METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IN-VEHICLE WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY
First Claim
1. A vehicle computer system comprising:
- a processor in communication with a human machine interface for control by a user and one or more wireless transceivers for wireless data communication, the processor being capable of being paired to a nomadic computing device having wireless Internet connectivity, and being configured to;
wirelessly connect to one or more personal computing devices in the vicinity of the vehicle; and
provide a wireless Internet access point to the one or more personal computing devices based on the wireless connection and the Internet connectivity.
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Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle computer system for establishing in-vehicle wireless connectivity to remote computer network, e.g., the Internet. The system may include a processor in communication with a human machine interface (HMI) for control by a user. The processor may also be in communication with one or more wireless transceivers for wireless data communication. The processor may be capable of being paired to a pneumatic commuting device (e.g., cellphone, PDA, etc.) having wireless Internet connectivity. The processor may be configured to wirelessly connect to one or more personal computing devices in the vicinity of the vehicle, and provide a wireless Internet access point to the one or more personal computing devices based on the wireless connection and the Internet connectivity.
58 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A vehicle computer system comprising:
a processor in communication with a human machine interface for control by a user and one or more wireless transceivers for wireless data communication, the processor being capable of being paired to a nomadic computing device having wireless Internet connectivity, and being configured to; wirelessly connect to one or more personal computing devices in the vicinity of the vehicle; and provide a wireless Internet access point to the one or more personal computing devices based on the wireless connection and the Internet connectivity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for in-vehicle wireless connectivity comprising:
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receiving input defining two or more modes for wireless connectivity of a vehicle computer, the two or more modes comprising a client mode for connecting to a connection point outside of a vehicle and an in-vehicle access point mode for generating an in-vehicle connection point; if the vehicle computer is in client mode, searching for a connection to one or more connection points outside of the vehicle; and establishing the connection when the connection is found; and if the vehicle computer is in in-vehicle access point mode, tethering a nomadic device configured to establish an Internet connection to the vehicle computer; and providing a wireless Internet access point for one or more personal computing devices based on the wireless connection and the Internet connection. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method comprising:
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receiving a connection request on a vehicle computer to establish in-vehicle wireless connectivity; in response, determining if a nomadic device configured to establish an Internet connection is tethered to the vehicle computer; if not tethered, transmitting a tethering notification; if tethered, wirelessly connecting to computing devices in the vehicle'"'"'s vicinity; and providing an access point to the computing devices based on the wireless and Internet connections.
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Specification