System and method for effective communication of location and other information about automobiles

• US 9,495,872 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Obradovich, Michael L., White, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US14/793,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/137 the indicator being in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

Communications with an automobile are in the form of messages. The messages may be delivered to the automobile from a remote server through a communications network, e.g., the Internet. Messages may contain a recall notice to the automobile, map information or advertising information concerning selected entities depending on the current location of the automobile. Messages transmitted from the automobile to the remote server may contain location of the automobile or dynamic data furnished by sensors in the automobile.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a server receiving data via a wireless communication system from a processor within a vehicle, the data relating to the location and speed of the vehicle, the vehicle being associated with a first party identity;

the server saving the location and speed data associated with the first party identity;

the server providing map data via the wireless communication system to the processor within the vehicle so that the map data is shown on a display within the vehicle, the server selecting the map data based on the received location data so that a location of the vehicle can be depicted on the map shown on the display, the map data also including an indicator of a warning related to traffic, the indicator also configured to be shown on the display;

the server providing location and speed data and the associated first party identity to a plurality of third parties;

the server receiving additional data through the wireless communication system, saving the additional data associated with the first party identity, and providing at least a portion of the additional data to a plurality of third parties; and

the server receiving an outside party input from an outside party, the outside party input being information about the vehicle associated with the first party identity, and the server includes the outside party input with the additional data and saves the outside party input associated with the first party identity.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the additional data comprises at least one of graphics, pictures, and video clips.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the map data is shown as a map on the display within the vehicle, the indicator of a warning related to traffic is shown visually on the map, and the location of the vehicle is shown visually on the map.

4. A method as in claim 1 additionally comprising one or more sensors of the vehicle communicating vehicle system information to the processor, and wherein the additional data comprises vehicle system information.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the outside party input comprises information about vehicle maintenance.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the additional data comprises text.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein the additional data comprises audio clips.

8. A method as in claim 1, additionally comprising the server receiving a user input, and additionally comprising the server providing information to the processor in response to the user input.

9. A method as in claim 8, additionally comprising the server storing the user input in a memory, the user input being associated with the first party identity.

10. A method as in claim 9, additionally comprising the server creating a profile of the first party identity, the profile tracking saved user inputs associated with the first party identity.

11. A method, comprising:

a server receiving data via a wireless communication system from a processor within a vehicle, the data relating to the location and speed of the vehicle, the vehicle being associated with a first party identity;

the server saving the location and speed data associated with the first party identity;

the server receiving and storing an image and associated image data, the image data including the location and time the image was obtained;

the server providing map data via the wireless communication system to the processor within the vehicle so that the map data is shown on a display within the vehicle, the server selecting the map data based on the received location data so that a location of the vehicle can be depicted on the map shown on the display, the map data also including an indicator of a warning related to traffic, the indicator also configured to be shown on the display; and

the server providing location and speed data and the associated first party identity to a plurality of third parties.

12. A method as in claim 11 additionally comprising the server sending, over the wireless communication network, the image and image data to the processor so that the image and image data can be shown on the display in the vehicle.

13. A method as in claim 12, wherein the server sends the image and image data to the processor in response to a request received from the processor.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein a touch screen user interface in the vehicle receives an input from a user and communicates the input to the processor, the input being a request for the image and image data.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the display within the vehicle comprises the touch screen interface, and comprising showing the map data graphically on the display as a map, showing an icon representing the location at which the image was obtained on the map, and showing a vehicle icon depicting the location of the vehicle on the map.

16. A method as in claim 15, additionally comprising the server providing location data concerning a plurality of business entities to the processor within the vehicle.

17. A method as in claim 16, additionally comprising displaying a plurality of second icons on the map, each of the second icons representing a location of a respective one of the plurality of business entities.

18. A method as in claim 17, additionally comprising displaying a symbol in conjunction with each of the second icons, the symbol providing an indicator of a brand associated with the business entity associated with each respective second icon.

19. A method as in claim 12, wherein the image is obtained by a camera located at a business establishment and the image is configured to show conditions at the business establishment, and wherein the server receives a plurality of images obtained by the camera at spaced apart time intervals.

20. A method as in claim 11, additionally comprising the server receiving a user input, and additionally comprising the server providing information to the processor in response to the user input.

21. A method as in claim 20, additionally comprising the server storing the user input in a memory, the user input being associated with the first party identity.

