U.S. patent application number 14/172789 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-26 for usage data for marine electronics device.
The applicant listed for this patent is NAVICO HOLDING AS. Invention is credited to Paul Robert Bailey, Phillip King Gaynor.
Application Number | 20150054655 14/172789 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52479853 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150054655 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bailey; Paul Robert ; et
al. |
February 26, 2015 |
Usage Data for Marine Electronics Device
Abstract
Various implementations described herein are directed to usage
data for a marine electronics device. In one implementation, a
non-transitory computer-readable medium has stored thereon a
plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when executed
by a computer, cause the computer to record usage data at a marine
electronics device. The usage data includes data relating to at
least one user input to the marine electronics device. The
computer-executable instructions are further configured to cause
the computer to transmit the usage data to a server computer for
analysis and evaluation.
Inventors: |
Bailey; Paul Robert;
(Auckland, NZ) ; Gaynor; Phillip King;
(Chesapeake, VA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
NAVICO HOLDING AS |
Egersund |
|
NO |
|
|
Family ID: |
52479853 |
Appl. No.: |
14/172789 |
Filed: |
February 4, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61868444 |
Aug 21, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/870.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04Q 2209/43 20130101;
G01S 15/96 20130101; G06F 3/0346 20130101; G06Q 50/01 20130101;
A01K 97/00 20130101; G06T 7/60 20130101; G06F 3/014 20130101; G06K
9/00342 20130101; G06T 7/246 20170101; G06F 11/3058 20130101; G01B
21/00 20130101; G06F 15/0225 20130101; H04N 21/4335 20130101; H04Q
9/00 20130101; A61B 5/1123 20130101; G08C 2201/32 20130101; G11B
31/006 20130101; A01K 99/00 20130101; G06F 11/3013 20130101; G06Q
10/00 20130101; Y02D 10/00 20180101; G11B 27/17 20130101; G11B
27/34 20130101; G01C 21/203 20130101; G06F 11/3438 20130101; G06F
2201/835 20130101; G06T 11/206 20130101; G11B 27/28 20130101; G08C
17/02 20130101; H04N 5/91 20130101; G06F 3/017 20130101; G06F
16/9535 20190101; A01K 79/00 20130101; G06F 3/0231 20130101; A61B
5/1118 20130101; B63B 49/00 20130101; G06T 2207/30196 20130101;
G01S 7/003 20130101; G06T 7/292 20170101; G06T 2207/10016 20130101;
G06F 11/3476 20130101; G11B 27/031 20130101; G01C 21/20
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
340/870.01 |
International
Class: |
G08C 17/02 20060101
G08C017/02 |
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon
a plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by a computer, cause the computer to: record usage data at
a marine electronics device, the usage data comprising data
relating to at least one user input to the marine electronics
device; and transmit the usage data to a server computer for
analysis and evaluation.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to: receive
marine electronics data, vessel data, external data, data from a
second marine electronics device, or combinations thereof at the
marine electronics device; and transmit the usage data with the
marine electronics data, vessel data, external data, data from the
second marine electronics device, or combinations thereof to the
server computer.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the usage data comprises key input data, screen selection data,
features selection data, or combinations thereof.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to transmit
the usage data directly to the server computer via a memory card,
Wi-Fi technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth technology, or
satellite technology.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to transmit
the usage data to the server computer via a data logger, a smart
device, or combinations thereof.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to receive
recommendations, enhancements, or combinations thereof for the
marine electronics device from the server computer based on an
analysis of the usage data.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to transmit
the usage data to the server computer either directly, via a data
logger, or via a smart device once a connection via Wi-Fi
technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth technology, or satellite
technology is established.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by the computer, further cause the computer to transmit a
timestamp corresponding to the usage data sent to the server
computer.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the marine electronics device comprises a multi-function display
unit or a wearable electronics device.
10. A method, comprising: receiving usage data from a marine
electronics device, the usage data comprising data relating to at
least one user input to the marine electronics device; receiving
user parameters for analyzing the usage data; analyzing the usage
data based on the user parameters; and producing an output based on
analyzing the usage data.
11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving marine
electronics data, vessel data, external data, data from a second
marine electronics device, or combinations thereof from the marine
electronics device; and analyzing the marine electronics data,
vessel data, external data, data from the second marine electronics
device, or combinations thereof based on the user parameters; and
producing an output based on analyzing the usage data and the
marine electronics data, vessel data, external data, data from the
second marine electronics device, or combinations thereof.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving the usage
data from the marine electronics device either directly, via a data
logger, or via a smart device.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising sorting the usage
data based on one or more timestamps of the usage data.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the user parameters comprise
conditions for performing a query on the usage data.
