Patent Publication Number: US-2021192608-A1

Title: Automated System for Car Access in Retail Environment

Description:
FIELD OF USE 
     Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to electronic devices. More specifically, aspects of the disclosure may provide for systems and methods for unlocking vehicles with limited human interaction. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Potential customers that are shopping for a vehicle are typically required to work directly with an auto dealership employee to get access to a vehicle located on the parking lots or other locations of automobile dealers. To get access to a vehicle to browse its interior, a potential customer has to locate an auto dealership employee and ensure that they are available to assist the customer. Often times the potential customer is required to provide personal information to the auto dealership employee before they are allowed to browse the interior of a vehicle. Additionally, in order to browse multiple vehicles, the potential customer may have to spend an extended time with the auto dealership employee, answering questions while they are attempting to review the interiors of the vehicles. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary of various aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of the claims. The following summary merely presents some concepts in a simplified form as an introductory prelude to the more detailed description provided below. 
     Aspects discussed herein may provide a computer-implemented method for facilitating access to the interior of one or more vehicles in a retail environment. The method may utilize modern technology to provide a pre-qualified user with access to a vehicle without the need for an in-person salesman, while managing inventory and vehicle access. 
     In accordance with one aspect, a method may include receiving, from a user device, customer information corresponding to a customer, the customer information including at least identity information; determining, based on the customer information, a first set of vehicles for which the customer has been pre-qualified to finance, the first set of vehicles comprising at least one vehicle of a first model. The method may also include receiving dealership information from a plurality of vehicle dealerships, the dealership information comprising an inventory of the respective vehicle dealership, wherein a first vehicle dealership has a corresponding inventory comprising a plurality of vehicles including a first vehicle matching the first model; and determining that the first vehicle dealership is within a geographic threshold of the customer. The method may further include validating, with at least a portion of the identity information, a user device of the customer to establish a validated user device; and pre-provisioning the validated user device with a digital master key to create a provisioned user device configured to provide the user device with access rights to each vehicle within the corresponding inventory of the first vehicle dealership. 
     Corresponding apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are also within the scope of the disclosure. For example, in accordance with other aspects, computing devices may include at least one processor with a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to execute steps such as those described above. 
     These features, along with many others, are discussed in greater detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts an example of a computing device that may be used in implementing one or more aspects of the disclosure in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; 
         FIG. 2  depicts an example environment in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; 
         FIG. 3  depicts an example network in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; 
         FIG. 4  depicts an alternative example environment in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a flow diagram of an example method for facilitating a user unlocking and browsing a vehicle with limited human interaction, in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein; 
         FIG. 6  depicts a flow diagram of another example method for facilitating a user unlocking and browsing a vehicle with limited human interaction, in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Aspects of the disclosure are capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Rather, the phrases and terms used herein are to be given their broadest interpretation and meaning. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. 
     By way of introduction, aspects discussed herein may relate to systems, methods, techniques, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer readable media for accessing vehicles with minimal human interaction. For example, a customer may be pre-qualified to finance a first set of vehicles. A first vehicle dealership within a geographic threshold of the customer may have an inventory that includes a vehicle for which the customer is pre-qualified. A user device of the customer may be validated and pre-provisioned with a digital master key to create a provisioned user device to provide the user device with access rights to each vehicle within the inventory of the first vehicle dealership. As discussed further herein, this combination of features may allow a user to open and browse an interior of one or more vehicles. 
     Before discussing these concepts in greater detail, however, several examples of a computing device that may be used in implementing and/or otherwise providing various aspects of the disclosure will first be discussed with respect to  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one example of a computing device  101  that may be used to implement one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein. For example, computing device  101  may, in some embodiments, implement one or more aspects of the disclosure by reading and/or executing instructions and performing one or more actions based on the instructions. In some embodiments, computing device  101  may represent, be incorporated in, and/or include various devices such as a desktop computer, a computer server, a mobile device (e.g., a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, any other types of mobile computing devices, and the like), and/or any other type of data processing device. 
