The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods of recording driving patterns, and more specifically to systems and methods of recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles based at least in part on the recorded driving patterns.
Mobile electronic devices such as smartphones have become useful tools for running software applications, communicating, and storing information. Smartphones offer convenient on-the-go computing and wireless connectivity.
Smartphones have built in tools such as the Global Positioning System (“GPS”) to assist in the collection of positioning data for a user.
Electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles provide an immediate solution to critical economic security and economic concerns about the U.S. dependence on foreign oil as well as environmental concerns about increased air pollution.
Auto makers, with assistance from the U.S. government, have embraced the concept of electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles, but consumers have been slower to embrace the adoption of electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
A significant obstacle to the development and the sale of electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles in the United States is the limited range associated with electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles and the fear of being stranded on the side of the road with a discharged battery.
Few U.S. citizens consider themselves sufficiently knowledgeable to decide whether or not to purchase an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
Most U.S. citizens overstate their daily driving distances and driving needs.
Most U.S. drivers can use an electric vehicle (EV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) for their daily driving needs.
Accordingly, there is a need for tools to promote the deployment and widespread adoption of electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles by consumers.
Smartphone applications or “apps” exist that take advantage of internal sensors provided in the smartphone. One such app is the iEV app, described as “The world's first Electric Car Simulator for iPhone”. The iEV app is described as bringing electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles closer to the people, showing that the perceived range problem is not an issue for most drivers and helping users save money when they have to choose which EV to buy. In the IEV app, the users need to press start and begin driving. When the users arrive at the destination, they press stop and the results are presented to them. However, apps that rely on the user to start and stop them suffer from human error. The failure of a user to press the stop button, once started, or the start button before beginning driving, results in the data being skewed, and thus, an erroneous profile being generated. Further, the iEV App relies on the user manually entering preset comparison vehicle data, but does not allow for the App user to input their own existing vehicle (for example, by make and model). The result is that comparison evaluation is substantially less accurate. Additionally, iEV does not collect or provide data on vehicle pollution, potential savings and verifiable data that can be used for a pollution remediation.
What is needed is a system and method that accurately collect actual driving data of a user's existing vehicle from a sensor of the mobile device including, but not limited to, to initiate and terminate the recording of driving data automatically (i.e., without human intervention and, correspondingly, human error). What is additionally needed is a system and method that permits statistical comparison between data relating to a user's own actual vehicle and purchasable electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles based on the collection of data and generation of statistics, including, but not limited to, information on vehicle pollution, potential savings, verifiable data that can be used for pollution remediation (i.e., carbon trading, reduction of carbon dioxide, methane, etc.).
As there is a need for tools to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles by consumers, the present invention provides for systems and methods for recording driving patterns based on a user's existing vehicle and suggesting purchasable vehicles features. For example, one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a mobile device application (for example, a smartphone mobile device application) that utilizes the built-in features of the smartphone (for example, the standard manufacturer-provided features of the smartphone) to record and analyze driving patterns based on a user's existing vehicle to provide convincing evidence to support the purchase of an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle. In one particular embodiment, the mobile device application can provide information on potential customers to manufacturers of electric and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles and to dealers.
In one embodiment, the presently disclosed systems and methods of recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles provide interactive functionality and the ability for potential electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle purchasers to evaluate the applicability of a purchasable vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle) to the potential vehicle purchasers' driving patterns and habits through the use and features of a variety of portable electronic devices, such as portable wireless electronic device, portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, mobile phones, smartphones, or any other electronic device that can be configured to receive and transmit data associated with driving patterns and habits.
The present invention provides an array of features that complement the purchasable vehicle selection processes. For example, locations of fuel or power service stations, pollution-savings data, fuel or power indicators, estimated cost savings, driving range information, and any other information associated with the driver's driving habits or patterns that can affect his or her decision to purchase the purchasable vehicle. In at least one embodiment, the purchasable vehicle selection process can be an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle selection process. The features for such electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle selection process can include, but are not limited to, locations of charging stations, actual driving habits of users, round-trip and one-way driving range information, pollution and carbon footprint reduction data and battery life indicators.
