FIELD OF DISCLOSURE
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to user authentication 5 and
license management of an application offered by vehicle manufacturers. In
particular, the present disclosure discloses a system and a method enabling a
primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary user to primary user account created
with a system for providing authenticated access of the application of the vehicle
10 manufacturer on an in-vehicle head unit coupled to a mobile device of the
secondary user.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The background description includes information that may be
useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of
15 the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the invention claimed in
the present disclosure, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced
is prior art.
[0003] In the recent years, use of smart phones has become ubiquitous.
Smart phones or other mobile phones can download various application programs
20 (“applications”) that operate on the phones. A user can utilize a user interface of
the phone to control the application and/or utilize the application in some way
(such as watching the visual display or listening to the audio output). Extending
such applications from the phone to the in-vehicle head unit has become a popular
feature offered by various service providers and vehicle manufacturers.
25 [0004] However, some applications offered by the vehicle manufacturers
can only be accessed on in-vehicle head unit manufactured by the respective
vehicle manufacturers. Also, these applications can be accessed only by a phone
of a primary user of a manufacturer’s vehicle, and are not available to secondary
users of the manufacturer’s vehicle.
3
[0005] Accordingly, there is a need of having a system and a method
which may assist leveraging more universal options of accessing the applications
offered by the vehicle manufacturers.
SUMMARY
[0006] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related 5 elated to
providing authenticated access of an application of a vehicle manufacturer on an
in-vehicle head unit coupled to a mobile device. The concepts are further
described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to
identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it
10 intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0007] In order to overcome the above problems and to technically fulfill
the expectations of the secondary users of the manufacturer’s vehicle, an objective
of the present disclosure is to provide a new, technically advanced and improved
method and system that not only enables primary users to have authenticated
15 access of the application offered by the vehicle manufacturers on to in-vehicle
head unit, but also allow secondary users of the vehicle to access the application.
[0008] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a system is
described for allowing a primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary user to
primary user account created with a system for providing authenticated access of
20 the application of the vehicle manufacturer on an in-vehicle head unit coupled to a
mobile device of the secondary user. The system includes a registration engine to
receive, from a vehicle manufacturer application running on a mobile device of
the primary user, a request to add a secondary user to the primary user account,
wherein the request comprises the phone number of the primary and secondary
25 users. Upon receipt of the request, the registration engine transmits the phone
number of the primary user to a short server message (SMS) gateway to further
transmit One Time Password (OTP) to the mobile device of the primary user.
Thereafter, the registration engine prompts the primary user over user interfaces
of a vehicle manufacturer application running on the mobile device of the primary
30 user to submit the OTP received through SMS for validation of the OTP. Upon
4
successful validation of the OTP, the registration engine adds the secondary user
to the account of the primary user, for allowing the secondary user to have
authenticated access of the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the invehicle
head unit coupled to the mobile device of the secondary user.
[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is describe5 d
for enabling a primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary user to primary user
account created with a system for providing authenticated access of the
application of the vehicle manufacturer on an in-vehicle head unit coupled to a
mobile device of the secondary user. The method begins with receiving, from a
10 vehicle manufacturer application running on a mobile device of the primary user,
a request to add a secondary user to the primary user account, wherein the request
comprises the phone number of the primary and secondary users. Upon receipt of
the request, the phone number of the primary user is transmitted to a short server
message (SMS) gateway to further transmit One Time Password (OTP) to the
15 mobile device of the primary user. Thereafter, the primary user is prompted over
user interfaces of a vehicle manufacturer application running on the mobile device
of the primary user to submit the OTP received through SMS for validation of the
OTP. Upon successful validation of the OTP, the secondary user is added to the
account of the primary user, for allowing the secondary user to have authenticated
20 access of the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit
coupled to the mobile device of the secondary user.
[00010] Other and further aspects and features of the disclosure will be
evident from reading the following detailed description of the embodiments,
which are intended to illustrate, not limit, the present disclosure.
