Credit-points managing apparatus, vehicle, credit-points calculating method, and computer product

• US 20050234772A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Haruki, Matsuaki, Kitamura, Ichio, Kojima, Munetaka, Sugano, Kazuo, Takahashi, Tomomichi, Akisawa, Hideshi
• Application Number:
  US11/049,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234772A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.310
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0231 Awarding of a frequent usage incentive independent of the monetary value of a good or service purchased, or distance travelled
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers

Abstract

The system and method detect whether a vehicle is in a halting state. If the vehicle is in the halting state, then information pertaining to a status of an engine of the vehicle is obtained. Credit-points are calculated based on the status of the engine. For example, if the vehicle is in the halting state and the engine is not running, then credit-points are given.

Claims

1. A credit-points managing apparatus comprising:

a halt information obtaining unit that obtains information that indicates whether a vehicle is in a halting state;

an engine status information obtaining unit that obtains information pertaining to a status of an engine of the vehicle when the halt information obtaining unit obtains information indicating that the vehicle is in a halting state; and

a credit-points calculating unit that calculates credit-points based on the status of the engine obtained by the engine status information obtaining unit.

2. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to a status of an engine includes at least one of information on whether the engine is running and a duration for which the engine is running, and information on whether the engine is not running and a duration for which the engine is not running.

3. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the credit-points calculating unit calculates the credit-points as the product of an amount of carbon dioxide emitted from the vehicle in a predetermined unit time and all or part of the duration for which the engine is either running or not running.

4. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the point calculated based on the duration for which the engine is not running are positive credit-points and the credit-points calculated based on the duration for which the engine is running are negative credit-points.

5. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the credit-points calculating unit adds together the positive credit-points and the negative credit-points.

6. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a location information obtaining unit that obtains information pertaining to a location of the vehicle,

wherein the credit-points calculating unit calculates the credit-points based on the status of the engine obtained by the engine status information obtaining unit and the information pertaining to the location obtained by the location information obtaining unit.

7. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a traffic jam information obtaining unit that obtains information pertaining to a status of a traffic jam at a location according to the information pertaining to the location of the vehicle or a location associated with the location of the vehicle, and

wherein the credit-points calculating unit calculates the credit-points based on the status of the engine obtained by the engine status information obtaining unit, the location information obtained by the location information obtaining unit, and the information obtained by the traffic jam information obtaining unit.

8. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a credit-points storing unit that accumulates the credit-points calculated by the credit-points calculating unit.

9. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reward information providing unit that provides to a vehicle user information pertaining to rewards based on the credit-points calculated by the credit-points calculating unit.

10. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a service request information obtaining unit that obtains service request information from the vehicle user in response to the reward information provided by the reward information providing unit.

11. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a service request information transmitting unit that sends the service request information obtained by the service request information obtaining unit to a service provider.

12. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a reward information providing unit that provides to a vehicle user information pertaining to rewards based on the credit-points stored in the credit-points storing unit.

13. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a service request information obtaining unit that obtains service request information from the vehicle user in response to the reward information provided by the reward information providing unit.

14. The credit-points managing apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a service request information transmitting unit that sends the service request information obtained by the service request information obtaining unit to a service provider.

15. A vehicle comprising a credit-points managing apparatus that includes

a halt information obtaining unit that obtains information that indicates whether a vehicle is in a halting state;

an engine status information obtaining unit that obtains information pertaining to a status of an engine of the vehicle when the halt information obtaining unit obtains information indicating that the vehicle is in a halting state; and

a credit-points calculating unit that calculates credit-points based on the status of the engine obtained by the engine status information obtaining unit.

16. A credit-points calculating method, comprising:

obtaining information that indicates whether a vehicle is in a halting state;

obtaining information pertaining to a status of an engine of the vehicle when the information is obtained indicating that the vehicle is in a halting state; and

calculating credit-points based on the obtained status of the engine.

17. The credit-points calculating method according to claim 16, further comprising:

obtaining information pertaining to a location of the vehicle,

wherein the calculating includes calculating the credit-points based on the status of the engine and the location of the vehicle.

18. The credit-points calculating method according to claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining information pertaining to a status of a traffic jam at a location according to the location of the vehicle or a location associated with the location of the vehicle,

wherein the calculating includes calculating the credit-points based on the status of the engine, the location of the vehicle, and the information pertaining to a status of a traffic jam.

19. A computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program that causes a computer to execute:

obtaining information that indicates whether a vehicle is in a halting state;

obtaining information pertaining to a status of an engine of the vehicle when the information is obtained indicating that the vehicle is in a halting state; and

calculating credit-points based on the obtained status of the engine.