Patents by Inventor Christopher P. Ricci

Christopher P. Ricci has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20190386887
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a universal chassis that may be mounted in the head unit of a vehicle. The chassis may accept one or more modules that each have common dimensions. With a common form factor, the universal chassis is configurable as different modules with different functionality may be inserted into the chassis with ease.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Publication number: 20190347873
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, provisioning an amount of power for one or more vehicles can comprise receiving a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles. The request can indicate the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total. A set of management rules can be read from one or more databases. A set of service configuration information and a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles can also be read from one or more databases. One or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles can be determined based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information and an indication of the determined power sources can be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10427530
    Abstract: A system and method for charging a receiving vehicle, the system comprising: a receiving vehicle comprising an electrical storage unit; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit, the charging panel configured to receive a charge from a charging source and charge the electrical storage unit; and a vehicle controller configured to identify one or more charging sources and further configured to transmit a query to the one or more charging sources and receive at least charging data from the one or more charging sources; and one or more charging sources, each comprising: a charging plate configured to provide a charge to the charging panel; and a charging source controller configured to transmit at least charging data to the vehicle controller in response to the query; wherein if the vehicle controller determines that the charging data received is acceptable, the receiving vehicle is charged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10395440
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, provisioning an amount of power for one or more vehicles can comprise receiving a request indicating a requirement for an amount of power for the one or more vehicles. The request can indicate the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles individually or in total. A set of management rules can be read from one or more databases. A set of service configuration information and a set of vehicle specific information for the one or more vehicles can also be read from one or more databases. One or more power sources to meet the requirement for the amount of power for the one or more vehicles can be determined based on applying the management rules and using the set of service configuration information and the set of vehicle information and an indication of the determined power sources can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10388081
    Abstract: Systems of a vehicle and the operations thereof are provided. The vehicle can associate sensitive information for a user of the vehicle. Then, the vehicle can automatically provide the sensitive information for either the driver and/or passenger to a third party in an interaction with the third party. As such, user employ the automated systems of the vehicle for interactions with third parties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Publication number: 20190222484
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a vehicle implementing one or more processing modules. These modules are configured to connect and interface with the various buses in the vehicle, where the various buses are connected with the various components of the vehicle to facilitate information transfer among the vehicle components. Each processing module is further modularized with the ability to add and replace other functional modules now or in the future. These functional modules can themselves act as distinct vehicle components. Each processing modules may hand-off processing to other modules depending on its health, processing load, or by third-party control. Thus, the plurality of processing modules helps to implement a middleware point of control to the vehicle with redundancy in processing and safety and security awareness in their applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Christopher P. Ricci, Douglas W. Swartz
  • Patent number: 10354460
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for detecting a driver and passenger in a vehicle. The vehicle processor stores first and second sensitive information for the driver and passenger, respectively. In response to detecting the second presence of the passenger, provides a user interface for the passenger to enter the second sensitive information, receives and associates the second sensitive information with the vehicle and, while the vehicle is in motion, communicates with an external third party positioned along a selected route of the vehicle to perform a transaction on behalf of the passenger using the second sensitive information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10336194
    Abstract: Techniques for electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use are provided. In one embodiment, a system for aligning a charging panel of an electrical vehicle to receive a charge from an external source is provided, the system comprising a charging panel interconnected to the electrical vehicle; an actuator interconnected to the charging panel; a sensor configured to sense an alignment measurement between the charging panel and an external power source; and an alignment controller that receives the alignment measurement and determines a required alignment adjustment, wherein the charging panel may be adjusted to receive the charge from the external power source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10304261
    Abstract: A vehicle is provided that comprises two or more radio frequency (RF) antennas and two or more RF transceivers to communicate wirelessly sensitive information associated with a user of the vehicle (the two or more RF antennas being at different physical locations on an exterior of the vehicle). The vehicle determines which one of the two or more RF antennas is receiving a strongest signal from a common signal source, selects a first RF transceiver associated with the RF antenna with the strongest signal to send the sensitive information associated with the user to the common signal source, and sends the sensitive information associated with the user to the first RF transceiver for transmission to the common signal source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10275959