In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the systems and methods of the present invention can be configured to provide dealers and/or manufacturers of purchasable vehicles targeted information associated with potential customers. Purchasable vehicles can include, but are not limited to, electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), gasoline-powered vehicles, diesel-powered vehicles, motorcycles, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles (for example, Smart™ cars, Mini™ cars, or other fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles), hydrogen-powered vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, or any other vehicle which can be purchased and compared to the current vehicle of customers.
The present invention provides for a mobile device application that can demonstrate to individual users who are prospective buyers of purchasable vehicles whether or not the driver can benefit from purchasing a purchasable vehicle based on the driver's actual habits. For example, in one particular embodiment of the invention, the mobile device application can demonstrate to individual users who are prospective buyers of purchasable vehicles that are electric vehicles, and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles that based on an individual's actual driving habits using their own existing vehicle, a large percentage of U.S. drivers can use an EV or PHEV.
The presently disclosed systems and methods of recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles can utilize at least one of the functions and/or components of the mobile device such as a mobile computing system of the mobile device, Bluetooth™ connection, a portable media player, a compact digital camera, a video camera, a GPS navigation, a touchscreen, a web browser that can access and display web pages, a high-speed data access via Wi-Fi and mobile broadband, or any other function and/or component of the mobile device.
The mobile device application can integrate with the mobile device's operating system and hardware through advanced mobile device application programming interfaces (API's).
In one particular embodiment of the invention, when the mobile device application is initiated, data regarding the EV/PHEV vehicles, dealers, and manufacturers can be downloaded on the mobile device from one or more mobile device application servers communicatively coupled to the mobile device.
When the mobile device application is initiated, user data collected while the mobile device application is offline can be uploaded to the mobile device application servers to ensure integrity and accuracy of the data used in subsequent data analysis. Additionally, user data collected while the mobile device application is online can be uploaded to the mobile device application server.
The driving data collected by the mobile device application can be analyzed using analysis tools (for example, the processor of the mobile device, a processor communicatively coupled to the mobile device, one or more processors coupled to the mobile device application server, or any other processor or processing system communicatively coupled to the mobile device) developed for the mobile device application. The recommendations resulting from the analyzed driver data can be downloaded to, or generated in, the smartphone.
In at least one embodiment, a system and method for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features can be implemented on a Windows™ PC platform and/or for Mac™ OS and Linux™ platforms, or any other suitable platform.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention wherein the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features are implemented as a mobile device, mobile device application can be downloaded for free or for a nominal fee through the Apple™ App store, the Android™ market, or any other source of mobile device application.
In such an embodiment, the user can log in to the mobile device application via a graphical user interface (GUI) to create a profile. The profile can include an address for a user, such as the user's email address, zip code, and basic data about the user's current vehicle. For example, the basic data about the user's current vehicle can include the make, model and year of the vehicle which allows for the mobile device application to use accurate information regarding the performance of that vehicle for comparison and evaluation purposes. The user profile can also allow the default cost of gasoline and the default cost of electricity to be manually overridden at the user's option.
In at least one embodiment, the mobile device application can operate automatically in the background of the mobile device (for example, a Smartphone) and does not require any additional input.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the mobile device application can be initiated when the driver starts a trip and can be concluded when the driver ends a trip without user input. That is, in the present particular embodiment of the invention, the driving pattern tracking is initiated automatically. In one particular embodiment of the invention, if the accelerometer of the mobile device determines that a vehicle has begun moving (for example, by detecting movement that matches or exceeds a predetermined value without user intervention), the mobile device application can begin tracking driving pattern data. If, in this embodiment, the accelerometer of the mobile device determines that a vehicle has stopped moving (for example, by detecting absence of movement for a pre-determined length of time), the mobile device application can automatically (without user intervention) stop tracking driving pattern data. The mobile device can also eliminate non vehicle information in its tracking (i.e., walking, plane, etc.).
