Methods and systems for providing life management and enhancement applications and services for telematics and other electronic medium

• US 20010014863A1
• Filed: 12/26/2000
• Published: 08/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence E. Williams III
• Original Assignee: Lawrence E. Williams III
• Inventors: Williams, Lawrence E. III
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

The invention presented herein relates to methods and systems for providing life management and enhancement applications and services to customers via an electronic medium such as the Internet. In addition, the present invention is directed to business-to-business and business-to-customer applications that provide customer-centric and “reverse retailing” services to customers. The life management and enhancement applications and services are provided to customers through a central online location such as the Internet portal. A system and method according to one particular embodiment of the present invention describes an application for providing telematics services to the customer.

Claims

1. A method of providing through an electronic medium personalized information to a customer on a telematics device, the method comprising:

presenting, on the telematics device, to the customer through the electronic medium a virtual garage having communication links to a plurality of telematics service providers;

requesting, from the telematics device, personalized information from the virtual garage; and

transmitting the personalized information from the virtual garage to the telematics device, wherein the personalized information is originally obtained from the virtual garage and the plurality of telematics service providers.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the electronic medium comprises the Internet.

3. The method of

claim 2

, wherein the personalized information comprise information in one of a route log, insurance log, automobile log, traffic log, travel log, medical log, and grocery log.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the virtual garage is accessed through a wireless connection.

5. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the virtual garage is a life management and enhancement server.

6. The method of

claim 1

further comprising transmitting updates from the plurality of telematics service providers to the virtual garage.

7. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the personalized information is transmitted from the virtual garage to the telematics device using an FM subcarrier network.

8. A system for providing through an electronic medium personalized information to a customer on a telematics device, comprising:

means for presenting, on the telematics device, to the customer through the electronic medium a virtual garage having communication links to a plurality of telematics service providers;

means for requesting from the telematics device personalized information from the virtual garage; and

means for transmitting the personalized information from the virtual garage to the telematics device, wherein the personalized information is originally obtained from the virtual garage and the plurality of telematics service providers.

9. The system of

claim 8

, wherein the electronic medium comprises the Internet.

10. The system of

claim 8

, wherein the personalized information comprise information in one of a route log, insurance log, automobile log, traffic log, travel log, medical log, and grocery log.

11. The system of

claim 8

, wherein the virtual garage is accessed through a wireless connection.

12. The system of

claim 8

, wherein the virtual garage is a life management and enhancement server.

13. The system of

claim 8

further comprising means for transmitting updates from the plurality of telematics service providers to the virtual garage.

14. The method of

claim 8

, wherein the personalized information is transmitted from the virtual garage to the telematics device using an FM subcarrier network.