Context-aware and location-aware systems, methods, and vehicles, and method of operating the same

• US 7,751,944 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal, Evans, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead; Brian J
• Application Number:
  US10/966,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20050071489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/208, 707/104.1, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• 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: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

Context-aware systems and methods, location-aware systems and methods, context-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same, and location-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same are described. In various embodiments, a context or location service module, implemented in software, determines a vehicle context or a vehicle location based upon information that it receives from various context providers or location providers respectively. Software executing on a vehicle'"'"'s computer can then cause one or more applications that are associated with a vehicle computer to be modified in a manner that changes their behavior. The behavior modification is based on the current context or location of the vehicle and thus provides a context-specific or location-specific user experience. The context or location can be ascertained through the use of one or more hierarchical tree structures that comprises individual nodes. Each node is associated with a context or location. The nodes are traversable by the vehicle'"'"'s software to ascertain a more complete context or location.

Claims

1. A context-aware system comprising:

a computer configured to be mounted in a vehicle, the computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed by the one or more processors;

one or more context providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide context information for use in determining a vehicle context, the one or more context providers being further configured to receive the context information from sources remote from the vehicle;

a first hierarchical tree structure resident on the computer-readable media and having multiple nodes each being associated with a context;

a second hierarchical tree structure resident on the computer-readable media and linked to at least one node of the first hierarchical tree structure, the second hierarchical tree structure including organization-specific information about an organization that is associated with the second hierarchical tree structure;

a context service module configured to;

receive the context information from the one or more context providers;

determine a vehicle context by accessing the first hierarchical tree structure and traversing at least one of said multiple nodes; and

obtain the organization-specific information about the organization by traversing the second hierarchical tree structure,

the organization being associated with the vehicle context;

at least one of the one or more applications being configured to present the organization-specific information to a vehicle user; and

a behavior engine operably associated with the computer and configured to, responsive to the vehicle context that is determined by the context service, adjust a behavior of the one or more applications to cause the one or more applications to behave in a manner that is consistent with the vehicle context.

2. The context-aware system of claim 1, wherein the one or more context providers are further configured to wirelessly receive information concerning the vehicle context.

3. A vehicle comprising the context-aware system of claim claim 1.

4. A location-aware system comprising:

a computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed by the one or more processors;

one or more location providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide location information for use in determining a vehicle location;

a location service module configured to;

receive the location information from the one or more location providers;

determine the vehicle location by accessing a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes each and traversing at least one of said multiple nodes, the first hierarchical tree structure being resident on the computer-readable media, and

traverse a second hierarchical tree structure linked to the first hierarchical tree structure to obtain information about an organization associated with the vehicle location; and

at least one of said one or more applications being configured to provide a user with the information about the organization as obtained by the location service module, the information about the organization being also associated with the vehicle location.

5. The location-aware system of claim 4, wherein the information about the organization is associated with one or more user-specified preferences.

6. A vehicle embodying the location-aware system of claim 4.

7. A method of operating a vehicle comprising:

receiving, with a vehicle-mounted computer, location information pertaining to a vehicle location;

accessing a first hierarchical tree structure, using the vehicle-mounted computer, the first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes each being associated with a location;

traversing the multiple nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure using the location information to derive the vehicle location;

traversing a second hierarchical tree structure linked to at least one node of the first hierarchical tree structure to obtain information about an organization associated with the vehicle location; and

responsive to a derived vehicle location, providing a user of the vehicle with information associated with the derived vehicle location and the organization.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said providing the user of the vehicle with the information comprises providing information that is associated with user-provided preferences.

9. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 7.

10. A vehicle having a computer that is programmed with instructions that implement the method of claim 7.

11. A vehicle comprising:

a computer mounted in the vehicle, the computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed by the one or more processors;

one or more context providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide context information for use in determining a vehicle context, the one or more context providers being further configured to receive the context information from sources remote from the vehicle and wirelessly receive information concerning the vehicle context;

a first hierarchical tree structure resident on the computer-readable media and having multiple nodes each being associated with a context;

a context service module configured to;

receive the context information from the one or more context providers;

determine the vehicle context by accessing the first hierarchical tree structure and traversing at least one of said multiple nodes; and

traverse a second hierarchical tree structure linked to at least one of the multiple nodes on the first hierarchical tree structure to obtain information about an organization associated with the vehicle context;

at least one of the one or more applications being configured to present the information about the organization to a vehicle user; and

a behavior engine operably associated with the computer and configured to, responsive to the vehicle context that is determined by the context service, adjust a behavior of the one or more applications to cause the one or more applications to behave in a manner that is consistent with the vehicle context.

12. A vehicle comprising:

a computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed on the one or more processors;

one or more location providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide location information for use in determining a vehicle location;

a location service module configured to;

receive the location information from the one or more location providers;

determine the vehicle location by accessing a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes each associated with a location and traversing at least one of said multiple nodes, the first hierarchical tree structure being resident on the computer-readable media, and

traverse a second hierarchical tree structure linked to at least one of the multiple nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure to obtain information associated with an organization that is associated with the vehicle location;

at least one of said one or more applications being configured to provide a user with the location information that is associated with the vehicle location as determined by the location service module, wherein the location information that is provided to the user is associated with one or more user-specified preferences; and

at least one of said one or more applications being configured to provide the user with the information associated with the organization as obtained by the location service module, wherein the information associated with the organization that is provided to the user is associated with one or more user-specified preferences.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the location service module is configured to determine the vehicle location by using multiple hierarchical tree structures each having multiple nodes that are associated with locations.

14. A vehicle comprising:

a computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed by the one or more processors;

one or more location providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide location information for use in determining a vehicle location;

a location service module configured to receive the location information from the one or more location providers and determine the vehicle location by using multiple hierarchical tree structures resident on the computer-readable media, the multiple hierarchical tree structures having multiple nodes each being associated with a location and including both a first hierarchical tree structure that corresponds to a master world that catalogs physical locations and a second hierarchical tree structure linked to at least one physical location of the master world, the second hierarchical tree structure corresponding to a secondary world that represents an organization associated with the at least one physical location of the master world, the location service module being further configured to determine a vehicle physical location by accessing the first hierarchical tree structure and traversing at least one node on the first hierarchical tree structure;

at least one of said one or more applications being configured to provide a user with information associated with the vehicle physical location as determined by the location service module; and

at least one of said one or more applications being configured to provide the user with information associated with both the organization that is represented by the secondary world and the vehicle physical location.