Mobile geographic application in an automotive environment

• US 10,230,829 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pelly, Nicholas Julian, Foster, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US15/844,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20180109668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 4554561, 455457, 4554563
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A server operating in a communication network includes a network interface to communicate with remote hosts and a processing hardware configured to receive, from a portable device via the network interface, an indication of a geographic location selected at the portable device, at a first time. The processing hardware is further configured to store the indication of a geographic location and the first time and subsequently receive a request for a suggested geographic location from the portable device for use with a head unit of a vehicle, at a second time. Still further, the processing hardware is configured to determine, based at least on the difference between the first time and the second time, whether the stored geographic location should be suggested, and provide a suggestion including an indication of the stored geographic location to the portable device, in response to determining that the stored geographic location should be suggested.

Claims

1. A server operating in a communication network, the server comprising:

a network interface to communicate with remote hosts, and

processing hardware configured to;

receive, from a portable device via the network interface, an indication of a geographic location selected at the portable device, at a first time,

store, in a non-transitory computer-readable memory, the indication of a geographic location and the first time,

subsequently to storing the indication and the first time, receive a request for a suggested geographic location from the portable device for use with a head unit of a vehicle, at a second time,

determine, based at least on the difference between the first time and the second time, whether the stored geographic location should be suggested, and

provide a suggestion including an indication of the stored geographic location to the portable device via the network interface, in response to determining that the stored geographic location should be suggested.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the received request for the suggested geographic location indicates that the portable device is coupled to the head unit of the vehicle.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the received request indicates that a user of the portable device is currently viewing information related to a geo-located business using a web browser, and wherein the processing hardware provides the suggestion in view of the information the user is currently viewing.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the processing hardware is further configured to determine whether the stored geographic location should be suggested further in view of a time at which the request for a suggested geographic location is received.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein the processing hardware is configured to suggest the stored geographic location to the portable device at a certain time of day.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the processing hardware is configured to determine that a user of the portable device recently submitted a query for the geographic location, and wherein the processing hardware is configured to suggest the stored geographic location further in view of the query.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the processing hardware is configured to determine that a user of the portable device frequently drives to the geographic location, and wherein the processing hardware is configured to suggest the stored geographic location further in view of the user frequently driving to the geographic location.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the indication of the geographic location selected at the portable device corresponds to a one-time selection of the geographic location via a web browser, and wherein the processing hardware is configured to determine that the geographic location should be suggested when the geographic location corresponds to a geo-located business.

9. A method for providing geographic information to head units of vehicles, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, an indication of a geographic location selected at a portable device, at a first time;

storing, in a computer-readable memory, the indication of a geographic location and the first time;

subsequently to storing the indication and the first time, receiving a request for a suggested geographic location for use by the portable device with a head unit of a vehicle, at a second time;

determining, based at least on the difference between the first time and the second time, whether the stored geographic location should be suggested; and

providing a suggestion including an indication of the stored geographic location to the portable device, in response to determining that the stored geographic location should be suggested.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the received request for the suggested geographic location indicates that the portable device is coupled to the head unit of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the received request indicates that a user of the portable device is currently viewing information related to a geo-located business using a web browser, and wherein the method further comprises providing the suggestion in view of the information the user is currently viewing.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining whether the stored geographic location should be suggested further in view of a time at which the request for a suggested geographic location is received.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising suggesting the stored geographic location to the portable device at a certain time of day.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that a user of the portable device recently submitted a query for the geographic location, and

suggesting the stored geographic location further in view of the query.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that a user of the portable device frequently drives to the geographic location, and

suggesting the stored geographic location further in view of the user frequently driving to the geographic location.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication of the geographic location selected at the portable device corresponds to a one-time selection of the geographic location via a web browser, the method further comprising determining that the geographic location should be suggested when the geographic location corresponds to a geo-located business.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

receiving an indication of a geographic location selected at a portable device, at a first time;

storing, in a computer-readable memory, the indication of a geographic location and the first time;

subsequently to storing the indication and the first time, receiving a request for a suggested geographic location for use by the portable device with a head unit of a vehicle, at a second time;

determining, based at least on the difference between the first time and the second time, whether the stored geographic location should be suggested; and

providing a suggestion including an indication of the stored geographic location to the portable device, in response to determining that the stored geographic location should be suggested.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the received request for the suggested geographic location indicates that the portable device is coupled to the head unit of the vehicle.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the received request indicates that a user of the portable device is currently viewing information related to a geo-located business using a web browser, and wherein the method further comprises providing the suggestion in view of the information the user is currently viewing.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising determining whether the stored geographic location should be suggested further in view of a time at which the request for a suggested geographic location is received.