Methods and systems for locating public parking and receiving security ratings for parking locations and generating notifications to vehicle user accounts regarding alerts and cloud access to security information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9230440-B1
Application number	US-201414251537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 11, 2014
Priority date	Apr 22, 2011
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing access to safety ratings of parking locations and access alerts associated with vehicles, including processing of notifications to user accounts associated with monitored vehicles. One example method includes receiving at a server, over time, safety alerts from a plurality of vehicles. Each safety alert is associated with a geographic location. The method associates, by the server, one or more safety alerts to parking locations corresponding to geographic locations from where the safety alerts were received. The server then generates a safety grade for one or more of the parking locations, and the safety grade is based on a number of safety alerts associated to the parking location and a safety type of the safety alerts. The method receiving a request at a server, from a computing device, to access the safety grade for a parking location proximate to a current geo-location of the computing device or a destination location and sends data to a user interface of the computing device. The data includes identification of one or more parking locations proximate to the current geo-location of the computing device or the destination location and associated safety grades.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising: receiving at a server, over time, safety notifications from a plurality of vehicles, wherein each safety notification is associated with a geographic location; associating, by the server, one or more safety notifications to a parking location when the geographic location of the safety notifications are within proximity of the parking location; generating, by the server, a safety grade for the parking location, the safety grade is based on a number of safety notifications associated to the parking location and a safety level of the safety notifications; receiving a request at a server, from a computing device, to access the safety grade for the parking location; and sending, by the server, the safety grade to the computing device, wherein in response to receiving the request to access the safety grade of the parking location, the method further includes, sending data to populate a user interface of the computing device, the set data for the user interface provides access to a map that identifies a current geo-location of the computing device and one or more parking locations in addition to the parking location, each of the parking locations being assigned a respective safety grade; and the sent data enables response by user selections via the user interface, the sent data being for one or more of the parking locations and additionally enables access to one or more of incidents at a respective parking location, or ratings at a respective parking location, or a rating entry interface for a respective parking location, or a reserving function for a respective parking location, or payment functions for parking at a respective parking location, or past alerts at a respective parking location, or recommendations for one or more of the parking locations, wherein the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safety notifications are generated by each of the vehicles based on activity occurring at or around the vehicle or in response to user triggered security events, and wherein at least one of the safety notifications has the safety level that indicates a type of security event, wherein the safety level is defined between a low level event and a high level event.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the vehicles include logic for sharing the safety notifications to the server, wherein some of the safety notifications are set as anonymous, such that an identity of the vehicle or identity of a user associated with vehicle is not disclosed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to receiving the request to access the safety grade of the parking location, the method further includes,
accessing one or more databases to identify reported security data for the parking location;
sending identified reported security data to the computing device in addition to the safety grade.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to receiving the request to access the safety grade of the parking location, the method further includes,
accessing user rating data for the parking location;
sending the user rating data to the computing device in addition to the safety grade.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a recommendation identifies a respective safety grade.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface being for vehicle monitoring associated with a user account managed by the server that performs cloud processing, the user account enabling association of one or more vehicles to the user account, and for a monitored vehicle of the user account, receiving alert data; receiving images captured for the alert data; and sending additional data to the user interface of the computing device, that is accessing the user account for the monitored vehicle, the user interface providing access to the alert data and any images captured for the alert data.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface being for vehicle monitoring associated with a user account managed by the server that performs cloud processing, the user account enabling association of one or more vehicles to the user account, and for a monitored vehicle of the user account, sending additional data to populate the user interface, the data including one or more of incidents, or alarms active, or snapshots of incidents, or audio captures of incidents, or details when the incidents occurred, or sharing function to share occurrences of incidents.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface being for vehicle monitoring associated with a user account managed by the server that performs cloud processing, the user account enabling association of one or more vehicles to the user account, and for a monitored vehicle of the user account, sending additional data to populate the user interface, the data including one or more of alerts, or details regarding alerts, or activity regarding alerts, or damage or potential damage for alerts, or notifications that identify one or more alerts for viewing by a user of the user account.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, sending additional data that includes one or more safety indicators, the safety indicators being one or more of letter grades, or numbers, or symbols, or colors, or intensity identifiers, or identifiers to show varying degrees of safety for the one or more parking locations.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safety grade of the parking location includes additional safety grades for one or more parking slots at the parking location, wherein the safety grades being generated based historical safety alerts for the parking location.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recommendations include a recommendation for additional parking locations proximate to a geo-location of the computing device, the recommendations including associated safety grades and costs of parking.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is one of a mobile device or a vehicle computer with a display.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the safety grade of the parking location includes additional safety grades for one or more parking slots at the parking location, wherein the safety grades being generated based historical safety alerts for the parking location.

15. A method, comprising: receiving at a server, over time, safety notifications from a plurality of computing devices, wherein each safety notification is associated with a geographic location; associating, by the server, one or more safety notifications to a parking location when the geographic location of the safety notifications are within proximity of the parking location; generating, by the server, a safety grade for the parking location, the safety grade is based on a number of safety notifications associated to the parking location and a safety level of the safety notifications; receiving a request at a server, from a computing device, to access the safety grade for the parking location; and sending, by the server, the safety grade to the computing device, wherein in response to receiving the request to access the safety grade of the parking location, the method further includes, sending data to populate a user interface of the computing device, the set data for the user interface provides access to a map that identifies a current geo-location of the computing device and one or more parking locations in addition to the parking location, each of the parking locations being assigned a respective safety grade; and the sent data enables response by user selections via the user interface, the sent data being for one or more of the parking locations and additionally enables access

Assignees

• Penilla Angel A
• Penilla Albert S

Inventors

• Penilla Angel A
• Penilla Albert S

Classifications

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G06Q30/0643

  graphically representing goods, e.g. 3D product representation · CPC title

• G06Q10/20

  Administration of product repair or maintenance · CPC title

• B60L53/68

  Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control · CPC title

• B60L2250/10

  by alarm · CPC title