Procedure and system for permanent transferable personally customizable vehicle settings

Abstract

System (1) comprising: a processor (3) configured to: Performing an update of a vehicle module (301), in response to the update, examining vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change resulting from the update, and if there is a setting change: Establishing a connection to a remote server that stores secured feature settings, Downloading saved feature settings associated with a driver account, and Following the update, applying the downloaded saved feature settings to at least vehicle feature settings that contain indications of a setting change, characterized by that an offline mobility assistant application is used to update vehicle settings, whereby the device downloads a set of features and a current configuration of those features at a previous time before going offline.

Description

[0001] The illustrative embodiments generally relate to a method and system for persistent, transferable, personally customizable vehicle settings.

[0002] Vehicles are equipped with a wide range of customizable options. Radio presets, heating / cooling systems, seat settings, and even the personalized appearance of vehicle displays can all be customized to the driver's preferences. However, when a driver selects a new vehicle, all of the settings must be reset. Furthermore, after a vehicle system is updated, the settings are not always in the same state as before the system was updated. This can cause frustration for some drivers.

[0003] US Patent No. 7,283,902 B2 generally relates to a method for transferring at least one first personal setting of a first vehicle to a second vehicle, particularly for a driver who changes vehicles. To transfer the vehicle settings, which the driver knows to be as consistent as possible with the original, from a first vehicle to a second vehicle, i.e., without distorting the subjective impression, first personalization data indicating the first personal setting are exported from the first vehicle in the original form or in a modified form in a first step and imported into the second vehicle in a second step.The second personalization data is formed based on the imported data, and a personal setting is performed with the second personalization data in the second vehicle, wherein the model and / or accessories of the first and second vehicles may be identical or different.

[0004] US patent application US 2011 / 0 087 385 A1 generally relates to an interface system comprising a vehicle system having operational data representing a setting of the associated vehicle system, and an interface module in communication with the vehicle system for directly changing the operational data of the vehicle system based on personalized data, wherein the personalized data has a platform-independent format.

[0005] US patent application US 2013 / 0 151 035 A1 generally relates to a vehicle setting sharing system, and more particularly to a vehicle setting sharing system that applies vehicle settings provided for a driver's vehicle to another person's vehicle as well as to the driver's vehicle to improve the driver's convenience. The vehicle setting sharing system includes a storage medium configured to store vehicle settings of respective drivers and a function setting unit configured / structured to receive the vehicle settings of respective drivers from the storage medium and reset functions of a vehicle performing functions based on the stored vehicle settings.

[0006] US patent application US 2013 / 0 297 099 A1 relates to a system having a processor configured to perform an update of a vehicle module and, in response to the update, to examine vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change resulting from the update. Furthermore, if there is a setting change, a connection is established with a remote server storing saved feature settings and saved feature settings associated with a driver account are downloaded. Following the update, the downloaded saved feature settings are applied to at least those vehicle feature settings that contain indications of a setting change.

[0007] The US patent application US 2014 / 0 297 563 A1 represents another prior art in which a time stamp management is used for data stored in a cloud.

[0008] The task is to provide data during an offline phase that can be used to update a configuration during an offline phase.

[0009] This object is achieved by a system according to claim 1 and by a method according to claim 8.

[0010] In a first exemplary embodiment, a system includes a processor configured to receive a user request to edit vehicle feature settings from a computer remote from a vehicle. The processor is also configured to retrieve stored vehicle feature setting configurations associated with a vehicle associated with an identified user account. The processor is further configured to build a current display of the feature setting configuration. The processor is also configured to present a user-configurable version of the display on a user interface. The processor is additionally configured to receive changes to current feature setting configurations. The processor is also configured to save the changes and upload the changes to the vehicle.

[0011] In a second illustrative embodiment, the system includes a processor configured to perform an update of a vehicle module. The processor is also configured to examine vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change resulting from the update in response to the update. Further, the processor is configured to establish a connection with a remote server that stores saved feature settings. The processor is additionally configured to download saved feature settings associated with a driver account and, following the update, apply the downloaded saved feature settings to at least vehicle feature settings that carry indications of a setting change.

[0012] In a third illustrative embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises performing an update of a vehicle module. The method also comprises, in response to the update, examining vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change resulting from an update. The method further comprises establishing a connection with a remote server that stores saved feature settings. The method additionally comprises downloading the saved feature settings associated with a driver account and, following the update, applying the downloaded saved feature settings to at least vehicle feature settings that carry indications of a setting change. Fig. 1 shows an exemplary vehicle computing system, Fig. 2A-2C show an illustrative example of exemplary systems for implementing illustrative embodiments, Fig. 3 shows an illustrative process for vehicle update with settings recovery, Fig. 4 shows an illustrative process for setting adjustment, and Fig. Figure 5 shows an illustrative process for attitude transfer.

[0013] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in different and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are therefore not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as an illustrative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0014] Fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary block topology for a vehicle-based computing system 1 (VCS) for a vehicle 31. An example of such a vehicle-based computing system 1 is the SYNC system manufactured by THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY. A vehicle equipped with a vehicle-based computing system may include a visual front-end interface 4 located within the vehicle. The user may also be able to interact with the user interface if, for example, it is provided with a touchscreen. In another illustrative embodiment, the interaction occurs through button presses, audible speech, and speech synthesis.

[0015] In the illustrative embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 1, a processor 3 controls at least a portion of the operation of the vehicle-mounted computing system. Provided in the vehicle, the processor allows on-board instructions and utilities to be executed. Furthermore, the processor is connected to both volatile memory 5 and non-volatile memory 7. In this illustrative embodiment, the volatile memory is random access memory (RAM), and the non-volatile memory is a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory.

[0016] The processor is also connected to a number of different inputs that allow the user to interface with the processor. In this exemplary embodiment, a microphone 29, an auxiliary input 25 (to input 33), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) input 23, a Global Positioning System (GPS) input 24, and a BLUETOOTH input 15 are provided. An input selector switch 51 is also provided to allow a user to switch between the different inputs. Inputs to the microphone and the auxiliary port are converted from analog to digital by a converter 27 before being passed to the processor. Although not shown, many of the vehicle components and auxiliary components in conjunction with the VCS may utilize a vehicle network (such as, but not limited to, a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus) to communicate data to and from the VCS (or components thereof).

[0017] Outputs to the system may include, but are not limited to, a visual display 4 and a speaker 13 or a stereo output system. The speaker is connected to an amplifier 11 and receives its signal from the processor 3 via a digital-to-analog converter 9. The output may also be to a remote BLUETOOTH device, such as a personal navigation device (PND) 54 or a USB device, such as the vehicle navigation device 60, along with the bidirectional data streams shown at 19 and 21, respectively.

[0018] In one illustrative embodiment, the system 1 uses the BLUETOOTH transceiver 15 to communicate 17 with a user's nomadic device 53 (e.g., cell phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or any other device having remote wireless network connectivity). The nomadic device can then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 external to the vehicle 31, for example, via communication 55 with a cellular tower 57. In some embodiments, the cellular tower 57 can be a WiFi access point.

[0019] Example communication between the nomadic device and the BLUETOOTH transmitter / receiver is represented by signal 14.

[0020] Pairing of a nomadic device 53 and the BLUETOOTH transceiver 15 can be initiated by a button 52 or similar input. The central processing unit (CPU) is thus instructed to pair the onboard BLUETOOTH transceiver with a BLUETOOTH transceiver in a nomadic device.

[0021] Data may be communicated between the CPU 3 and the network 61, for example, using a data plan, data over voice, or dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones associated with the nomadic device 53. Alternatively, it may be desirable to provide an onboard modem 63 having an antenna 18 to communicate data between the CPU 3 and the network 61 over the voice band 16. The nomadic device 53 may then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 external to the vehicle 31, for example, via communication 55 with a cellular tower 57. In some embodiments, the modem 63 may establish communication 20 with the tower 57 for communication with the network 61. As a non-limiting example, the modem 63 may be a USB cellular modem, and the communication 20 may be cellular communication.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment, the processor is equipped with an operating system that includes an API for communicating with modem application software. The modem application software can access an embedded module or firmware on the BLUETOOTH transceiver to establish wireless communication with a remote BLUETOOTH transceiver (such as one found in a nomadic device). BLUETOOTH is a subset of the IEEE 802 PAN (Personal Area Network) protocols. The IEEE 802 LAN (Local Area Network) protocols include Wi-Fi and have considerable cross-functionality with IEEE 802 PAN. Both are suitable for wireless communication in a vehicle. Another means of communication that can be used in this area is free-space optical communication (such as Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) and non-standardized consumer IR protocols.