25 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[00011] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best
understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like
numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of
example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems,
5
and processes that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein,
wherein:
[00012] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment, wherein various
embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced;
[00013] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary view for registration of a ne5 w
primary user for creating an account with vehicle manufacturer system;
[00014] FIG. 3 illustrates a system block diagram illustrating various
components, according to an embodiment of the disclosure;
[00015] FIG. 4 illustrates a system block diagram illustrating a method of
10 accessing paid features offered by vehicle manufacturer on to an in-vehicle head
unit;
[00016] FIG. 5 illustrates a system block diagram illustrating a method of
registering secondary users for accessing paid features offered by vehicle
manufacturer on to an in-vehicle head unit; and
15 [00017] FIG. 6 illustrates a method of enabling a primary user of a vehicle
to add a secondary user to primary user account created with a system for
providing authenticated access of paid features of the vehicle manufacturer on an
in-vehicle head unit coupled to a mobile device of the secondary user, in
accordance with an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.
20 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00018] A few inventive aspects of the disclosed embodiments are
explained in detail below with reference to the various figures. Embodiments are
described to illustrate the disclosed subject matter, not to limit its scope, which is
defined by the claims. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a number of
25 equivalent variations of the various features provided in the description that
follows.
Non-limiting Definitions:
6
[00019] Definitions of one or more terms that will be used in this disclosure
are described below without limitations. For a person skilled in the art, it is
understood that the definitions are provided just for the sake of clarity, and are
intended to include more examples than just provided below.
[00020] “Primary user” refers to a user listed as a principal driver o5 r
principal individual who operates a particular vehicle the most. The primary user
is rated as a full-time operator for a vehicle, and may be an owner registered with
vehicle manufacturer, registration department, and insurance department.
[00021] “Secondary users” refers to users listed as secondary or occasional
10 drives of a particular vehicle. In an aspect, the secondary users may be friends and
relatives of the primary user.
[00022] “Application features” refers to access to restricted phone
applications such as navigation, music, movies, weather forecasting, news, and so
forth. .
15 [00023] “Vehicle manufacturer applications” refers to applications
facilitated and governed by a respective vehicle manufacturer to provide various
features, such as online service booking, running repair request, service
reminders, accessing paid features, and so forth.
[00024] The following detailed description is provided with reference to the
20 figures. Exemplary, and in some case preferred, embodiments are described to
illustrate the disclosure, not to limit its scope, which is defined by the claims.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a number of equivalent variations
in the description that follows.
Overview:
25 [00025] The primary aim of the disclosure is not only to enable primary
users to have authenticated access of an application offered by the vehicle
manufacturers on to in-vehicle head unit, but also to allow secondary users of the
vehicle to access the application in primary user’s vehicle or any other vehicle.
7
[00026] Thus, with the present disclosure, a system is provided for allowing
a primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary user to primary user account
created with a system for providing authenticated access of an application of the
vehicle manufacturer on an in-vehicle head unit coupled to a mobile device of the
secondary 5 user.
[00027] The system includes a registration engine to receive, from a vehicle
manufacturer application running on a mobile device of the primary user, a
request to add a secondary user to the primary user account. The request includes
the phone number of the primary and secondary users. In an aspect, the mobile
10 device is coupled to the in-vehicle head unit via at least one of a universal serial
bus (USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), video graphics array
(VGA), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In other aspect, the application features can be
navigation, music, movies, weather forecasting, news, and so forth.
[00028] Upon receipt of the request, the registration engine transmits the
15 phone number of the primary user to a short server message (SMS) gateway to
further transmit One Time Password (OTP) to the mobile device of the primary
user. Thereafter, the registration engine prompts the primary user over user
interfaces of a vehicle manufacturer application running on the mobile device of
the primary user to submit the OTP received through SMS for validation of the
20 OTP. Upon successful validation of the OTP, the registration engine adds the
secondary user to the primary user account of the primary user, for allowing the
secondary user to have authenticated access of the application of the vehicle
manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit coupled to the mobile device of the
secondary user.
