AUTOMATIC STATUS UPDATE FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING

• US 20120149345A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Jotanovic, Mark Aleksandar
• Granted Patent: US 8,560,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

The present invention is a computer based method for updating a user'"'"'s social networking status based on the user'"'"'s activities within a vehicle. A vehicle multimedia system having a navigation or GPS system, music playing capability, or hands-free cell phone connectivity capability connects to a user'"'"'s mobile device or cell phone. The mobile device being capable of accessing the user'"'"'s social networking website via a mobile wireless network. The multimedia system is housed within the vehicle and is in communication with the mobile device. The vehicle multimedia system communicating information from the multimedia system regarding the multimedia system to and from the mobile device. Information generated on the vehicle multimedia system such as what music is being played, where the user is going, who the user is talking to, . . . etc. is communicated to the mobile device. Said information is updated to a social networking website to update the user'"'"'s status to indicate activities presently occurring within the vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer based method for sharing a user'"'"'s activities within a vehicle with a social networking website, the method comprising:

accessing a personal electronic device capable of accessing a user'"'"'s social networking website;

communicating to a vehicle multimedia system housed in the vehicle, the vehicle multimedia system in communication with the personal electronic device, the vehicle multimedia system having a computer processing unit;

communicating information from the vehicle multimedia system regarding the multimedia system to and from the personal electronic device; and

uploading information from the personal electronic device to the user'"'"'s social networking website.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of storing the information in the multimedia system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes the step of storing the information in the personal electronic device, including audio information such as a song name, artist name or album name.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia system is capable of playing audio.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device and the multimedia system communicate via Bluetooth.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device and the multimedia system communicate over a satellite based network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device is a mobile phone.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile phone includes a contact list.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multimedia system is capable of communicating with the mobile phone allowing the user to make phone calls through the multimedia system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information includes information regarding who the user is talking based on the contact list of the mobile phone to is uploaded to the user'"'"'s social networking website.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes information to the user'"'"'s current location retrieved by GPS is stored in the multimedia system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the UPS-enabled device includes a point of interest input capability and wherein the information includes information regarding where the user is traveling to based on the point of interest inputted by the user.

13. An apparatus and system capable of sharing a user'"'"'s activities within a vehicle with a social networking website, the apparatus and system comprising:

a personal electronic device capable of accessing a user'"'"'s social networking website, a storage system capable of storing information in the personal electronic device; and

a vehicle multimedia system housed in the vehicle, the multimedia system in communication with the personal electronic device, the multimedia system having a computer processing unit, a second storage system capable of storing information in the vehicle multimedia system, the vehicle multimedia system capable of communicating information from the multimedia system regarding the multimedia system to and from the personal electronic device and uploading information from the personal electronic device to the user'"'"'s social networking website.

14. The apparatus and system of claim 13, wherein the information includes audio information uploaded to the user'"'"'s social networking website updates a user'"'"'s status, wherein the audio information includes a song name, an artist'"'"'s name or an album name.

15. The apparatus and system of claim 13, wherein the personal electronic device and the vehicle multimedia system communicate via Bluetooth.

16. The apparatus and system of claim 13, wherein the personal electronic device and the vehicle multimedia system communicate over a satellite based network.

17. The apparatus and system of claim 13, wherein the personal electronic device is a mobile phone in communication with the multimedia system having a contact list.

18. The apparatus and system of claim 17, wherein the information includes information regarding who the user is talking based on the contact list of the mobile phone to is uploaded to the user'"'"'s social networking website.

19. The apparatus and system of claim 13, wherein the information includes information to the user'"'"'s current location based on a set of GPS data stored in the multimedia system.

20. The apparatus and system of claim 19, wherein the information includes information regarding where the user is traveling to based on a point of interest inputted by the user.