15. The method of claim 10, wherein the user parameters comprise
conditions for performing a query on the usage data based on which
buttons, screen selections, features, or combinations thereof of
the marine electronics device were used.
16. The method of claim 10, further comprising using the output to
provide recommendations, enhancements, or combinations thereof for
the marine electronics device.
17. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting the
recommendations, enhancements, or combinations thereof to the
marine electronics device.
18. The method of claim 10, further comprising performing an
automated analysis of the output to provide recommendations for a
user of the marine electronics device.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon
a plurality of computer-executable instructions which, when
executed by a computer, cause the computer to: receive usage data
from a marine electronics device, the usage data comprising data
relating to at least one user input to the marine electronics
device; receive user parameters for analyzing the usage data;
analyze the usage data based on the user parameters; and produce an
output based on analyzing the usage data.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19,
wherein the usage data comprises key input data, screen selection
data, features selection data, or combinations thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/868,444, filed Aug. 21, 2013, titled
FISHING DATA COLLECTION AND USE, and the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This section is intended to provide background information
to facilitate a better understanding of various technologies
described herein. As the section's title implies, this is a
discussion of related art. That such art is related in no way
implies that it is prior art. The related art may or may not be
prior art. It should therefore be understood that the statements in
this section are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of
prior art.
[0003] Computing devices disposed on board and/or proximate to a
vessel may be used to assist a user with various activities, such
as fishing, vessel navigation, and the like. One such computing
device may include a marine electronics device, which may be used
to process and/or display various forms of marine electronics data.
In one scenario, when analyzing the marine electronics device,
information relating to how the user accesses hardware features
and/or software features of the device may be useful.
SUMMARY
[0004] Described herein are implementations of various technologies
relating to usage data for a marine electronics device. In one
implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable medium has
stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions
which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to record
usage data at a marine electronics device. The usage data may
include data relating to at least one user input to the marine
electronics device. The computer-executable instructions are
further configured to cause the computer to transmit the usage data
to a server computer for analysis and evaluation.
[0005] Another implementation is directed to a method that receives
usage data from a marine electronics device. The usage data may
include data relating to at least one user input to the marine
electronics device. The method may also include receiving user
parameters for analyzing the usage data. The method may further
include analyzing the usage data based on the user parameters. The
method may additionally include producing an output based on
analyzing the usage data.
[0006] In yet another implementation, a non-transitory
computer-readable medium has stored thereon a plurality of
computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a
computer, cause the computer to receive usage data from a marine
electronics device. The usage data may include data relating to at
least one user input to the marine electronics device. The
computer-executable instructions are also configured to cause the
computer to receive user parameters for analyzing the usage data.
The computer-executable instructions are further configured to
cause the computer to analyze the usage data based on the user
parameters. The computer-executable instructions are additionally
configured to cause the computer to produce an output based on
analyzing the usage data.
[0007] The above referenced summary section is provided to
introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are
further described below in the detailed description section. The
summary is not intended to identify key features or essential
features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be
used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore,
the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that
solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this
disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Implementations of various techniques will hereafter be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be
understood, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only
the various implementations described herein and are not meant to
limit the scope of various techniques described herein.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a marine computing system in
accordance with implementations of various techniques described
herein.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a marine
electronics device having a computing system in accordance with
implementations of various techniques described herein.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a multi-function
display (MFD) unit in accordance with implementations of various
techniques described herein.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates a wearable electronic device in
accordance with various implementations described herein.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the server
computer having a computing system in accordance with
implementations of various techniques described herein.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for
transmitting usage data in accordance with implementations of
various techniques described herein.
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for analyzing
usage data in accordance with implementations of various techniques
described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The discussion below is directed to certain specific
implementations. It is to be understood that the discussion below
is only for the purpose of enabling a person with ordinary skill in
the art to make and use any subject matter defined now or later by
the patent "claims" found in any issued patent herein.
[0017] It is specifically intended that the claimed invention not
be limited to the implementations and illustrations contained
herein, but include modified forms of those implementations
including portions of the implementations and combinations of
elements of different implementations as come within the scope of
the following claims. It should be appreciated that in the
development of any such actual implementation, as in any
engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific
decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals,
such as compliance with system-related and business related
constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another.
Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort
might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a
routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for
those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
Nothing in this application is considered critical or essential to
the claimed invention unless explicitly indicated as being
"critical" or "essential."
[0018] Reference will now be made in detail to various
implementations, examples of which are illustrated in the
accompanying drawings and figures. In the following detailed
description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure.
However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art
that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific
details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures,
components, circuits and networks have not been described in detail
so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.
