GB2566510A

GB2566510A - System and method for providing promotional information to vehicle users

Info

Publication number: GB2566510A
Application number: GB1714914.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Albert Lam
Original assignee: DE Innovation Lab Ltd
Current assignee: DE Innovation Lab Ltd
Priority date: 2017-09-15
Filing date: 2017-09-15
Publication date: 2019-03-20
Also published as: GB201714914D0

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed of providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, the system includes a location sensor for sensing a geographical location of the vehicle, an external server including a database storing location-based promotional information and a data processing unit coupled to both the sensor and server which can execute an application to provide the vehicle user with location-based promotional information. The data processing unit may comprise a display unit with a user interface. The application may also include artificial intelligence algorithms which use historical recorded data and trends to determine location-based promotional information; the trends may include user preferences and geographical location of the vehicle. Location-based promotional information may comprise advertisement content.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PROMOTIONAL INFORMATION TO VEHICLE USERS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to vehicle information systems for providing location-based promotional information. Moreover, the present disclosure is concerned with methods of operating aforesaid vehicle information systems.

BACKGROUND

Generally, companies spend a significant portion of their revenue on advertising. Therefore, the companies prefer to expose a given type of advertisement to a given type of consumer at a given time in order to convert the consumer into a potential buyer; in other words, one or more types of advertisement are preferably matched to one or more corresponding consumers, at one or more time intervals during which the one or more customers are likely to be receptive to the one or more types of advertisement. In contemporary transit vehicles, billboards, hoardings, street furniture, and so forth are commonly used as advertising platforms. Often, such entities are used as a platform for conducting targeted advertisements for consumers who are likely to pass by such advertisement platform, for example, a user of a vehicle driving along a road.

However, such modes of targeted advertisement suffer many disadvantages. Firstly, in such modes of targeted advertisement, the advertised content is static, namely the advertised content is not customized for individual consumers (such as a given user of a given vehicle). Therefore, such a potential consumer has to perform a cumbersome process of manually locating an advertisement of a desired service or product. Secondly, such modes of advertisement are not adaptive, namely such modes of targeted advertisement are not able to promote a right service or product to a right type of consumer at a right time. Thirdly, in such a mode of advertisement, the advertised content is located in a nearby location, which a consumer (such as a user of a vehicle) may miss or ignore on account the visual distance of the advertisement from the consumer. Thus, such a mode of advertisement is usually ineffective.

Therefore, there exists a technical problem of how to provide an improved advertisement for consumers, for example, to a user of a vehicle traveling to a location.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure seeks to provide an improved vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle.

The present disclosure also seeks to provide an improved method of operating a vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle.

According to a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle information system includes:

- a location sensor arranged in the vehicle for sensing a geographical location of the vehicle;

- an external server arrangement including one or more databases for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations; and

- a data processing unit communicably coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, wherein the data processing unit operable to execute a software application to identify the geographical location of the vehicle and to provide the location-based promotional information based on the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user.

The present disclosure is of advantage in that there is provided locationbased promotional information to a user of a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle, with enhanced functionality for determining promotional information, that is easy to implement and straight forward for the user to employ.

According to a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of operating a vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle information system includes a location sensor arranged on the vehicle, an external server arrangement including one or more databases for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations, and a data processing unit communicably coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, and operable to execute a software application, characterized in that the method includes:

(i) acquiring location-based promotional information from the external server arrangement;

(ii) identifying the geographical location of the vehicle; and (Hi) providing the location-based promotional information based on the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user.

It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure are susceptible to being combined in various combinations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The present invention is included in the general business context, which aims to substitute vehicles powered by traditional fuels, for example gasoline or diesel, by electric vehicles. In particular, the present invention is intended for use in electric vehicles used within cities, which can be highly beneficial to the local environment due to significant reduction of gaseous emissions as well as significant reduction of noise. Overall environmental benefits can also be significant when electric vehicles are charged from renewable energy sources.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The summary above, as well as the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the present disclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in the drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in the art will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Wherever possible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:

FIG.l is a block diagram of a vehicle information system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG.2 is an illustration of steps of a method of using a vehicle information system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed to represent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or an item to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined number relates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlined number to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied by an associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify a general item at which the arrow is pointing.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In overview, embodiments of the present disclosure are concerned with vehicle information systems for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, for example, an electric vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a vehicle information system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the vehicle information system 100 includes a location sensor 110 arranged in the vehicle for providing a geographical location of the vehicle, a data processing unit 120 that includes a software application 130 that is executable upon a data processing unit 120, a user interface (UI) 140, and a display unit 150. Furthermore, the vehicle information system 100 includes a communication network 160 for communicably coupling the data processing unit 120 to an external server arrangement 170 that includes one or more databases 180. The location sensor 110 is conveniently implemented for using GPS position determination based upon satellite references, and/or for using GPRS position determination dependent upon local terrestrial wireless data communication network arrangements.