25 [00029] Thus, with the implementation of the present disclosure, any brand
in-vehicle head unit can access the application offered by the vehicle
manufacturer to the primary user if the mobile device of the secondary user is
authenticated by a system of the vehicle manufacturer. The system can be an
application server without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
30
8
Exemplary Embodiments:
[00030] Various embodiments are further described herein with reference
to the accompanying figures. It should be noted that the description and figures
relate to exemplary embodiments, and should not be construed as a limitation to
the subject matter of the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that variou5 s
arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown
herein, embody the principles of the subject matter of the present disclosure.
Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of
the subject matter of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are
10 intended to encompass equivalents thereof. Yet further, for the sake of brevity,
operation or working principles pertaining to the technical material that is known
in the technical field of the present disclosure have not been described in detail so
as not to unnecessarily obscure the present disclosure.
[00031] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary environment 100, in which various
15 embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced. The environment 100
includes a user’s mobile device 102, an application server 104 of the vehicle
manufacturer, and a database management system (DMS) 106 of the vehicle
manufacturer. Various examples of the mobile device 102 may be considered as
any processor enabled device which performs one or more functions. An example
20 of such a mobile device 102 include, but are not limited to, smart phone, touch
pad, or other hand held devices. The present approaches may also be implemented
in other types of mobile devices which are not mentioned herein without deviating
from the scope of the present disclosure.
[00032] The mobile device 102 is coupled to the application server 104
25 through a communication over internet 108. The communication over internet 108
may include a mobile communication network, for example, 2G, 3G or 4G mobile
communication network. Although only one mobile device is shown coupled to
communication over internet 108, a typical network may have tens or hundreds of
mobile devices coupled to one another. Furthermore, the communication over
30 internet 108 may be coupled to one or more other networks, thereby providing
9
coupling between a greater number of devices. Such can be the case, for example,
when networks are coupled together via the Internet.
[00033] Further, the application server 104 is coupled to the DMS 106
through a communication over protected network 110. The protected network 110
may be a wireless network, a wired network or a combination thereof. 5 reof. The
protected network 110 may be implemented as one of the different types of
networks, such as intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network
(WAN), the Internet, and the like. The protected network 110 may either be a
dedicated network or a shared network. The shared network represents an
10 association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for
example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and
the like, to communicate with one another. Further, the protected network 110
may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers,
15 computing devices, storage devices, and the like.
[00034] As shown, a primary user uses the mobile device 102 for creating
an account at the application server 104. The primary user uses the mobile device
102 for creating the account at the application server 104 via a vehicle
manufacturer application 112 running on the mobile device 102.
20 [00035] The vehicle manufacturer application 112 may be implemented as
a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable
instructions) to implement one or more functionalities of the vehicle manufacturer
application 112. In exemplary embodiments or implementations described herein,
such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several
25 different ways. For example, the programming for the vehicle manufacturer
application 112 may be processor executable instructions stored on a nontransitory
machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the vehicle
manufacturer application 112 may include a processing resource (for example,
one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present embodiments
30 or implementations, the machine-readable storage medium may store instructions
10
that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the vehicle
manufacturer application 112. In such examples, the mobile device 102 may
include the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the
processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine-readable storage
medium may be separate but accessible to the mobile device 102 and 5 the
processing resource. In other examples, the vehicle manufacturer application 112
may be implemented by electronic circuitry. In context of the current disclosure,
the vehicle manufacturer application 112 manages the process of creation of the
account at the application server 104 and this will be discussed below in more
10 detail with reference to FIG. 2.
[00036] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary view of registering a new primary
user for creating an account with the application server 104. Referring now to
FIG. 2, the primary user submits, through an interface of the vehicle manufacturer
application 112 running on the mobile device 102, a request to create an account
15 with the application server 104. In an aspect, the request includes user
identification information including user name 202, user email address 204, user
date of birth 206, and comprises account creation information including user
phone number 208, vehicle identification number 210, and vehicle registration
number 212.
20 [00037] The submitted request is received by an application engine 114
running at the application server 104. Upon receipt of the request, the application
server 104 fetches details about the primary user from the vehicle manufacturer
application 112 and verifies with the DMS 106 as user identifiers.
[00038] After verification, the application engine 114 transmits a phone
25 number of the mobile device 102 along with a message to a short message service
(SMS) gateway to further transmit a New account one Time Password (NAOTP)
to the mobile device 102. Then, the application engine 114 prompts the primary
user over user interface of the vehicle manufacturer application 112 running on
the mobile device to submit the NAOTP received through SMS for proceeding
30 with registration process. Once the NAOTP is received and validated by the
11
vehicle manufacturer application 112, the vehicle manufacturer application 112
transmits an intimation to the application engine 114 running on the application
server to create a new account for the primary user.
[00039] Thereafter, based on the payment or subscription of the primary
user who has created account with the application server 104, the applicat5 ion
server 104 manages application offered by the vehicle manufacturer for that
primary user, as described in below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
[00040] FIG. 3 is a system 300 illustrating various components for creating
account at the application server 104 or the system 300. In an example, the system
10 300 is in communication with the mobile device 102 and/or with the DMS 106
and is coupled through a communication network as discussed above. Although
the DMS 106 is shown as a separate system/device, but it can be implemented as a
part of the system 300, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Further, the system 300 may be implemented in the application server 104.
15 [00041] The system 300 includes one or more processor(s) 302. The one or
more processor(s) 302 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors,
microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing
units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate data based on
operational instructions.
20 [00042] Among other capabilities, the one or more processor(s) 302 are
configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a
memory 304 of the system 300 or the application server 104. The memory 304
may store one or more computer-readable instructions, which may be fetched and
executed to create an account with the application server 104. The memory 304
25 may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, volatile
memory such as RAM, or non-volatile memory such as EPROM, flash memory,
and the like.
[00043] The system 300 also includes an electronic interface(s) 306, or,
simply, interface(s) 306. The interface(s) 306 may include a variety of interfaces,
12
for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as I/O
devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) 306 facilitate
communication of the system 300 or the mobile device 102 with various devices
coupled to the mobile device 102. The interface(s) 306 may also provide a
communication pathway for one or more components of the system 300 or 5 the
application server 104. Examples of such components include, but are not limited
to, the application engine(s) 114.
[00044] In an implementation, the application engine(s) 114 further
includes a request receive engine(s) 308, an authentication verification engine(s)
10 310, an application management engine(s) 312, and a registration engine(s) 314.
[00045] It should be noted that although the present approach has been
described in the context of the system 300 implemented in the application server
104, it may also be implemented on any other device/system with a programmable
memory and a processor, without deviating from the scope of the present
15 disclosure.
[00046] In operation, when a primary user having an intention of creating
or registering an account using the system 300 interacts with the system 300, the
registration engine(s) 314 of the system 300 displays an electronic form or
application form on the interface of the vehicle manufacturer application 112
20 running on the mobile device 102, to receive a request to create an account with
the system 300 or the application server 104. In an aspect, the request includes
user identification information including user name 202, user email address 204,
user date of birth 206, and comprises account creation information including user
phone number 208, vehicle identification number 210, and vehicle registration
25 number 212.
[00047] Upon receipt of the request, an intimation is sent to the registration
engine(s) 314 running on the application server to create a new account for the
primary user.
