ENABLING AND INHIBITING SYNCHRONIZATION OF PRIVACY SETTINGS

• US 20170126680A1
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Yusuf, Munib Ahmed, Marshall, Shaun S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,900,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system includes a vehicle communications platform (VCP) operatively disposed in a vehicle and a control device. The control device selects a privacy ON mode or a privacy OFF mode. The privacy ON mode enables the VCP to synchronize a privacy setting of a mobile communications device to a vehicle notification setting, and is triggered when the privacy setting of the device is on, and either at least one passenger is present in the vehicle or a user indicates that the VCP should synchronize the privacy setting to the vehicle notification setting. The privacy OFF mode inhibits the VCP from synchronizing the privacy setting to the vehicle notification setting, and is triggered when the privacy setting of the device is off, or no passengers are present in the vehicle, or the user indicates that the VCP should not synchronize the privacy setting to the vehicle notification setting.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a vehicle;

a vehicle communications platform operatively disposed in the vehicle, the vehicle communications platform in communication with a mobile communications device; and

a control device to select a privacy ON mode or a privacy OFF mode responsive to a privacy setting received from the mobile communications device, wherein;

the privacy ON mode enables the vehicle communications platform to synchronize the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to a vehicle notification setting, wherein the privacy ON mode is triggered when the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is on, first passenger presence data indicates that at least one passenger is present in the vehicle, and a vehicle operator does not indicate through a user interface that the vehicle communications platform should not synchronize the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to the vehicle notification setting; and

the privacy OFF mode inhibiting the vehicle communications platform from synchronizing the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to the vehicle notification setting, wherein the privacy OFF mode is triggered when the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is off, or second passenger presence data indicates that no passengers are present in the vehicle, or the vehicle operator indicates through the user interface that the vehicle communications platform should not synchronize the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to the vehicle notification setting.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle bus in communication with the vehicle communications platform;

a sensor interface connected to the vehicle bus; and

a vehicle sensor connected to the sensor interface;

wherein either the first passenger presence data or the second passenger presence data is sensed by the vehicle sensor and communicated to the vehicle communications platform through the vehicle sensor interface and the vehicle bus.

3. The system as defined in claim 2 wherein the vehicle sensor is selected from the group consisting of a seat belt sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an automatic occupancy sensor, and a camera.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the first passenger presence data is at least one other mobile communications device sensed by a short-range wireless communication module operatively connected to the vehicle communications platform.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a server in communication with the vehicle communications platform, the server including a memory having stored therein a privacy mode preference.

6. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is silent mode.

7. The system as defined in claim 1 wherein the control device further includes:

an in-vehicle microprocessor;

a memory; and

computer readable instructions stored on the memory, the computer readable instructions, when executed by the microprocessor, are to;

i) determine whether the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is on or off;

ii) determine whether the first passenger presence data indicates that at least one passenger is present in the vehicle or the second passenger presence data indicates that no passengers are present in the vehicle;

iii) determine whether the vehicle operator has indicated through the user interface that the vehicle communications platform should not synchronize the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to the vehicle notification setting; and

iv) transmit privacy mode instructions to the vehicle communications platform.

8. The system as defined in claim 7 wherein the memory of the control device has stored therein a privacy mode preference.

9. A computer implemented method for enabling or inhibiting privacy mode synchronization, comprising executing on a processor the steps of:

receiving privacy setting data of a mobile communications device;

receiving passenger presence data; and

one of;

triggering a control device to enter a privacy ON mode when the privacy setting data of the mobile communications device indicates that a privacy setting of the mobile communications device is on and the passenger presence data indicates that at least one passenger is present in a vehicle;

or

triggering the control device to enter a privacy OFF mode when the privacy setting data of the mobile communications device indicates that the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is off or the passenger presence data indicates that no passengers are present in the vehicle.

10. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 9 wherein the control device enters the privacy ON mode, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting privacy ON mode instructions to the vehicle communications platform commanding the vehicle communications platform to replicate the privacy setting of the mobile communications device in the vehicle.

11. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 9 wherein the control device enters the privacy OFF mode, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting privacy OFF mode instructions to the vehicle communications platform commanding the vehicle communications platform to process incoming calls from the mobile communications device.

12. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 9 wherein prior to receiving the privacy setting data of the mobile communications device, the method further comprises:

recognizing that the mobile communications device is with a short-range wireless communication module of the vehicle communications platform; and

inquiring whether the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is on or off.

13. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 9 wherein when the privacy ON mode is triggered, the method further comprises:

receiving an incoming call on the mobile communications device; and

restricting a notification of the incoming call to a user interface of the vehicle.

14. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 9, further comprising determining if the mobile communications device is a highest priority device.

15. The computer implemented method as defined in claim 14 wherein the determining if the mobile communications device is the highest priority device is accomplished by referencing a priority list, detecting whether a user is located in a driver seat, or receiving input from a vehicle occupant through a user interface.

16. A method for improving a function of a vehicle communications platform, the method comprising:

recognizing a mobile communications device;

identifying, by a control device in communication with the vehicle communications platform, that a privacy setting of the mobile communications device is on;

displaying on a user interface a message inquiring whether the privacy setting of the mobile communications device is to be implemented in a vehicle; and

in response to an input received at the user interface, one of;

triggering the control device to enter a precursor mode to a privacy ON mode, wherein the privacy ON mode enables the vehicle communications platform to synchronize the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to a vehicle notification setting;

or

triggering the control device to enter a privacy OFF mode inhibiting the vehicle communications platform from synchronizing the privacy setting of the mobile communications device to the vehicle notification setting.

17. The method as defined in claim 16, further comprising:

receiving passenger presence data; and

entering the privacy ON mode when the passenger presence data indicates that at least one passenger is present in the vehicle.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an incoming call on the mobile communications device; and

restricting a notification of the incoming call to the user interface of the vehicle.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:

receiving an incoming call on the mobile communications device;

restricting an audio notification of the incoming call to a speaker of the user interface of the vehicle; and

causing the display of the user interface to show a visual notification of the incoming call.

20. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the control device enters the precursor mode to the privacy ON mode, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving passenger presence data; and

switching to the privacy OFF mode when the passenger presence data indicates that no passengers are present in the vehicle.

21. A system, comprising:

a paired mobile communications device;

a vehicle communications platform operatively disposed in a vehicle;

a short-range wireless communication module of the vehicle communications platform wirelessly linked with the paired mobile communications device and to receive a privacy setting of the paired mobile communications device;

a control device to select a privacy ON mode or a privacy OFF mode responsive to the privacy setting received from the short-range wireless communication module, wherein the privacy ON mode enables the vehicle communications platform to synchronize a privacy setting of the paired mobile communications device to a vehicle notification setting;

a display of a user interface in communication with the vehicle communications platform, wherein the display, in response to the privacy ON mode, shows a visual notification of an incoming call received at the paired mobile communications device; and

a speaker of the user interface in communication with the vehicle communications platform, wherein, in response to the privacy ON mode, no audio notification of the incoming call is played through the speaker.