing multi-functional components: a camera (originally for video capture) is used for both content delivery and diagnostic purposes, and the communication network (originally for content distribution) is used for transmitting diagnostic video. This multi-functionality enables remote diagnostics without adding dedicated specialized hardware, thereby limiting complexity increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The television receiver's existing video output system serves the dual purpose of content display and diagnostic information provision. The receiver essentially 'self-services' by providing its own output signal to the diagnostic system, eliminating the need for separate sensing or measurement hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are techniques for allowing a customer support agent to remotely analyze a television receiver. A television receiver is communicatively coupled to a customer support center through a communication network. A customer support agent remotely accesses the television receiver and the television receiver transmits video content to the customer support center through the communication network. The video output is outputted to the customer support agent at the customer support center for analysis of the television receiver.