The vehicle information system 100 is configured to provide a locationbased promotional information to a user of a vehicle. Optionally, the term 'vehicle information system’ as used herein relates to an arrangement and/or module that are configured to provide the location-based promotional information to the user of the vehicle. The vehicle information system 100 is operable to provide the user of the vehicle with promotional information based on the location of the vehicle. For example, the vehicle information system 100 is operable to provide commercial endorsements of a service or a product to the user of the vehicle based on where the vehicle is located.

Optionally, the term 'location-based promotional information' as used herein relates to marketing/endorsing data content that can be stored electronically in a data storage system, and is related to a product and/or a service associated with a geographical location. Additionally, the location-based promotional information is generated for the user of the vehicle. Furthermore, the marketing/endorsing data content is associated with one or more specific geographical location. Optionally, the locationbased promotional information is a targeted marketing/endorsing data content designed for a user located in a specific location. For example, the marketing/endorsing data content provided to the user of the vehicle located at a geographical location 'XYZ' may be a commercial endorsement of a hotel 'ABC' also located in the geographical location 'XYZ'. Optionally, the term 'user' as used herein relates to an individual that is operating and/or located within the interiors of the vehicle. Furthermore, the user is operable to access the vehicle information system 100 to interact with the location-based promotional information. In an example, a user may be an individual driving the vehicle and operating the vehicle information system 100 to access the locationbased promotional information. In another example, the user may be a passenger seated within the vehicle and accessing the location-based promotional information provided by the vehicle information system 100. Optionally, aforementioned marketing/endorsing of the data content is based upon one or more artificial intelligence (Al) algorithms, that are iteratively, namely recursively, dynamically adjusted depending upon actions taken by a driver of a vehicle. For example, in an event that such a driver elects to drive more slowly than usual for that driver at a given location when presented with a particular type of advertisement, the Al algorithms interpret this to mean that the driver's attention has been won, and that similar types of advertisement should in future be presented to that given driver when he/she returns again to the given location. For example, the given location is a village or town on a commuting route of the given driver to his/her place of work.

As mentioned previously, the vehicle information system 100 includes the location sensor 110 arranged in the vehicle for providing the geographical location of the vehicle. Optionally, the term 'location sensor’ is to be broadly interpreted as a location sensing unit. Furthermore, the location sensor 110 relates to an internal structure and/or module, and/or technology associated with the vehicle for determining the geographical location of the vehicle. Optionally, the location sensor 110 includes programmable and/or non-programmable components configured to determine the geographical location of the vehicle. Optionally, the location sensor 110 includes a signal reception module. Furthermore, the signal reception module is a satellite signal reception module. For example, the satellite signal reception module is a GPS receiver, a GPS sensor, a GPRS receiver or similar. Furthermore, the location sensor 110 is operable to transmit the geographical location data of the vehicle to a data processing unit, a central location database, Internet-connected computer and the like, using a networking device, for example, a CAN bus, a cellular wireless communication device, a radio, or a satellite modem and so forth. In operation, the location sensor 110 is operable to transmit the geographical location data of the vehicle to the data processing unit 120 (as described herein later).

The vehicle information system 100 includes an external server arrangement 170 including one or more databases 180 for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations. Optionally, the term 'external server arrangement' as used herein relates to a structure and/or module that include programmable and/or non-programmable components configured to store, process and/or share information. In an example, the external server arrangement 170 may include components such as memory, a processor, a network adapter and the like, to store, process and/or share information such as the location-based promotional information, the geographical location information and the like. Optionally, the external server arrangement 170 could be implemented as a single server and/or as two or more servers operating in a parallel and/or in a distributed architecture.