22. A method as in claim 21, additionally comprising the server creating a profile of the first party identity, the profile tracking saved user inputs associated with the first party identity.

23. A method as in claim 22, wherein the server identifies the received user input as a request for the image and image data, and the server sends the image and image data to the processor, over the wireless communication network, in response to the received user input.

24. A method as in claim 22, additionally comprising the server receiving additional data through the wireless communication system, saving a first part of the additional data in a first database, and saving a second part of the additional data in a second database, the first and second parts of the additional data being associated with the first party identity.

25. A method as in claim 24, comprising the server accessing the first part of the additional data from the first database and providing the first part of the additional data and the associated the first party identity to a third party.

26. A method, comprising:

a server receiving data via a wireless communication system from a processor within a vehicle, the data relating to the location and speed of the vehicle;

the server saving the location and speed data;

the server receiving and storing an image and associated image data, the image data including a location and time at which the image was obtained;

the server providing map data via the wireless communication system to the processor within the vehicle, the map data processed to be shown on a display within the vehicle, the server selecting the map data based on the received location data so that a location of the vehicle and an icon representing the location at which the image was obtained can be depicted on the map shown on the display; and

the server sending, over the wireless communication network, the image and image data to the processor so that the image and image data can be shown on the display in the vehicle.

27. A method as in claim 26, wherein the server sends the image to the processor in response to a request received from the processor.

28. A method as in claim 27, wherein a touch screen user interface in the vehicle receives an input from a user and communicates the input to the processor, the input being a request for the image and image data.

29. A method as in claim 28, wherein the map is displayed on the touch screen user interface, and wherein the input from the user comprises the user touching the icon that is shown on the touch screen user interface.

30. A method as in claim 29, wherein the image is obtained by a camera located at a business establishment and the image is configured to show conditions at the business establishment, and wherein the server receives a plurality of images obtained by the camera at spaced apart time intervals.

31. A method as in claim 27, wherein the vehicle is associated with a first party identity and the server saves the location and speed data so that it is associated with the first party identity, and additionally comprising the server providing location and speed data and the associated first party identity to a plurality of third parties.

32. A method as in claim 31 additionally comprising the server receiving additional data through the wireless communication system, saving the additional data associated with the first party identity, and providing at least a portion of the additional data to a plurality of third parties.

33. A method as in claim 32, wherein the additional data comprises at least one of text, graphics, pictures, audio clips and video clips.

34. A method as in claim 32, wherein the additional data comprises at least one of graphics, pictures and video clips.

35. A method as in claim 32, wherein the additional data comprises text.

36. A method as in claim 32, wherein the additional data comprises audio clips.

37. A method as in claim 32, comprising associating a first part of the additional data with the first party identity and saving the first part of the additional data in a first database, and associating a second part of the additional data with the first party identity and saving the second part of the additional data in a second database.

38. A method as in claim 37, comprising the server accessing the first part of the additional data from the first database and providing the first part of the additional data and the associated the first party identity to a third party.

39. A method as in claim 26, wherein the display within the vehicle is a touch screen user interface, and comprising showing the map data graphically on the display as a map, and showing the icon representing the location at which the image was obtained on the map, and showing a vehicle icon depicting the location of the vehicle on the map.

40. A method as in claim 39, additionally comprising the server providing location data concerning a plurality of business entities to the processor within the vehicle.

41. A method as in claim 40, additionally comprising displaying a plurality of second icons on the map, each of the second icons representing a location of a respective one of the plurality of business entities.

42. A method as in claim 41, additionally comprising displaying a symbol in conjunction with each of the second icons, the symbol providing an indicator of a brand associated with the business entity associated with each respective second icon.

43. A method as in claim 41, additionally comprising receiving a user input comprising the user dragging a user finger across the touch screen display in a first direction, and in response to the user input changing the scale of the map shown on the display.

44. A method as in claim 43, wherein the first direction is directed away from a center of the touch screen display.

45. A method as in claim 41, additionally comprising receiving a user input comprising the user touching a first one of the second icons, and additionally comprising the server providing information concerning the first one of the second icons to the processor.

46. A method as in claim 45, additionally comprising the server storing the user input in a memory, the user input being associated with the first party identity.

47. A method as in claim 46, additionally comprising the server creating a profile of the first party identity, the profile tracking saved user inputs associated with the first party identity.