FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method, system, and program for synchronizing data stored in a group of devices forming a system. The invention relates to a method and a system for dynamically altering information stored by users in navigation devices mounted on vehicles and updating this information in that device and also in associated navigation devices mounted in associated vehicles.
The present invention relates generally to group interaction system enabling interaction with devices mounted in vehicles, and more specifically, to a group interaction system in a networked vehicle environment, in which a navigation device in one vehicle may interact with navigation devices in other vehicles of an enabled group.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The navigation devices help the user to reach his destination with ease, through route computation, turn by turn guidance, traffic updates etc. As the device handles these major activities, the user can comfortably drive to the destination. Along with the navigation capability, these devices come with other features like Radio, CD player, MP3 player etc. to make the drives enjoyable for the user as well as keeping him updated with information like current news, whether reports, traffic information etc.
The navigation devices provide the user with options to store his preferred data under his profile. A profile is a set of data stored by a particular user as per his preferences. The profile may contain different information like:
Favorite destinations. Last visited destinations. Favorite points of interest like hotels, shopping malls etc. but not limited only to this. The contents of the profile can be extended to include other system settings too.
These devices have a purpose of aiding the driver, thereby are prone to editing very often.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
However none of the prior arts address the problem of a car user, when he uses different cars and desires to have his profile readily available in all the cars, instead of setting and updating his profile individually in each car. Even if he does this laborious exercise, the contents on each car will be different from one another when he operates the navigation device, thereby frustrating the user due to the dissimilar data available to him in each car.

One way of overcoming this problem, already in use, is transferring the profile to an external storage device like memory card or a Bluetooth phone, carrying the external storage device to the other car, transferring it back from storage device to the navigation device mounted in the car.
But this again has the disadvantage that, every user has to carry this storage device, transfer the profile to and from it. Also chances are that the users may misplace the storage device or forget to carry it or loose it.
Here the invention attempts to address this problem and therefore relates to a set of navigation devices whose data is synchronized automatically, using wireless communication between the devices.
There is a need for a method of establishing group of navigation devices to be used as a group interaction system in a convenient and efficient manner. This is to ensure that the user has similar data on all the devices, which he uses at different times.
SUMMARY:
A Conventional vehicle navigation device stores the user profiles in its own memory, hence the updated data is not made available to the other navigation devices fitted in other cars owned by the user, since the devices are not capable of communicating with each other.
This will cause inconvenience for the user when he is using different cars, as he will not have updated profiles in all the devices.
The invention proposes a method through which the user profiles are synchronized automatically, in all the cars configured as group, using wireless link. The device where the user has changed his profile will transmit the changes in the profile to all the other cars using GSM link. The receiving devices in the other vehicles, receive the data, decode it and store the data under corresponding user profile. When the user uses a different car next time, his profile is already available in the device.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION WITH DRAWINGS:
Figure 1, represents a typical navigation device. It consists of Micro controller/Microprocessor (1) , memory ( 2, 3), Key board ( 4 ) for receiving user inputs. Display { 5 ) for displaying the menu options and also for displaying the map for navigation, CD/DVD drive ( 6 ) for audio CD or navigation CD, GPS receiver ( 7 ).