Optionally, the term 'one or more databases' as used herein relates to a structured collection of records or data that can be created and/or stored in any type of data storage systems. For example, databases may be, but not limited to, IBM DB2® and Oracle 9®. Furthermore, the one or more databases 180 are operable to organise the structured collection of records or data in a manner that a computer program can quickly select a desired piece of data or record from the structured collection. Optionally, the one or more databases 180 are operable to organise the location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations. Furthermore, the location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations are organised in a manner such that each location-based promotional information is associated with at least one geographical location.

Optionally, the one or more databases 180 are operable to acquire location-based promotional information from an external resource. The term 'external resource' as used herein relates to any entity that is operable to provide information required by the one or more databases 180. For example, the external resource may be an entity that provides promotional information for hotels located in various locations. Furthermore, the promotional information in the one or more databases 180 is arranged in a manner wherein the promotional information is grouped based on the geographical locations. For example, the one or more databases 180 may be configured to group plurality of promotional information for hotels acquired from the external resource in a manner wherein each promotional information for hotels is associated with a geographical location.

Optionally, the one or more databases 180 are operable to access one or more external resources to acquire a plurality of information. Optionally, the one or more databases 180 are operable to acquire promotional information from one external resource and access information related to various geographical locations from another external resource. Subsequently, the one or more databases 180 are operable to provide the information acquired from the one or more external resources to a computer program hosted by the external server arrangement for generating location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations. For example, the one or more databases 180 may acquire promotional information related to hotels from an external resource 'XKY' and the geographical location of the corresponding hotels from another external resource 'PKZ', and thereafter use a computer program 'MNP' to generate structured collection of promotional information related to hotels in a manner wherein the promotional information is grouped based on the geographical locations of the hotels.

Optionally, the location-based promotional information comprises an advertisement content. For example, the location-based promotional information may be an advertisement of a hotel 'ABC'.

Optionally, the external server arrangement 170 is communicably coupled to the data processing unit 120 via a communication network 160. Optionally, the term 'communication network’ as used herein relates to wired and/or wireless communication means comprising a software component, a hardware component, a network adapter component and a combination thereof. In an example, the communication network 160 may include Bluetooth®, Internet of things (IoT), Visible Light Communication (VLC), Near Field Communication (NFC), Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), Wireless LANs (WLANs), Wireless WANs (WWANs), Wireless MANs (WMANs), the Internet, telecommunication networks, radio networks, and so forth.

The vehicle information system 100 includes the data processing unit 120 communicably coupled to the location sensor 110 and the external server arrangement 170. Optionally, the term 'data processing unit' as used herein relates to an arrangement and/or a module including a hardware element, firmware component, and/or software component configured to store, process and/or share information. The data processing unit 120 is operable to store, process and/or share information provided by the location sensor 110 and the external server arrangement 170 for providing location-based promotional information to the user of the vehicle. For example, the data processing unit 120 may be a carputer of a vehicle, such as an electric vehicle.

Optionally, the data processing unit 120 includes the display unit 150 that is operable to display the provided location-based promotional information. Optionally, the term 'display unit' used herein relates to a display suitable for use in displaying digital content such as multimedia content. The display unit 150 is electronic in nature. For example, the display unit 150 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT), projection-type displays, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a light-emitting diode (LED)-type display, and including both 2D and 3D equivalents. More optionally, the display unit 150 includes an active feedback component that allows users to contact or otherwise select a specific area of the display unit 150 to thereby input data to interact with the digital content (such as the provided location-based promotional information) displayed therein.

Optionally, the display unit 150 includes the user interface 140 for displaying the location-based promotional information and acquiring input from the user of the vehicle. Optionally, the term 'user interface (UI)'as used herein relates to a structured set of graphical visual objects (e.g., windows, dialog boxes, frames, panels, menus, buttons, icons, etc.) that are rendered upon the execution of the software application 130 on a display screen (such as the display unit 150) to convey graphical and/or textual information to the user of the vehicle, and to receive the input data from the user. Additionally, the user interface (UI) 140 includes one or more modules through which the user interacts with the data processing unit 120. For example, the user interface 140 may include an input for allowing the user to manipulate the data processing unit 120, and can include an output for allowing the data processing unit 120 to present information and/or data, indicating effects of the user's manipulation, and so forth. Optionally, the user may interact with the user interface (UI) 140 by employing a voice input, a keypad input, a gesture input, and so forth. For example, the user may input information to the user interface (UI) 140 in the form of a gesture via a keypad input. In such example, the keypad input may be provided via a virtual keyboard and/or a physical keyboard. Furthermore, the user interface (UI) 140 may consequently interact with the user by employing text output, voice output, image output, and so forth. It may be appreciated that the term user interface (UI) should be interpreted as broadly as possible to refer to a graphical front end to a computer program that allows a user to invoke program commands by using the mouse (and/or keyboard) and a remote control. Optionally, the user interface (UI) 140 is a graphical user interface. Furthermore, the data processing unit 120 employs the user interface (UI) 140 to provide location-based promotional information to the user. Additionally, the user uses the user interface (UI) 140 to interact with the location-based promotional information.

