METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING OCCUPANTS OF VEHICLES

• US 20080312788A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company), Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Shaffer, Aric David, Miller, Ronald Hugh, Raceu, Dumitru, Aulakh, Gurpreet
• Application Number:
  US11/761,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312788A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Signals indicative of the identity and location of vehicle occupants are broadcast and received. Received signals are inspected for identity information. Indications are made as to whether received identity information matches stored identity information.

Claims

1. A method of identifying, in a first vehicle, an occupant of a second vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving input defining acquaintances of a first occupant of the first vehicle;

receiving information from the second vehicle identifying a second occupant of the second vehicle;

determining whether the second occupant is an acquaintance of the first occupant based on the information identifying the second occupant and the defined acquaintances; and

indicating whether the second occupant is an acquaintance of the first occupant, thereby identifying, in the first vehicle, the occupant of the second vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising prompting the first occupant to establish a line of communication with the second occupant.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a request to the second vehicle to establish a line of communication with the second occupant.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising receiving a response to the request to establish a line of communication with the second vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving information from the second vehicle identifying a location of the second vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the information identifying the location of the second vehicle comprises geographic coordinate data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the geographic coordinate data comprises global positioning satellite data.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising indicating the location of the second vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the input defining acquaintances of the first occupant is received via a wireless transmission.

10. A method of establishing communications between a first occupant in a first vehicle and a second occupant in a second vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting information identifying the first occupant;

receiving a message from the second vehicle to alert the first vehicle that the second vehicle is in a predefined geographic region relative to the first vehicle; and

establishing a line of communication with the occupant of the second vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the predefined geographic region is defined by a predetermined distance from the first vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising transmitting information identifying a location of the first vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the information identifying the location of the first vehicle comprises geographic coordinate data.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the geographic coordinate data comprises global positioning satellite data.

15. A system for identifying, in a first vehicle, an occupant of a second vehicle, the system comprising:

an input module configured to receive input defining acquaintances of a first occupant of the first vehicle;

a locator module configured to

send information identifying the first occupant, and

receive information from the second vehicle identifying a second occupant of the second vehicle; and

a processing module configured to

determine whether the second occupant is an acquaintance of the first occupant based on the information identifying the second occupant and the defined acquaintances, and

indicate whether the second occupant is an acquaintance of the first occupant, thereby identifying, in the first vehicle, the occupant of the second vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing module is further configured to prompt the first occupant to establish a line of communication with the second occupant.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the locator module is further configured to send a request to the second vehicle to establish a line of communication with the second occupant.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the locator module is further configured to receive a response to the request to establish a line of communication with the second vehicle.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the locator module is further configured to receive information from the second vehicle identifying a location of the second vehicle and wherein the processing module is further configured to indicate the location of the second vehicle.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the input defining acquaintances of the first occupant is received via a wireless transmission.