TELEMATICS SYSTEM

• US 20160274882A1
• Filed: 03/02/2016
• Published: 09/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automotive Data Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Automotive Data Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Fazi, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 10,725,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• 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 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention concern a novel and interactive way to deliver telematics solutions by separating the delivery of the hardware and software component of a telematics device. The software telematics application is selected and delivered to the customer'"'"'s telematics device by in-application purchases via the customer'"'"'s mobile device. The mobile device contains a user interface that is adapted to control and configure the telematics device. The customers may upgrade their telematics applications using their mobile devices. A retailer may also request the upgrade of a customer'"'"'s telematics application using the retailer'"'"'s mobile device. The user interface also provide a customer profiler tool to provide individualized search results and recommend telematics applications based on the customer'"'"'s profile.

Claims

1. A user interface that is adapted to be installed in a mobile device, wherein:

the user interface is adapted to communicate with an aftermarket telematics device that is adapted to be installed in a vehicle;

the aftermarket telematics device is compatible with a plurality of telematics applications;

the communication between the user interface and the aftermarket telematics device is through a short-ranged protocol;

the user interface is adapted to communicate with a data source that stores the plurality of telematics applications;

the communication between the user interface and the data source is via a long-ranged protocol;

the user interface is configurable to be associated with the aftermarket telematics device through an authentication process;

the user interface is capable of requesting the data source to transmit via the long-ranged protocol a particular telematics application that is selected from the plurality of telematics applications; and

after the authentication process, the user interface is adapted to cause the mobile device to transmit the particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device via the short-ranged protocol;

and the user interface is adapted to control and configure the aftermarket telematics device via the short-ranged protocol after the authentication process.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to collect information from a user and, based on the information collected, the user interface is adapted to generate a profile that recommend telematics applications to the user.

3. The user interface of claim 2, wherein the generation of the profile is based on fuzzy logic.

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to communicate with a third party data source that is associated with a developer application program interface that allows developers to develop telematics applications that are compatible with the aftermarket telematics device.

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is adapted to cause the mobile device to transmit the particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device via the short-ranged protocol when the mobile device is in a proximity to the aftermarket telematics device.

6. The user interface claim 1, wherein the user interface is capable of requesting the data source to transmit via the long-ranged protocol a second particular telematics application that is selected from the plurality of telematics applications to the mobile device;

and the user interface is adapted to cause the mobile device to transmit the second particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device via the short-ranged protocol.

7. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the authentication process that associates the user interface with the aftermarket telematics device can only be initiated when the aftermarket telematics device has detected that a door of the vehicle is open and an ignition of the vehicle is turned on.

8. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is used by an intermediary, the user interface is adapted to request the data source to transmit the particular telematics application to a second mobile device that is owned by a customer, and cause the second mobile device to re-transmit the particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device.

9. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the user interface is used by an intermediary, after the particular telematics application is delivered, the user interface is adapted to generate a transaction record that is associated with the intermediary.

10. An aftermarket telematics device that is compatible with a plurality of telematics applications and that is adapted to be installed in a vehicle, the aftermarket telematics device comprising:

a storage medium;

a transceiver that is adapted to communicates with a plurality of mobile devices;

wherein the storage medium contains instructions such that the aftermarket telematics device is configurable to be associated with different mobile devices;

wherein the aftermarket telematics device is adapted to receive a particular telematics application from the mobile device associated; and

wherein the aftermarket telematics device is adapted to collect data from the vehicle and transmit the data to the mobile device associated.

11. The aftermarket telematics device of claim 11, the device is adapted to be controlled by a first customer user interface that is installed in the mobile device.

12. A method for delivering telematics applications to an aftermarket telematics device with an identifier, wherein the aftermarket telematics device is installed in a vehicle, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of telematics applications that are compatible with the aftermarket telematics device in a data source;

sending a first user interface to a customer;

sending a second user interface to an intermediary;

authenticating a first association between the first user interface and the aftermarket telematics device using the identifier;

authenticating a second association between the second user interface and the first user interface;

upon receiving a request from the first user interface authenticated or the second user interface authenticated, transmitting a particular telematics application to a mobile device and transmitting an instruction to the mobile device to re-transmit the particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

collecting profile information from the customer using the first user interface;

based on the information collected, recommending a telematics application to the customer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

analyzing the information collected using fuzzy logic to determine a proper recommendation to the customer.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing an application program interface to third party developers to develop and upload telematics applications to the data source.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile device contains the first user interface.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the request is made by the second user interface authenticated while the particular telematics application is transmitted to the mobile device containing the first user interface.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating a transaction record that is associated with the second user interface after the particular telematics application is transmitted.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

shipping an add-on hardware to the customer;

transmitting a second particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device to the mobile device; and

transmitting a second command to the mobile device to re-transmit the second particular telematics application to the aftermarket telematics device.

20. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating a transaction record that is associated with the add-on hardware and the second user interface after the add-on hardware is shipped.