Mobile recommendation and reservation system

• US 8,306,921 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kalik, Steven F., Sekiyama, Hiroaki, Takeuchi, Shojiro, Kawamoto, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ouellette, Jonathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ofori-Awuah, Maame
• Application Number:
  US12/030,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.55
• US Class Current: 705/319
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90335 Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are described for assisting a requestor to identify and reserve a resource that meets the need of the requestor'"'"'s request. For example, a request can be augmented using augmentation data, such as current position and requestor preferences, and resources are located and ranked according to their match against the augmented request. A person who is the requestor may engage in another attention demanding task, such as driving a car, while resources well matched to preferences are located. Preference data may be determined from social network data, a preference file, and/or other sources.

Claims

1. A method for assisting selection of a resource in response to a request from a requestor at a current time, the method being performed by an electronic circuit, the requestor being a driver of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle position, the method comprising:

augmenting the request with augmentation data, the augmentation data including position data, route plan data, social network data, and traffic data, the position data being the vehicle position;

identifying available resources by searching a computer network using a wireless connection, the available resources being limited to those in a spatial area determined using the position data;

ranking the available resources using preference data so as to identify one or more candidate resources, at least part of the preference data being collected from an on-line social network using the wireless connection to the computer network; and

providing the one or more candidate resources to the requestor, so as to assist selection of the resource,

the requestor being an occupant of a vehicle, the position data being vehicular position data,

the request including a time of resource need, the spatial area being determined using the position data and the time of resource need,

the spatial area being determined using the current time, the time of resource need, and a driving range possible within the time to the resource need determined using the traffic data.

2. The method of claim 1, the position data being obtained from a position sensor in electronic communication with the electronic circuit.

3. The method of claim 1, further including generating some or all of the preference data before the request is made.

4. The method of claim 1, the on-line social network being accessible through the computer network.

5. The method of claim 1, the requestor being a member of the on-line social network, preference data obtained from the on-line social network being weighted according to a network proximity to the requestor.

6. The method of claim 1, the position data being provided by a vehicle navigation system.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the requestor to accept or decline each of the one or more candidate resources.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising making a reservation for each of the one or more candidate resources before prompting the requestor to accept or decline any of the one or more candidate resources.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising canceling any reservation associated with an explicitly or implicitly declined candidate resource.

10. A method for assisting selection of a resource in response to a request from a requestor, the method being performed by an electronic circuit, the requestor being an occupant of a vehicle, the vehicle having a vehicle position, the method comprising:

augmenting the request with augmentation data, the augmentation data including position data, route plan data, social network data, and traffic data, the position data being the vehicle position;

identifying available resources within a spatial area, the spatial area being determined using a future vehicle position,

the future vehicle position being determined using vehicle heading data;

ranking the resource candidates using preference data, the preference data being determined at least in part from an on-line social network; and

presenting one or more highly ranked resources to the requestor, so as to assist selection of the resource.

11. The method of claim 10, the future vehicle position being determined using the vehicle heading data and a time of resource need.

12. The method of claim 10, the method further including prompting the requestor to accept or decline the one or more highly ranked resources.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising reserving or purchasing an accepted resource.

14. An apparatus for assisting selection of a resource, the apparatus comprising:

an interface, including a request input operable to receive a request for the resource, the request including a time of resource need;

a modem, operable to connect to an information network;

a clock, providing a time of request; and

an electronic circuit, operable to augment the request with augmentation data, the augmentation data including position data, route plan data, social network data, and traffic data, the social network data being retrieved from the information network using the modem,

the electronic circuit being further operable to initiate a search for available resources within a spatial area,

the electronic circuit being further operable to compare available resources with preference data so as to determine a candidate resource;

the preference data being determined at least in part from an on-line social network, the on-line social network being accessible through the information network,

the apparatus being located within a vehicle,

the spatial area being determined using the time of request, the time of resource need, and a driving range possible within the time to the resource need.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, the apparatus receiving position data from a vehicle navigation system.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, the electronic circuit including a speech synthesizer, the interface including an audio device for audible presentation of the candidate resources.