13
[00048] Referring to FIG. 4, once the user account of the primary user is
created with the system 300 or the application server 104, the system 300 or the
application server 104 fetches details about the payment or subscription of the
primary user who has created account with the system 300 or the application
server 104. Based on the fetched details, the application server 104 mana5 ges
application offered by the vehicle manufacturer for that primary user when the
primary user places a request to access the application of the vehicle manufacturer
on an in-vehicle head unit 402 coupled to the mobile device 102. Such a request is
received by the request receive engine(s) 308 of the system 300. In an aspect, the
10 request includes a user identifier corresponding to a primary user of the vehicle.
The user identifier can be a phone number of the mobile device and a vehicle
identification number of the user’s vehicle. In another aspect, the mobile device is
coupled to the in-vehicle head unit via at least one of a universal serial bus (USB),
high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), video graphics array (VGA), Wi-Fi,
15 and Bluetooth.
[00049] Upon receipt of the said request, the authentication verification
engine(s) 310 verifies the user identifier received from the mobile device 102
against user identifiers maintained at the DMS 106. Then, upon successful
verification of the user identifier, the application management engine(s) 312
20 transmits an instruction to the vehicle manufacturer application 112 running on
the mobile device 102 for allowing access of the application features offered by
the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit 402.
[00050] Following the successful verification of the user identifier, the
application management engine(s) 312 transmits the phone number and a message
25 to a short message service (SMS) gateway to further transmit a New account one
Time Password (NAOTP) to the mobile device 102. Then, the application
management engine(s) 312 prompts the primary user over the user interface of the
vehicle manufacturer application 112 running on the mobile device 102 to submit
the NAOTP received through SMS; and receives an intimation from the vehicle
30 manufacturer application 112 running on the mobile device 102 that whether the
14
NAOTP received by the mobile device 102 matches with the NAOTP received by
the vehicle manufacturer application 112 running on the mobile device 102. Upon
successful validation of the NAOTP at the vehicle manufacturer application 112
running on the mobile device 102, the application management engine(s) 312
requests the DMS 106 for providing further registration information including a5 t
least one of a vehicle identification number, a vehicle registration number,
division of privilege, audio serial number, and so forth. In return to the request,
the application management engine(s) 312 receives the identification information
from the DMS 106 to authenticate verification of the user identifier for allowing
10 access of the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit
402. In an aspect, the application features include navigation, music, movies,
weather forecasting, news, and so forth.
[00051] Accordingly, the system 300 described herein provides an
authentication of a non-networking in-vehicle head unit and allowing access to the
15 application accessible through the mobile device of a primary user of a vehicle.
This system 300 thus allows a universal access of the application accessible
through the mobile device of a primary user of a vehicle to all brands in-vehicle
head unit.
[00052] However, in an alternative implementation, in case the verification
20 of the user identifier is found unsuccessful by the system 300, the application
management engine(s) 312 transmits, to the mobile device 102, a message
indicating failure status of the request.
[00053] The verification of the user identifier can be unsuccessful in case
the primary user is not registered with the system 300 or DMS 106. Accordingly,
25 the application management engine(s) 312 may activate the registration engine(s)
314 to prompt the primary user to register before accessing the application. In
case the primary user wants to register with the system 300, the system 300 may
follow the above mentioned process and create an account for the primary user.
[00054] Further, as can be seen from FIG. 5, once the primary user is
30 registered and a corresponding account is created, the primary user submits a
15
request, from the vehicle manufacturer application 112 running on the mobile
device 102, to add one or more secondary users to the created account of the user.
In an example, the request includes phone numbers of the primary and secondary
users to be sent to application server 104.
[00055] Upon receipt of the request by the registration module 314 fro5 m
the vehicle manufacturer application 112, the registration module 314 transmits
the phone numbers of the primary and secondary users to the application server
104 and then, sending the primary user phone number to SMS gateway to further
transmit OTP to the primary phone number, and then prompts the primary user
10 over his user interface of the vehicle manufacturer application 502 running on his
mobile device 504 to submit the OTP received through SMS for proceeding with
secondary user addition process.
[00056] Once the OTP is successfully validated by the vehicle
manufacturer application 502 running on the mobile device 504, the registration
15 module 314 adds the secondary users to the created account of the user with the
system of the vehicle manufacturer.