[0019] It will also be understood that, although the terms first,
second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these
elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only
used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first
object or step could be termed a second object or step, and,
similarly, a second object or step could be termed a first object
or step, without departing from the scope of the invention. The
first object or step, and the second object or step, are both
objects or steps, respectively, but they are not to be considered
the same object or step.
[0020] The terminology used in the description of the present
disclosure herein is for the purpose of describing particular
implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the
present disclosure. As used in the description of the present
disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an"
and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood
that the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any
and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated
listed items. It will be further understood that the terms
"includes," "including," "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used
in this specification, specify the presence of stated features,
integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do
not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or
groups thereof.
[0021] As used herein, the term "if" may be construed to mean
"when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to
detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase "if it
is determined" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected"
may be construed to mean "upon determining" or "in response to
determining" or "upon detecting [the stated condition or event]" or
"in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],"
depending on the context. As used herein, the terms "up" and
"down"; "upper" and "lower"; "upwardly" and downwardly"; "below"
and "above"; and other similar terms indicating relative positions
above or below a given point or element may be used in connection
with some implementations of various technologies described
herein.
[0022] Various implementations relating to usage data for a marine
electronics device described herein will now be described in more
detail with reference to FIGS. 1-7.
Marine Computing System
[0023] A vessel traversing through water may use equipment to
assist an operator of the vessel with various activities, such as
fishing, vessel navigation, and the like. The vessel may be a
surface water vehicle, a submersible water vehicle, or any other
implementation known to those skilled in the art.
[0024] The equipment may include one or more marine electronics
devices disposed on board and/or proximate to the vessel. The
marine electronics device may be any computing implementation known
to those skilled in the art, and is further described below with
respect to FIG. 2. The marine electronics device may be used to
process and/or display one or more types of marine electronics
data, such as chart data, sonar data, structure data, radar data,
navigation data, or any other type known to those skilled in the
art. In a further implementation, and as further described below,
the marine electronics device may process and/or display other
types of data known to those skilled in the art.
[0025] In one implementation, the one or more marine electronics
devices may be part of a marine computing system. FIG. 1
illustrates a diagram of a marine computing system 100 in
accordance with implementations of various techniques described
herein. The marine computing system 100 may include the marine
electronics device 110 and a server computer 130. In another
implementation, the marine computing system 100 may include a data
logger 140 and/or a smart device 150.
[0026] As further described below, the marine electronics device
110 may transmit its data to the server computer 130. In one
implementation the marine electronics device 110 may transmit its
data to the server computer 130 via the data logger 140 and/or the
smart device 150.
Marine Electronics Device
[0027] With respect to the marine electronics device 110,
implementations of various technologies described herein may be
operational with numerous general purpose or special purpose
computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well
known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that
may be suitable for use with the various technologies described
herein include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server
computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,
distributed computing environments that include any of the above
systems or devices, and the like.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a marine
electronics device 110 having a computing system 200 in accordance
with implementations of various techniques described herein. The
marine electronics device 110 may be any type of electrical and/or
electronics device capable of processing data via the computing
system 200. In one implementation, the marine electronics device
110 may be a marine instrument, such that the marine electronics
device 110 may use the computing system 200 to display and/or
process the one or more types of marine electronics data.
[0029] The marine electronics device 110 may be a conventional
desktop, a handheld device, personal digital assistant, a server
computer, electronic device/instrument, laptop, or tablet. It
should be noted, however, that other computer system configurations
may be used. The computing system 200 may include a central
processing unit (CPU) 230, a system memory 226, a graphics
processing unit (GPU) 231 and a system bus 228 that couples various
system components including the system memory 226 to the CPU 230.
Although only one CPU 230 is illustrated in FIG. 2, it should be
understood that in some implementations the computing system 200
may include more than one CPU 230.
[0030] The CPU 230 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller,
a processor, a programmable integrated circuit, or a combination
thereof. The CPU 230 can comprise an off-the-shelf processor such
as a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC), or a Microprocessor
without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) processor, or a
combination thereof. The CPU 230 may also include a proprietary
processor.
[0031] The GPU 231 may be a microprocessor specifically designed to
manipulate and implement computer graphics. The CPU 230 may offload
work to the GPU 231. The GPU 231 may have its own graphics memory,
and/or may have access to a portion of the system memory 226. As
with the CPU 230, the GPU 231 may include one or more processing
units, and each processing unit may include one or more cores.
[0032] The CPU 230 may provide output data to a GPU 231. The GPU
231 may generate graphical user interfaces that present the output
data. The GPU 231 may also provide objects, such as menus, in the
graphical user interface. A user may provide inputs by interacting
with the objects. The GPU 231 may receive the inputs from
interaction with the objects and provide the inputs to the CPU 230.
