US5884073A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
System and method for providing technical support of an electronic system through a web bios
Assignee: Intel Corp
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Filing: 1996-10-28
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Granted: 1999-03-16
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Expires: 2016-10-28
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for altering a boot sequence provided by a Basic Input/Output System that, when executed, enables diagnostics of the electronic system containing the BIOS by a service provider. Access to the service provider may be established through a publicly accessible network such as the Internet.
Inventors
- 👤 David E. Dent
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 06:07
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F15/00; G06F15/16; G06F11/00; G06F11/22; G06F11/2294; G06F11/2205
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
93 words
A method for enabling remote diagnostics of a first electronic system, the method comprising: (1) initializing selected circuitry within the first electronic system prior to anticipated loading of an operating system, said selected circuitry includes hardware to establish remote communications with a second electronic system; (2) determining whether at least one boot error has occurred for the selected circuitry; and (3) automatically establishing communications with the second electronic system, without user input, through a publicly accessible network for diagnostics of the first electronic system, provided the at least one boot error has occurred.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
93 words
A method for enabling remote diagnostics of a first electronic system, the method comprising: (1) initializing selected circuitry within the first electronic system prior to anticipated loading of an operating system, said selected circuitry includes hardware to establish remote communications with a second electronic system; (2) determining whether at least one boot error has occurred for the selected circuitry; and (3) automatically establishing communications with the second electronic system, without user input, through a publicly accessible network for diagnostics of the first electronic system, provided the at least one boot error has occurred.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the initializing of the selected circuitry includes: initializing a plurality of chipsets of the first electronic system; initializing a transceiver device of the first electronic system; and initializing non-volatile memory of the first electronic system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein prior to determining whether the at least one boot error has occurred, the method further comprises: generating a table; and recording boot errors detected during initialization of the selected circuitry in the table.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method according to claim 3, wherein the determining whether the at least one boot error has occurred includes: accessing an entry of the table in order to obtain results of the boot sequence for the selected circuitry; and detecting whether a boot error bit of the entry is set to indicate that the selected boot error occurred.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
103 words
An electronic system comprising: a bus; a host processor coupled to the bus; a transceiver device coupled to the bus; and a non-volatile memory element coupled to the bus, said non-volatile memory element including Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code which, when executed by the host processor, (i) causes initialization and testing of the selected circuitry, including the host processor, used to establish communications with a remotely located electronic system, and (iii) signals, without user input, the transceiver device to establish communications with the remotely located system for diagnostics of the electronic system when a boot error associated with the selected circuitry is detected.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
103 words
An electronic system comprising: a bus; a host processor coupled to the bus; a transceiver device coupled to the bus; and a non-volatile memory element coupled to the bus, said non-volatile memory element including Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) code which, when executed by the host processor, (i) causes initialization and testing of the selected circuitry, including the host processor, used to establish communications with a remotely located electronic system, and (iii) signals, without user input, the transceiver device to establish communications with the remotely located system for diagnostics of the electronic system when a boot error associated with the selected circuitry is detected.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The electronic system according to claim 5, wherein the transceiver device includes a network interface card.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
The electronic system according to claim 5, wherein the BIOS code contained within the non-volatile memory includes a web browser application.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The electronic system according to claim 7, wherein the BIOS code further includes at least a web address of the service provider.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The electronic system according to claim 8, wherein the BIOS code further includes at least one Internet access phone number.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein after initializing the selected circuitry, the method further comprises testing the selected circuitry; and providing an interrupt scheme for the first electronic system.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein the establishing of communications with the second electronic system includes signaling the transceiver device to establish appropriate connections with a service provider over the publicly accessible network.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The electronic system according to claim 5, wherein the transceiver device includes a Universal Serial Bus connector.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
The electronic system according to claim 5, wherein the remote system is used to analyze an error log produced by the electronic system.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-03-15 | 2002-09-14 | 2003-03-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-03-15 | 2006-09-14 | 2007-03-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-03-15 | 2010-09-14 | 2011-03-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |