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 7,975,229 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Reus, Edward F., Parupudi, Gopal, Evans, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US10/966,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20050050201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/213, 718/108, 715/747
• US Class Current: 715/747
• 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 user-aware vehicle comprising:

a computer having one or more processors;

at least one data store accessible to the computer and being configured to contain user information pertaining to user preferences that are associated with one or more vehicle contexts, the computer being configured to access the at least one data store, retrieve the user preferences, and configure a vehicle in accordance with the user preferences;

a location service accessible to the computer and configured to receive location information and determine a location of the vehicle from the location information, the location information including;

a first URL configured to enable access to a first hierarchical tree structure, the first hierarchical tree structure including multiple geographical nodes that correspond to geographical locations, one of the geographical nodes corresponding to a geographical location of the vehicle; and

a second URL configured to enable access to a second hierarchical tree structure, the second hierarchical tree structure touch pointing into the one of the geographical nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure, wherein the second hierarchical tree structure and the one of the geographical nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure are associated with a unique identifier; and

a context service accessible to the computer and configured to use the unique identifier to associate goods or services with the one of the geographical nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure, the first hierarchical tree structure being configured to link together multiple independent hierarchical tree structures which include at least the second hierarchical tree structure, the second hierarchical tree structure being associated with an organization that is associated with the unique identifier and having multiple organizational nodes associated with information about the organization and at least one organizational node associated with the goods or services, the context service being configured to discover one or more of the goods or services that are tagged with the unique identifier and that correspond to the user preferences by using the unique identifier to traverse the second hierarchical tree structure.

2. The user-aware vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one data store is located on the vehicle.

3. The user-aware vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one data store is not located on the vehicle.

4. The user-aware vehicle of claim 1, wherein the computer is configured to wirelessly access the at least one data store.

5. A method of operating a vehicle comprising:

maintaining a data store that contains user preferences associated with one or more vehicle contexts;

accessing the data store;

retrieving from the data store one or more user preferences associated with a vehicle user;

configuring a vehicle in accordance with one or more retrieved user preferences;

receiving location information from an entity remote from the vehicle, the location information including;

a first URL and an entity identifier, the first URL being configured to enable access to a first hierarchical tree structure that includes multiple geographical nodes that correspond to geographical zones; and

a second URL configured to enable access to a second hierarchical tree structure, the second hierarchical tree structure touch pointing into the one of the geographical nodes of the first hierarchical tree structure;

determining a geographical zone for the vehicle by using the first URL to access the first hierarchical tree structure and using the entity identifier to locate a node on a first hierarchical tree structure that corresponds to the geographical zone for the vehicle, wherein the first hierarchical tree structure is configured to link together multiple independent hierarchical tree structures which include the second hierarchical tree structure; and

utilizing the second URL to access the second hierarchical tree structure and traversing the second hierarchical tree structure to locate one or more resources within the geographical zone for the vehicle that correspond to the one or more retrieved user preferences, wherein the second hierarchical tree structure is unique to an organization associated with the one or more resources and comprises multiple nodes each associated with information about the organization, at least one of the multiple nodes being linked to the node on the first hierarchical tree structure that corresponds to the geographical zone for the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said maintaining comprises maintaining the data store on a vehicle.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said maintaining comprises maintaining the data store remote from the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said accessing comprises wirelessly accessing the data store.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said accessing comprises wirelessly accessing the data store via a computer that is located on the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the user preferences are associated with one or more vehicle locations.

11. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 5.

12. A method of operating a vehicle comprising:

accessing a data store that contains user preferences associated with one or more vehicle contexts;

retrieving from the data store one or more user preferences associated with a vehicle user;

configuring a vehicle in accordance with one or more retrieved user preferences;

receiving location information from an entity remote from the vehicle, the location information including a first identifier paired with a first URL and a second identifier paired with a second URL;

determining a context for the vehicle by using the first URL to access a first hierarchical tree structure and using the first identifier to locate a node on a first hierarchical tree structure that corresponds to the context of the vehicle, the first hierarchical tree structure being configured to link together multiple independent hierarchical tree structures which include at least a second hierarchical tree structure that touch points into the node on the first hierarchical tree structure; and

accessing the second hierarchical tree structure using the second URL and traversing the second hierarchical tree structure using the second identifier to locate one or more resources associated with the context of the vehicle and that correspond to the one or more retrieved user preferences, the second hierarchical tree structure being unique to an organization associated with the one or more resources and comprising multiple nodes each associated with information about the organization.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said accessing comprises wirelessly accessing the data store.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said accessing comprises wirelessly accessing the data store via a computer that is located on the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said accessing comprises wirelessly accessing the data store via the Internet using a computer that is located on the vehicle.

16. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 12.

17. A system comprising:

means for accessing a data store that contains user preferences associated with one or more vehicle contexts;

means for retrieving from the data store one or more user preferences associated with a vehicle user;

means for receiving location information, the location information including a first identifier paired with a first URL and a second identifier paired with a second URL;

means for determining a vehicle user context by using the first URL to access a first hierarchical tree structure and using the first identifier to locate a node on a first hierarchical tree structure that corresponds to the vehicle user context, the first hierarchical tree structure configured to link multiple independent hierarchical tree structures together, the multiple independent hierarchical tree structures including at least a second hierarchical tree structure touch pointing into the node on the first hierarchical tree structure;

means for using the second URL to access the second hierarchical tree structure and using the second identifier to traverse the second hierarchical tree structure to locate goods or services associated with the vehicle user context, the goods or services corresponding to one or more nodes on the second hierarchical tree structure and to one or more retrieved user preferences, the second hierarchical tree structure being unique to an organization associated with the goods or services and the one or more nodes on the second hierarchical tree structure being associated with information about the organization; and

means for configuring a vehicle in accordance with the one or more retrieved user preferences.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for accessing comprises means for wirelessly accessing the data store.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for accessing comprises means for wirelessly accessing the data store via a computer that is located on the vehicle.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said means for accessing comprises means for wirelessly accessing the data store via the Internet using a computer that is located on the vehicle.

21. The system of claim 17 embodied on a vehicle.