[0023] In another embodiment, the nomadic device 53 includes a modem for voiceband or broadband data communication. In the data-over-voice embodiment, a technique known as frequency division multiplexing may be implemented when the owner of the nomadic device can speak through the device while data is being transferred. On other occasions, when the owner is not using the device, data transfer may utilize the entire bandwidth (in one example, 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz). Although frequency division multiplexing may be common for analog cellular communication between the vehicle and the Internet and continues to be used, it has largely been replaced by hybrids of CDMA (Code Domain Multiple Access), TDMA (Time Domain Multiple Access), SDMA (Space-Domain Multiple Access) for digital cellular communication.These all comply with ITU IMT-2000 (3G) standards and offer data rates of up to 2 mbs for stationary or walking users and 385 kbps for users in a moving vehicle. 3G standards are now being replaced by IMT-Advanced (4G), which offers 100 mbs for users in a vehicle and 1 gbs for stationary users. If the user has a data plan associated with the nomadic device, it is possible that the data plan enables broadband transmission and the system could utilize a much larger bandwidth (thereby speeding up data transfer). In another embodiment, the nomadic device 53 is replaced by a cellular communication device (not shown) installed in the vehicle 31. In another embodiment, the ND 53 may be a wireless local area network (LAN) device that can communicate, for example (and without limitation), over an 802.11g network (i.e., WiFi) or a WiMax network.

[0024] In one embodiment, incoming data may be routed through the nomadic device via Data-over-Voice or data plan, through the onboard BLUETOOTH transceiver, and into the vehicle's internal processor 3. In the case of certain temporary data, the data may be stored, for example, on the HDD or other storage medium 7 until the data is no longer needed.

[0025] Additional sources that may be connected to the vehicle include a personal navigation device 54 having, for example, a USB connection 56 and / or an antenna 58, a vehicle navigation device 60 having a USB 62 or other connection, an onboard GPS device 24, or a remote navigation system (not shown) having connectivity to the network 61. USB is one of a class of serial networking protocols. IEEE 1394 (Firewire), EIA (Electronics Industry Association) serial protocols, IEEE 1284 (Centronics Port), S / PDIF (Sony / Philips Digital Interconnect Format), and USB-IF (USB Implementers Forum) form the backbone of device-to-device serial standards. Most of the protocols can be implemented for either electrical or optical communication.

[0026] Furthermore, the CPU may be in communication with a variety of other auxiliary devices 65. These devices may be connected via a wireless 67 or wired 69 connection. The auxiliary device 65 may include, but is not limited to, personal media players, wireless health devices, wearable computers, and the like.

[0027] Additionally, or alternatively, the CPU could be connected to a vehicle-based wireless router 73, for example, using a WiFi transceiver 71. This would allow the CPU to connect to remote networks within range of the local router 73.

[0028] In addition to example processes being performed by a vehicle computing system located in a vehicle, in certain embodiments, the example processes may be performed by a computing system in communication with a vehicle computing system. Such a system would include, but is not limited to, a wireless device (for example, but not limited to, a cellular phone) or a remote computing system (for example, but not limited to, a server) connected by the wireless device. Collectively, such systems may be referred to as a vehicle-associated computing system (VACS). In certain embodiments, certain components of the VACS may perform certain portions of a process depending on the particular implementation of the system.For example, and without limitation, if a process includes a step of sending or receiving information with a paired wireless device, then the wireless device is likely not performing the process, as the wireless device would not "send and receive" information with itself. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand when it is not appropriate to apply a particular VACS to a given solution. All solutions contemplate that at least the vehicle computing system (VCS) located within the vehicle itself is capable of performing the example processes.

[0029] Given the extensive range of customizable options available on vehicles, users can extensively customize a vehicle's interior settings. From radio presets to seating and steering positions, to the look and feel of an instrument cluster and navigation display, and many other storable settings, users can spend a lot of time making the environment within a vehicle as comfortable and user-friendly as possible.

