Vehicle Head Unit Multi-User Session Data Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle head units typically allow only a single user to benefit from personalized experiences in shared environments, as data generated during shared sessions is often restricted to a single user account, limiting contextually relevant information and personalization for multiple occupants.

Innovation Solution

The vehicle head unit authenticates multiple users and establishes a shared session, generating and storing data such as location history and playlist data to both user accounts, allowing contextually relevant information and personalization for each user.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If data generated during shared sessions is restricted to a single user account, then data management is simplified, but personalization and contextually relevant information for multiple occupants are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepersonalization for multiple usersVSAvoiddata management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments data management by user account, where data generated during shared sessions is divided and stored separately for each authenticated user. The system identifies individual users within the shared session and routes data to their respective accounts, enabling personalized experiences while maintaining organized data structures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The vehicle head unit is designed to handle multiple functions simultaneously: it supports both shared session operations and individual user account management. The system can authenticate multiple users, generate data during shared usage, and distribute that data to appropriate user accounts, making the system universally applicable to both shared and personal contexts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If only a single user is authenticated with the vehicle head unit, then data storage is simplified to one account, but multiple occupants cannot benefit from personalized experiences

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-user personalizationVSAvoidauthentication process
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the concepts of shared session management and individual user authentication. Multiple users can be authenticated simultaneously within a shared session context, combining the benefits of shared resource access with individual personalization. The system maintains user identifier information for all authenticated users while enabling data to be written to multiple user accounts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Loss of information

If data is written to multiple user accounts during shared sessions, then personalization for each user is improved, but data storage operations become more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata utility for personalizationVSAvoiddata storage operations
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms to track which users are authenticated during shared sessions and automatically routes generated data to their respective user accounts. This feedback loop ensures that data is distributed appropriately without requiring complex manual intervention, as the system monitors user authentication status and adjusts data storage operations accordingly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3617925B1In-vehicle shared-screen system with write back to multiple user accounts
Publication Date: 2022.07.06 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP3617925B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3617925B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3617925B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method comprising: responsive to authenticating a first user at a vehicle head unit of a vehicle: establishing, by the vehicle head unit, a session; and associating the sessions with a user identifier associated with the first user; responsive to authenticating a second user at the vehicle head unit, associating, by the vehicle head unit, the session with a user identifier associated with the second user, wherein the user identifier associated with the first user and the user identifier associated with the second user are concurrently associated with the session; and while the user identifiers associated with the first and second users are concurrently associated with the session, storing location information to both a first user account associated with the first user and a second user account associated with the second user.