A video adapter 232 may be provided to convert graphical data into
signals for a monitor 234. The monitor 234 includes a screen 205.
In certain implementations, the screen 805 may be sensitive to
touching by a finger. In other implementations, the screen 805 may
be sensitive to the body heat from the finger, a stylus, or
responsive to a mouse.
[0033] The system bus 228 may be any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus
architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such
architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,
Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus,
Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine
bus. The system memory 226 may include a read only memory (ROM) 212
and a random access memory (RAM) 216. A basic input/output system
(BIOS) 214, containing the basic routines that help transfer
information between elements within the computing system 200, such
as during start-up, may be stored in the ROM 212.
[0034] The computing system 200 may further include a hard disk
drive interface 236 for reading from and writing to a hard disk
250, a memory card reader 252 for reading from and writing to a
removable memory card 256, and an optical disk drive 254 for
reading from and writing to a removable optical disk 258, such as a
CD ROM or other optical media. The hard disk 250, the memory card
reader 252, and the optical disk drive 254 may be connected to the
system bus 228 by a hard disk drive interface 236, a memory card
reader interface 238, and an optical drive interface 240,
respectively. The drives and their associated computer-readable
media may provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for
the computing system 200.
[0035] Although the computing system 200 is described herein as
having a hard disk, a removable memory card 256 and a removable
optical disk 258, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that the computing system 200 may also include other types of
computer-readable media that may be accessed by a computer. For
example, such computer-readable media may include computer storage
media and communication media. Computer storage media may include
volatile and non-volatile, and removable and non-removable media
implemented in any method or technology for storage of information,
such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program
modules or other data. Computer storage media may further include
RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash
memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile disks (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic
cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the
desired information and which can be accessed by the computing
system 200. Communication media may embody computer readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a
modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport
mechanism and may include any information delivery media. The term
"modulated data signal" may mean a signal that has one or more of
its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode
information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,
communication media may include wired media such as a wired network
or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic,
RF, infrared and other wireless media. The computing system 200 may
also include a host adapter 233 that connects to a storage device
235 via a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus, a Fiber
Channel bus, an eSATA bus, or using any other applicable computer
bus interface.
[0036] The computing system 200 can also be connected to a router
264 to establish a wide area network (WAN) 266 with one or more
remote computers 274. The router 264 may be connected to the system
bus 228 via a network interface 244. The remote computers 274 can
also include hard disks 272 that store application programs
270.
[0037] In another implementation, the computing system 200 may also
connect to the remote computers 274 via local area network (LAN)
276 or the WAN 266. When using a LAN networking environment, the
computing system 200 may be connected to the LAN 276 through the
network interface or adapter 244. The LAN 276 may be implemented
via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The LAN 276 may be
implemented using Wi-Fi.TM. technology, cellular technology,
Bluetooth.TM. technology, satellite technology, or any other
implementation known to those skilled in the art. The network
interface 244 may also utilize remote access technologies (e.g.,
Remote Access Service (RAS), Virtual Private Networking (VPN),
Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Layer 2 Tunneling (L2T), or any other
suitable protocol). These remote access technologies may be
implemented in connection with the remote computers 274. It will be
appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and
other means of establishing a communications link between the
computer systems may be used.
[0038] A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk
250, memory card 256, optical disk 258, ROM 212 or RAM 216,
including an operating system 218, one or more application programs
220, and program data 224. In certain implementations, the hard
disk 250 may store a database system. The database system could
include, for example, recorded points. The application programs 220
may include various mobile applications ("apps") and other
applications configured to perform various methods and techniques
described herein. The operating system 218 may be any suitable
operating system that may control the operation of a networked
personal or server computer.
[0039] A user may enter commands and information into the computing
system 200 through input devices such as buttons 262, which may be
physical buttons, virtual buttons, or combinations thereof. Other
input devices may include a microphone, a mouse, or the like (not
shown). These and other input devices may be connected to the CPU
230 through a serial port interface 242 coupled to system bus 228,
but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port,
game port or a universal serial bus (USB).
[0040] Certain implementations may be configured to be connected to
a GPS system 280, and/or a marine electronics system 278. The GPS
system 280, and/or marine electronics system 278 may be connected
via the network interface 244.
[0041] The marine electronics system 278 may include one or more
components disposed at various locations on the vessel. For
example, such components may include one or more data modules,
sensors, instrumentation, and/or any other devices known to those
skilled in the art which may transmit various types of data to the
marine electronics device 110 for processing and/or display. Such
sensors may be a paddlewheel sensor, a compass heading sensor, and
the like. In such an example, the paddlewheel sensor may transmit
speed data and the compass heading sensor may transmit heading data
to the marine electronics device 110.
