Help center and print center applications

Abstract

Various disclosed help center features provide help to a user without a staffed help center, provide help to a user before the user recognizes the need, or create targeted commerce opportunities for a provider of goods or services. One help center feature provides a user with help that is specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and that is supplied to the help center feature by the component manufacturer. Another help center feature detects a condition that degrades performance, and hence user satisfaction, and alerts the user. Another help center feature detects an attempt by a computer system to inform the user of degraded performance and offers the user a solution. Another help center feature provides a user with a commerce opportunity specifically related to a component in the user's computer system and/or to the user's geographic location.

1 - 146 . (canceled) 
     
     
         147 . A method of providing service for a computer hardware component, the method comprising:
 receiving, using at least one processor, an indication of an action taken on the computer system by a user of the computer system, the action relating to the hardware component of the computer system;   accessing, based on the indication, data that identifies a first manufacturer of a first type of hardware components and a second manufacturer of the first type of hardware components, the second manufacturer being different from the first manufacturer;   selecting, based on the accessed data, the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer; and   enabling display, based on the selection of the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer, an interface that is tailored to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer and that enables access to service for the hardware component corresponding to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer.   
     
     
         148 . The method of  claim 147  wherein enabling display of the interface includes enabling display of an interface that includes a warning regarding the hardware component. 
     
     
         149 . The method of  claim 147  wherein enabling display of the interface includes enabling display of an interface that includes a support recommendation for the hardware component. 
     
     
         150 . The method of  claim 149  further comprising executing electronically the support recommendation. 
     
     
         151 . The method of  claim 147  further comprising accessing electronically a geographic indicator indicating a location of the computer system, and wherein enabling display of the interface includes enabling display of an interface that includes help that is tailored to the geographic indicator. 
     
     
         152 . The method of  claim 151  wherein:
 the computer system is connected to a network by a connection, and   the geographic indicator comprises a city identifier determined from the computer system's connection to the network.   
     
     
         153 . The method of  claim 152  wherein the geographic indicator comprises a zip code of the user of the computer system. 
     
     
         154 . The method of  claim 153  further comprising querying the user to determine if the user is presently in the zip code. 
     
     
         155 . The method of  claim 147  wherein accessing the data that identifies the first manufacturer of the first type of hardware components and the second manufacturer of the first type of hardware components includes:
 accessing a component identification item that identifies the hardware component, and   selecting a manufacturer from among the first and second manufactures based on information in the component identification item.   
     
     
         156 . The method of  claim 155  wherein:
 the information in the component identification item comprises an indicator of a class of components, the class including the hardware component, and   selecting the manufacture based on information in the component identification item comprises (i) using the indicator of the class to select a class service provider from a list of class service providers, and (ii) selecting the class service provider as the service provider.   
     
     
         157 . The method of  claim 155  wherein the hardware component is a printer, and accessing the component identification item comprises deriving, at least in part, the component identification item from a filename for a device driver associated with the printer. 
     
     
         158 . The method of  claim 155  wherein accessing the component identification item comprises querying a user of the computer system for information. 
     
     
         159 . The method of  claim 155  wherein selecting the manufacturer comprises performing a table look-up based on information in the component identification item. 
     
     
         160 . The method of  claim 155  wherein accessing the component identification item comprises issuing an application-program interface (“API”) call to an operating system running on the computer system to determine a device driver file name for an active printer on the computer system. 
     
     
         161 . The method of  claim 160  wherein displaying access to help comprises:
 determining if the device driver is a current version; and   displaying, if the device driver is not the current version, electronic access to the current version.   
     
     
         162 . The method of  claim 161  wherein determining if the device driver is the current version comprises:
 storing electronically a current version number for the device driver;   issuing a second API call to determine a version number of the device driver; and   comparing the device driver's version number to the current version number.   
     
     
         163 . The method of  claim 147 , wherein enabling display of the interface includes enabling display of an interface that includes an option to receive sales information regarding the hardware component. 
     
     
         164 . A method of providing service for a computer hardware component, the method comprising:
 receiving, using at least one processor, an indication of an action taken on the computer system by a user of the computer system, the action relating to the hardware component of the computer system;   steps for accessing, based on the indication, data that identifies a first manufacturer of a first type of hardware components and a second manufacturer of the first type of hardware components, the second manufacturer being different from the first manufacturer;   selecting, based on the accessed data, the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer; and   enabling display, based on the selection of the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer, an interface that is tailored to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer and that enables access to service for the hardware component corresponding to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer.   
     
     
         165 . A method of providing service for a computer hardware component, the method comprising:
 receiving, using at least one processor, an indication of an action taken on the computer system by a user of the computer system, the action relating to the hardware component of the computer system;   accessing, based on the indication, data that identifies a first manufacturer of a first type of hardware components and a second manufacturer of the first type of hardware components, the second manufacturer being different from the first manufacturer;   steps for selecting, based on the accessed data, the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer; and   enabling display, based on the selection of the first manufacturer or the second manufacturer, an interface that is tailored to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer and that enables access to service for the hardware component corresponding to the selected first manufacturer or second manufacturer.