Method and apparatus for communication between a vehicle based computing system and a remote application

• US 8,577,424 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Boll, David P., Santori, Nello Joseph, Ross, Joseph N., Shaker, Mark, Kaiser, Micah J., Joh, Brian Woogeun, Schunder, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US13/716,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20130109354A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/419, 455/420, 455/435.3, 455/512, 455/515, 455/569.2, 455/557, 455/575.9, 455/90.2, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/434, 726/3, 726/29, 709/223, 709/225
• US Class Current: 455/569.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A vehicle-based computing apparatus includes a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory. The apparatus also includes a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a wireless device located at the vehicle. The processor is operable to receive, through the wireless transceiver, a connection request sent from a nomadic wireless device, the connection request including at least a name of an application seeking to communicate with the processor. The processor is further operable to receive at least one secondary communication from the nomadic device, once the connection request has been processed. The secondary communication is at least one of a speak alert command, a display text command, a create phrase command, and a prompt and listen command.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

wirelessly receive vehicle output component access requests from a cellular phone application;

receive a vehicle output capabilities request from the application;

receive an application identifier;

verify, based on the received identifier, that the application is permitted to access the vehicle output component; and

only upon verification, provide the application the requested access to the output component and a list of the vehicle'"'"'s output capabilities.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a VIN-specific identifier identifying the application as being permitted to access the requested component of the specific vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine if the application is an in-focus application.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to provide an in-focus application with priority access to vehicle outputs.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to restrict access to vehicle components requested by applications without focus in favor of the in-focus application.

6. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

wirelessly receive requests from a cellular phone application for a vehicle'"'"'s output capabilities;

receive an application identifier;

verify, based on the received identifier, that the application is permitted to interact with a vehicle computing system (VCS); and

only upon verification, provide the application the list of the vehicle'"'"'s output capabilities.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the identifier is a VIN-specific identifier identifying the application as being permitted to access the VCS.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine if the application is an in-focus application.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to provide an in-focus application with priority access to vehicle outputs.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to restrict access to vehicle components requested by applications without focus in favor of the in-focus application.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

communicating wirelessly with a cellular phone to receive a request for a vehicle'"'"'s output capabilities;

receiving an identifier from the application;

verifying, via a vehicle computing system (VCS, based at least in part on the received identifier, that the application is permitted to interact with the VCS; and

only upon verification, providing the application the list of the vehicle'"'"'s output capabilities.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the identifier is a VIN-specific identifier identifying the application as being permitted to access the VCS.

13. The method of claim 11, further including determining if the application is an in-focus application.

14. The method of claim 13, further including providing an in-focus application with priority access to vehicle outputs.

15. The method of claim 14, further including restricting access to vehicle components requested by applications without focus in favor of the in-focus application.