[00057] In an aspect, the registration engine(s) 314 allows the primary user
to add maximum four secondary users to the created account of the primary user.
Once the secondary users are added, the secondary users receive a message having
20 an application link to download and access the application of the vehicle
manufacturer.
[00058] Also, in an aspect, when one of the secondary users may request to
access the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit 402
coupled to the mobile device, the user identifier is one of a phone number of that
25 secondary user and a vehicle identification number of the primary user.
[00059] Thus, with the feature of addition of secondary users to the system
300 or the application server 104, the present disclosure enables the secondary
users to access the application of the vehicle manufacturer at an in-vehicle head
unit coupled to their mobile device 504.
16
[00060] FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 illustrates a method of enabling a
primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary user to primary user account created
with a system for providing authenticated access of an application of the vehicle
manufacturer on an in-vehicle head unit coupled to a mobile device of the
secondary user. In an aspect, the mobile device is coupled to the in-vehicle 5 cle head
unit via at least one of a universal serial bus (USB), high definition multimedia
interface (HDMI), video graphics array (VGA), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The order
in which the method 600 is described is not intended to be construed as a
limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in
10 any appropriate order to carry out the method 600 or an alternative method.
Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 600 without
departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein.
[00061] The method 600 can be performed by programmed computing
devices, for example, based on instructions retrieved from the non-transitory
15 computer-readable medium or non-transitory computer-readable media. The
computer-readable media can include machine-executable or computer-executable
instructions to perform all or portions of the described method. The computer
readable media may be, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage media,
such as magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable data
20 storage media.
[00062] Referring to FIG. 6, the method 600 may be performed by an
application server 104 of the vehicle manufacturer. However, as can be
appreciated by those skilled in the art, the method 600 can be implemented using
any other suitable device or system.
25 [00063] At block 602, the method 600 includes receiving, from a vehicle
manufacturer application 112 running on a mobile device 102 of the primary user,
a request to add a secondary user to the primary user account. The request
includes the phone number of the primary and secondary users being sent to
application server 104.
17
[00064] At block 604, the method 600 includes transmitting the phone
number of the primary user to a short server message (SMS) gateway to further
transmit One Time Password (OTP) to the mobile device 504 of the primary user.
[00065] At block 606, the method 600 includes prompting the primary user
over user interface of a vehicle manufacturer application 502 running 5 on the
mobile device 504 of the primary user to submit the OTP received through SMS
for validation of the OTP.
[00066] At block 608, the method includes adding the secondary user to the
account of the primary user, for allowing the secondary user to have authenticated
10 access of the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit
402 coupled to the mobile device 504 of the secondary user, upon successful
validation of the OTP.
[00067] Thus, with the implementation of the method 600, the present
disclosure provides an authentication of a non-networking in-vehicle head unit
15 and allowing access to the application accessible through the mobile device of
primary as well as secondary users of a vehicle. Also, the system 300 allows a
universal access of the application accessible on the mobile device of a primary
and secondary users of a vehicle to all brands in-vehicle head unit.
[00068] Further, the present subject matter is disclosed herein with
20 reference to a server-client architecture; however, the subject matter is equally
applicable to authentication systems, which are in direct communication with the
user’s mobile devices.
[00069] The above description does not provide specific details of the
manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are
25 familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out,
techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be
employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and
design details.
18
[00070] Note that throughout the disclosure, numerous references may be
made regarding servers, services, engines, modules, interfaces, portals, platforms,
or other systems formed from computing devices. It should be appreciated that the
use of such terms are deemed to represent one or more computing devices having
at least one processor configured to or programmed to execute 5 ecute software
instructions stored on a computer-readable tangible, non-transitory medium or
also referred to as a processor-readable medium. For example, a server can
include one or more computers operating as a web server, database server, or
another type of computer server in a manner to fulfil described roles,
10 responsibilities, or functions. Within the context of this document, the disclosed
devices or systems are also deemed to comprise computing devices having a
processor and a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the
processor that cause the device to control, manage, or otherwise manipulate the
features of the devices or systems.
