In-Vehicle Vendor Ordering Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Customers ordering products or services from vendors while in their vehicles face challenges such as exposure to weather conditions and background noise, leading to misinterpretation of orders and lack of personalized menu options.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle equipped with network interface hardware, processors, and displays that can establish a communication link with a vendor interaction system, receive and display vendor information and user preferences, and prompt users to make order selections, enabling seamless and personalized ordering within the vehicle.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the customer communicates with the vendor ordering interface outside the vehicle, then the ordering function is provided, but the customer is exposed to weather conditions and background noise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveordering convenienceVSAvoidweather exposure and background noise

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a vehicle-based communication system as an intermediary between the customer and the vendor ordering interface. The system includes a microphone to capture customer speech, a processor to convert speech to text and format orders, and a transmitter to send orders to the vendor. This intermediary allows the customer to remain inside the vehicle while still completing the ordering function, eliminating exposure to weather and reducing background noise interference.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical/physical interaction of the customer speaking directly to the vendor interface outside the vehicle with an electronic communication system. The speech-to-text conversion process substitutes the direct acoustic communication path with an electronic signal processing chain, allowing orders to be transmitted without the customer physically exposing themselves to external conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If the customer communicates with the vendor ordering interface outside the vehicle, then the ordering function is provided, but order misinterpretation and misunderstandings occur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveordering efficiencyVSAvoidorder accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the processor converts the customer's speech to text and can display or repeat the interpreted order back to the customer for confirmation. This feedback loop allows the customer to verify that their order was correctly interpreted before final submission, reducing misinterpretation and misunderstandings while maintaining ordering efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the direct acoustic communication that is prone to misinterpretation with an electronic speech-to-text conversion system. This substitution provides a more reliable method for capturing and transmitting order information, as the electronic system can accurately convert speech to text without the interference of background noise or weather conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the vendor ordering interface displays menu options, then ordering information is provided, but the menu options are not personalized for specific customers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemenu customizationVSAvoidpersonalized order preferences

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by storing customer order preferences and history in advance. The system retrieves this stored information and pre-configures the menu display to show personalized options, frequently ordered items, and customer preferences before the customer begins ordering. This eliminates the loss of personalized information by having it prepared in advance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables the system to automatically retrieve and display personalized menu options based on stored customer preferences without requiring manual input from the customer. The system serves itself by automatically configuring the ordering interface with personalized content, improving adaptability while maintaining information integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10074092B2Systems and methods for providing in-vehicle communication with a vendor

Publication Date: 2018.09.11 TOYOTA MOTOR ENG & MFG NORTH AMERICA INC

AI summary

A vehicle may communicate with a vendor interaction system of a vendor. The vehicle includes network interface hardware, a processor communicatively coupled to the network interface hardware, and at least one display communicatively coupled to the at least one processor. The processor executes logic to establish a communication link with the vendor interaction system, receive, with the network interface hardware, a vendor data signal from the vendor interaction system, the vendor data signal indicative of vendor information, receive, with the network interface hardware, a user preference data signal indicative of user order preferences for the vendor, display at least one of the user order preferences and the vendor information on the at least one display, and display an order prompt requesting a user to make an order selection from at least one of the vendor information or the user order preferences displayed on the at least one display.