Method for authenticating driver for registration of in-vehicle telematics unit

• US 9,591,482 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Finnerty, Brian J., Uden, Jeffrey L., Werner, Shane R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, William
• Application Number:
  US14/530,667
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• 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 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method of registering a telematics unit for telematics services is disclosed. The method comprises a mobile communication device of a subscriber contacting a mobile network operator (MNO) to register a telematics unit (TU) of a vehicle for telematics services, wherein the mobile communication device provides a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle that the TU is associated with. The MNO looks up a phone number of the TU based on the VIN. A mobile communication network sends an electronic message to remove incoming voice call blocking of the phone number. The MNO then places a voice call to the unpublished phone number of the TU. The MNO then validates the subscriber. The MNO then engages in a voice dialog with the subscriber associated with the vehicle via the TU. The mobile communication network then sends an electronic message to reestablish voice call blocking of the TU.

Claims

1. A method of registering a vehicle telematics unit for telematics services, comprising:

contacting, by a mobile communication device of a subscriber, a mobile network operator to request to register a telematics unit of a vehicle for telematics services;

in response to the request to register the telematics unit for telematics services;

providing, by the mobile communication device, a vehicle identification number (VIN) of the vehicle that the telematics unit is associated with;

identifying an unpublished phone number of the telematics unit based on the VIN of the vehicle by a computer of the mobile network operator;

in response to identification of the unpublished phone number based on the VIN, sending an electronic message via a data communication link to the telematics unit to remove incoming voice call blocking of the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit by a computer of a mobile communication network, wherein voice call blocking prevents incoming voice calls from being completed to the telematics unit;

in response to removal of voice call blocking, placing a voice call to the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit by the mobile network operator;

validating the subscriber by the mobile network operator, wherein validation is implied by a powered-on state of the telematics unit;

engaging in a dialog with the subscriber associated with the vehicle by the mobile network operator, wherein registration of the telematics unit for telematics services is completed based on the dialog with the subscriber; and

after completing registration for the telematics services, sending an electronic message via a data communication link to the telematics unit to reestablish voice call blocking of the telematics unit of the vehicle by the mobile communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telematics services, for which the telematics unit is registering, comprises one or more of remote door unlock and global positioning system (GPS) services.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile network operator is associated with a telecommunications service provider.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the mobile network operator is associated with the mobile communication network that is associated with the telecommunications service provider.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the call blocking functionality is provided by a network that is accessed by the mobile network operator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telematics unit is activated when the subscriber registers for the telematics services.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein activation of the telematics unit comprises network provisioning and updating hardware configuration of the telematics unit.

8. A method of registering a vehicle telematics unit for telematics services, comprising:

contacting a mobile network operator with a request to register a telematics unit of a vehicle for telematics services by an email message from a subscriber, wherein the email message provides a vehicle identification number (VIN) for the vehicle that is associated with the telematics unit, wherein the email is sent from a computer;

in response to the request to register the telematics unit for telematics services;

identifying an unpublished phone number of the telematics unit based on the VIN of the vehicle by a computer of the mobile network operator;

in response to identification of the unpublished phone number based on the VIN, sending an electronic message to the telematics unit via a data communication link to remove incoming voice call blocking of the vehicle telematics unit by a mobile communication network, wherein voice call blocking prevents incoming voice calls from being completed to the telematics unit;

in response to removal of voice call blocking, placing a voice call to the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit by the mobile network operator;

validating the subscriber by the mobile network operator, wherein validation is implied by a powered-on state of the telematics unit;

engaging in a dialog with the subscriber associated with the vehicle by the mobile network operator, wherein registration of the telematics unit for telematics services is completed based on the dialog; and

after completing registration for the telematics services, sending an electronic message via a data communication link to the telematics unit to reestablish voice call blocking of the telematics unit of the vehicle by the mobile network operator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the unpublished phone number is located in a phone number data store.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the unpublished phone number is associated with the VIN of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the phone number data store is associated with a telecommunications service provider.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the telematics services are provided at least in part using a wireless communication link between the telematics and the mobile communication network according to one of a code division multiple access (CDMA) wireless protocol, a global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless protocol, a long term evolution (LTE) wireless protocol, a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) wireless protocol, or another well-known protocol.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein a delay of about 2 minutes is provided between the email that the subscriber sends and the mobile network operator'"'"'s call to the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein if the subscriber does not respond to the call, the mobile network operator calls back in no longer than an additional 2 minutes.

15. A method of registering a vehicle telematics unit for telematics services, comprising:

contacting a mobile network operator with a request to register a telematics unit for telematics services by a mobile communication device of a subscriber;

in response to the request to register the telematics unit for telematics services;

providing, by the mobile communication device, a vehicle identification number (VIN) of a vehicle associated with the telematics of the subscriber;

identifying an unpublished phone number of the telematics unit based on the VIN of the vehicle by a computer of the mobile network operator;

in response to identification of the unpublished phone number based on the VIN, sending an electronic message via a data communication link to the telematics unit to remove incoming voice call blocking of the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit by a mobile communication network, wherein voice call blocking prevents incoming voice calls from being completed to the telematics unit, and wherein the telematics unit controls voice call blocking of the vehicle;

in response to removal of voice call blocking, placing a voice call to the unpublished phone number of the telematics unit by the mobile network operator;

validating the subscriber by the mobile network operator, wherein validation is implied with a powered on state of the telematics unit;

engaging in a voice dialog with the subscriber associated with the vehicle by the mobile network operator, wherein registration of the telematics unit for telematics services is completed based on the dialog; and

after completing registration for the telematics services, sending, by the mobile network operator, an electronic message via a data communication link to the vehicle telematics unit to reestablish voice call blocking of the telematics unit.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the subscriber can contact the mobile network operator from the vehicle using the vehicle telematics unit.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein during the voice call, the mobile network operator registers the subscriber that is associated with the vehicle for communication services that may comprise one or more of remote door unlock services and global positioning system (GPS) services.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the telematics unit receives sensor data from a plurality of vehicle systems.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the vehicle systems that send sensor data to the telematics unit comprise one or more of an oxygen sensor, an air pressure sensor, an air temperature sensor, an engine temperature sensor, a throttle position sensor, a knock sensor, and other sensors.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the telematics services, for which the telematics unit is registering, comprises one or more of remote door unlock and global positioning system (GPS) services.