The microprocessor/microcontroller is the core of the navigation device and is responsible for processing of all the user requests.
The user selects different options provided by the device or enters the destination address using the keyboard or a touch screen. The user requests are processed by the microcontroller/microprocessor through different software applications like navigation application, Radio application, CD application etc. If the user has entered the destination address and requested for route guidance, the device receives the GPS data from the satellites through GPS receiver, computes the present position of the car, reads the route/road information from the navigation data stored on the CD/DVD or in any other memory, computes the best possible route to the destination based on user route selection criteria, displays the route on the map, starts guiding the user through audio and visual instructions.
Figure 2 shows how a user profile change in navigation device in curl is transmitted to car2 and car3 for synchronization of the user profiles in the navigation devices in the cars.
The device uses the user profiles for providing information on user preferences.
It is necessary to understand, the basics as to how the user profiles are created, maintained, stored within the same vehicle before understanding how this is done across plurality of vehicles.
Fig 3 illustrates the flowchart of method of operating the vehicle navigation device for
synchronization of data after updating user profile for clustered group of vehicles as per the
invention.
Once the user switches on the device, the device asks for user Id.
There can be a limit for the user Ids based on the memory capacity. Typically it can be 5,
assuming 5 users use the vehicle regularly.
When the user enters his user ID, the device checks whether the user ID exists. If the user
ID exists, the device restores the user profile corresponding to the user ID into the device
profile.
If the user is using the device for the first time, the device will create the new user ID,
creates user profile for this ID and fills the user profile with the current device profile.

Fig 4 illustrates the vehicle navigation device for synchronization of data after updating user profile for clustered group of vehicles as per the invention which includes RAM and EEPROM
Once the device profile and user profile are synchronized on power on, as explained above, the device refers only to the device profile. Only at the time of switching off of the device, the device checks whether there are any differences between the two, i.e. device profile and user profile. If it finds there is a difference, the device profile is copied into user profile.
The device profile is stored in RAM and user profile may be stored in EEPROM or flash. This is only to avoid unnecessary writing of data on to EEPROM/flash which might affect their life time. Hence writing into user profile is done only at switching off.
With the above background, the new concept tries to extend the synchronization of profile in multiple cars.
The invention proposes additional hardware which is a GSM module as shown in Fig 1 ( 8 ). The GSM module will have provision for a SIM card and can communicate with the other similar GSM modules in navigation devices in other cars, through GSM network.
The invention works as below:
Here assumption is made that the user has multiple cars, all fitted with similar kind of
navigation devices which support this new concept. Each device has a SIM card with unique
number.
We take a typical example:
Assume the user has user ID 1 and he has created the user profiles on car 1, car 2 and car
3 ( and may be in other cars ) under the user ID 1.
He is presently using car 1. He switches on the device, enters user ID as 1, the device restores his user profile on to device profile and starts using it. Now the user saves address of a hotel in his favorites list, which is part of his profile. This is stored in device profile. (Not immediately in user 1 profile). When the user switches off the device, the system checks for the differences in device profile and user profile, it finds the difference in favorite list. So it will copy the contents of device profile on to user profile.
Now the user profile in present car i.e. car 1, is updated, but not the profile in car 2 and car 3.

For this to happen, before the device goes off, the device requests the GSM module to send favorite list, to car 2 and car 3 ( and other cars too ).
Figure 2 shows how a user profile change in navigation device in carl is transmitted to car2
and car3 for synchronization of the user profiles in the navigation devices in the cars in
which the operation of the navigation device is explained as follows:
The GSM module reads the favorite list form user profile 1, forms a message.
The message could look like:
< User ID, code for favorite list, favorite list >
This message is sent to all the cars in the group.
If there is a change in "Last destinations list", message could look like :
< User ID, code for Last destination list. Last destination list >
The messages can be sent as SMS or using GPRS communication. If the messages are long, they are split into parts and sent. If the network is not available, the GSM module will save the messages and keep trying for certain no. of attempts. If the data transfer does not take place successfully after fixed no. of attempts, the device gets switched off. When the device is switched on again next time, the device will prompt the user that the user profile is not updated in car X, would you like to update now? If the user confirms, then the user profile will be communicated to the car where it had failed last time.
The navigation device in car2 receives the message through the GSM module.
The message is in the form of: < User ID, code for favorite list, favorite list > The navigation device identifies the user profile through User ID, understands that the messages is for updating the favorite list. The list itself which is contained in the message ( or in multiple messages ) is stored in the favorite list of the corresponding user profile.
Same activity is performed by car 3 and other cars too which receive the messages.
This activity will take place even if the navigation device of receiving car is in off state. The incoming message can be detected in off state too. The device can wake up if it is in off state when a message is coming in, and act accordingly, and then go to off again. When the user wants to use the car 2 or car 3 next time, his profile is already available in these cars.