The data processing unit 120 is operable to execute the software application 130 to identify the geographical location of the vehicle. Optionally, the term 'software application' used herein relates to a devicefunctionality software and/or an operating system software configured to execute other application programs and interface between the application programs and associated hardware (such as a captuter, a server, a CAN bus, sensor and so forth). In operation, the software application 130 is hosted by the data processing unit 120. For example, the software application 130 may be operating within a carputer of a vehicle (such as an electrical vehicle). In such example, the software application 130 may be operable to provide an infotainment arrangement and/or system for the user of the vehicle. Furthermore, in such example, the software application 130 may be used to access the web-based content such as an advertisement of online product or services, online shopping content, social networking websites, electronic mails, traffic conditions, sports scores, weather forecasts and so forth. Optionally, the software application 130 is a computing platform in which a plurality of computer programs are installed and executed. Furthermore, the software application 130 is optionally implemented as processor routines that are stored in non-volatile memory structures such as read only memories (ROMs), flash memories, and so forth, and executed by a single and/or a plurality of processors arranged in various architecture. Optionally, the software application 130 is a computing platform for installing and executing plurality of computer programs or algorithms for acquiring and processing information from other programmable and nonprogrammable components, such as the location sensor 110, the external server arrangement 170. Furthermore, the plurality of computer programs or algorithms installed and executed by the software application 130 is operable to determine the content to be provided to the user of the vehicle via the user interface (Ul) 140.

The data processing unit 120 is operable to provide the location-based promotional information based on the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user, for example as aforementioned. The software application 130 executed by the data processing unit 120 is operable to process the information provided the location sensor 110 and the external server arrangement 170 to provide the location-based promotional information. In operation, the software application 130 is configured to the use the geographical location data provided by the location sensor 110 and access the location-based promotional information from the external server arrangement 170. Furthermore, the software application 130 is operable to use the geographical location data of the vehicle as a parameter to determine which promotional information to be displayed to the user.

Optionally, the software application 130 employs artificial intelligence algorithms (Al), for example as aforementioned, to determine the location-based promotional information to be displayed on the display unit 150. Optionally, the term 'artificial intelligence algorithms' used herein relates to software-based algorithms that are executable upon a computing hardware, such as the server, and are operable to adapt and adjust the operating parameters of the algorithms in an adaptive manner, depending upon information that is presented thereto when executed upon the computing hardware. Thus, by learning by example from a given interaction manually performed by the user using the user interface (Ul) 140, which location-based promotional information to be rendered to a given user's graphical user interface (GUI), neural networks and variable state engines of the artificial intelligence (Al) algorithms are thereby programmed to perform such defining of which location-based promotional information to be rendered. Thus, it will be appreciated that generation of information pursuant to the present disclosure can be generated in a semi-automated or automated manner.

Optionally, the artificial intelligence algorithms employ historical recorded data as an input parameter for determining the location-based promotional information to be displayed on the display unit 150. Optionally, the term 'historical recorded data' as used herein relates to a periodically stored data associated with the activity performed by the user with respect to the location-based promotional information rendered on the user interface (UI) 140 of the display unit 150. Specifically, the historical recorded data is a collection of information generated from periodically saving data related to the activity performed by the user with respect to the location-based promotional information using the user interface (UI) 140. For example, the user interface (UI) 140 of the display unit 150 may display a plurality of location-based promotional information, such as advertisements of products and/or services related to a region 'WER'. In such example, the advertisements may include of nearest shopping mall 'VGZ MALL', a hotel ΉΊΎ HOTEL', a gymnasium 'MNM GYM', a hospital 'LKL HOSPITAL', online shopping website ΉΗΗ'. In such example, the user may select only the advertisement related to the shopping mall 'VGZ MALL' for viewing, from the various aforementioned advertisements. Furthermore, in such example, such process may be repeated for a plurality of regions such the regions 'JKJ', 'PYP' and 'KHK'. In such instance, the historical data could include all the advertisement displayed to the user with respect to the corresponding regions and identify the advertisements associated with each region that the user viewed.