[0042] The various types of data transmitted to the marine
electronics device 110 may include marine electronics data, vessel
data, and/or other data types known to those skilled in the art.
The marine electronics data received from the marine electronics
system 278 may include chart data, sonar data, structure data,
radar data, navigation data, water level data, wind data, data from
an internal and/or external GPS receiver, or any other type known
to those skilled in the art. Vessel data received from the marine
electronics system 278 may include data which relate to conditions
on board the vessel, such as fuel data, engine data, temperature
data, carbon monoxide data, data from sensors indicating a
functioning alternating current (AC) voltage, data from sensors
indicating an opened or closed door, and the like.
[0043] The marine electronics device 110 may receive external data
via the LAN 276 or the WAN 266. In one implementation, the external
data may relate to information not available from the marine
electronics system 278. The external data may be retrieved from the
Internet or any other source. The external data may include
atmospheric temperature, tidal data, weather, moon phase, sunrise,
sunset, water levels, historic fishing data, and other fishing
data.
[0044] In one implementation, the marine electronics device 110 may
be a multi-function display (MFD) unit, such that the marine
electronics device 110 may be capable of displaying and/or
processing multiple types of marine electronics data. FIG. 3
illustrates a schematic diagram of an MFD unit 300 in accordance
with implementations of various techniques described herein. In
particular, the MFD unit 300 may include the computing system 200,
the monitor 234, the screen 205, and the buttons 262 such that they
may be integrated into a single console.
[0045] In another implementation, the marine electronics device 110
may be a wearable electronic device used to record data such as
fishing statistics. FIG. 4 illustrates a wearable electronic device
400 in accordance with various implementations described herein.
The wearable electronic device 400 may be worn around a fisherman's
arm or wrist. The wearable electronic device 400 may also be
attached to a fishing rod. The wearable electronic device 400 may
include a housing 420. The housing 420 may be in the shape of a
band. The housing 420 may be made of a combination of plastics and
rubbers, or of any other synthetic material.
[0046] The wearable electronics device 400 may include one or more
buttons 410. The one or more buttons 410 may be used for user
input, such as to indicate the occurrence of a bite or catch, or to
input the length and weight of a caught fish. The wearable
electronics device 400 may contain motion sensors or other sensors.
Using the sensors, wearable electronics device 400 may capture
fishing statistics during a fishing trip. Wearable electronics
device 400 may count casts, determine the type of cast used,
determine the occurrence of a bite or catch, determine the weight
and length of a caught fish, the number of caught fish, or other
fishing statistics. The fishing statistics may be recorded in
memory. The wearable electronics device 400 may contain wireless
technology, such as Bluetooth.TM. or Wi-Fi.TM..
[0047] In one implementation, one or more other marine electronics
devices may transmit data to the marine electronics device 110. In
such an implementation, the other marine electronics device may use
wired or wireless technology to transmit its data, such as its
marine electronics data, to the marine electronics device 110. For
example, the other marine electronics device may be a wearable
electronic device 400, where the wearable electronic device 400 may
use wireless technology to transmit its recorded statistics to the
marine electronics device 110.
Server Computer
[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the marine electronics device 110 may
transmit data to the server computer 130. In particular, the marine
electronics device 110 may transmit marine electronics data, vessel
data, external data, data from other marine electronics devices,
and/or the like to the server computer 130. In one implementation,
the marine electronics device 110 may transmit a timestamp with the
data sent to the server computer 130, where the timestamp indicates
when the data was initially received by the marine electronics
device 110. In another implementation, the server computer 130 may
receive data from multiple marine electronics devices 110.
[0049] In one implementation, the marine electronics device 110 may
transmit data directly to the server computer 130 via a memory
card, Wi-Fi.TM. technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth.TM.
technology, satellite technology, or any other implementation known
to those skilled in the art. In such an implementation, the marine
electronics device 110 may transmit the data at specified
intervals, at the conclusion of a trip by a vessel, or combinations
thereof. In another implementation, the marine electronics device
110 may transmit the data to the server computer 130 once a
connection via Wi-Fi.TM. technology, cellular technology,
Bluetooth.TM. technology, or satellite technology has been
established.
[0050] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of the server
computer 130 having a computing system 500 in accordance with
implementations of various techniques described herein. The server
computer 130 may be a conventional desktop, a handheld device,
personal digital assistant, a server computer, electronic
device/instrument, laptop, tablet, or any other implementation
known to those skilled in the art. In one implementation, the
server computer 130 may be positioned at a different geographic
location than the marine electronics device 110. In another
implementation, the server computer 130 may be implemented using
cloud computing.
[0051] Generally, the server computer 130 and the computing system
500 include at least some components which have generally similar
functionality as those described with respect to the computing
system 200. In particular, the computing system 500 may include a
central processing unit (CPU) 530, a system memory 526, a graphics
processing unit (GPU) 531 and a system bus 528 that couples various
system components including the system memory 526 to the CPU 530,
and which operate similar to their respective counterparts in the
computing system 200. In addition, for some implementations, a user
may enter commands and information into the computing system 500
through input devices such as buttons 562. These and other input
devices may be connected to the CPU 530 through a serial port
interface 542 coupled to system bus 528, but may be connected by
other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal
serial bus (USB).
[0052] In addition, the computing system 500 may also connect to
remote computers 574 via LAN 576 or WAN 566. When using a LAN
networking environment, the computing system 500 may be connected
to the LAN 576 through the network interface or adapter 544. The
LAN 576 may be implemented via a wired connection or a wireless
connection. The LAN 576 may be implemented using Wi-Fi.TM.
technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth.TM. technology,
satellite technology, or any other implementation known to those
skilled in the art. The network interface 544 may also utilize
remote access technologies (e.g., Remote Access Service (RAS),
Virtual Private Networking (VPN), Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Layer
2 Tunneling (L2T), or any other suitable protocol). These remote
access technologies may be implemented in connection with the
remote computers 574. In one implementation, the LAN 576 may be the
same as the LAN 276, and the WAN 566 may be the same as the WAN
266, such that the marine electronics device 110 and the server
computer 130 may connect to one another via remote computing.
[0053] In one implementation, the server computer 130 may receive
external data via the LAN 576 or the WAN 566. The external data may
be retrieved from the Internet or any other source. The external
data may include atmospheric temperature, tidal data, weather, moon
phase, sunrise, sunset, water levels, historic fishing data, and
other fishing data.
Data Logger and Smart Device
[0054] In another implementation, the marine electronics device 110
may transmit data to the server computer 130 via the data logger
140. In particular, the data logger 140 may receive data from the
marine electronics device 110, store the data, and then transmit
the data to the server computer 130. The data logger 140 may be a
computing implementation with at least some components having
generally similar functionality as those described with respect to
the computing systems 200 and 500. In particular, the data logger
140 may include at least a processor, system memory, and networking
capability. The data logger 140 may be located on the vessel with
the marine electronics device 110. In one implementation, the data
logger 140 may transmit a timestamp with the data sent to the
server computer 130, where the timestamp indicates when the data
was initially received by the data logger 140.
[0055] In one implementation, the marine electronics device 110 may
transmit data directly to the data logger 140 via wired or wireless
technology. The marine electronics device 110 may transmit the data
at specified intervals, at the conclusion of a trip by a vessel, or
combinations thereof. In a further implementation, the marine
electronics device 110 may transmit the data to the data logger 140
once a connection via Wi-Fi.TM. technology, cellular technology,
Bluetooth.TM. technology, or satellite technology has been
established.
[0056] Similarly, in one implementation, the data logger 140 may
transmit this data to the server computer 130 via wireless
technology. In particular, the data logger 140 may transmit the
data to the server computer 130 once a connection via Wi-Fi.TM.
technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth.TM. technology, or
satellite technology has been established.
[0057] In some implementations, the data logger 140 may filter this
data prior to sending it to the server computer 130. In such an
implementation, the data logger 140 may remove marine electronics
data or vessel data which may fall within a normal operating range
for that data. For example, the data logger 140 may remove engine
data from the data to be sent to the server computer 130 if the
engine data indicates no abnormal conditions for an engine.
[0058] In yet another implementation, the marine electronics device
110 may transmit data to the server computer 130 via the smart
device 150. The smart device 150 may receive data from the marine
electronics device 110, store the data, and then transmit the data
to the server computer 130 in a similar manner as the data logger
140. The smart device 150 may be a handheld device, personal
digital assistant, electronic device/instrument, laptop, tablet, or
any other implementation known to those skilled in the art.
Usage Data
Transmitting Usage Data
[0059] In addition to the above-mentioned data, the marine
electronics device 110 may record and transmit usage data to the
server computer 130. In particular, the marine electronics device
110 may record usage data such as key input data, screen selection
data, features selection data, and other usage data known to those
skilled in the art. In one implementation, the marine electronics
device 110 may record timestamps for the usage data and transmit
the timestamps to the server computer 130 together with the usage
data. The timestamps may indicate when the usage data was initially
received by the marine electronics device 110.