    Abstract: Methods and systems for tracking user behavior, the user behavior including one or more of: one or more user actions and one or more user interactions with a vehicle. A storage system stores the user behavior, where the tracked user behavior is associated with a driver and the storage system is capable of storing the tracked behavior for the driver from a plurality of vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10262469
    Abstract: Controlling availability of features of a vehicle can be based on a set of initial parameters, with each parameter related to a feature of the vehicle and defining availability of the feature. The set of initial parameters can define at least one feature of the vehicle as unavailable but further define the unavailability of the at least one feature of the vehicle as overridable upon detection of an emergency condition by the control system of the vehicle. The control system of the vehicle can apply the set of initial parameters to operations of the vehicle to control. At another time, a set of updated parameters with at least one parameter having a different value than the initial set of parameters can be applied by the control system of the vehicle to control operations of the vehicle based on levels indicated by the set of updated parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10252631
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are provided for establishing communications between a vehicle and charging system. The communications may include charge request messages sent by or received from the vehicle defining charge particulars, such as, a charge type, charging locations, charging orientation, and/or other information corresponding to charging requirements for the requesting vehicle. The charging system can respond to the charge request messages accepting or denying the vehicle charging request. In response to accepting the request message, the charging system provides charge to the vehicle in accordance with the charge particulars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10220717
    Abstract: Techniques for electric vehicle systems, and in particular to an electric vehicle emergency charging system and method of use. In one embodiment, a system for charging a moving electric vehicle is disclosed, the system comprising: an electrical storage unit disposed on the electric vehicle; a charging panel in electrical communication with the electrical storage unit; a vehicle controller that determines if the electrical storage unit requires charging and configured to determine if an emergency external power source is available to charge the electrical storage unit; wherein the charging panel receives the charge from the emergency external power source and charges the electrical storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10214112
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are provided for establishing communications between a vehicle and charging system. The communications may include charge request messages sent by or received from the vehicle defining charge particulars, such as, a charge type, charging locations, charging orientation, and/or other information corresponding to charging requirements for the requesting vehicle. The charging system can respond to the charge request messages accepting or denying the vehicle charging request. In response to accepting the request message, the charging system provides charge to the vehicle in accordance with the charge particulars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10189363
    Abstract: Techniques for electric vehicle systems, and in particular to electric vehicle charging systems and associated methods of use are provided. In one embodiment, a system for charging an electric vehicle comprises an electrical storage unit, an external power source, a charging panel, and a vehicle controller configured to determine if the electrical storage unit requires charging and configured to determine if conditions allow for deployment of a charging panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10183584
    Abstract: A rechargeable electric vehicle comprises a power rectifier to convert alternating current electrical energy to direct current electrical energy; a power inverter to convert direct current electrical energy to alternating current electrical energy; a rechargeable energy storage for storing direct current electrical energy; and a coil. In a first mode, alternating current electrical energy is received by the coil and passed through the power rectifier to form direct current electrical energy for storage in the rechargeable energy storage. In a second mode, direct current electrical energy is passed through the power inverter to form alternating current electrical energy and the alternating current electrical energy is passed through the coil for wireless transfer, over an air gap, to a secondary coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10177986
    Abstract: Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure includes a universal chassis that may be mounted in the head unit of a vehicle. The chassis may accept one or more modules that each have common dimensions. With a common form factor, the universal chassis is configurable as different modules with different functionality may be inserted into the chassis with ease.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10171529
    Abstract: A vehicle communication system and method for allowing a user device to stream content to a vehicle display is provided. The communication system receives a request from the user device, approves or denies a user request to connect to the vehicle display, and facilitates streaming of an application running on the user device to the vehicle display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: AUTOCONNECT HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10166875
    Abstract: Methods, devices, and systems are provided to shield a passenger compartment of an electric vehicle from electromagnetic fields present during a wireless charging process. A charging system may include a shield portion between the charging plate and a passenger compartment of the electric vehicle. The shield portion may include at least two states, a first state being a non-deployed state and a second state being a deployed state and the shield portion is configured to attenuate an electromagnetic field provided by the charging system when in the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 10160339
    Abstract: A control system for a power grid includes a grid load availability evaluator that determines, for a selected time interval, an amount of electrical energy from a power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable electric vehicles by a plurality of charging segments positioned along transportation routes in a transportation network and a switching fabric to regulate, over the selected time interval, the electrical energy provided by the charging segments in accordance with the determined amount of electrical energy from the power grid that can be used to charge rechargeable vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci