Method and apparatus for in-vehicle consumer information gathering

• US 10,332,126 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Liu, Yimin, MacNeille, Perry Robinson, Pierucci, Joe Phillip, Gusikhin, Oleg Yurievitch, Klampfl, Erica
• Primary Examiner(s): Misiaszek, Amber A
• Application Number:
  US13/362,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20130197973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,702 Days
• Field of Search: 705 711- 742
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A computer implemented method includes receiving vehicle location information. The method also includes delivering a survey to one or more vehicle occupants, over a vehicle audio system, the survey related to a business having some correlation to the location information. Further, the method includes collecting survey results. Also, the method includes relaying the survey results to a remote server for processing. The method additionally includes providing a digital reward to the one or more occupants participating in the survey.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

receiving vehicle destination input;

determining a business located at the destination;

selecting and delivering a survey, related to the business, to a vehicle occupant over a vehicle audio system while the user travels to the destination;

collecting survey results from the vehicle occupant using a vehicle-based input;

relaying the survey results to a remote server for processing; and

providing a digital reward to a participating occupant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving further includes receiving driver demographic information, and wherein the selecting is further based at least in part on the demographic information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination includes GPS coordinates and the business located within a predefined distance of the GPS coordinates.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital reward is an electronically transferred coupon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital reward is sent as a coupon embedded in a text message.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises selecting a survey having an associated projected completion time of less than an estimated time remaining to the destination.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting further comprises selecting a plurality of surveys and wherein the delivering further comprises:

presenting a selectable list of the plurality of surveys on a vehicle interface;

and delivering a selected one of the plurality of surveys over the vehicle audio system.