[0030] However, these settings are often limited to a single vehicle. When a user purchases or even rents a new vehicle, the environment can feel strange and unfamiliar. The user could spend time personally adjusting to the new environment, but this can take some time and, especially with a rental vehicle, can represent a significant time commitment for relatively short-term use.

[0031] Furthermore, when a vehicle system is updated—that is, when one or more hardware or firmware modules are loaded with new software or the software is updated—certain settings may be erased, and the user may become frustrated having to reset these settings with each update. This may even cause some users to avoid updating in favor of maintaining the current settings.

[0032] The illustrative embodiments suggest solutions to these and other attitude-related dilemmas.

[0033] The Fig. 2A-2C show an illustrative example of exemplary systems for implementing illustrative embodiments. Using these illustrative systems and the exemplary processes presented therewith, users can customize, save, import, and export a variety of vehicle system settings. Setting customizations can even be performed remotely from the vehicle using an application running, for example, on a mobile device.

[0034] In the Fig. In the system shown in Figure 2A, a user 203 uses a mobile device 201 to access the cloud. If an account has not been created initially, the user may need to create an account 205. The user can use this account to store various vehicles the user owns, along with accompanying settings information. This account can also be used to reference vehicle settings when an import request is presented. The account is password protected to prevent unauthorized modification of settings 207, and a user profile 209 can be associated with an account.

[0035] If the user has already created an account, or once the account is created, the user logs in to the account 215 using a username 213 and a password 211. Once logged in, the user can access cloud services available for the vehicle via the mobile device.

[0036] In this illustrative embodiment, for example, a user 237 may decide to update / change a vehicle configuration 227. Associated with the configuration update request, the user may be presented with a variety of information that already exists related to vehicle settings. This settings view 223, which represents current vehicle settings and available settings, may be compiled from a variety of sources 219.

[0037] A source may be a set of features currently stored on the cloud 217. This feature set 243 may be updated 241 from multiple sources. A display setup request 225 may cause a secondary request 219 to retrieve a current feature set so that the most updated feature is stored. The cloud may have a set of current configurations for vehicles stored therein 245. This set may be provided as part of the retrieval.

[0038] Additionally, a current vehicle settings profile can be retrieved from a global system, such as GIVIS. The fetch command can send a request for these features and settings, and this is done with reference to Fig. 2C discussed further.

[0039] These various information sources may combine to provide a current feature set 243. This feature set may be accessed 217 and provided to the screen build process. A set of current features and settings may then be returned to the user for updating 227. The user may also customize these settings based on available features 229, and the customization may be provided to the update request.

[0040] Once the personalization is complete, the process may send updated configurations of the settings 231 to an export process 235, which may export the settings to a vehicle proxy application configured with reference to Fig. 2B is discussed, exported.

[0041] In another example of cloud access, the user 261 may request the import of vehicle settings 249. This request is based on a vehicle identification number (VIN) in this example, although it could also use any other suitable identifier. The VIN settings retrieve configurations for a particular VIN 245 and may provide these settings as a vehicle configuration 251 for a new vehicle.

[0042] In a third access request, the user 259 may update a user account 253. This may include, for example, adding a vehicle (identified by the VIN) 255. Once the vehicle has been added to the account and any other appropriate changes have been made to the account, an updated profile may be saved to the cloud. The profile may also ( Fig. 2C) as a profile or image of the vehicle settings 289 ( Fig. 2C) are uploaded 285.

[0043] Fig. 2B shows an illustrative example of a vehicle proxy application. The application receives an updated vehicle configuration 263 from the cloud as a result of polling the vehicle configurations 265. A user using a vehicle backup computer 271 can use the application to update vehicle configurations 269. The vehicle configuration update 269 can receive updated configurations from the polling process 265. After configuration, the updated configurations can be saved 273.

[0044] Using the proxy application, users can adjust some or all of the same systems they can adjust in the vehicle. Seat settings, heating / air conditioning settings, radio stations, the appearance of the display interface and / or cluster, and any other personally adjustable settings can be customized and saved to a user profile for later import into a vehicle. In one example, a user could even customize a rental or new vehicle in advance by downloading a saved configuration, editing it as desired, and then importing the previously modified settings once in possession of the vehicle. Therefore, a user on a business trip could configure a rental vehicle on the plane and import the settings after renting the vehicle.