[0060] Key input data may include data relating to keys or buttons
pushed by the user on the marine electronics device 110, such as
the buttons 262 (shown in FIG. 2). The key input data may indicate
a frequency of buttons being pushed, which software features were
assigned to the buttons, when the buttons were pushed, and the
like. In one implementation, the marine electronics device 110 may
use a key logger to obtain the key input data. Screen selection
data may include data relating to options selected by the user on a
touch screen of the marine electronics device 110. The screen
selection data may include data relating to which area of the touch
screen was selected, which software features were assigned to touch
screen options, when the touch screen selections were made, and the
like. Features selection data may include which software features
were selected, when the software features were selected, a
frequency of the selection of the software features, and the
like.
[0061] The usage data may be transmitted to the server computer 130
similarly to how the above-described data is transmitted. In
particular, the usage data may be sent from the marine electronics
device 110 to the server computer 130 either directly, via the data
logger 140, via the smart device 150, or combinations thereof. In
another implementation, and as similarly described above, the data
logger 140 may filter the usage data prior to sending it to the
server computer 130.
[0062] As similarly described above, in one implementation, the
marine electronics device 110 may transmit the usage data at
specified intervals, at the conclusion of a trip by a vessel, or
combinations thereof. In another implementation, the marine
electronics device 110 may transmit the usage data to the server
computer 130 once a connection via Wi-Fi.TM. technology, cellular
technology, Bluetooth.TM. technology, or satellite technology has
been established. In yet another implementation, the marine
electronics device 110 may send the usage data simultaneously with
the marine electronics data, vessel data, external data, data from
other marine electronics devices, and/or the like.
[0063] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 600 for
transmitting usage data in accordance with implementations of
various techniques described herein. In one implementation, method
600 may be performed by a computer implementation, such as a marine
electronics device 110 on board or proximate to a vessel. It should
be understood that while method 600 indicates a particular order of
execution of operations, in some implementations, certain portions
of the operations might be executed in a different order. Further,
in some implementations, additional operations or steps may be
added to the method 600. Likewise, some operations or steps may be
omitted.
[0064] At step 610, the marine electronics device 110 may receive
marine electronics data, vessel data, external data, and/or data
from other marine electronics devices. As mentioned above, the
marine electronics device 110 may receive the marine electronics
data, vessel data, and/or other data types from the marine
electronics system 278 (shown in FIG. 2). In another
implementation, the marine electronics device 110 may receive
external data via the LAN 276 or the WAN 266 (shown in FIG. 2).
[0065] At step 620, the marine electronics device 110 may record
usage data. In particular, the marine electronics device 110 may
record usage data such as key input data, screen selection data,
features selection data, and other usage data known to those
skilled in the art. In one implementation, the marine electronics
device 110 may record timestamps for the usage data.
[0066] At step 630, the marine electronics device 110 may transmit
the usage data and the marine electronics data, vessel data,
external data, and/or data from other marine electronics devices to
the server computer 130. In one implementation, the above data may
be sent from the marine electronics device 110 to the server
computer 130 either directly, via the data logger 140, via the
smart device 150, or combinations thereof.
Analyzing Usage Data
[0067] Once the usage data is sent to the server computer 130, the
usage data may be analyzed in conjunction with the marine
electronics data, the vessel data, external data, the data from
other marine electronics devices, and/or the like. In one
implementation, the usage data may be analyzed in terms of which
buttons, screen selections, or features of the marine electronics
device 110 were used, how they were used, when and where they were
used, the frequency in which they were used, conditions of the
vessel and the surrounding environment when they were used, the
success or failure of the features selected, and the like. In such
an implementation, the usage data may be analyzed using the
timestamps sent with the usage data and the timestamps sent with
the marine electronics data, the vessel data, external data, the
data from other marine electronics devices, and/or the like.
[0068] Such analysis may be used to provide context for the usage
data. Further, this analysis may be used to improve current
implementations of the marine electronics device 110 and/or other
devices, or may be used to develop newer implementations of the
marine electronics device 110 and/or other devices.
[0069] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 700 for
analyzing usage data in accordance with implementations of various
techniques described herein. In one implementation, method 700 may
be performed by a computer, such as a server computer 130. It
should be understood that while method 700 indicates a particular
order of execution of operations, in some implementations, certain
portions of the operations might be executed in a different order.
Further, in some implementations, additional operations or steps
may be added to the method 700. Likewise, some operations or steps
may be omitted.
