Accessory control with geo-fencing
First Claim
1. A method for communicating between mobile devices and vehicles, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a mobile device, a first signal from a vehicle, the first signal identifying a location of the vehicle;
subsequently determining, by the mobile device, a current location of the mobile device;
determining, by the mobile device, whether a location criterion is met, the determination being based on the current location of the mobile device and the location of the vehicle; and
in the event that the location criterion is met, transmitting, by the mobile device, a second signal to the vehicle, wherein the second signal includes an instruction to control a function of the vehicle.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle accessory can transmit a first signal to a mobile device, the first signal including a location of a vehicle. The mobile device can monitor its own location. The mobile device can assess whether one or more location-based criteria have been satisfied based on the location of the mobile device and the location of the vehicle. Upon determining that a location-based criterion has been satisfied, the mobile device can transmit a second signal to the vehicle accessory indicating that a function of the vehicle is to be controlled. Thus, for example, the mobile device can activate or de-activate vehicle features (e.g., door locking, vehicle defrosting, etc.) in a manner that capitalizes on efficient signal transmission.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for communicating between mobile devices and vehicles, the method comprising:
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receiving, at a mobile device, a first signal from a vehicle, the first signal identifying a location of the vehicle; subsequently determining, by the mobile device, a current location of the mobile device; determining, by the mobile device, whether a location criterion is met, the determination being based on the current location of the mobile device and the location of the vehicle; and in the event that the location criterion is met, transmitting, by the mobile device, a second signal to the vehicle, wherein the second signal includes an instruction to control a function of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A mobile device for communicating with a vehicle, the mobile device comprising:
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a vehicle locator configured to identify a location of the vehicle based at least in part on a signal received from the vehicle; a device locator configured to identify a location of the mobile device; a data store including one or more location-based rules, each location-based rule including a location-based criterion; a rule assessor configured to determine, for each rule of the one or more rules, whether the associated location-based criterion is satisfied, the determination being based at least in part on the location of the vehicle and the location of the mobile device; a signal generator configured to generate a signal to control a function of the vehicle; and a transmitter configured to transmit the generated signal, wherein the transmission of the signal is conditioned upon the determination, by the rule assessor, that the location-based criterion for at least one of the rules is satisfied, and wherein the function of the vehicle is associated with a rule for which the location-based has been satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for controlling vehicle functions, the method comprising:
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detecting, by a vehicle accessory, a location of a vehicle; generating, by the vehicle accessory, a first signal, the signal indicating the detected location; transmitting, by the vehicle accessory, the first signal to a mobile device; subsequently, by the vehicle accessory, receiving a second signal from the mobile device, wherein the second signal is indicative that a determination has been made, using the location of the vehicle and a location of the mobile device, that a location-based criterion has been satisfied; identifying, by the vehicle accessory a vehicle component based at least in part on the second signal; identifying, by the vehicle accessory, a control to be implemented by the vehicle component; generating, by the vehicle accessory, a third signal including an instruction that the vehicle component implement the control; and transmitting, by the vehicle accessory, the third signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A device for controlling vehicle functions, the device comprising:
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a vehicle locator configured to identify a location of a vehicle; a signal generator configured to generate a first signal that includes the location of the vehicle; a transmitter configured to transmit the first signal to a mobile device; a receiver configured to receive a second signal from the mobile device, wherein the second signal is indicative that a determination has been made, using the location of the vehicle and a location of the mobile device, that a location-based criterion has been satisfied; a function identifier configured to identify a vehicle function to be controlled based on the second signal; and a control identifier configured to identify how the vehicle function is to be controlled based on the second signal. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing program instructions, which when executed by a processor of a mobile device cause the processor to execute a method of communicating location information, the method comprising:
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accessing stored data identifying a location of a vehicle; accessing data identifying a current location of a mobile device; determining a relative location of the mobile device, the relative location being relative to the location of the vehicle; accessing one or more location-based criteria; determining whether each location-based criterion is satisfied based on the relative location of the mobile device; and upon determining that at least one location-based criterion is satisfied, initiating transmission of a signal to the vehicle, wherein the signal includes an instruction to control a function of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification