Wireless incentive system for vehicle users

• US 9,477,970 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc.
• Inventors: Rai, Vinuth, Harber, Dustin, Toopran, Divya Sai, Kresse, Matthew, Oezdemir, Ugur
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUD, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US14/578,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180395A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/31.4, 701/117, 701/118, 701/532, 340/425.5, 340/905
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/006 Indicating maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method for determining, based on vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle, a current vehicle condition that is detrimental to operation of the vehicle, transmitting, by a mobile computing device programmed to perform the transmitting, a description of the current vehicle condition to a condition message provider, and receiving a condition message that includes offer data and mitigating plan data describing one or more steps configured to alter the current vehicle condition.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a mobile computing device programmed to perform the determining, a journey for a vehicle based on historical journey data including a most frequently traveled route for a current location of the vehicle at a current time;

receiving, from the vehicle, a current vehicle condition that is detrimental to operation of the vehicle;

transmitting a description of the current vehicle condition to a condition message provider;

receiving, from the condition message provider, a condition message that includes offer data and mitigating action plan data describing one or more steps configured to alter the current vehicle condition, the mitigating action plan data including an offer fulfillment location that is part of the journey and the offer data including an offer for a good or service associated with the offer fulfillment location;

displaying the offer data and the mitigating action plan data on a display of the mobile computing device; and

providing turn-by-turn navigation instructions during the journey from the current location to the offer fulfillment location.

2. A method comprising:

determining a journey for a vehicle based on historical journey data;

determining, based on vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle, a current vehicle condition that is detrimental to operation of the vehicle;

transmitting, by a mobile computing device programmed to perform the transmitting, a description of the current vehicle condition to a condition message provider; and

receiving a condition message that includes offer data and mitigating action plan data describing one or more steps configured to alter the current vehicle condition, the mitigating action plan data including an offer fulfillment location included in a route of the journey and the offer data including an offer for a good or service associated with the offer fulfillment location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer data includes a wait time at the offer fulfillment location.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining turn-by-turn navigation instructions based on the mitigating action plan data and user input indicating that a user accepts the one or more steps of the mitigating action plan data; and

providing the turn-by-turn navigation instructions during the journey from a current location to the offer fulfillment location, wherein the journey includes a start point and end point determined prior to receipt of the mitigating action plan and the mitigating action plan is configured so that (1) the offer fulfillment location is between the start point and the end point and (2) the offer is more likely to be accepted because the journey does not have to be changed.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the journey for the vehicle based on the historical journey data is further based on a most frequently traveled route for a current location at a current time.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying the mitigating action plan data and the offer data on a display of the mobile computing device;

responsive to the vehicle arriving at the offer fulfillment location, receiving graphical data that displays a barcode; and

displaying the barcode on the display of the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting a presence of the vehicle that is paired with the mobile computing device; and

receiving the vehicle sensor data from the vehicle;

wherein determining the current vehicle condition is performed by the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, responsive to detecting the presence of the vehicle that is paired with the mobile computing device, determining that the journey begins.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the vehicle detects a presence of the mobile computing device that is paired with the vehicle; and

determining the current vehicle condition is performed by the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing authentication data to the vehicle to authenticate that the mobile computing device is authorized to receive the current vehicle condition from the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle detects the presence of the mobile computing device using direct point-to-point wireless communication between the vehicle and the mobile computing device associated with a user.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending fulfillment transaction data to the condition message provider.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising registering a user, including importing information from at least one of a social network account associated with the user and an online calendar account associated with the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the journey for the vehicle is further based on the at least one of the social network account associated with the user and the online calendar account associated with the user.

15. The method of claim 2, wherein the offer data includes an expiration time that is calculated based on an estimated time of arrival at the offer fulfillment location.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that are executable by a processing device to perform or control performance of operations comprising:

determining a journey for a vehicle based on historical journey data;

determining, based on vehicle sensor data associated with a vehicle, a current vehicle condition that is detrimental to operation of the vehicle;

transmitting, by a mobile computing device, a description of the current vehicle condition to a condition message provider; and

receiving a condition message that includes offer data and mitigating action plan data describing one or more steps configured to alter the current vehicle condition, the mitigating action plan data including an offer fulfillment location included in a route of the journey and the offer data including an offer for a good or service associated with the offer fulfillment location.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the offer data includes a wait time at the offer fulfillment location.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

determining turn-by-turn navigation instructions based on the mitigating action plan data and user input indicating that the user accepts the one or more steps of the mitigating action plan data; and

providing the turn-by-turn navigation instructions during the journey from a current location to the offer fulfillment location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein determining the journey for the vehicle based on the historical journey data is further based on a most frequently traveled route for a current location at a current time.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

displaying the mitigating action plan data and the offer data on a display of the mobile computing device;

responsive to the vehicle arriving at the offer fulfillment location, receiving graphical data that displays a barcode; and

displaying the barcode on the display of the mobile computing device.

21. A system comprising:

a vehicle comprising a vehicle status application stored on an onboard computer of the vehicle, the vehicle status application including instructions that, when executed, cause the vehicle status application to;

receive vehicle sensor data associated with the vehicle;

determine, based on the vehicle sensor data, a current vehicle condition that is detrimental to operation of the vehicle; and

detect a presence of a mobile computing device that is paired with the vehicle; and

the mobile computing device comprising a journey application including instructions that, when executed, cause the journey application to;

responsive to the mobile computing device being paired with the vehicle, receive a description of the current vehicle condition from the vehicle status application;

determine a journey based on historical journey data;

transmit the description of the current vehicle condition and the journey to a condition message provider; and

receive a condition message from the condition message provider that includes offer data and mitigating action plan data comprising an offer fulfillment location that is included in a route of the journey and that mitigates the current vehicle condition.