Data selection and sharing between a vehicle and a user device

• US 8,793,031 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anantha, Anoop, Lin, Jyh-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/294,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 340/4.3
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

Embodiments enhance the functionality of a vehicle, a user device, or both by the selection and sharing of data. Upon detection of each other, the vehicle device and the user device obtain and share data. The data may be associated with the user, the user computing device, and/or the vehicle and may be stored in cloud-based services. Functionality of the vehicle and/or user device is customized to the user based on the shared data. For example, the user device may provide assisted global positioning system (GPS) data to the vehicle to reduce a time-to-fix (TTF) when determining a location of the vehicle. In other examples, settings of the vehicle are personalized to the user, and location-relevant content is downloaded to the user device.

Claims

1. A system for augmenting a mobile computing device with data from a vehicle, said system comprising:

a memory area associated with a mobile computing device, said memory area storing metadata describing a user of the mobile computing device; and

a processor programmed to;

detect, by the mobile computing device of the user, a vehicle near the mobile computing device;

receive, by the mobile computing device, sensor data from the detected vehicle, the sensor data including a location of the detected vehicle determined by the detected vehicle;

perform at least one action on the mobile computing device, the at least one action comprising customizing the mobile computing device based on preferences of the user specific to the location of the detected vehicle, the customization of the mobile computing device including obtaining information describing events and advertisements specific to the location of the detected vehicle; and

display the obtained information to the user on the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the sensor data by receiving the location of the detected vehicle and to perform the action by checking-in the user to the location on a social networking website.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the sensor data by receiving the location of the detected vehicle and to perform the action by obtaining data associated with points of interest to the user near the location for presentation to the user on the mobile computing device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the sensor data by receiving the location of the detected vehicle and to perform the action by obtaining a map of the location for presentation to the user on the mobile computing device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to receive the sensor data by receiving data describing vehicle speed, vehicle location, duration at current location, weather, road conditions, and traffic conditions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

detect a mobile computing device of at least one other user near the detected vehicle;

identify content associated with the other user; and

display the identified content to the user on the mobile computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is programmed to perform the action by identifying one or more of the following near the vehicle:

events, shopping opportunities, and friends of the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein customizing the mobile computing device based on preferences of the user specific to the location of the detected vehicle includes downloading content to the mobile computing device that is relevant for the user at the location of the detected vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

detecting, by a vehicle computing device within a vehicle, a presence of at least one user computing device of a user in the vehicle, the vehicle computing device being in communication with a cloud-based service;

obtaining, by the vehicle computing device, metadata describing the user of the user computing device responsive to the detected presence, said metadata being stored by an account of the user in the cloud-based service;

determining sensor data describing a status of the vehicle, the status of the vehicle including a current location of the vehicle determined by the vehicle computing device; and

performing at least one action by the vehicle computing device, the at least one action comprising customizing the vehicle computing device based on the obtained metadata of the user and the current location of the vehicle, the customization of the vehicle including downloading content to the user computing device that is relevant for the user at the current location of the vehicle and sharing the downloaded content with the vehicle computing device, the downloaded content comprising information describing events and advertisements specific to the current location of the vehicle, wherein the cloud-based service provides at least the vehicle computing device with entertainment recommendations specific to the current location of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the sensor data comprises determining vehicle parameters, and wherein performing the action comprises providing the sensor data to the cloud-based service and wherein the cloud-based service provides vehicle settings based on the provided sensor data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the action comprises obtaining data associated with points of interest to the user near the location for presentation to the user on the vehicle computing device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the action comprises obtaining a map of the location for presentation to the user on the vehicle computing device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the metadata comprises obtaining assisted global positioning system (A-GPS) data from the user computing device, the obtained A-GPS data reducing time-to-fix for location determination by the vehicle computing device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein performing the action by the vehicle computing device comprises adjusting entertainment content based on customization of the vehicle computing device, from a display in the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting the presence of the user computing device comprises one or more of the following:

obtaining a presence status of the user from a social networking website, and detecting the presence via a short wavelength radio transmission between the vehicle computing device and the user computing device.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein obtaining the metadata comprises obtaining one or more of the following:

user preferences, global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the user computing device, social networking data of the user, events, advertisements, a user profile, calendar information of the user, and sensor data from one or more sensors associated with the user computing device.

17. One or more computer storage devices embodying computer-executable components, said components comprising:

a presence component that when executed causes at least one processor to detect, by a vehicle computing device within a vehicle, a presence of a plurality of user computing devices in the vehicle, each of the plurality of user computing devices being associated with at least one of a plurality of users occupying the vehicle;

a communications interface component that when executed causes at least one processor to obtain, by the vehicle computing device, metadata describing the plurality of users occupying the vehicle responsive to the presence detected by the presence component, said metadata being stored by the user computing devices, cloud-based accounts of the users, or both;

a preference component that when executed causes at least one processor to combine the metadata for the plurality of users occupying the vehicle obtained by the communications interface component;

a sensor component that when executed causes at least one processor to determine sensor data describing a status of the vehicle, the status of the vehicle including a current location of the vehicle; and

a customization component that when executed causes at least one processor to perform at least one action by the vehicle computing device based on the combined metadata of the plurality of users occupying the vehicle and the determined sensor data of the vehicle, the at least one action comprising downloading content to the vehicle computing device, the downloaded content comprising information describing events and advertisements based on the combined metadata of the plurality of users occupying the vehicle.

18. The computer storage devices of claim 17, wherein the preference component combines the metadata for the plurality of users by combining preferences of the plurality of users to produce content recommendations for display to the plurality of users by the vehicle computing device.

19. The computer storage devices of claim 17, wherein the presence component further detects a seating location of each of the plurality of users in the vehicle, and wherein the customization component provides content to the plurality of users based on the detected seating locations and group recommendations from the combined metadata.

20. The computer storage devices of claim 17, wherein the communications interface component further captures user activity in the vehicle for submission by the vehicle computing device to content providers.