15 [00071] It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar
terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely
convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise,
as apparent from the discussion herein, it is appreciated that throughout the
description, discussions utilizing terms such as “receiving,” or “verifying,” or
20 “transmitting,” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system,
or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data
represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's
registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities
within the computer system memories or registers or other such information
25 storage, transmission or display devices.
[00072] The exemplary embodiment also relates to an apparatus for
performing the operations discussed herein. This apparatus may be specially
constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose
computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in
30 the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer-readable
19
storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy
disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories
(ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or
optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and
each coupled to a computer system 5 bus.
[00073] Further, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of
describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the
disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other
features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other
10 systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated
alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently
be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[00074] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended,
15 encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and
substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein,
including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for
example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[00075] It will be appreciated that variants of the above-disclosed and other
20 features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other
different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated
alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be
subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be
encompassed by the following claims.

We claim:
1. A system (300) of enabling a primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary
user to primary user account created with a system for providing
authenticated access of an application of the vehicle manufacturer on an invehicle
head unit (402) coupled to a mobile device (102) of the seco5 ndary
user, the system (300) comprising:
a registration engine (314) to:
receive, from a vehicle manufacturer application running on a
mobile device (102) of the primary user, a request to add a secondary
10 user to the primary user account, wherein the request comprises the
phone number of the primary and secondary users;
transmit the phone number of the primary user to a short server
message (SMS) gateway to further transmit One Time Password (OTP)
to the mobile device (102) of the primary user;
15 prompt the primary user over user interfaces of a vehicle
manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of the
primary user to submit the OTP received through SMS for validation of
the OTP; and
upon successful validation of the OTP, add the secondary user to
20 the primary user account of the primary user, for allowing the
secondary user to have authenticated access of the application of the
vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402) coupled to the
mobile device (102) of the secondary user.
2. The system (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration engine (314)
25 is to allow the primary user to add maximum four secondary users to the
primary user account.
3. The system (3000 as claimed in claim 1, further comprising
21
a request receive engine (308) to receive a request from a vehicle
manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary
user to access the application of the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle
head unit (402) coupled to the mobile device (102) of the secondary user,
wherein the request comprising a user identifier corresponding to 5 the
secondary user of the vehicle and a vehicle identification number of the
primary user;
an authentication verification engine (310) to verify the user identifier
received from the mobile device (102) of secondary user against user
10 identifiers and vehicle identification numbers maintained at a database
management system (DMS) (106); and
an application management engine (312) to transmit an instruction to
the vehicle manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of
the secondary user for allowing access of the application features offered by
15 the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402), upon successful
verification of the user identifier and the vehicle identification number.
4. The system (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mobile device (102) is
coupled to the in-vehicle head unit (402) via at least one of a universal serial
bus (USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), video graphics
20 array (VGA), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
5. The system (300) as claimed in claim 3, wherein after the successful
verification of the user identifier and the vehicle identification number, the
application management engine (312) is to:
transmit the phone number of the secondary user and a message to the
25 SMS gateway to further transmit a One Time Password (OTP) to the mobile
device of the secondary user;
prompt the secondary user over the user interface of the vehicle
manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary
user to submit the OTP received through SMS;
22
receive an intimation from the vehicle manufacturer application running
on the mobile device (102) of the secondary user that whether the OTP
received by the mobile device (102) of the secondary user matches with the
OTP received by the vehicle manufacturer application running on the mobile
device (102) of the secondary 5 user;
upon successful validation of the OTP at the vehicle manufacturer
application running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary user, request
the DMS (106) for providing further registration information including at
least one of a vehicle identification number, a vehicle registration number,
10 division of privilege, and audio serial number; and
receive the requested identification information from the DMS (106) to
authenticate verification of the user identifier and the vehicle identification
number for allowing access of the application features offered by the vehicle
manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402).