It is the object of the invention thereby to develop a navigation system with control, for enabling interaction between plurality of devices to synchronize the data stored within each device.
The navigation system according to the invention is distinguished in that it is provided with a GSM module and a new software module called synchronization module. The synchronization module will be a set of software functions/libraries, which will decide when the synchronization of the devices needs to be initiated. The synchronization of profiles in different navigation system is done using the GSM module and synchronization module. With this invention, it is possible for the user profile stored in one device to be exchanged between any number of devices which may be accessible to the user at different points of time. Each navigation device is controlled and updated by other devices, all devices together forming a group. For this purpose, each of the devices is provided with an interface which is bi-directional data exchange setup.
The navigation device may use the data stored in the profile to determine the choice of the driver or his demand.
In one of many preferred embodiments, a user of the navigation device may choose to update only one or more of selected navigation devices in a group. In another arrangement, he can choose to update all devices. Thereby the sudation method based on GSM network for data exchange which is via SMS or GPRS, for synchronising data in selected vehicles.
The invention relates to methods, apparatus, and systems for synchronising of data after updating user profile for clustered group of vehicles. The profile update process begins by updation of data in the first device. This happens in all conventional systems. As per the invention, the device then further interacts with other navigation devices to update the profile on those devices, wherein communications between the navigation devices is enabled for the purpose of synchronisation of data.
As per invention, a group of vehicle needs to be formed. A set of vehicles shall be categorized as a group for the purpose of description. Each vehicle will have a plurality of user profiles loaded into a navigation device. Each user is expected to use any of the vehicles at any time. The profiles of all users is to be made available in all vehicles. Any updation and inclusion of any profile in a vehicle has to be transmitted to all other vehicles, so that all vehicles belonging to the group shall have the most recently updated profile of the group of users.

This facility has to be made available to all group users in the group vehicles as per the invention.
The described synchronization process may be implemented as a method, apparatus or a product using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, user profile, hardware, or any combination thereof.
In the mentioned invention the synchronization is implemented using the additional hardware of GSM module coupled to the navigation device. Whenever the navigation device finds a need to synchronize data with other devices, it forms a message in a pre-defined format, requests the GSM module to send the data to the required devices in other cars. The GSM module establishes the link with the network and sends the message to the required devices each of which have unique subscriber Number.
The group interaction system establishes the group of users for wireless communication or other types of interaction using various methods such as those described. For example, the group may be established in the navigation devices by manual input by its users. The vehicle navigation device in turn provides the group information to the other navigation devices. It should be clear to one skilled in the art that various methods of establishing an interactive group for the vehicle navigation devices may be used consistent with the present invention.

WE CLAIM :
1. A vehicle navigation device, capable of receiving, storing and presenting a set of
data for a user profile, in a storage means and characterized in being capable of
communicating with plurality of scimitars navigation devices for bi-directional exchange of this
data, comprising:-
- wireless communication module for establishing communication with other
navigation devices in other vehicles
- Synchronization module, generating corresponding changes in user profile stored in
the storage means on receipt of incoming message or generating outgoing messages
for other navigational devices, so as to synchronize the stored data in those devices.
2. A method for operating a group of navigation devices, interacting with each other for
bi-directional exchange of data, between themselves, comprising the steps of :-
- identifying the event of profile change, in a user profile in a device in a vehicle;
- establishing communication via wireless communication module with other devices, for transmission of data of the changed profile so as to synchronize the stored data in other navigation devices.
- updating the user profile in the device on reception of a message from
wireless communication module informing the user profile has changed in the device in other vehicle.
3. A navigation device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage means stores plurality
of databases comprising user specific data that are specific to a user.
4. A navigation device as claimed in claim 3 wherein the storage means stores
information regarding vehicles, users and profiles.