Vehicle setting profile system

• US 9,401,845 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Cazanas, Carlos A., Khan, Azam, Sullivan, Terence John
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US14/636,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/36, 701/29.1, 701/45, 701/48, 340/439, 340/441, 340/5.61, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/670, 455/569.2, 455/3.01, 455/3.03, 455/517
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system for transferring driver profile settings has a communication interface, processor, storage device, and program in the storage device. The communication interface allows for network communications. The processor couples to the interface. Execution of the program from storage by the processor configures the system to perform functions. The system allows for transfer of a driver profile from the storage device to a vehicle for application on the vehicle. The driver profile specifies one or more preference settings for one or more configurable components of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, in a unit on a vehicle, information related to identification of a user of the vehicle;

receiving, in the unit on the vehicle, information related to a setting for at least one user adjustable element on the vehicle based upon an input from the user of the vehicle;

storing, in a memory of the vehicle, a user profile in association with the user identification, the user profile containing information related to the setting for the at least one user adjustable element; and

uploading, through a mobile communications network and via a mobile communication module of the unit on the vehicle, the user identification and the user profile from the memory of the vehicle to a server for storage in the server in an account associated with the user'"'"'s identification.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving and uploading information about a type of the vehicle for linkage to the user'"'"'s account on the server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unit on the vehicle is a telematics unit.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identification is based upon a key fob identification.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the key fob identification includes a mobile directory number associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the received setting related information includes the user'"'"'s preference settings for one or more user adjustable elements on the vehicle selected from the group including:

seat position, positions of mirrors, one or more pedal positions, radio station presets, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) settings, and navigation screen configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, in the unit on the vehicle, information related to a subsequent user identification;

determining whether the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user; and

upon determining the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user;

sending a query for the server, via the mobile communication network, the query including the identification associated with the user;

receiving a response to the query from the server, via the mobile communication network, the response including a user profile previously stored in the account associated with the user identification in the server; and

configuring, based on setting information in the user profile stored in the memory of the vehicle and setting information in the user profile received from the server, one or more adjustable components on the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving, in the unit on the vehicle, information related to a subsequent user identification;

determining whether the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user; and

upon determining the subsequent user identification and the user identification do not represent the same user;

sending a query for the server, via the mobile communication network, the query including the subsequent user identification and information related to the vehicle;

receiving a response to the query from the server, via the mobile communication network, the response including a user profile associated with the subsequent user identification, the received user profile being;

created for a different vehicle;

previously uploaded to the server; and

transcoded, based on the information related to the vehicle included in the query, to correspond to the vehicle containing the unit; and

configuring, based on setting information in the received user profile, one or more adjustable components on the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising storing, by the unit on the vehicle, the user profile associated with the subsequent user identification in the memory of the vehicle.

10. A system comprising:

an interface for receiving signals from and sending signals to one or more adjustable components on a vehicle;

a mobile communication transceiver, for wireless communications through a mobile communication network;

a processor coupled to the interface and the wireless transceiver;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a program stored in the memory, wherein execution of the program by the processor configures the system to perform functions, including functions to;

receive, by the processor, information related to a user identification for a user of the vehicle;

receive, via the interface, information related to a setting for at least one of the adjustable components on the vehicle based upon an input from the user of the vehicle

store, in a memory of the vehicle, a user profile in association with the user identification; and

uploading, to a server through the mobile communications network using the mobile communication transceiver, the user identification and the user profile, the user profile;

containing information related to the setting for the at least one adjustable component; and

to be stored in storage of the server in an account associated with the user'"'"'s identification.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein further execution of the program configures the system to further perform functions, including functions to:

receive information about a type of the vehicle for linkage to the user'"'"'s account on the server; and

upload, through the mobile communications network using the mobile communication transceiver, the vehicle type information to the server.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the system is configured as a telematics unit within the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a key fob having a unique identification number, wherein the identification associated with the user is detected from the key fob.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the identification associated with the user includes a mobile directory number associated with the user.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein further execution of the program configures the system to further perform functions, including functions to:

receive information related to a subsequent user identification;

determine whether the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user; and

upon a determination that the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user;

send a query for the server, via the mobile communication network, the query including the identification associated with the user;

receive a response to the query from the server, via the mobile communication network, the response including a user profile previously stored in the account associated with the user identification in the server; and

configure, based on setting information in the user profile stored in the memory of the vehicle and setting information in the user profile received from the server, one or more adjustable components on the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein further execution of the program configures the system to further perform functions, including functions to:

receive information related to a subsequent user identification;

determine whether the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user; and

upon a determination that the subsequent user identification and the user identification do not represent the same user;

send a query for the server, via the mobile communication network, the query including the subsequent user identification and information related to the vehicle;

receive a response to the query from the server, via the mobile communication network, the response including a user profile associated with the subsequent user identification, the received user profile being;

created for a different vehicle;

previously uploaded to the server; and

transcoded, based on the information related to the vehicle included in the query, to correspond to the vehicle containing the unit; and

configure, based on setting information in the received user profile, one or more adjustable components on the vehicle.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein further execution of the program configures the system to further perform a function to store the user profile associated with the subsequent user identification in the memory of the vehicle.

18. A mobile station comprising:

a communication interface for network communications;

a processor coupled to the interface;

a storage device coupled to the processor; and

a driver profile settings transfer program in the storage device, wherein execution of the driver profile settings transfer program by the processor configures the mobile station to perform functions, including functions to;

receive, through a mobile communications network via the communications interface and from a unit in a vehicle, information related to identification of a user of the vehicle and a user profile, the user profile containing information related to one or more settings for one or more user adjustable elements on the vehicle;

store, in the storage device, the user identification in association with the user profile;

receive, from the unit in the vehicle, a user profile query, the user profile query including information related to a subsequent user identification;

upon a determination that the subsequent user identification and the user identification represent the same user, retrieve the user profile stored in association with the user identification; and

transmit, through the mobile communication network via the communications interface and to the unit in the vehicle, a response message, the response message including the retrieved user profile.