[0070] At step 710, the server computer 130 may receive usage data
for a marine electronics device 110. In particular, the server
computer 130 may receive the usage data directly from the marine
electronics device 110, from the data logger 140, from the smart
device 150, or combinations thereof. In addition, the server
computer 130 may receive marine electronics data, vessel data,
external data, and/or data from other marine electronics devices
from the marine electronics device 110. In one implementation, the
server computer 130 may receive external data via the LAN 576 or
the WAN 566 (shown in FIG. 5). The external data may be retrieved
from the Internet or any other source.
[0071] At step 720, the server computer 130 may sort and/or clean
the usage data. In addition, the server computer 130 may sort
and/or clean the marine electronics data, vessel data, external
data, and/or data from other marine electronics devices. Sorting
and/or cleaning data may be performed to expedite analysis of the
data. In one implementation, the data received by the server
computer 130, including the usage data, may be sorted based on
their timestamps. In another implementation, the server computer
130 may filter the data received by the server computer 130,
including the usage data, similar to how the data logger 140 may
filter data.
[0072] At step 730, the server computer 130 may store the usage
data. In one implementation, the server computer 130 may store the
usage data in the system memory 526 (shown in FIG. 5). The server
computer 130 may also store the marine electronics data, vessel
data, external data, and/or data from other marine electronics
devices received from the marine electronics device 110.
[0073] At step 740, the server computer 130 may receive user
parameters for performing an analysis of the usage data. In one
implementation, the user parameters may define conditions for
performing a query on the stored usage data. In particular, the
user parameters for the query could be based on which buttons,
screen selections, or features of the marine electronics device 110
were used, how they were used, when and where they were used, the
frequency in which they were used, conditions of the vessel and the
surrounding environment when they were used, the success or failure
of the features selected, and the like. For example, the user
parameters may be used to perform a query for identifying the time
of day in which a feature was most frequently used.
[0074] At step 750, the server computer 130 may perform the
analysis on the usage data based on the user parameters. In one
implementation, the server computer 130 may perform a query. In
some implementations, the query may be either automated or manual,
depending on the user parameters. In another implementation, based
on the user parameters, the server computer 130 may also perform
the analysis on the marine electronics data, vessel data, external
data, and/or data from other marine electronics devices received
from the marine electronics device 110.
[0075] At step 760, the server computer 130 may produce an output
of the results of the analysis. The output may be in a variety of
different formats, such as lists, charts, graphs, or the like. The
output may provide information relating to the user parameters. For
example, the output may be the time of day at which a particular
feature was most frequently used.
[0076] In another implementation, the output may be used to provide
recommendations for the user of the marine electronics device 110.
In such an implementation, an automated analysis of the output
performed by the server computer 130, such as via an algorithm, may
provide the recommendations, which may include targeted services
and/or products. For example, the automated analysis may provide a
recommendation to target the user for sales of a fishing product
line based on the user's frequent use of fishing features of the
marine electronics device 110.
[0077] In yet another implementation, the output may be used to
provide recommendations and/or enhancements for implementations of
the marine electronics device 110 or other devices. In such an
implementation, the recommendations and/or enhancements may be
transmitted to the marine electronics device 110 from the server
computer 130. For example, the recommendations and/or enhancements
may be sent to the marine electronics device 110 to indicate that
fishing or sailing software on the marine electronics device 110
should be updated, to provide updated fishing statistics to the
user, to provide a notice of possible engine damage on the vessel,
or other information known to those skilled in the art.
[0078] In another implementation, the output may be used to improve
current implementations of the marine electronics device 110 or to
develop future implementations of the marine electronics device.
For example, an output of the usage data may indicate infrequent
use of a particular button on the marine electronics device 110.
Based on the output, future implementations of the marine
electronics device 110 may include a redesigned placement of the
button or may remove the button entirely. In another example, based
on the output, current implementations of the marine electronics
device 110 may be provided a refined user interface to allow for
more efficient use of the device.
[0079] In sum, implementations relating to usage data for a marine
electronics device 110, described above with respect to FIGS. 1-7,
may provide more accurate usage data to a server computer 130 than
compared to usage data compiled using consumer surveys. The usage
data acquired as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-7 may be
analyzed to provide information as to the most-used hardware and
software features of the marine electronics device 110. For
example, the usage data may be analyzed to determine whether a user
prefers buttons or touch screens when accessing the marine
electronics device 110. Analysis of the usage data may provide an
enhanced use of current and/or future implementations of the marine
electronics device 110. Such enhanced use may be provided through
improved functionality and/or targeted services provided to the
user based on the output of the analysis.
[0080] pow While the foregoing is directed to implementations of
various techniques described herein, other and further
implementations may be devised without departing from the basic
scope thereof, which may be determined by the claims that follow.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific
to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be
understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims
is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
[0081] Although the subject matter has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended
claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described
above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the
claims.
* * * * *