The system and method for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features, in accordance with particular embodiments of the invention, can utilize the tool and/or components of the mobile device to determine the driving patterns of the user. For example, such tools and/or components provided as part of the mobile device and utilized by the system of the invention can include, but are not limited to, a Global Positioning System (“GPS”), an accelerometer, a barometer, a Bluetooth™ connection, or any other component configured to detect (or interfacing with a component configured to detect) the conditions of real world driving by the user on a predetermined basis (for example, a daily basis, a semi-daily basis, workdays, weekends, or any other predetermined basis). The conditions detected can be recorded as driving pattern data. Based on the driving pattern data, the driving pattern of the user can be determined.
In at least one embodiment of the invention, the system and method for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features can include one or more databases or database system containing automotive performance data associated with the performance of purchasable vehicles. The driving pattern data can be combined with automotive performance data collected or retrieved from one or more databases, including automotive performance data, to develop an analytical snapshot of the individual's driving patterns. The user's existing driving patterns for an existing vehicle (for example, for a gasoline vehicle, an already-purchased vehicle, an already-purchased electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle, etc.) are compared with actual and estimated purchasable vehicles (for example, purchasable EVs and PHEVs) to demonstrate whether the user will likely be able to drive a purchasable vehicle to meet their existing driving patterns. The automotive performance data can also be retrieved from other sources, for example, from one or more websites of purchasable vehicle manufacturers, from a third-party's database system, one or more websites of purchasable vehicle dealers, one or more database systems of a purchasable vehicle dealer, an automotive-vehicle-review website, a crowd-sourced database having performance review of automotive vehicles or any other source from which automotive performance data associated with purchasable vehicles can be retrieved.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features disclosed herein are not only informative but are also engaging, as the disclosed systems and method encourages users to interact with the system daily, share their experiences with others via social media, and for gaming (i.e., who saved most gas today?).
In accordance with one particular embodiment of the invention, at any time, the user can look at the graphical user interface (GUI) of the mobile device application to determine his or her current location, and see range information at a glance. For example, a range can be a distance in which the driver has sufficient power (for example, battery power or fuel power) to reach a destination if the driver were driving the purchasable vehicle. In one example, where the purchasable vehicle is an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle, the GUI for the system can provide a green circle, or any other indicator, that defines the area within which the user will have sufficient battery power to get home without recharging. A blue circle, or any other indicator, can be provided to indicate the furthest one way trip the user can take given the existing battery power without recharging.
In another embodiment, the driver can select a location on a map displayed on the GUI, and a first circle and/or a second circle, for example, a green circle and a blue circle, respectively, can be provided on the display to indicate whether the user would have sufficient power to arrive at the selected location without requiring a refueling or recharging if the driver were driving the purchasable vehicle. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other differentiators can be implemented to distinguish between the various ranges and driving range information associated with purchasable vehicle based at least in part on the driver's driving data corresponding to the driving habits and patterns of the driver's current or existing vehicle.
In one particular embodiment, a user interface for the system can provide a map having charging locations to provide additional comfort for the user to overcome range anxiety. If desired, the user interface can include additional details about the charging locations. In one embodiment, such additional details about their locations are made available by charger vendors and/or operators for a fee.
In one embodiment, users can view, via the GUI and on a real time or substantially real time basis, a comparison of the user's driving habits with similar simulated driving habits simulated for a purchasable vehicle. For example, where the user's current vehicle is a gasoline-powered vehicle, and the purchasable vehicle is a EV or PHEV, the GUI can display a comparison of the driving patterns of the user's gasoline-powered vehicles versus a EV or PHEV that has been driven under the user's same driving patterns for the user's gasoline-powered vehicle. With such a comparison, the user can estimate whether a EV or PHEV will meet their daily driving mileage requirements.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features disclosed herein, based on published data and a data analysis methodology, can estimate how much money a user can save by driving an electric vehicle, a plug-in-electric vehicle, a diesel-powered vehicle, a hydrogen-powered vehicle, or any other purchasable vehicle.
In addition, the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features disclosed herein, based on published data and a data analysis, can estimate in a reliable and verifiable manner the amount of pollution that can be eliminated by driving an purchasable vehicle, and its location (for example, an EV or PHEV). In another embodiment, pollution savings or carbon credits can be aggregated for the purpose of monetizing these savings for the App user, the manufacturer and/or service or app providers such as, but not limited to, trading in the carbon trading markets.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features of the present invention can also include a method for calibrating the mobile device application's virtual battery level indicator with the actual level of the purchasable vehicle's battery or fuel supply (for example, an EV's battery). Thus, the user can manually adjust the virtual battery level indicator to match the real battery level of their EV. The calibration differences can be aggregated on mobile device application servers, and median offsets can be used to reformulate calculations. All deployed mobile device applications could then be updated with the new formula.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features disclosed herein can provide information on a predictive degradation of range through battery depletion based on one or more of the following: actual temperature, forecasted temperature, historical usage of the vehicle's climate control system for the individual driver, and/or any other data which allows for a predictive degradation of range. If desired, a system and method for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles features in accordance with the invention can also provide available data on other drivers using the same model of purchasable vehicle (for example, a similar EV model) on the same trip (or even partial legs of the same trip).
The system and method for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles of one particular embodiment of the present invention can provide a warning of range degradation when the vehicle reaches certain speeds or experiences other environment factors (for example, rain, wind, humidity, temperature, air pressure, ozone measurement, or any other environmental factors that can affect driving patterns and fuel usage) that increase the drain on the battery or fuel supply of the purchasable vehicle that exceed the original range calculations. Additionally, in one embodiment of the present invention, the system and method can provide a score keeping feature that allows purchasable vehicle drivers (and virtual purchasable vehicle evaluators) to opt-in to a high score keeping system that lets them rank their achievements. For example, where the purchasable vehicle drivers are EV drivers, the feature can allow the EV drivers to rank achievements, such as longest trip on a single charge, least amount of carbon output, lowest average cost per mile, etc. This feature allows for competitive gaming between drivers. These achievements can be shared on social networks such as Twitter™, Facebook™, and Google+™ or any other social network.
In at least one particular embodiment of the invention, after the driving habit analysis, the user can be queried (for example, via the GUI of the mobile device application) as to whether the user would be interested in purchasing the purchasable vehicle within predetermined time frames (for example, within one week, one month, etc.) as well as the price range considered for a purchase or lease, and the body type and style the user prefers (for example, SUV, coupe, sedan, sports car, or any other preferred vehicle).
In at least one particular embodiment of the invention, the mobile App can analyze the driver's existing driving habits and make specific recommendation of vehicles that would meet the driver's needs.
If the user is interested in purchasing the purchasable vehicle, a prompt can be presented to the user that includes user-selectable additional information associated with purchasing the purchasable vehicle. For example, the prompt can include a list of current available purchasable vehicles with general specifications, as published by the automotive manufacturers. Additionally, the participating manufacturer can provide written, video and photo information on its [electric] vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle, including purchase options, loans and leasing. Participating manufacturers or dealers as used herein, include, but are not limited to, a manufacturer or dealer who has entered into an agreement with the proprietor of the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles.
In another embodiment, if the user indicates an interest in purchasing a purchasable vehicle within a set time period (e.g., within three months), the user can be provided with a GUI having one or more participating dealers be able to click through to see which participating dealers are located within a specific radius of the user's location, and/or the manufacturer.
The user can then choose one or more participating local purchasable vehicle dealers near them who sell the desired make and model of the vehicle. In response to the selection of the one or more participating local purchasable vehicle dealers, the participating dealer(s) and/or manufacturers corresponding to the user's selection can receive an email, text message, automated voicemail, or any other message with relevant user information so that the participating dealer(s) can contact prospective buyer. In another embodiment, the user can make a mobile device appointment via the mobile device (for example, the smartphone). In a further embodiment, the user can be immediately connected to the participating dealer by voice or video.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein allows for purchasable vehicle manufacturers to provide specific information regarding the purchasable vehicle manufacturers' purchasable vehicle, in written and/or photo form via the GUI of the mobile device application. In at least one embodiment, the purchasable vehicle manufacturer can provide such information for a fee. In another embodiment, the GUI of the mobile device application can include a video tour of the purchasable vehicle.
