System and method for providing content to vehicles in exchange for vehicle information

• US 9,269,265 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ayoub, Ramy P., D'Avello, Robert F., Giunta, Gus S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Application Number:
  US11/289,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20070124046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,738 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0816 Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096877 where the input to the navigation device is provided by a suitable I/O arrangement details of I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36; I/O arrangements for general purpose computers G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00

Abstract

A system and method for providing content from a source to a vehicle is disclosed. The content is restricted by associating the content with at least one requirement for vehicle information from a vehicle to which the content is provided. When restricted content is requested, a vehicle system obtains vehicle related information from the vehicle. The vehicle information is transferred to the vehicle system from the source, and the restricted content is transferred from the source to the vehicle system. The vehicle system, the source, or both determine whether the vehicle information meets the at least one requirement restricting the content. As long as the requirement for vehicle information is met, processing of the restricted content is allowed.

Claims

1. A content handling method, comprising not necessarily in sequence:

receiving a request for vehicle information associated with a vehicle, the vehicle information being information associated with a diagnostic condition of the vehicle;

obtaining diagnostic information of the vehicle associated with the request;

transferring the diagnostic information from a vehicle system;

receiving content from a content source in exchange for transfer of the diagnostic information, the content having at least one access restriction requirement;

after receiving the content, determining whether at least one access restriction requirement for accessing the content is satisfied; and

enabling or preventing access to the content based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of transferring the diagnostic information from the vehicle system comprises transmitting the diagnostic information with a communication interface of the vehicle system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one restriction requirement includes at least one of:

a plurality of requirements for transfer of diagnostic information from the vehicle system, vehicle mileage being below a predetermined mileage value, vehicle gas consumption being under a predetermined amount, corresponding vehicle identification number, and operating condition of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of digital data, media data, audio data, video data, multimedia data, internet data, cable broadcast data, radio broadcast data, satellite broadcast data, television broadcast data, Global Position System data, navigation data, user interface data, and software application data.

4. A vehicle system, comprising:

one or more communication interfaces;

a device for processing content;

memory for storing content;

a controller in a vehicle communicatively coupled to one or more communication interfaces, the device, and the memory, the controller configured to;

obtain diagnostic information of the vehicle;

transfer the diagnostic information with one of the communication interfaces;

receive restricted content with one of the communication interfaces;

after the restricted content has been received, determine whether at least one requirement for accessing the restricted content is satisfied; and

enable or prevent the device to process the restricted content based on the determination.

5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the content is selected from the group consisting of digital data, media data, audio data, video data, multimedia data, internet data, cable broadcast data, radio broadcast data, satellite broadcast data, television broadcast data, Global Position System data, navigation data, user interface data, and software application data.

6. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the device for processing content is selected from the group consisting of a Telematics system, an entertainment system, a video system, an audio system, a navigation system, and a user interface.

7. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the diagnostic information comprises one or more pieces of information selected from the group consisting of a vehicle condition, a vehicle parameter, a vehicle component detail, a status of a vehicle component, a diagnostic trouble code, a service record, a feature of the vehicle system, and a capability of the vehicle system.

8. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to a vehicle bus interface, an On-Board Diagnostic connection, a vehicle component, or the memory having vehicle information.

9. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the one or more communication interfaces are selected from the group consisting of an Internet interface, a satellite communication interface, a hot spot gateway interface, a cellular interface, a global positioning system interface, a WiFi interface, a BlueTooth™

interface, an Ultrawide Band interface, and a Universal Serial Bus interface.

10. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the requirement for accessing the restricted content includes one of:

a plurality of requirements for transfer of diagnostic information from the vehicle system, vehicle mileage being below a predetermined mileage value, vehicle gas consumption being under a predetermined amount, corresponding vehicle identification number, and operating condition of the vehicle.