Optionally, the artificial intelligence algorithms process the historical recorded data based on at least one of, an overall demand for information received from the user of the vehicle and/or trends in the information demanded by the user of the vehicle. Optionally, the overall demand for information received from the user of the vehicle relates to the data associated with the amount of the information (such as the provided location-based promotional information) selected by the user for viewing. In operation, the overall demand for information includes all the advertisement related to various location viewed by the user. For example, the overall demand for information may include data depicting plurality of advertisement related to traditional food with a first geographical location, plurality of advertisement related to adventure activity with a second geographical location, plurality of advertisement related to transportation associated with a third geographical location, plurality of advertisement related to clothing associated with a fourth geographical location, plurality of advertisement related to hotels associated with a fifth geographical location and so forth viewed by the user via the user interface (Ul) 140.

Optionally, the trends in the information demanded by the user of the vehicle relates to any commonality between the information demanded by the user of the vehicle. Furthermore, the trends comprise at least one of, a preference associated with the user of the vehicle and/or the geographical location of the vehicle. For example, a user of a vehicle views, a plurality of advertisement related to traditional food and places to stay in a first geographical location, a plurality of advertisement related to adventure activity and places to stay in a second geographical location, a plurality of advertisement related to transportation and places to stay in a third geographical location, a plurality of advertisement related to clothing and places to stay in a fourth geographical location, a plurality of advertisement related to places for photography and places to stay in a fifth geographical location. In such instance, the user of the vehicle has a trend of viewing advertisement related to places to stay, such as hotels. Therefore, the software application 130 may automatically provide an advertisement related to places to stay for the user when the vehicle is located in first, second, third, fourth and fifth locations. Additionally, the software application 130 is operable to provide the user with places to stay in the first location in an event when the vehicle is located in the first location. Similarly, the advertisement for places to stay in the second, third, fourth and fifth locations is provided to the user in the event wherein the vehicle is located in the second, third, fourth and fifth locations respectively.

Optionally, the software application 130 is configured to suspend the location-based promotional information in an event wherein user input is not provided by the user within a predefined time duration. For example, location-based promotional information related to a closest gymnasium is rendered on the user interface (UI) 140. In such instance, the locationbased promotional information may be removed from the user interface (UI) 140 if no user input is received from the user. Optionally, the software application 130 is configured to suspend location-based promotional information in an event wherein a suspension request is provided by the user. For example, the user may use the user interface (UI) 140 to generate a suspension request for the location-based promotional information related to the closest gymnasium. In such instance, the software application 130 may be configured to restrict the rendering of the location-based promotional information related to the closest gymnasium.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown an illustration of steps of a method 200 of using a vehicle information system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the vehicle information system includes a location sensor arranged on the vehicle (for example as described in the foregoing), an external server arrangement including one or more databases for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations, and a data processing unit communicably coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, and operable to execute a software application. At a step 202, location-based promotional information is acquired from the external server arrangement. At a step 204, the geographical location of the vehicle is identified. At a step 206, the location-based promotional information is provided based upon the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user.

The steps 202 to 206 are only illustrative, and other alternatives can also be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more steps are removed, or one or more steps are provided in a different sequence without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

Furthermore, disclosed is a software product recording on machinereadable data storage media, characterized in that the software product is executable upon computing hardware for implementing a method of using a vehicle information system.

The vehicle information system of the present disclosure provides location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle. The location-based promotional information is an advertisement of services or products that are operational in the geographical location of the vehicle the user is driving. Beneficially, the user is provided with relevant information that may be useful for the user when located in the geographical location. Therefore, the user is provided with relevant promotional information. Furthermore, the vehicle information system employs an artificial algorithm to determine which advertisement to be provided to the user. Additionally, the artificial intelligence algorithm provides the user with a selected set of location based advertisement that may be beneficially used by the user. Therefore, the vehicle information system saves Internet® data traffic and also reduces data processing; such reduction of data processing is an important technical solution provided by embodiments of the present disclosure. Moreover, embodiments of the present disclosure are capable of providing an ergonomic benefit for the user of being less frustrated by advertisement.