In still another embodiment, participating manufacturers can access data regarding users with specific demonstrated interest in the participating manufacturers' vehicle(s), as well as, demonstrated interest in the participating manufacturers' competitors, both nationally and/or within a defined geographic area. Such access to data can be provided to the participating manufacturers for a fee.
In a further embodiment, participating manufacturers can monitor the effectiveness of the participating dealers' sales efforts. Such monitoring can be provided to the participating manufacturers for a fee.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also allow participating dealers the option to be included on the mobile device application's maps, and to be able to provide specific information in the mobile device application for users, such as their street address, hours of operations, or other information associated with the participating dealer. In another embodiment, the specific identity, contact information and actual driving information for a prospective purchaser can be delivered in real time from the mobile device application to the participating dealer. If desired, the participating dealers can also participate in instant audio and/or video connections, via the mobile device application, with prospective purchasers that already have expressed interest in a vehicle or vehicles. Such instant communication can be provided to the participating dealer(s) for a fee.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also provide fuel providers, gas stations, hydrogen stations, EV charger manufacturers, dealers, EV charging providers and EV infrastructure companies with potential user information for a fee. Also, the locations of the EV charging providers and EV infrastructure companies can be provided on a map displayed in the GUI for a fee. In another embodiment, information regarding the EV charging providers and EV infrastructure companies' services or a link to their web sites to display their products can also be included in the GUI of the mobile device application, for a fee.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also be provided to utility companies (for example, for a fee). This collection of driving pattern data can provide data associated with prospective electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle usage to plan future upgrades of the utility provider's grids, and to evaluate the need for smart grid features for charging, such as peak and off-peak pricing. Additionally, if desired, the system and method of the invention can provide information, for a fee, to Federal, state and/or local governments, for example, for urban planning, such as planning of parking spaces and greenhouse gas and pollution control.
If desired, the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also be provided to research companies, for example, for a fee.
With the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein, the GUI can include maps with driving distances and charging station locations, and can include indicators that monitor battery usage and provide estimates of the remaining life of the user's battery or fuel power.
In another particular embodiment of the invention, systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles that are disclosed herein can include one or more user-selectable options associated with after-market product or services. For example, if the user's current vehicle is an EV or if the purchasable vehicle is an EV, the user-selectable options can be associated with jumper cables to provide roadside charging, participating electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle charging locations and service centers.
In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also be communicatively coupled to computing systems associated with roadside assistance services. For example, the American Automobile Association (“AAA”) and other servicing agencies.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also be provided to electric charging station manufacturers and dealers, fuel service manufacturers and dealers, or any other vehicle power manufacturer or dealer, for a fee.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also, optionally, be customized to include the languages of the country in which the mobile device application is used, and the maps (including, actual dealer locations) associated with the country in which the mobile device application is used. For example, the mobile device application can provide the user with the option of setting, or can default to, different metrics, based on location, such as adapting the information to display as gallons v. liters and in different currencies.
The systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles disclosed herein can also be utilized by fleet operators. The fleet operators can gather driving pattern data for their existing fleets on which to base their electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle purchasing decisions.
Referring now to
The mobile device 103, 105 includes a processor for executing instructions saved in a non-transitory memory of the mobile device 103, 105. For example, in accordance with the present invention, an application program can be downloaded, or otherwise stored, to memory of the mobile device 103, 105 and executed to record driving patterns and suggest purchasable vehicles to the user, based on the recorded driving patterns. Such a mobile device application can include additional features that complement the electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle selection process, including, but not limited to, providing: the locations of charging stations; the locations of fuel or power providers; round-trip and one-way driving range information; pollution and carbon footprint reduction data; and/or battery life indicators.
If desired, an application operating on the mobile device 103, 105 can also be used to get targeted information on or to potential customers from vehicle dealers and/or manufacturers of purchasable vehicles (for example, electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) car dealers/manufacturers). The mobile device 103, 105 can be any type of mobile device that can travel with the user in a vehicle 107 and determine, from those travels, data relating to the driving patterns of the user carrying the mobile device 103, 105. In other words, although depicted as a smartphone 103 and laptop 105, this is not meant to be limiting, as other types of mobile device, including PDA's, iPods, tablets, programmable GPS navigational device, etc., can be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the mobile device 103 is an iPHONE™ produced by Apple Inc. or an Android™ device.
