Information providing apparatus and method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9596355-B2
Application number	US-201514901933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Nov 12, 2014
Publication date	Mar 14, 2017
Grant date	Mar 14, 2017

Abstract

An information providing apparatus including a communication unit configured to form a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle; a display unit; and a controller configured to receive seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network, and activate or deactivate application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information, and display information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on the display unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information providing apparatus, comprising:
a communication unit to form a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle;
a display; and
a controller to:
receive seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network,
activate or deactivate application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information, and
display information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on the display.

2. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
displays a vehicle image corresponding to the vehicle on the display unit, and
displays the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the vehicle image.

3. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
displays images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals at locations corresponding to the seat position information on the vehicle image, and
displays the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals.

4. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
detects user age groups corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals, and
activates or deactivates the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals according to the detected user age groups.

5. The information providing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the controller further:
displays information indicating the user age groups on the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs.

6. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
displays a menu for activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals, and
activates or deactivates application programs selected among the application programs contained in the menu.

7. The information providing apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the menu comprises:
a first application program list of a first mobile terminal within the vehicle;
a second application program list of a second mobile terminal within the vehicle; and
check boxes for selecting application programs within the first and the second application program list.

8. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
activates or deactivates the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals based on user preference information.

9. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal based on any one or more of network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals.

10. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
detects the network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals in real time or periodically, and
sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal according to the detected result.

11. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
detects battery remaining amounts of the plurality of mobile terminals, and
forms or blocks any one or more communication networks with the plurality of mobile terminal based on the detected remaining amounts of the batteries.

12. The information providing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller further:
detects battery remaining amounts of the plurality of mobile terminals, and
sets any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to an information providing subject based on the detected remaining amounts of the batteries.

13. An information providing method, the method comprising:
forming a communication network with a plurality of mobile terminals within a vehicle;
receiving seat position information of the plurality of mobile terminals through the communication network;
activating or deactivating application programs for each of the plurality of mobile terminals based on the seat position information; and
displaying information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals on a display.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said displaying the information comprises:
displaying a vehicle image corresponding to the vehicle on the display; and
displaying the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the vehicle image.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said displaying the information comprises:
displaying images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals at locations corresponding to the seat position information on the vehicle image; and
displaying the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs on the images corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein said activating or deactivating application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals comprises:
detecting user age groups corresponding to the plurality of mobile terminals; and
activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals according to the detected user age groups.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
displaying information indicating the user age groups on the information indicating the activated or deactivated application programs.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein said activating or deactivating application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals comprises:
displaying a menu for activating or deactivating the application programs of the plurality of mobile terminals; and
activating or deactivating application programs selected among the application programs contained in the menu.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the menu comprises:
a first application program list of a first mobile terminal within the vehicle;
a second application program list of a second mobile terminal within the vehicle; and
check boxes for selecting application programs within the first and the second application program list.

20. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
setting any one of the plurality of mobile terminals to a tethering terminal based on any one or more of network types, network data usages and network signal intensities of the plurality of mobile terminals.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Sungha
• Lee Minhun
• Lee Seyoung

Classifications

• H04W88/18 Primary

  Service support devices; Network management devices · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W4/48 Primary

  for in-vehicle communication · CPC title

• H04M11/007 Primary

  with remote control systems (remote control in general G08C) · CPC title

• H04W52/0261

  managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level · CPC title