METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING SYNCHRONIZING MEDIA CONTENT BETWEEN A VEHICLE DEVICE AND A USER DEVICE

• US 20100235891A1
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Telematics Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dickie, Dane, Oglesbee, Robert J., Link, Charles M. II
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A user uploads content such as files containing audio, video, graphical, data, points of interest, and other information from a user device such as a personal computer to a central server over the interne. Upon determining that a trigger event has occurred, communication and processing circuitry in a vehicle device automatically download the previously uploaded content over the interne and a short-range wireless network and store the content for use by a device such as an audio/visual/navigation unit. Examples of a trigger event include proximity to a short-range wireless communication network coupled to the internet, presence within a geofence, turning off a vehicle'"'"'s engine, or detecting an SMS wake-up message while the vehicle device'"'"'s main processor, transceivers not used for SMS, and auxiliary circuitry are in sleep mode. The short-range wireless network can be a vehicle owner'"'"'s home network, or a commercial wi-fi hot spot, or subscription wireless service.

Claims

1. A method for transferring content files from a user device to a vehicle device, comprising:

receiving the content files transmitted from the user device over an internetwork;

receiving a request, transmitted over the internetwork from the vehicle device, to transfer the files to the vehicle device;

transmitting the files to the vehicle device; and

wherein the user device transmits the content files to the internetwork through a gateway device, and wherein the vehicle device transmits the transfer request and receives the content files from the internetwork through the gateway.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving authentication credentials from the vehicle device transmitted through the gateway and over the internetwork before processing transfer request and before transmitting the files to the vehicle device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the transfer request is received from the vehicle device upon it entering a predetermined geographic boundary corresponding to the gateway device.

4. A system for digital content transfer, comprising:

a vehicle device for interfacing and communicating with other vehicle devices that compose a vehicle, the vehicle device including a first transceiver for wirelessly requesting upon the occurrence of a triggering event and for wirelessly receiving digital content and a memory for storing digital content; and

a centrally located intermediate server, configured for obtaining digital content from a remote server over an internetwork and for providing the digital content to the vehicle device in response to a content download request received from the vehicle device over the internetwork.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle device further comprises a second transceiver.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first transceiver is a cellular transceiver and the second transceiver is a WiFi transceiver.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the vehicle device is configured to determine which of the first or second transceivers is connected with a higher bandwidth and to preferentially utilize the higher bandwidth transceiver.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the remote server is a commercial third party server configured to sell digital content.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the central server is configured to store user account information for the remote server and utilize the user account information to access digital content on the remote server.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the central server is configured to store a user profile, wherein the user profile comprises user preferences.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user preferences comprise one or more transcoding preferences each associated with a different level of content quality.

12. The system of claim 4, further comprising a vehicle entertainment system configured to present the digital content to a vehicle occupant.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle device is configured to request digital content from the central server according to a predetermined schedule.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle device is further configured to predict the predetermined schedule based on vehicle location and usage.

15. A vehicle device configured to synchronize content stored thereon with content stored on a remote user device, comprising:

a processor configured to perform the steps of determining that a trigger event has occurred, wirelessly transmitting a download request message over an internetwork requesting the download of any content pending download from a central server, and wirelessly receiving the content corresponding to the download request message.

16. The vehicle device of claim 15 further comprising a GPS circuit coupled to the processor wherein the trigger event includes receiving location coordinates from the GPS circuitry that indicate that the vehicle device has come within a predetermined range of a predetermined location.

17. The vehicle device of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive signals over one, or more, service levels including cellular service, wi-fi service, and Bluetooth service.

18. The vehicle device of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly transmit and receive signals using wi-fi service while the engine of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle device is running.

19. The vehicle device of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to wirelessly receive SMS signals using cellular service while the engine of the vehicle corresponding to the vehicle device is not running.

20. The vehicle device of claim 19 wherein the processor is configured to awaken from a sleep mode upon receiving a wake-up signals via SMS and wherein the processor is configured to then wirelessly transmit the request message and receive content via a wi-fi service link.