Referring more particularly to
The mobile device application server 101 is coupled to the smartphone 103, via a communication network such as a telecommunications network, a wireless network, a Bluetooth™ connection, a Wi-Fi network, a near-field communication interface, or any other network by which the smartphone 103 (or mobile device) can transmit and receive information and data from the mobile device application server 101. The smartphone 103 can be located within a vehicle 107 in order to record and detect driving pattern data of the user.
As noted above, the mobile device 103, 105 can include a mobile phone, a smartphone 103, a personal computer 105, a tablet computer, programmable GPS navigation device or any other mobile device that can be carried by a user and with which driving pattern data can be detected. Mobile device 103, 105 can include a plurality of sensors, including, but not limited to, a global position system (GPS) sensor, a barometer, an accelerometer, a camera, a thermometer, Bluetooth™ connection, and/or any other sensor that can detect environmental characteristics of the environment in which the mobile device is located. The sensor can also include any sensor that can detect driving data corresponding to a vehicle 107 in which the mobile device 103, 105 is located. For example, the driving data detected can include a speed of the car, a distance traveled by the car, a travel time, a climate control usage of the vehicle, or any other data which can be gathered by the sensors of the mobile device 103, 105 to record driving data used to determine driving patterns associated with the vehicle 107. As is well known, certain smartphones 103, such as the iPHONE™ and certain Android™ smartphones, already include GPS sensors and accelerometers that can be used to determine driving data for the vehicle 107 in which the mobile device 103, 105 is carried.
Additionally, in one particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the mobile device 103, 105 is a smartphone 103 having a touchscreen display 103a. The touchscreen display 103a can be a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a digital light processing (DLP) display, a nanocrystal display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, or any other display which an display graphical information and can act as a user input interface by which user inputs can be entered.
Referring back to
In one embodiment, the system 100 also includes a dealers' interface 111. The dealers' interface 111 can include a computing system, computer-readable medium system, and/or other processing system storing a database related to the dealer's purchasable vehicles. The dealers' interface 111 can provide the interface by which the mobile device application server 101 retrieves data associated with purchasable vehicles to which the mobile device user's driving patterns are compared. The mobile device application server 101 can also transmit the mobile device user's driving pattern data to the dealers of purchasable vehicles via the dealers' interface 111.
The system 100 can also include an interface for communicating with other networks, such as the Internet 113. The communications interface can be an Internet interface, a network-based interface, a peer-to-peer device interface, or any other communication interface. In
The mobile device application executed on the mobile device 103, 105, in accordance with one particular embodiment, can utilize a persistent network connection 115. If the mobile device application loses the network connection (i.e., to the Internet 113 and/or to the mobile device application server 101), GPS data can continue to update and be logged in the mobile device 103, 105, itself. However, the maps and other environmental features can be unavailable until network connectivity is restored. The mobile device application can also utilize enabled location services associated with the mobile device 103, 105. If the user has disabled the location services, the mobile device application can request the user to enable the location services, for example, by requesting the user to enable the location services in the system settings of the mobile device 103, 105.
Referring now to
If desired, the mobile device application can further be utilized for: evaluating the efficiency of the user's current electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle as compared to the electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle manufacturer's performance data; evaluating the user's current non-electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle driving with an electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle driving; evaluating other comparable electric vehicles and/or plug-in hybrid vehicles to the current electric vehicle and/or plug-in hybrid vehicle the user is driving; or evaluating other purchasable vehicles to the current vehicle the user is driving.
