Method and Apparatus for Seamless Application Portability Over Multiple Environments

• US 20140280439A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hatton, David Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,479,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• 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 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to receive data, gathered by a vehicle, for use by a mobile application. The processor is further configured to receive instructions from the application interacting with the vehicle, for continuing usage in the extra-vehicular environment, utilizing the received data. Also, the processor is configured to determine that a mobile device, containing the processor, has left the vehicle. Additionally, the processor is configured to execute the instructions to continue application functionality while the mobile device remains out of contact with the vehicle in the extra-vehicular environment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive data, gathered by a vehicle, for use by a mobile application;

receive instructions from the application interacting with the vehicle, for continuing usage in the extra-vehicular environment, utilizing the received data;

determine that a mobile device, containing the processor, has left the vehicle; and

execute the instructions to continue application functionality while the mobile device remains out of contact with the vehicle in the extra-vehicular environment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the data include GPS data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the data includes vehicle state data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data includes application resource data stored on the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive instructions from one or more vehicle applications to gather data while the mobile device is in the extra-vehicular environment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the mobile device has re-entered the vehicle; and

transmit data gathered in the extra-vehicular environment to a vehicle computing system (VCS) for use in conjunction with applications in communication with the VCS.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to act as a proxy for a vehicle computing system (VCS) while the mobile device is in the extra-vehicular environment, including providing functionality similar to that of the VCS to secondary applications running on the mobile device.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving data, gathered by a vehicle, for use by a mobile application;

receiving instructions from the application interacting with the vehicle, for continuing usage in the extra-vehicular environment, utilizing the received data;

determining that a mobile device, containing the processor, has left the vehicle; and

executing the instructions to continue application functionality while the mobile device remains out of contact with the vehicle in the extra-vehicular environment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data include GPS data.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes vehicle state data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes application resource data stored on the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving instructions from one or more vehicle applications to gather data while the mobile device is in the extra-vehicular environment.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining that the mobile device has re-entered the vehicle;

and

transmitting data gathered in the extra-vehicular environment to a vehicle computing system (VCS) for use in conjunction with applications in communication with the VCS.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising acting as a proxy for a vehicle computing system (VCS) while the mobile device is in the extra-vehicular environment, including providing functionality similar to that of the VCS to secondary applications running on the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the data include GPS data.

17. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes vehicle state data.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes application resource data stored on the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving instructions from one or more vehicle applications to gather data while the mobile device is in the extra-vehicular environment.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining that the mobile device has re-entered the vehicle;

and

transmitting data gathered in the extra-vehicular environment to a vehicle computing system (VCS) for use in conjunction with applications in communication with the VCS.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving data, gathered by a vehicle, for use by a mobile application;

receiving instructions from the application interacting with the vehicle, for continuing usage in the extra-vehicular environment, utilizing the received data;

determining that a mobile device, containing the processor, has left the vehicle; and

executing the instructions to continue application functionality while the mobile device remains out of contact with the vehicle in the extra-vehicular environment.