Access control for personalized user information maintained by a telematics unit

• US 9,081,944 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Camacho, Esteban, Lowe, Dexter, Veliu, Shpetim S., Lohmeier, David, Otterson, Scott, Olsen, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Application Number:
  US13/924,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20140380505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 726 1- 7, 726 27- 30, 713/168, 713/182, 713185-186, 713/193
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

A system and method are described herein that enable a vehicle user to establish, store (in a limited access storage location), and restore personalization information for the vehicle user on a vehicle. In particular the system manages personalization information to configure settings for a registered vehicle user in a vehicle including a telematics unit. The system is configured to carry out the method including establishing, for the registered vehicle user, a personalization information dataset within a networked vehicle user database. The system is further configured to submit a request to download the personalization information dataset from the networked vehicle user database, the request identifying the registered vehicle user and the vehicle. The system is also configured to download in accordance with the request to download, via a mobile wireless link to the telematics unit, values from the personalization information dataset to the telematics unit of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for limiting access to personalization information for a registered primary vehicle user for a vehicle including a telematics unit, the method comprising:

storing personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user within a non-transitory memory;

blocking, after the storing, access to the personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user during use of the vehicle by a driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

permitting a change to a first setting value on the vehicle by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

authenticating, after the storing, the registered primary vehicle user;

providing, in response to successful authentication of the registered primary vehicle user during the authenticating, access to the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user; and

restoring, after the permitting and authenticating, the first setting value on the vehicle, based upon a setting value stored in the non-transitory memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during a registering step, prior to the storing, a unique vehicle user identification and an authentication information element are associated with the registered primary vehicle user of the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the registered primary vehicle user is one of multiple uniquely identified registered primary vehicle users for which personalization information is stored in the non-transitory memory.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the multiple registered primary vehicle users is allocated a distinct partition of the non-transitory memory into which personalization information for each of the multiple uniquely identified registered primary vehicle users is stored, respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a previously stored personalization information element in the non-transitory memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle user database via a mobile wireless interface of the telematics unit.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

downloading, from the vehicle user database, at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle currently being used by the registered primary vehicle user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vehicle currently being used is not the vehicle for which the registered primary vehicle user is a registered primary vehicle user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing use of a first personalization information element value, on the vehicle, by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user; and

blocking a change to the first personalization information element value by the driver that has not been authenticated.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

restoring vehicle settings from the personalization information stored in the non-transitory memory, after the authenticating.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing access comprises providing access by the registered primary vehicle user to data files associated with an application program executing on the telematics unit.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for limiting access to personalization information for a registered primary vehicle user for a vehicle including a telematics unit, the computer-executable instructions facilitating carrying out a method comprising:

storing personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user within a non-transitory memory;

blocking, after the storing, access to the personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user during use of the vehicle by a driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

permitting a change to a first setting value on the vehicle by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

authenticating, after the storing, the registered primary vehicle user;

providing, in response to successful authentication of the registered primary vehicle user during the authenticating, access to the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user; and

restoring, after the permitting and authenticating, the first setting value on the vehicle, based upon a setting value stored in the non-transitory memory.

13. A system for managing limited access to personalization information for a registered primary vehicle user for a vehicle, the system including:

a telematics unit including an electronic processor and computer-executable instructions facilitating carrying out a method comprising;

storing personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user within a non-transitory memory;

blocking, after the storing, access to the personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user during use of the vehicle by a driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

permitting a change to a first setting value on the vehicle by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

authenticating, after the storing, the registered primary vehicle user;

providing, in response to successful authentication of the registered primary vehicle user during the authenticating, access to the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user; and

restoring, after the permitting and authenticating, the first setting value on the vehicle, based upon a setting value stored in the non-transitory memory.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the telematics unit is configured to maintain personalization information in the non-transitory memory for multiple uniquely identified registered primary vehicle users, including the registered primary vehicle user.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the telematics unit further comprises a mobile wireless interface, and wherein the telematics unit is further configured to upload at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle user database via the mobile wireless interface of the telematics unit.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the telematics unit is further configured to:

allow use of a first personalization information element value, on the vehicle, by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user; and

block a change to the first personalization information element value by the driver that has not been authenticated.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the telematics unit is further configured to restore vehicle settings from the personalization information stored in the non-transitory memory, after the authenticating.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the telematics unit is further configured to provide access by the registered primary vehicle user to data files associated with an application program executing on the telematics unit.

19. A method for limiting access to personalization information for a registered primary vehicle user for a vehicle including a telematics unit, the method comprising:

storing personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user within a non-transitory memory;

uploading at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle user database via a mobile wireless interface of the telematics unit;

blocking, after the storing, access to the personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user during use of the vehicle by a driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

authenticating, after the storing, the registered primary vehicle user;

providing, in response to successful authentication of the registered primary vehicle user during the authenticating, access to the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user; and

downloading, from the vehicle user database, at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle currently being used by the registered primary vehicle user;

wherein the vehicle currently being used is not the vehicle for which the registered primary vehicle user is a registered primary vehicle user.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising:

permitting a change to a first setting value on the vehicle by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user; and

restoring, after the permitting and authenticating, the first setting value on the vehicle, based upon a setting value stored in the non-transitory memory.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for limiting access to personalization information for a registered primary vehicle user for a vehicle including a telematics unit, the computer-executable instructions facilitating carrying out a method comprising:

storing personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user within a non-transitory memory;

uploading at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle user database via a mobile wireless interface of the telematics unit;

blocking, after the storing, access to the personalization information of the registered primary vehicle user during use of the vehicle by a driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user;

authenticating, after the storing, the registered primary vehicle user;

providing, in response to successful authentication of the registered primary vehicle user during the authenticating, access to the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user; and

downloading, from the vehicle user database, at least a portion of the personalization information for the registered primary vehicle user to a vehicle currently being used by the registered primary vehicle user;

wherein the vehicle currently being used is not the vehicle for which the registered primary vehicle user is a registered primary vehicle user.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, further comprising:

permitting a change to a first setting value on the vehicle by the driver that has not been authenticated as the registered primary vehicle user; and

restoring, after the permitting and authenticating, the first setting value on the vehicle, based upon a setting value stored in the non-transitory memory.