Referring now to
Once an account has been created and a password chosen, the user can then set up a vehicle profile using interactive GUI forms, represented by the exemplary GUI form shown in
A Fuel & Electricity rates screen is illustrated in
In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the application device can interact with social media outlets, such as Facebook™ and Twitter™. In
During the driving evaluation period, once the user is logged into the application on the mobile device 103, 105, the application can automatically start determining and recording driving data and determining driving patterns. For example, the application can automatically determine, through the use of sensors and the like, that the user is being transported in a vehicle (i.e., the speed of the mobile device 103, 105, as determined by its accelerometers or GPS sensors, exceeds a predetermined threshold). Information about the tracking of the driving data can be displayed on the display of the mobile device 103, 105, as shown in
During the driving evaluation period, the user can view several range-related screens. As shown in
The My Places screen shown in
The Places Detail screen illustrated in
The GUI can also provide the user with a variety of statistical analyses through the selection of a statistics button 270 on the GUI display. For example, after the driving evaluation period (such as the test drive period) or at any time during the driving evaluation, a Statistics-History by Month screen, illustrated in
A Statistics-Savings screen as illustrated in
A Statistics-Environment screen as illustrated in
After the driving evaluation period is ended (for example, when the user has reached a destination), the user can view the Available EV screen shown in
If the user selects a particular EV, the Available EV Detail screen shown in
If the user chooses to locate a dealer, the dealers can be displayed in a map view. The Available EV Dealer Locations map view screen shown in
If the user selects one of the local dealerships from the Local Dealerships map view screen (shown in
Additionally, if desired, the user can elect to send an inquiry, with or without the user's individual driving data, to a service, such as to WhyBuyEV, using the a Send an Inquiry screen illustrated in
In another embodiment, the inquiry can be sent directly to a dealer or manufacturer, In response to the selection of the one or more participating local purchasable vehicle dealers, the participating dealer(s) corresponding to the user's selection can receive an email, text message, automated voicemail, or any other message with relevant user information so that the participating dealer(s) can contact prospective buyer. In another embodiment, the user can make a mobile device appointment via the mobile device (for example, the smartphone). In another embodiment, the user can be immediately connected to the participating dealer by voice or video.
The mobile device application can also include a Settings menu, one exemplary version of which is illustrated in
The settings setting can additionally be used to change or update the Vehicle Profile entered as part of the sign-in process. In one particular embodiment of the invention, selection of the Vehicle Profile from the settings menu will return the user to a Vehicle Profile screen, such as is illustrated in
Upon execution of the application on the mobile device 103, 105 (each time subsequent to the initial create a user/signup process), the application will display the splash screen of
Based on the user's driving data, a map 255 can be displayed on the touchscreen display 103a of the mobile device 103, as illustrated in connection with
Additionally, as described herein in connection with
The Statistics displays of
The mobile device application can provide a Available EV display, as illustrated in
The Available EV screen of
While the foregoing processes, description, and drawings have been described with respect to purchasable vehicles that are EVs and PHEVs, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the purchasable vehicle can be any other type of vehicle, such as a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), a hydrogen powered vehicle, a Flex-Fuel vehicle, a fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle, an aerodynamically fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle, or any other vehicle which a driver can purchase and for which a driving simulation can be simulated based on the user's current driving patterns of his or her current vehicle.
The present systems and methods of recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles can be implemented to determine whether a particular leg or portion or which particular leg or portion of a driver's trip is better suited for a gasoline-powered vehicle, an EV, a PHEV, or any other purchasable vehicle.
The present systems and methods of recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles can also be implemented to monitor and evaluate the current driving habits of a user to determine if the user is efficiently driving his or her current vehicle. For example, the system can record and evaluate the driver's driving patterns of his or her current vehicle and compare the driving pattern data to performance data (for example, performance data provided by the manufacturer of the driver's current vehicle) to determine if the driver is efficiently driving his or her current vehicle.
While the foregoing processes, description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the presently disclosed systems and methods for recording driving patterns and suggesting purchasable vehicles based at least in part on the recorded driving patterns, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise than as herein specifically illustrated or described, and that within the embodiments certain changes in the detail and construction, as well as the arrangement of the parts, may be made without departing from the principles of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
The present application claims priority to co-pending Provisional Patent Application No. 61/604,422, filed on Feb. 28, 2012, entitled “System and Method For Recording Driving Patterns and Suggesting Purchasable Vehicles”; that application being incorporated herein, by reference, in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61604422 | Feb 2012 | US |