VEHICLE SERVICE AND USER PROFILE SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20160167607A1
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Inventors: RAI, Vinuth
• Granted Patent: US 9,925,936 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/00 Output or target parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method for reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to reconfigure the second vehicle. The method may include wirelessly receiving user profile data at a second vehicle. The user profile data may indicate one or more preference of the user. The method may also include updating one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user.

Claims

1. A method of reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to reconfigure the second vehicle, the method comprising:

wirelessly receiving user profile data at a second vehicle, wherein the user profile data is associated with a user of a first vehicle and describes one or more settings of the first vehicle that indicate one or more preferences of the user; and

updating, by a processor-based computing device programmed to perform the updating, one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data is received responsive to the user providing an input to a touchscreen of a client that is different from the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes a description of one or more ergonomic settings of the first vehicle and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle based on the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reconfiguring the second vehicle includes activating and controlling an electric motor of the vehicle to reconfigure an element of the vehicle to replicate or approximate the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle in the second vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes device pairings data and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle to automatically pair with one or more Bluetooth enabled devices which the user previously paired with the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes user account information for one or more network services associated with the user and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle to be able to stream the one or more network services to the second vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes one or more radio station presets of the first vehicle and the method further comprises reconfiguring an infotainment system of the second vehicle to include the one or more radio station presets.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes one or more settings for a navigation system and the method further comprises reconfiguring the navigation system of the second vehicle based on the one or more settings for the navigation system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes electronic calendar data for one or more electronic calendars associated with the user and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle so that the user can access the one or more electronic calendars from a display of the second vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the presence of a client associated with the user based on the second vehicle pairing with the client via Bluetooth; and

providing an indication of the location of the second vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication of the location of the second vehicle includes flashing the vehicle lights.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication of the location of the second vehicle includes displaying a personalized message for the user on an outward facing panel of a heads-up display unit of the second vehicle.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processing device to perform or control performance of operations for reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to reconfigure the second vehicle, the operations comprising:

wirelessly receiving user profile data at a second vehicle, wherein the user profile data is associated with a user of a first vehicle and describes one or more settings of the first vehicle that indicate one or more preferences of the user;

updating one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user;

detecting the presence of a client associated with the user based on the second vehicle pairing with the client via Bluetooth; and

providing an indication of the location of the second vehicle.

14. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data is received responsive to the user providing an input to a touchscreen of a client that is different from the second vehicle.

15. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes a description of one or more ergonomic settings of the first vehicle and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle based on the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle.

16. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes device pairings data and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle to automatically pair with one or more Bluetooth enabled devices which the user previously paired with the first vehicle.

17. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes user account information for one or more network services associated with the user and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle to be able to stream the one or more network services to the second vehicle.

18. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes one or more radio station presets of the first vehicle and the operations further comprise reconfiguring an infotainment system of the second vehicle to include the one or more radio station presets.

19. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes one or more settings for a navigation system and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the navigation system of the second vehicle based on the one or more settings for the navigation system.

20. A method comprising:

providing a flexible vehicle lease in which a user may lease a first vehicle and one or more terms and conditions of the flexible vehicle lease provide the user an option to swap the first vehicle for one of a group of second vehicles at a time chosen by the user, wherein the group of second vehicles is specified by the terms and conditions of the flexible vehicle lease;

receiving an input provided to a touchscreen indicating a request of the user to swap the first vehicle for a specified second vehicle at a specified time chosen by the user; and

initiating, by a processor-based computing device programmed to perform the initiation, wireless transfer of user profile data from the first vehicle to the specified second vehicle via a network so that the specified second vehicle may be reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user indicated by the user profile data.