System and method for adjusting a seat using biometric information

• US 8,138,888 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mukherjee, Maharaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAMERT, JOHN J
• Application Number:
  US12/115,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20090273213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 340 58- 583
• US Class Current: 340/5.82
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 31/126 for chairs
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0639 with features for adjustment or converting of seats
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/06395 characterised by the arrangement of electric motors for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/064 Adjustable inclination or position of seats

Abstract

A method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features includes for each person within a plurality of persons, calibrating the seat by determining a preferred setting for each of the one or more adjustable physical features of the seat; utilizing the determined preferred settings to determine a cluster from among a plurality of clusters within which each of the plurality of persons is placed; identifying one of the persons; and for the identified person, adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting depending on the one of the plurality of clusters that the identified person is placed in.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting an airplane seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features, comprising:

collecting, by a computer, biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of an airline passenger from the airline passenger prior to the airline passenger boarding an airplane comprising the airplane seat;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information of the airline passenger;

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine a preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to the correlated comfort information of the airline passenger; and

adjusting the one or more physical features of the airplane seat to the preferred setting of the airline passenger.

2. The method of claim 1,

further comprising storing the preferred setting of the airline passenger in a computer, and in the event the airline passenger subsequently is assigned a second airplane seat having one or more respective physical features, adjusting the one or more respective physical features of the second airplane seat that is assigned to the airline passenger to the preferred setting of the airline passenger.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the biometric information of the airline passenger is collected from measurements made by a scanning device located in a security screening area in an airport terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the preferred setting of the airplane passenger based on a manual adjustment made to at least one of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat by the airplane passenger while the airplane passenger is seated in the airplane seat.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting of the airline passenger in response to the airline seat being assigned to the airline passenger.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the biometric information of the airline passenger is entered into a computer by the airline passenger prior to the airplane seat being assigned to the airplane passenger.

7. The method of claim 1,

further comprising storing the preferred setting of the airline passenger in a computer that is associated with a first airline, the first airline being associated with the airplane that comprises the first airplane seat;

and

sharing the preferred setting of the airline passenger by the computer associated with the first airline with a computer associated with a second airline in the event the airplane passenger is subsequently assigned a third airplane seat that is associated with the second airline.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable computer program code for implementing a method for adjusting an airplane seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features; and

instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, the method further including;

collecting, by a computer, biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of an airline passenger from the airline passenger prior to the airline passenger boarding an airplane comprising the airplane seat;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information of the airline passenger;

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine a preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to the correlated comfort information of the airline passenger; and

adjusting the one or more physical features of the airplane seat to the preferred settings of the airline passenger.

9. The computer program product of claim 8,

further comprising storing the preferred settings of the airline passenger in a computer, and in the event the airline passenger subsequently is assigned a second airplane seat having one or more respective physical features, adjusting the one or more respective physical features of the second airplane seat that is assigned to the airline passenger to the preferred settings of the airline passenger.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the biometric information of the airline passenger is collected from measurements made by a scanning device located in a security screening area in an airport terminal.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising updating the preferred setting of the airplane passenger based on a manual adjustment made to at least one of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat by the airplane passenger while the airplane passenger is seated in the airplane seat.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting of the airline passenger in response to the airline seat being assigned to the airline passenger.

13. The computer program product of claim 8,

further comprising storing the preferred setting of the airline passenger in a computer that is associated with a first airline, the first airline being associated with the airplane that comprises the first airplane seat;

and

sharing the preferred setting of the airline passenger by the computer associated with the first airline with a computer associated with a second airline in the event the airplane passenger is subsequently assigned a third airplane seat that is associated with the second airline.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the biometric information of the airline passenger is entered into a computer by the airline passenger prior to the airplane seat being assigned to the airplane passenger.

15. A system for implementing adjusting of an airplane seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features;

comprising;

a computing network including a processing device in communication with one or more computer memory storage devices; and

the computing network further configured to implement a method for adjusting a seat that includes one or more adjustable physical features, the method further including;

collecting, by a computer, biometric information relating to one or more physical characteristics of an airline passenger from the airline passenger prior to the airline passenger boarding an airplane comprising the airplane seat;

correlating comfort information to the collected biometric information of the airline passenger;

regression fitting the collected biometric information to determine a preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat, wherein the preferred setting for each of the one or more physical features relates to the correlated comfort information of the airline passenger; and

adjusting the one or more physical features of the airplane seat to the preferred settings of the airline passenger.

16. The system of claim 15,

further comprising storing the preferred settings of the airline passenger in a computer, and in the event the airline passenger subsequently is assigned a second airplane seat having one or more respective physical features, adjusting the one or more respective physical features of the second airplane seat that is assigned to the airline passenger to the preferred settings of the airline passenger.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the biometric information of the airline passenger is collected from measurements made by a scanning device located in a security screening area in an airport terminal.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising updating the preferred setting of the airplane passenger based on a manual adjustment made to at least one of the one or more physical features of the airplane seat by the airplane passenger while the airplane passenger is seated in the airplane seat.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising automatically adjusting each of the one or more physical features of the seat to the preferred setting of the airline passenger in response to the airline seat being assigned to the airline passenger.

20. The system of claim 15,

further comprising storing the preferred setting of the airline passenger in a computer that is associated with a first airline, the first airline being associated with the airplane that comprises the first airplane seat;

and

sharing the preferred setting of the airline passenger by the computer associated with the first airline with a computer associated with a second airline in the event the airplane passenger is subsequently assigned a third airplane seat that is associated with the second airline.