Individual-adaptive system and information distribution device based on a cellular telephone

• US 7,454,545 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auto Tech Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Kohno, Atsushi, Ozaki, Minoru, Uekawa, Akio, Asai, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US09/984,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,576 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data

Abstract

In an information distribution device for supporting an individual-adaptive system, when a car navigation system is employed as an individual-adaptive system, the system includes an individual identification section which can be connected to a portable cellular phone, enables entry of a portable cellular phone number from the portable cellular phone, and determines a setting status of a device in accordance with the input phone number; and an operation control section which controls the setting status of the device in accordance with the setting status determined by the individual identification section.

Claims

1. An individual-adaptive system comprising:

an individual identification section connectable to a cellular telephone for input of respective individual identification information unique to the cellular telephone, from the cellular telephone, and determining setting status of a device in accordance with the individual identification information input; and

an operation control section which controls the setting status of the device based on the setting stats determined by the individual identification section.

2. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 1, wherein the individual identification section includes storage means for storing respective individual identification information and the setting status of the system corresponding to respective individual identification information, and comparing the individual identification information input from the cellular telephone with the individual identification information stored in the storage means, thereby determining as the setting stats of the system the setting stats corresponding to the individual identification information matched.

3. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 2, further comprising means for one of (i) adding to and (ii) changing the individual identification information stored in the storage means and the setting status of a device corresponding to the individual identification information.

4. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 2, wherein setting status of a device corresponding to individual identification information stored in the storage means is stored with a selling status identification code specifying one from a plurality of setting statuses of the device.

5. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 1, wherein

the cellular telephone establishes wireless communication with an information distribution device which stores individual identification information and setting information for a device and corresponding to the individual identification information, and

the individual identification section transmits, to the information distribution device, wirelessly, by way of the cellular telephone, individual identification information input from the cellular telephone and receives, wirelessly, from the information distribution device, setting information for a device corresponding to the individual identification information, thereby determining the setting status of the device.

6. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 5, wherein the system

has device type identification information,

outputs the device type identification information to one of the cellular telephone and the information distribution device, and

acquires setting information about a device corresponding to the device type identification information from one of the cellular telephone and the information distribution device.

7. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 5, wherein only setting information required is extracted from setting information entered from one of the individual cellular telephone and the information distribution device.

8. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 1, wherein the individual identification section

is connectable to the cellular telephone having individual identification information,

wirelessly transmits individual identification information entered from the individual cellular telephone to an information distribution device which stores individual identification information and setting information for a device corresponding to the individual identification information, by way of the cellular telephone, and

receives setting information about a device corresponding to the individual identification information wirelessly from the information distribution device, thereby determining the setting status of the device.

9. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone is connectable to the individual identification section through a wired connection.

10. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 1, wherein the individual identification information consists of the telephone number of the cellular telephone.

11. An individual-adaptive system comprising:

an input section connectable to a cellular telephone, the cellular telephone having stored therein (i) individual identification information unique to the cellular telephone and setting information for a device, and (ii) receiving the setting information from the cellular telephone; and

an operation control section for controlling setting status of the device in accordance with the setting information received.

12. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 11 wherein the cellular telephone is connectable to the individual identification section through a wired connection.

13. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 11, wherein the individual identification information consists of the telephone number of the cellular telephone.

14. An individual-adaptive system comprising:

an input/output section

connectable to a cellular telephone and producing, for input, individual identification information unique to the cellular telephone,

issuing an instruction for wirelessly sending the individual identification information to an information distribution device which stores individual identification information and setting information for a device corresponding to the individual identification information, and

inputting into the individual cellular telephone setting information for the device acquired from the information distribution device; and

an operation control section for controlling setting status of the device based on the setting information input.

15. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 14, wherein the system

has device type identification information,

outputs the device type identification information to one of the individual cellular telephones and the information distribution device, and

acquires setting information about a device corresponding to the device type identification information from one of the individual cellular telephones and the information distribution device.

16. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 14, wherein only setting information required is extracted from setting information entered from one of the individual cellular telephones and the information distribution device.

17. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 14, wherein the individual identification information consists of the telephone number of the individual cellular telephone.

18. An information distribution device comprising:

storage means for storing individual identification information and setting information for an individual-adaptive system corresponding to the individual identification information;

receiving means for receiving individual identification information from the individual-adaptive system that has received the individual identification information from a cellular telephone, the individual identification information being unique to the cellular telephone;

reading means for comparing the individual identification information received with the individual identification information stored in the storage means and for reading from the storage means setting information corresponding to the individual identification information matched; and

transmission means for transmitting the setting information read to the individual-adaptive system.

19. The information distribution device according to claim 18, wherein

the receiving means receives, from the individual-adaptive system, device type identification information for the individual-adaptive system and individual identification information, and

the reading means reads from the storage means setting information corresponding to the device type identification information and the individual identification information.

20. The information distribution device according to claim 18, wherein the individual identification information consists of the telephone number of the cellular telephone.

21. An individual-adaptive system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication means producing respective individual identification information;

an individual identification section connectable to an individual cellular telephone for input of individual identification information, unique to the cellular telephone, from the individual cellular telephone, and determining setting status of an in-vehicle device in accordance with the individual identification information input; and

an operation control section which controls the setting status of the in-vehicle device based on the setting status set by the individual identification section.

22. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of wireless communication means comprises cellular telephones.

23. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 22, wherein the cellular telephones are connectable to the individual identification section through a wired connection.

24. The individual-adaptive system according to claim 21, wherein the individual identification information consists of the telephone number of the individual cellular telephone.