Information providing apparatus and method thereof

• US 9,596,355 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Sungha, Lee, Minhun, Lee, Seyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US14/901,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 455/420, 455/419, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An information providing apparatus including a communication unit configured to form a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle; a display unit; and a controller configured to receive seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network, and activate or deactivate application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information, and display information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on the display unit.

Claims

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit to form a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle;

a display; and

a controller to;

receive seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network,

activate or deactivate application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information, and

display information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on the display.

2. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

displays a vehicle image corresponding to the vehicle on the display unit, and

displays the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the vehicle image.

3. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

displays images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals at locations corresponding to the seat position information on the vehicle image, and

displays the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals.

4. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

detects user age groups corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals, and

activates or deactivates the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals according to the detected user age groups.

5. The information providing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller further:

displays information indicating the user age groups on the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs.

6. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

displays a menu for activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals, and

activates or deactivates application programs selected among the application programs contained in the menu.

7. The information providing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the menu comprises:

a first application program list of a first mobile terminal within the vehicle;

a second application program list of a second mobile terminal within the vehicle; and

check boxes for selecting application programs within the first and the second application program list.

8. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

activates or deactivates the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals based on user preference information.

9. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal based on any one or more of network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals.

10. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

detects the network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals in real time or periodically, and

sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal according to the detected result.

11. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

detects battery remaining amounts of the plurality of mobile terminals, and

forms or blocks any one or more communication networks with the plurality of mobile terminal based on the detected remaining amounts of the batteries.

12. The information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller further:

detects battery remaining amounts of the plurality of mobile terminals, and

sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to an information providing subject based on the detected remaining amounts of the batteries.

13. An information providing method, the method comprising:

forming a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle;

receiving seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network;

activating or deactivating application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information; and

displaying information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on a display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said displaying the information comprises:

displaying a vehicle image corresponding to the vehicle on the display; and

displaying the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the vehicle image.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said displaying the information comprises:

displaying images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals at locations corresponding to the seat position information on the vehicle image; and

displaying the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said activating or deactivating application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals comprises:

detecting user age groups corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals; and

activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals according to the detected user age groups.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying information indicating the user age groups on the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein said activating or deactivating application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals comprises:

displaying a menu for activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals; and

activating or deactivating application programs selected among the application programs contained in the menu.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the menu comprises:

a first application program list of a first mobile terminal within the vehicle;

a second application program list of a second mobile terminal within the vehicle; and

check boxes for selecting application programs within the first and the second application program list.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal based on any one or more of network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals.