Vehicle computer system with wireless internet connectivity

• US 6,202,008 B1
• Filed: 09/10/1999
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, William S., Moeller, Mark M., Beckert, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/394,127
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/33, 701/29, 307/10.7, 340/825.25, 340/815.4, 340/439, 340/461, 340/825.22, 340/815.41, 340/825.06, 340/825.14, 340/825.24, 361/814, 361/686, 361/724, 361/729-733, 361/725, 361/679, 361/728, 361/747, 361/683, 455/456, 455/345, 455/550, 455/552, 455/557, 370/522, 370/476, 370/537, 200/50.01, 200/50.04, 248/27.1, 248/544, 248/558, 710/110
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0211 for record carriers apparatus, e.g. video recorders, tape players or CD players
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0229 for displays, e.g. cathodic tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0252 for personal computers, e.g. laptops, notebooks
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0005 Dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/027 for Din-sized apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/406 Test-mode; Self-diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• 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 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use

Abstract

A vehicle computer system has a housing sized to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard or other appropriate location. A computer is mounted within the housing and executes an open platform, multi-tasking operating system. The computer runs multiple applications on the operating system, including both vehicle-related applications (e.g., vehicle security application, vehicle diagnostics application, communications application, etc.) and non-vehicle-related applications (e.g., entertainment application, word processing, etc.). The computer system has an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet. One or more of the applications may utilize the link to access content on the Internet.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a housing of a size suitable to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard;

a computer mounted within the housing;

an open platform operating system executing on the computer; and

an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet.

2. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein the housing has a form factor of a single DIN.

3. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein the Internet wireless link is connected to the computer via a bus.

4. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein the operating system is a multitasking operating system that is capable of concurrently running the multiple applications.

5. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 further comprising multiple applications that execute on the computer.

6. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 5 wherein the applications are selected from a group comprising a navigational application, an entertainment application, a communications application, a vehicle security application, a vehicle diagnostics application, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a database application, and an appointment/schedule application.

7. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an application executing on the computer that utilizes the Internet wireless link to access the Internet.

8. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 1 wherein the Internet wireless link is used to download an application to the computer.

9. A computer network system for an automobile, comprising:

a network;

at least one client computing device connected to the network;

a vehicle computer system connected to the network to serve content to the client computing device, the vehicle computer system comprising;

a housing of a size suitable to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard;

a computer mounted within the housing;

an open platform operating system executing on the computer; and

an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet.

10. A computer network system as recited in claim 9, wherein the content served to the client is received from the Internet via the Internet wireless link.

11. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a support module having a bus;

a computer module connected to the bus, the computer module having a processor;

multiple applications stored on the computer module and executed by the processor; and

an Internet wireless link connected to the support module to provide access for the computer module to the Internet.

12. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 wherein at least one of the applications utilizes the Internet wireless link to access the Internet.

13. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 wherein the Internet wireless link is used to download an application to the computer.

14. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 wherein the support module has a form factor of a single DIN.

15. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 further comprising a multitasking operating system stored and executed on the computer module.

16. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 wherein the applications are selected from a group comprising a navigational application, an entertainment application, a communications application, a vehicle security application, a vehicle diagnostics application, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a database application, and an appointment/schedule application.

17. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 11 further comprising a faceplate module connected to the bus.

18. A computer network system for an automobile, comprising:

a network;

at least one client computing device connected to the network;

a vehicle computer system connected to the network to serve content to the client computing device, the vehicle computer system comprising;

a support module having a bus;

a computer module connected to the bus, the computer module having a processor;

multiple applications stored on the computer module and executed by the processor; and

an Internet wireless link connected to the support module to provide access for the computer module to the Internet.

19. A computer network system as recited in claim 18, wherein the content served to the client is received from the Internet via the Internet wireless link.

20. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a computer;

an open platform operating system executing on the computer;

multiple applications executing on the operating system; and

an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet.

21. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein the multiple applications include at least one vehicle-related application and at least one non-vehicle related application.

22. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein at least one of the applications utilizes the Internet wireless link to access the Internet.

23. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein the applications are selected from a group comprising a navigational application, an entertainment application, a communications application, a vehicle security application, a vehicle diagnostics application, a word processing application, a spreadsheet application, a database application, and an appointment/schedule application.

24. A vehicle computer system as recited in claim 20 wherein the Internet wireless link is used to download an application to the computer.

25. A computer network system for an automobile, comprising:

a network;

at least one client computing device connected to the network;

a vehicle computer system connected to the network to serve content to the client computing device, the vehicle computer system comprising;

a computer;

an open platform operating system executing on the computer;

multiple applications executing on the operating system; and

an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet.

26. A computer network system as recited in claim 25, wherein the content served to the client is received from the Internet via the Internet wireless link.