15 6. The system (300) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the application management
engine (312) is to transmit, to the mobile device (102) of the secondary user,
a message indicating failure status of the request when the verification of the
user identifier and the vehicle identification number is unsuccessful.
7. The system (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system (300) is an
20 application server of the vehicle manufacturer.
8. The system (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the application features
include navigation, music, movies, weather forecasting, news features offered
by the vehicle manufacturer.
9. A method (600) of enabling a primary user of a vehicle to add a secondary
25 user to primary user account created with a system (300) for providing
authenticated access of application of the vehicle manufacturer on an invehicle
head unit (402) coupled to a mobile device (102) of the secondary
user, the method (600) comprising:
23
receiving (602), from a vehicle manufacturer application running on a
mobile device (102) of the primary user, a request to add a secondary user to
the primary user account, wherein the request comprises the phone number of
the primary and secondary user;
transmitting (604) the phone number of the primary user to a sh5 ort
server message (SMS) gateway to further transmit One Time Password (OTP)
to the mobile device (102) of the primary user;
prompting (606) the primary user over user interfaces of a vehicle
manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of the primary
10 user to submit the OTP received through SMS for validation of the OTP; and
upon successful validation of the OTP, adding (608) the secondary user
to the primary user account of the primary user, for allowing the secondary
user to have authenticated access of the application features offered by the
vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402) coupled to the mobile
15 device (102) of the secondary user.
10. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the primary user is allowed
to add maximum four secondary users to the primary user account.
11. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, further comprising
receiving a request from a vehicle manufacturer application running on
20 the mobile device of the secondary user to access the application features
offered by the vehicle manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402) coupled
to the mobile device (102) of the secondary user, wherein the request
comprising a user identifier corresponding to the phone number of the
secondary user of the vehicle and a vehicle identification number of the
25 primary user;
verifying the user identifier received from the mobile device (102) of
secondary user against user identifiers and vehicle identification numbers
maintained at a database management system (DMS) (106); and
24
transmitting an instruction to the vehicle manufacturer application
running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary user for allowing access
of the application features offered by the vehicle manufacturer on the invehicle
head unit (402), upon successful verification of the user identifier and
the vehicle identification numb5 er.
12. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the mobile device (102) is
coupled to the in-vehicle head unit via at least one of a universal serial bus
(USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), video graphics array
(VGA), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
10 13. The method (600) as claimed in claim 11, wherein after the successful
verification of the user identifier and the vehicle identification number, the
method comprising:
transmitting the phone number of the secondary user and a message to
the SMS gateway to further transmit a One Time Password (OTP) to the
15 mobile device of the secondary user;
prompting the secondary user over the user interface of the vehicle
manufacturer application running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary
user to submit the OTP received through SMS;
receiving an intimation from the vehicle manufacturer application
20 running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary user that whether the
OTP received by the mobile device (102) of the secondary user matches with
the OTP received by the vehicle manufacturer application running on the
mobile device (102) of the secondary user;
upon successful validation of the OTP at the vehicle manufacturer
25 application running on the mobile device (102) of the secondary user,
requesting the DMS (106) for providing further registration information
including at least one of a vehicle identification number, a vehicle registration
number, division of privilege, and audio serial number; and
25
receiving the requested identification information from the DMS (106)
to authenticate verification of the user identifier and the vehicle identification
number for allowing access of the application features offered by the vehicle
manufacturer on the in-vehicle head unit (402).
14. The method (600) as claimed in 11, further comprising transmitting, to 5 o the
mobile device (102) of the secondary user, a message indicating failure status
of the request when the verification of the user identifier and the vehicle
identification number is unsuccessful.
15. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the application features
10 include navigation, music, movies, weather forecasting, news features offered
by the vehicle manufacturer.