Method of determining and predicting entertainment selections for telematics units

• US 20060136106A1
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Reeser, Brad T., Patenaude, Russell A., Petschke, Julianne, Kogowski, Patty Valerio
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

A method for providing entertainment in a vehicle, including monitoring entertainment selections at a telematics unit, determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring and activating entertainment units based on the profile.

Claims

1. A method for providing entertainment in a vehicle, comprising:

monitoring entertainment selections at a telematics unit;

determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring; and

activating entertainment units based on the profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring vehicle factors;

wherein the determination of the entertainment selection profile is based on the monitored vehicle factors and monitored entertainment selection factors.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle factors are selected from the group consisting of a number of passengers, locations of passengers, a location of the vehicle at power-up, a location of the vehicle when the entertainment selection occurs, a key used to power-up the vehicle, a rear view mirror position, a driver seat position, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying a specific user based on monitoring vehicle factors.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises:

determining a user-specific pattern for the specific user; and

generating a user-specific entertainment selection profile based on the determined user-specific patterns.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises:

determining entertainment unit factor; and

determining selection time factors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the selection time factors are selected from a group consisting of a time of day for the entertainment selection, a day of week for the entertainment selection, a week of the month for the entertainment selection, a date of the entertainment selection, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the entertainment unit factors are selected from a group consisting of a satellite radio unit code, an AM radio unit code, an FM radio unit code, a received satellite signal frequency, a received AM signal frequency, a received FM signal frequency, a CD player unit code, a CD identifier code, a CD track number, a DVD unit code, a DVD identifier code, a DVD track number, a game unit code, a tape player unit code, a tape identifier code, a television unit code, a received television signal frequency, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises;

determining patterns in the entertainment selections; and

generating the user entertainment selection profile based on the determined patterns.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises determining at least one subset profile of the user entertainment selection profile wherein the subset profile is determined based on monitoring a subset of the entertainment selections.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for identifying a specific user based on monitoring entertainment selections.

6. The method of clam 5, wherein activating entertainment units based on the profile comprises:

determining power-up input responsive to a power-up of the vehicle;

retrieving the user-specific entertainment selection profile from a memory in the telematics unit responsive to the determined power-up input; and

powering up at least one entertainment unit based on the retrieved user-specific entertainment selection profile.

11. The method of clam 1, wherein activating entertainment units based on the profile comprises:

determining power-up input responsive to a power-up of the vehicle;

retrieving the user entertainment selection profile from a memory in the telematics unit responsive to the determined power-up input; and

powering up at least one entertainment unit based on the retrieved user entertainment selection profile.

13. A system for providing entertainment in a vehicle, comprising:

means for monitoring entertainment selections at a telematics unit;

means for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring; and

means for activating entertainment units based on the profile.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

means for monitoring vehicle factors;

wherein the determination of the entertainment selection profile is based on the monitored vehicle factors and monitored entertainment selection factors.

16. A computer readable medium storing a computer program, comprising:

computer readable code for monitoring entertainment selections at a telematics unit;

computer readable code for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring; and

computer readable code for activating entertainment units based on the profile.

17. The medium of claim 16, further comprising:

computer readable code for monitoring vehicle factors;

wherein the determination of the entertainment selection profile is based on the monitored vehicle factors and monitored entertainment selection factors.

18. The medium of claim 16, wherein computer readable code for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises:

computer readable code for determining entertainment unit factor; and

computer readable code for determining selection time factors.

19. The medium of claim 16, wherein the computer readable code for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises;

computer readable code for determining patterns in the entertainment selections; and

computer readable code for generating the user entertainment selection profile based on the determined patterns.

21. The medium of claim 16, further comprising:

computer readable code for identifying a specific user based on monitoring entertainment selections.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the computer readable code for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises:

computer readable code for determining a user-specific pattern for the specific user; and

computer readable code for generating a user-specific entertainment selection profile based on the determined user-specific patterns.

24. The medium of claim 16, wherein computer readable code for determining at least one user entertainment selection profile based on the monitoring comprises computer readable code for determining at least one subset profile of the user entertainment selection profile wherein the subset profile is determined based on monitoring a subset of the entertainment selections.

20. The medium of clam 16, wherein computer readable code for activating entertainment units based on the profile comprises:

computer readable code for determining power-up input responsive to the power-up of the vehicle;

computer readable code for retrieving the user entertainment selection profile from a memory in the telematics unit responsive to the determined power-up input; and

computer readable code for powering up at least one entertainment unit based on the retrieved user entertainment selection profile.

23. The medium of clam 22, wherein computer readable code for activating entertainment units based on the profile comprises:

computer readable code for determining power-up input responsive to the power-up of the vehicle;

computer readable code for retrieving the user-specific entertainment selection profile from a memory in the telematics unit responsive to the determined power-up input; and

computer readable code for powering up at least one entertainment unit based on the retrieved user-specific entertainment selection profile.