Vehicle service and user profile synchronization

• US 9,925,936 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Infotechnology Center USA, Inc. (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Rai, Vinuth
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Shelley
• Application Number:
  US14/570,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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: B60W 2720/00 Output or target parameters relating to overall vehicle dynamics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

The disclosure includes a system and method for reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to reconfigure the second vehicle. The method may include wirelessly receiving user profile data at a second vehicle. The user profile data may indicate one or more preference of the user. The method may also include updating one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user.

Claims

1. A method of reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to initiate the reconfiguration of the second vehicle, the method comprising:

a second vehicle and a client pairing via Bluetooth responsive to the client coming within range of the second vehicle, wherein the client is associated with a user of a first vehicle and the client is not an element of the first vehicle or the second vehicle;

wirelessly receiving, by the second vehicle and responsive to the pairing of the second vehicle and the client via Bluetooth, user profile data that is associated with the user and describes one or more settings of the first vehicle that indicate one or more preferences of the user;

updating, by a processor of the second vehicle, one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to initiate the reconfiguration of the second vehicle;

responsive to the user activating the second vehicle, retrieving calendar data for an electronic calendar associated with the user, wherein the calendar data was previously displayed when the user was travelling in the first vehicle; and

displaying the electronic calendar on a graphical display panel that is part of the second vehicle, wherein the electronic calendar includes an upcoming event and the graphical display panel also includes an option for the user to select navigation instructions to travel to a location associated with the upcoming event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical display panel faces outwards so that it is viewable by the user when the user is outside the second vehicle and wherein the graphical display panel displays a message for the user responsive to the pairing of the client and the second vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes a description of one or more ergonomic settings of the first vehicle and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle based on the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein reconfiguring the second vehicle includes activating and controlling an electric motor of the second vehicle to reconfigure a part of the second vehicle to replicate or approximate the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle in the second vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes device pairings data and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle to automatically pair with one or more Bluetooth enabled devices which the user previously paired with the first vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes user account information for one or more network services associated with the user and the method further comprises reconfiguring the second vehicle to be able to stream the one or more network services to the second vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes one or more radio station presets of the first vehicle and the method further comprises reconfiguring an infotainment system of the second vehicle to include the one or more radio station presets.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user profile data includes one or more settings for a navigation system and the method further comprises reconfiguring the navigation system of the second vehicle based on the one or more settings for the navigation system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more settings for the navigation system include a home address associated with the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an indication of a location of the second vehicle responsive to the pairing of the client and the second vehicle via Bluetooth.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication of the location of the second vehicle includes the second vehicle automatically flashing lights of the second vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication of the location of the second vehicle includes displaying a personalized message for the user on an outward facing panel of a heads-up display unit of the second vehicle.

13. 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 for reconfiguring a second vehicle based on one or more preferences of a user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to initiate the reconfiguration of the second vehicle, the operations comprising:

detecting a presence of a client associated with a user based on a second vehicle pairing with the client via Bluetooth;

wirelessly receiving user profile data at a second vehicle responsive to the second vehicle pairing with the client via Bluetooth, wherein the user profile data is associated with the user of a first vehicle and the client and describes one or more settings of the first vehicle that indicate one or more preferences of the user;

updating one or more settings of the second vehicle based on the user profile data so that the second vehicle is reconfigured based on the one or more preferences of the user without the user directly providing an input to the second vehicle to initiate the reconfiguration of the second vehicle;

providing an indication of a location of the second vehicle to the user;

responsive to the user activating the second vehicle, retrieving calendar data for an electronic calendar associated with the user, wherein the calendar data was previously displayed when the user was travelling in the first vehicle; and

displaying the electronic calendar on a graphical display panel that is part of the second vehicle, wherein the electronic calendar includes an upcoming event and the graphical display panel also includes an option for the user to select navigation instructions to travel to a location associated with the upcoming event.

14. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the indication includes a graphic displayed on the graphical panel display that is viewable by the user.

15. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes a description of one or more ergonomic settings of the first vehicle and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle based on the ergonomic settings of the first vehicle.

16. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes device pairings data and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle to automatically pair with one or more Bluetooth enabled devices which the user previously paired with the first vehicle.

17. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes user account information for one or more network services associated with the user and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the second vehicle to be able to stream the one or more network services to the second vehicle.

18. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes one or more radio station presets of the first vehicle and the operations further comprise reconfiguring an infotainment system of the second vehicle to include the one or more radio station presets.

19. The non-transitory medium of claim 13, wherein the user profile data includes one or more settings for a navigation system and the operations further comprise reconfiguring the navigation system of the second vehicle based on the one or more settings for the navigation system.