Digital windshield information system employing a recommendation engine keyed to a map database system

• US 8,081,089 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 32 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fein, Gene S., Merritt, Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US12/823,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/995.24
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/365 Guidance using head up displays or projectors, e.g. virtual vehicles or arrows projected on the windscreen or on the road itself
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for recommending locations keyed to a map database system and providing navigation instructions to the recommended locations to a driver of a vehicle by gathering actual statistics about the preferences of the user and/or by comparing the user to population data to create recommendations in accord with the preferences of the population.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving input indicating a vehicle position;

identifying a location in proximity to the vehicle position;

evaluating the location based, at least in part, on past driving habits including information related to the location, wherein the information was previously presented on a vehicle windshield; and

in response to evaluating the location, presenting the information on the vehicle windshield.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating the location based on past spending habits; and

determining the information from the past spending habits.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accumulating the past driving habits; and

after accumulating a number of the past driving habits, determining the information based on the past driving habits.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing demographic data of the past driving habits based on a general population of drivers; and

determining the information from the past driving habits.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the information comprises presenting text on the vehicle windshield.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the information comprises presenting an image on the vehicle windshield.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the image comprises a company logo.

8. A tangible computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions are executable by a processing system to cause the processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving input indicating a vehicle position;

identifying a location in proximity to the vehicle position;

evaluating the location based, at least in part, on past spending habits of a general population; and

forwarding information related to the location for display on a vehicle windshield.

9. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the location based on past driving habits.

10. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise recommending the location based on the past driving habits.

11. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the information related to the location as an advertisement displayed on the vehicle windshield.

12. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise prioritizing operational vehicle information and the information related to the location to determine a higher priority message.

13. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

removing a lower priority message from the vehicle windshield; and

replacing the lower priority message on the vehicle windshield with the higher priority message.

14. The tangible computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise wirelessly retrieving the information from at least one remote database.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving input indicating a vehicle position;

means for identifying a location in proximity to the vehicle position;

means for evaluating the location based, at least in part, on past driving habits including information related to the location, wherein the information was previously displayed on a vehicle windshield; and

means for displaying the information on the vehicle windshield.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for receiving vehicle information related to a vehicle operating condition; and

means for prioritizing the vehicle information and the information related to the location, wherein the means for prioritizing comprises means for prioritizing the vehicle information as the higher priority compared with the information related to the location.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for sensing the vehicle operating condition; and

means for determining the vehicle information based on input from the means for sensing.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for evaluating comprises means for evaluating the location based on a time of day.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for evaluating comprises means for evaluating the location based on past spending habits, and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for recommending the location based on the past spending habits.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for identifying the past driving habits based on past requests of a vehicle operator, wherein the information is displayed based, in part, on receiving a number of the past requests.

21. A system, comprising:

a display device configured to present information on a vehicle windshield; and

a computing device configured to;

receive input indicating a vehicle position;

identify a location in proximity to the vehicle position;

evaluate the location based, at least in part, on past spending habits; and

forward information related to the location to the display device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the computing device is configured to identify the location based on past driving habits, and wherein the information related to the location was previously displayed on the vehicle windshield.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

accumulate the past driving habits; and

in response to accumulating a predetermined number of the past driving habits, determine the information based on the past driving habits.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the computing device is further configured to recommend the location based on both the past spending habits and the past driving habits.