[0045] After one or more configurations have been updated by a user using a vehicle replacement machine 275 using the vehicle proxy application, a request to upload the current configuration(s) may be made 277. Any vehicle configurations 279 may be passed to the cloud 281, which sends the vehicle configurations 283 to a synchronization process 247. The process 247 saves changed configurations to the appropriate storage associated with the user in the cloud.

[0046] Fig. Figure 2C shows an example of an offline mobility assistant application that can also be used to update configurations. At a previous point in time before going offline, the device could download a feature set 296 and current configurations 297 of those features. This data can be provided to a configuration update process 292.

[0047] A user with a laptop or PC can access the Update Configurations option, configure the available features as desired, and upload the updated configurations 294. Once the system is connected to the cloud, the process can send the offline configurations 297. The configurations 299 can be provided to the synchronization process 247 in the cloud.

[0048] Fig. Figure 2C also shows other remote systems communicating with the cloud. A request for a current set of features corresponding to a VIN can be sent 287 to a data server 289, which forwards the request to a global system that can provide current features associated with a VIN 293.

[0049] In some cases, the user needs to update firmware in a vehicle, which requires updating one or more vehicle firmware modules. Typically, during an update, new data overwrites all existing data, so any saved feature settings may no longer be available. To avoid user inconvenience, the process can deploy the originally configured feature settings (i.e., before the update) after an update is performed.

[0050] Fig. 3 shows an illustrative process for vehicle update with settings restoration. In this example, a vehicle update is performed on one or more vehicle modules 301. Following the update, the process checks 303 the settings of features associated with the module that was updated. Additionally or alternatively, all feature settings may be checked. Settings that are set to an OEM original value or that have other indications of being restored to original settings are, for example, indicators that one or more personal settings have been changed. Other suitable methods for determining whether a personal setting has been changed are also possible.

[0051] In another example, the system can simply "assume" that one or more settings have been changed by the update and automatically import a saved set of settings. If no settings have been changed, the import has no effect. In this example, if at least one setting has been violated (305), the process connects to the cloud (307) at the first opportunity.

[0052] Once a connection to the cloud has been established 309, the process can download saved feature settings from the cloud 311. Downloaded settings can then be applied. Since feature settings saved to the cloud may represent old settings, the system can use timestamps associated with the saved settings to determine which settings to update with the downloaded settings.

[0053] For example, if there were three settings, A, B, and C, and A was set on Tuesday, B was set on Thursday, and C was rolled back by an update, the system might download settings uploaded on Wednesday. These settings would represent an "old" state for B, but the new state for A and C. C would be set in accordance with the settings because it was rolled back. A would be set because the oldest settings version of A predates the date of the downloaded version. B would not be set because a change occurred that is not yet reflected in the uploaded version.

[0054] In yet another example, the process can simply reverse all settings in the downloaded version, or in yet another example, only "reset" settings that can be changed. To avoid the above problem, settings can be uploaded to the cloud as they occur and stored in the vehicle (or a remote system). This can ensure that no "more recent" settings are overwritten by a downloaded set of settings.

[0055] Fig. Figure 4 shows an illustrative process for setting adjustment. In this illustrative example, setting changes are uploaded to the cloud upon setting / saving. This can help avoid issues like those discussed above. In this example, one or more settings were changed by the driver, and saving was triggered in 401. Saving may be an actual "save" command, or it may be represented by ceasing setting changes for a period of time and / or by using a persistent setting for a certain predetermined period of time (indicating that no change is likely to occur).

[0056] In response to "saving" a new setting, the process creates a data packet for upload to a server containing the current vehicle settings (or setting changes) 403. The vehicle then waits until an Internet connection is established 405. Once the vehicle is online, the process can upload the new settings to the cloud for later retrieval and storage.

[0057] Fig. Figure 5 shows an illustrative process for settings transfer. In this example, a user is using a new vehicle to which the user's settings have not yet been applied. This could be a rental vehicle or a newly purchased vehicle, for example.

