Methods and systems for producing the environmental conditions of a media asset in a vehicle

• US 8,831,840 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UV Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: United Video Properties Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Klappert, Walter R., Nichols, Michael R., Sikh, Satinderpal S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US13/601,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20140067208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 701/44, 701/49, 472/59, 472/61, 472/64, 472/65
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41422 located in transportation means, e.g. personal vehicle arrangements specially adapted for transportation systems in broadcast systems H04H20/62

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for a guidance application capable of coordinating the interior features of a vehicle (e.g., the heating/cooling system, automatic windows, automatic seats, automatic sunroof, seat heaters, etc.) to produce the current environmental conditions (e.g., sunshine, heat, wind, etc.) displayed in a media asset being accessed in the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for producing environmental conditions associated with a media asset within a vehicle, comprising:

receiving media information associated with a media asset;

determining an environmental condition of a current progress point in the media asset based at least in part on the media information;

cross-referencing the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset with a database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions to identify a vehicle interior feature to use to produce the environmental condition; and

generating, at a vehicle, the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions based at least in part on vehicle registration information.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying all available vehicle interior features in the vehicle to generate the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a position in the vehicle of an occupant accessing the media asset.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising generating the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset only at the determined position in the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition is any one of sunshine, wind, heat, cold, rain, abrupt movements, and rhythmic audio sequences, and wherein the vehicle interior feature is any one of an automatic window, an automatic seat heater, an automatic sunroof, an automatic seat, and a heating/cooling system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature further comprises:

determining that the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset comprises sunshine;

determining exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine; and

upon determining the exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine, opening a vehicle sunroof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset is determined by processing an environmental condition indicator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition indicator is received in the media information associated with the media asset.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the environmental condition indicator is generated by processing images of the media asset as displayed on a display in the vehicle using image recognition technology.

11. A system for producing environmental conditions associated with a media asset within a vehicle, comprising:

control circuitry configured to;

receive media information associated with a media asset;

determine an environmental condition of a current progress point in the media asset based at least in part on the media information;

cross-reference the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset with a database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions to identify a vehicle interior feature to use to produce the environmental condition; and

generate, at a vehicle, the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured is to generate the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions is based at least in part on vehicle registration information.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to identify all available interior features in the vehicle to generate the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine a position in the vehicle of an occupant accessing the media asset.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset only at the determined position in the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the environmental condition is any one of sunshine, wind, heat, cold, rain, abrupt movements, and rhythmic audio sequences, and wherein the vehicle interior feature is any one of an automatic window, an automatic seat heater, an automatic sunroof, an automatic seat, and a heating/cooling system.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein generating the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature further comprises:

determining that the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset comprises sunshine;

determining exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine; and

upon determining the exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine, opening a vehicle sunroof.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset is determined by processing an environmental condition indicator.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the environmental condition indicator is received in the media information associated with the media asset.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the environmental condition indicator is generated by processing images of the media asset as displayed on a display in the vehicle using image recognition technology.

21. A system for producing environmental conditions associated with a media asset within a vehicle, comprising:

means for receiving media information associated with a media asset;

means for determining an environmental condition of a current progress point in the media asset based at least in part on the media information;

means for cross-referencing the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset with a database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions to identify a vehicle interior feature to use to produce the environmental condition; and

means for generating, at a vehicle, the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for generating the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions based at least in part on vehicle registration information.

23. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for identifying all available vehicle interior features in the vehicle to generate the database of vehicle interior feature information associated with media asset environmental conditions.

24. The system of claim 21 further comprising means for determining a position in the vehicle of an occupant accessing the media asset.

25. The system of claim 24 further comprising means for generating the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset only at the determined position in the vehicle.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the environmental condition is any one of sunshine, wind, heat, cold, rain, abrupt movements, and rhythmic audio sequences, and wherein the vehicle interior feature is any one of an automatic window, an automatic seat heater, an automatic sunroof, an automatic seat, and a heating/cooling system.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein generating the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset using the identified vehicle interior feature further comprises:

means for determining that the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset comprises sunshine;

means for determining exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine; and

upon determining the exterior environmental conditions comprise sunshine, means for opening a vehicle sunroof.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the environmental condition of the current progress point in the media asset is determined by processing an environmental condition indicator.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the environmental condition indicator is received in the media information associated with the media asset.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the environmental condition indicator is generated by processing images of the media asset as displayed on a display in the vehicle using image recognition technology.