Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11972246-B2
Application number	US-202217720531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2022
Priority date	May 11, 2021
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a processor that: receives, from a user terminal, a request for first update regarding a first vehicle, notifies the user terminal that the first update is to be performed at a shop, when the first update is update of hardware, and notifies the user terminal that the first update is to be performed through wireless communication, when the first update is update of software.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer networking apparatus comprising a processor is configured to:
receive, from a user terminal, a request for a first maintenance regarding a first vehicle,
notify the user terminal that the first maintenance is to be performed at an auto-repair garage, when the first maintenance is addition or change of auto parts,
notify the user terminal that the first maintenance is to be performed through wireless communication, when the first maintenance is update of a control program or an application program, and
when the first maintenance comprises the addition or the change of the auto parts and the update of the control program or the application program, allow selection of whether the update of one or more pieces of the control program or the application program included in the first maintenance is to be performed at the auto-repair garage or through the wireless communication.

2. An information processing apparatus comprising a processor is configured to:
receive, from a user terminal, a request for a first update regarding a first vehicle,
notify the user terminal that the first update is to be performed at a shop, when the first update is a hardware update,
notify the user terminal that the first update is to be performed through wireless communication, when the first update is a software update, and
when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, allow selection of whether an update of one or more pieces of first software included in the first update is to be performed at the shop or through the wireless communication.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to
recommend to perform the software update at the shop, when the first update comprises the software update and a total amount of data for the software update is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and
recommend to perform the software update through the wireless communication, when the first update the software update and the total amount of data is smaller than the predetermined threshold.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to
notify that the software update is to be performed at the shop, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and the update of at least one of the one or more pieces of the first software accompanies the update of first hardware included in the first update, and
recommend to perform the software update through the wireless communication, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and the update of none of the one or more pieces of the first software accompanies the update of the first hardware.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to
recommend to perform the update of the one or more pieces of the first software at the shop, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and a schedule of a first shop where the first update is scheduled to be performed allows the first update to be performed within a predetermined number of days from a date specified by the user terminal, and
recommend to perform the update of the one or more pieces of the first software through the wireless communication, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and the schedule of the first shop is not available until after the predetermined number of days from the date specified by the user terminal.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to recommend that the update of the one or pieces of the first software is to be performed at the shop, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and at least one of cases is satisfied, the cases comprising (1) a case where the update of at least one of the one or more pieces of the first software accompanies the update of first hardware included in the first update, (2) a case where the first update is possible to perform within a predetermined number of days from a date specified by the user terminal, and (3) a case where a total amount of data for the update of the one or more pieces of the first software is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and there is more than one piece of the first software, the processor is configured to determine whether to recommend to perform the update at the shop or through the wireless communication, with respect to each of the more than one piece of the first software.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein hardware to be added or changed by the first update comes with a warranty from a manufacturer of the first vehicle.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit, to the user terminal, information about an appraised value of the first vehicle after performing the first update.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is configured to transmit, to the user terminal, information about a fee for the first update.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, when the software update is included in the first update, the processor is configured to transmit, to the user terminal, a total amount of data for the update of at least one or more pieces of first software included in the first update.

12. An information processing method executed by a computer comprising:
receiving, from a user terminal, a request for a first update regarding a first vehicle;
notifying the user terminal that the first update is to be performed at a shop, when the first update is a hardware update;
notifying the user terminal that the first update is to be performed through wireless communication, when the first update is a software update; and
when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, allowing selection of whether an update of one or more pieces of first software included in the first update is to be performed at the shop or through the wireless communication.

13. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
recommending to perform the update of the one or more pieces of the first software at the shop, when the first update comprises at least the software update and a total amount of data for the update of the one or more pieces of the first software is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and
recommending to perform the update of the one or more pieces of the first software through the wireless communication, when the first update comprises at least the software update and the total amount of data is smaller than the predetermined threshold.

14. The information processing method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
notifying that update of the one or more pieces of the first software is to be performed at the shop, when the first update comprises both the hardware update and the software update, and the update of at least one of the one or more pieces of the first software accompanies the update of first hardware included in the first update, and
recommending to perform the update of the one or more pieces of the first software through the wireless communication, when the first update comprises

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tone Yuta
• Ii Yukinori
• Tanaka Tadayuki
• Ishizuka Naoki
• Yano Yuichiro
• Amano Nariaki
• Maeda Yusuke
• Yazaki Kei
• Hamada Yu

Classifications

• G06Q10/20

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• G06F8/65 Primary

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title