Furthermore, the system provides a decrease in the number of advertisement for the user to view. Also, the system is operable to remove automatically the advertisement when not viewed by the user. Furthermore, such system may be helpful for users with sight difficulties, 5 because such system may cause less eyestrain and visual cortex processing, thereby, for example, increasing riving safety and reducing a risk of accidents.

Modifications to embodiments of the invention described in the foregoing are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined 10 by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as including, comprising, incorporating, consisting of, have, is used to describe and claim the present invention are intended to be construed in a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components or elements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to the 15 singular is also to be construed to relate to the plural. Numerals included within parentheses in the accompanying claims are intended to assist understanding of the claims and should not be construed in any way to limit subject matter claimed by these claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle information system includes:

- a data processing unit communicably that is coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, wherein the data processing unit is operable to execute a software application to identify the geographical location of the vehicle and to provide the location-based promotional information based upon the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user.

2. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the data processing unit further comprises a display unit that is operable to display the provided location-based promotional information.

3. A vehicle information system of claim2, characterized in that the display unit includes a user interface for displaying the locationbased promotional information and acquiring input from the user of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the software application employs artificial intelligence algorithms to determine the location-based promotional information to be displayed on the display unit.

5. A vehicle information system of claim 4, characterized in that the artificial intelligence algorithms employ historical recorded data as an input parameter for determining the location-based promotional information to be displayed on the display unit.

6. A method of operating a vehicle information system to provide location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle information system includes a location sensor arranged on the vehicle, an external server arrangement including one or more databases for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations, and a data processing unit communicably coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, and operable to execute a software application, characterized in that the method includes:

(ii) identifying the geographical location of the vehicle; and (iii) providing the location-based promotional information based on the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user wherein the software application employs artificial intelligence algorithms to determine the location-based promotional information, further wherein historical recorded data is employed as an input parameter for the artificial intelligence algorithms, and the artificial intelligence algorithms process the historical recorded data based upon at least one of:

- an overall demand for information received from the user of the vehicle;

- trends in the information demanded by the user of the vehicle; and wherein the trends comprise at least one of:

- a preference associated with the user of the vehicle;

- the geographical location of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle information system of claim 5, characterized in that the artificial intelligence algorithms process the historical recorded data based upon at least one of:

- an overall demand for information received from the user of the vehicle; and

- trends in the information demanded by the user of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle information system of claim 6, characterized in that the trends comprise at least one of:

- a preference associated with the user of the vehicle; and

- the geographical location of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the external server arrangement is communicably coupled to the data processing unit via a communication network.

9. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the location-based promotional information comprises an advertisement content.

10. A method of operating a vehicle information system for providing location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle information system includes a location sensor arranged on the vehicle, an external server arrangement including one or more databases for storing location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations, and a data processing unit communicably coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, and operable to execute a software application, characterized in that the method includes:

5 (ii) identifying the geographical location of the vehicle; and (iii) providing the location-based promotional information based on the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user.

Amendment to the claims have been filed as follows

CLAIMS (clean copy version)

We claim:

1. A vehicle information system that provides location-based promotional information to a user of a vehicle, characterized in that the vehicle information system includes:

- a location sensor arranged in the vehicle that senses a geographical location of the vehicle;

- an external server arrangement including one or more databases that stores location-based promotional information related to various geographical locations; and

- a data processing unit communicably that is coupled to the location sensor and the external server arrangement, wherein the data processing unit is operable to execute a software application to identify the geographical location of the vehicle and to provide the location-based promotional information based upon the identified geographical location of the vehicle to the user, wherein the software application employs artificial intelligence algorithms to determine the location-based promotional information, further wherein historical recorded data is employed as an input parameter for the artificial intelligence algorithms, and the artificial intelligence algorithms process the historical recorded data based upon at least one of:

- an overall demand for information received from the user of the vehicle;

- a preference associated with the user of the vehicle;

- the geographical location of the vehicle.

3. A vehicle information system of claim 2, characterized in that the display unit includes a user interface for displaying the location-based promotional information and acquiring input from the user of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the external server arrangement is communicably coupled to the data processing unit via a communication network.

5. A vehicle information system of claim 1, characterized in that the locationbased promotional information comprises an advertisement content.