Context-aware systems and methods location-aware systems and methods context-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same and location-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same

• US 7,529,854 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Evans, Stephen S., Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Kenny S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dailey; Thomas J
• Application Number:
  US10/966,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203.246, 701/24, 701/207, 718/108
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

Context-aware systems and methods, location-aware systems and methods, context-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same, and location-aware vehicles and methods of operating the same are described. In various embodiments, a context or location service module, implemented in software, determines a vehicle context or a vehicle location based upon information that it receives from various context providers or location providers respectively. Software executing on a vehicle'"'"'s computer can then cause one or more applications that are associated with a vehicle computer to be modified in a manner that changes their behavior. The behavior modification is based on the current context or location of the vehicle and thus provides a context-specific or location-specific user experience. The context or location can be ascertained through the use of one or more hierarchical tree structures that comprises individual nodes. Each node is associated with a context or location. The nodes are traversable by the vehicle'"'"'s software to ascertain a more complete context or location.

Claims

1. A context-aware system comprising:

a computer configured to be mounted in a vehicle, the computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable storage media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed on the one or more processors;

one or more context providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide context information;

a context service module configured to receive context information from the one or more context providers and determine a vehicle context;

at least one hierarchical tree structure resident on the computer-readable media and having multiple nodes each of which being associated with a context, the context service module being configured to determine the vehicle context by accessing the at least one hierarchical tree structure and traversing the at least one hierarchical tree structure, wherein individual nodes are uniquely defined by an entity identification that allows for discovery of accessible goods or services associated with that node,

wherein the at least one hierarchical tree structure comprises;

a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a first context;

at least one second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a second context, at least one node from the at least one second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete context to be derived from the first and second contexts; and

a behavior engine operably associated with the computer and configured to, responsive to the vehicle context, adjust a behavior of the one or more applications so that the one or more applications behave in a manner that is consistent with a current vehicle context.

2. The context-aware system of claim 1, wherein at least one context provider is located on a vehicle in which the computer is mounted.

3. The context-aware system of claim 1, wherein at least one context provider is located remotely from a vehicle in which the computer is mounted.

4. The context-aware system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the context providers are configured to wirelessly receive information concerning a vehicle'"'"'s context.

5. The context-aware system of claim 1, wherein the behavior engine is configured to adjust the behavior of the one or more applications based, at least in part, on user-specific context information.

6. A vehicle comprising the context-aware system of claim 1.

7. A method of operating a vehicle comprising:

receiving context information with a vehicle computer, the context information pertaining to a context of a vehicle in which the computer is mounted;

determining, from the context information and using the vehicle computer, a current vehicle context, wherein determining comprises;

accessing at least one hierarchical tree structure with the vehicle'"'"'s computer, the one hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes each being associated with a context, wherein individual nodes are uniquely defined by an entity identification that allows for discovery of accessible goods or services associated with that node, wherein the at least one hierarchical tree structure comprises;

a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a first context;

at least one second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with a second context, at least one node from the at least one second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete context to be derived from the first and second contexts; and

traversing the at least one hierarchical tree structure to derive the vehicle'"'"'s context; and

modifying, with the vehicle computer, a behavior of the vehicle responsive to the current vehicle context.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises user-specific information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises vehicle-specific information.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises user-specific information that is resident on the vehicle'"'"'s computer.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises user-specific information and said receiving comprises receiving the context information from a data store that is remote from the vehicle computer.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises user-specific information and said receiving comprises wirelessly receiving the context information from a data store that is remote from the vehicle computer.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the context information comprises user-specific information and said receiving comprises receiving the context information from a data store via the Internet.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein said receiving comprises receiving the context information from one or more context providers that are mounted on the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein said receiving comprises receiving context information from multiple context providers some of which being mounted on the vehicle, others of which not being mounted on the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein determining further comprises determining the current vehicle context using a software-implemented context service module that can receive context information from multiple different context providers.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein determining further comprises determining the current vehicle context using a software-implemented context service module that can receive context information from multiple different context providers, the context service module being capable of wirelessly receiving at least some of the context information.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein determining further comprises determining a current user of the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 7, wherein determining further comprises making a decision, based upon the context information, about the likely context of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 7, wherein said modifying comprises modifying the behavior of one or more applications executing on the vehicle'"'"'s computer.

21. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 7.

22. A location-aware system comprising:

a computer configured to be mounted in a vehicle, the computer comprising one or more processors and computer-readable storage media associated with the one or more processors;

one or more applications resident on the computer-readable media and configured to be executed on the one or more processors;

one or more location providers operably associated with the computer and configured to provide location information for use in determining a vehicle location;

a location service module configured to receive location information from the one or more location providers and determine a vehicle location;

at least one hierarchical tree structure resident on the computer-readable media and having multiple nodes each of which being associated with a location, the location service module being configured to determine a vehicle location by accessing the at least one hierarchical tree structure and traversing at least one of the nodes, wherein individual nodes are uniquely defined by an entity identification that allows for discovery of accessible goods or services associated with that node,

wherein the at least one hierarchical tree structure comprises;

a first hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with first locations;

at least one second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with second locations, at least one node from the at least one second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete location to be derived from the first and second locations; and

a behavior engine operably associated with the computer and configured to, responsive to a vehicle location that is determined by the location service, adjust a behavior of the one or more applications so that the one or more applications behave in a manner that is consistent with a current vehicle location.

23. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein at least one location provider is located remotely from a vehicle.

24. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein at least one location provider is configured to receive information that is wirelessly transmitted from a location that is remote from the vehicle.

25. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein multiple location providers are configured to receive information that is wirelessly transmitted from a location that is remote from the vehicle.

26. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein the behavior engine is configured to adjust the behavior of the one or more applications based, at least in part, on user-specific location information.

27. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein the behavior engine is configured to adjust the behavior of the one or more applications based, at least in part, on user-specific location information that is maintained on the vehicle'"'"'s computer.

28. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein the behavior engine is configured to adjust the behavior of the one or more applications based, at least in part, on user-specific location information that is maintained in a data store that is remote from the vehicle in which the computer is mounted.

29. The location-aware system of claim 22, wherein the behavior engine is configured to adjust a behavior of the one or more applications by causing an Internet connectivity application to call only local telephone numbers to establish an ISP connection.

30. A method of operating a vehicle comprising:

receiving location information with a vehicle computer, the location information pertaining to a location of a vehicle in which the computer is mounted;

determining, from the location information and using the vehicle computer, a current vehicle location, wherein determining comprises;

accessing at least one hierarchical tree structure with the vehicle'"'"'s computer, the at least one hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes each of which being associated with a location,

wherein the at least one hierarchical tree structure comprises;

(1) a first hierarchical tree structure resident on the vehicle'"'"'s computer, the tree structure having multiple nodes associated with first locations, and (2) at least one second hierarchical tree structure having multiple nodes associated with second locations, at least one node from the at least one second hierarchical tree structure being linked with one node on the first hierarchical tree structure by a link that is configured to enable a complete location to be derived from the first and second locations; and

traversing at least one of the nodes to derive the vehicle'"'"'s location; and

modifying, with the vehicle computer, a behavior of the vehicle responsive to the current vehicle location.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the location information comprises user-specific location information.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the location information comprises user-specific location information, and said receiving comprises receiving the location information from a data store that is remote from the vehicle computer.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the location information comprises user-specific location information, and said receiving comprises receiving the location information from a data store via the Internet.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein determining further comprises determining the current vehicle location using a software-implemented location service module that can receive location information from multiple different location providers.

35. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 30.

36. A vehicle having a computer that is configured to implement the method of claim 30.