[0058] Upon accessing the new vehicle 501 (which can be specified by the driver), the process identifies the driver 503. This identification is used to identify settings stored in the cloud for this driver. If the vehicle is not connected to the cloud 505, the process waits until a connection is established.

[0059] Once a connection to the cloud is established, the process accesses the cloud 507 and determines whether stored settings are available for the identified user 509. This process may also determine whether any stored settings are appropriate for the current vehicle, or which subset of stored settings is appropriate (for example, if the vehicle does not have a display, display settings may be ignored with the exception of radio presets).

[0060] If no stored settings are identified by the vehicle, the user may still attempt to access an account containing settings that the user knows are stored. In this example, the user launches an application and sends instructions to download settings to the vehicle 511. User identification is provided by the application 513, and cloud access is performed to retrieve settings associated with the identified user 515.

[0061] Any settings that are available and / or suitable may be downloaded at this time 517. These settings are applied to the vehicle characteristics 519, or, in some cases, examined by the vehicle for suitability and then applied to the vehicle characteristics 519. KEY TO SYMBOLS

[0062] Fig. 1 61 NETWORK 53 ND 18 Mdm 17 BTT 4 DISPLAY 51 INPUT SELECTOR SWITCH 11 AMPLIFIERS 52 BT pairs 9 D / A 23, 69, 56, 62 USB 3 CPU 73 routers 7 HDD 5 RAM 67 Auxiliary Device 27 A / D 25 AUX 24 GPS 54 PERSONAL NAVIGATION DEVICE 60 VEHICLE NAVIGATION DEVICE

Claims

[1] System (1) comprising: a processor (3) configured to: Performing an update of a vehicle module (301), in response to the update, examining vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change resulting from the update, and if there is a setting change: Establishing a connection to a remote server that stores secured feature settings, Downloading saved feature settings associated with a driver account, and Following the update, applying the downloaded saved feature settings to at least vehicle feature settings that contain indications of a setting change, characterized by , that an offline mobility assistant application is used to update vehicle settings, whereby the device downloads a set of features and a current configuration of those features at a previous time before going offline. [2] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the processor (3) is configured to examine vehicle feature settings that have a defined relationship with an updated module. [3] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the processor (3) is configured to examine all vehicle feature settings. [4] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises a reset to a last change date associated with a setting in the vehicle memory. [5] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the processor (3) is configured to apply the downloaded saved feature settings to all vehicle feature settings. [6] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the processor (3) is configured to apply the downloaded saved feature settings to all vehicle feature settings that have a timestamp that is earlier than a timestamp associated with the downloaded saved feature settings. [7] The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the processor (3) is configured to provide a vehicle identifier as part of the communication, and wherein the downloaded secured feature settings are downloaded from a secured record associated with the vehicle identifier. [8] A computer-implemented method comprising: Performing an update of a vehicle module (301) by loading or Updating software on a hardware of the module (301); Examining vehicle feature settings for indications of a setting change to original settings by means of a vehicle-side computing system (1) resulting from the update; and if the vehicle feature settings have been changed: Establishing a connection to a remote server that stores secured feature settings; Downloading secured feature settings associated with a driver account via an on-board computing system (1); and Applying the downloaded saved feature settings to at least vehicle feature settings that contain indications of a setting change via a vehicle-side computing system (1), wherein, to control the method, process processes of a data processing system of the remote server are executed in communication with a vehicle data processing system, characterized by , that an offline mobility assistant application is used to update vehicle settings, whereby the device downloads a set of features and a current configuration of those features at a previous time before going offline. [9] The method of claim 8, further comprising examining vehicle feature settings that have a defined relationship with an updated module. [10] The method of claim 8, further comprising examining all vehicle feature settings. [11] The method of claim 8, wherein the method includes determining a reset to a last change date associated with a setting in the vehicle memory to determine setting changes. [12] The method of claim 8, further comprising applying the downloaded saved feature settings to all vehicle feature settings. [13] The method of claim 8, further comprising applying the downloaded saved feature settings to all vehicle feature settings that have a timestamp that is earlier than a timestamp associated with the downloaded saved feature settings. [14] The method of claim 8, further comprising providing a vehicle identifier as part of the communication, and wherein the downloaded secured feature settings are downloaded from a secured record associated with the vehicle identifier.

Images