     Computing device  101  may, in some embodiments, operate in a standalone environment. In others, computing device  101  may operate in a networked environment. As shown in  FIG. 1 , various network nodes  101 ,  105 ,  107 , and  109  may be interconnected via a network  103 , such as the Internet. Other networks may also or alternatively be used, including private intranets, corporate networks, LANs, wireless networks, personal networks (PAN), and the like. Network  103  is for illustration purposes and may be replaced with fewer or additional computer networks. A local area network (LAN) may have one or more of any known LAN topology and may use one or more of a variety of different protocols, such as Ethernet. Devices  101 ,  105 ,  107 ,  109  and other devices (not shown) may be connected to one or more of the networks via twisted pair wires, coaxial cable, fiber optics, radio waves or other communication media. 
     As seen in  FIG. 1 , computing device  101  may include a processor  111 , RAM  113 , ROM  115 , network interface  117 , input/output interfaces  119  (e.g., keyboard, mouse, display, printer, etc.), and memory  121 . Processor  111  may include one or more computer processing units (CPUs), graphical processing units (GPUs), and/or other processing units such as a processor adapted to perform computations associating smart key storage devices with vehicle keys, tracking the status of vehicle keys based on sensor data received from the smart key storage devices, generating vehicle access for a user (e.g., for a test drive), tracking vehicle locations, calculating directions to/from a vehicle, and other functions. I/O  119  may include a variety of interface units and drives for reading, writing, displaying, and/or printing data or files. I/O  119  may be coupled with a display such as display  120 . Memory  121  may store software for configuring computing device  101  into a special purpose computing device in order to perform one or more of the various functions discussed herein. Memory  121  may store operating system software  123  for controlling overall operation of computing device  101 , control logic  125  for instructing computing device  101  to perform aspects discussed herein. Furthermore, memory  121  may store various databases and applications depending on the particular use, for example, vehicle database  127 , qualification engine  129 , user assessment engine  131 , and other applications  133  may be stored in a memory of a computing device used at a server system that will be described further below. Control logic  125  may be incorporated in and/or may comprise a linking engine that updates, receives, and/or associates various information stored in the memory  121  (e.g., smart key storage device identifiers, vehicle and vehicle key identifiers, locking information, statuses, location information, directional information, etc.). In other embodiments, computing device  101  may include two or more of any and/or all of these components (e.g., two or more processors, two or more memories, etc.) and/or other components and/or subsystems not illustrated here. 
     Devices  105 ,  107 ,  109  may have similar or different architecture as described with respect to computing device  101 . Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the functionality of computing device  101  (or device  105 ,  107 ,  109 ) as described herein may be spread across multiple data processing devices, for example, to distribute processing load across multiple computers, to segregate transactions based on geographic location, user access level, quality of service (QoS), etc. For example, devices  101 ,  105 ,  107 ,  109 , and others may operate in concert to provide parallel computing features in support of the operation of control logic  125  and/or software  127 . 
     One or more aspects discussed herein may be embodied in computer-usable or readable data and/or computer-executable instructions, such as in one or more program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices as described herein. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types when executed by a processor in a computer or other device. The modules may be written in a source code programming language that is subsequently compiled for execution, or may be written in a scripting language such as (but not limited to) HTML or XML. The computer executable instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid state memory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may be embodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such as integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and the like. Particular data structures may be used to more effectively implement one or more aspects discussed herein, and such data structures are contemplated within the scope of computer executable instructions and computer-usable data described herein. Various aspects discussed herein may be embodied as a method, a computing device, a data processing system, or a computer program product. 
     Having discussed several examples of computing devices which may be used to implement some aspects as discussed further below, discussion will now turn to an illustrative environment and network for unlocking and browsing vehicles with minimal human interaction. 
       FIG. 2  depicts an example environment such as an auto dealership  200  in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein. In at least one aspect, a user  222 , via a mobile device  224  (e.g., a smartphone), has accessed a credit server  323  in order to get pre-qualified for a loan amount and/or one or more vehicles located at dealership  200 . User  222  may, in some embodiments, request pre-qualification for a particular make and model, or a particular type of vehicle, such as a sedan, a pickup truck, or an SUV, for example. User  222  may also request that they get pre-qualified for one or more vehicles with that have a particular attribute or feature, such as a sunroof, heated seats, or air conditioning, for example. 
     In certain embodiments, the user  222  may utilize a device other than mobile device  224  to access credit server  323 , such as a personal computer, tablet computer, laptop, or the like, which may include at least some of the features described herein. The mobile device  224  may belong to a user seeking to utilize systems and methods described herein, and may be used to send requests to and/or receive notifications from credit server  323 , e.g., via an application and/or a program hosted, managed, and/or otherwise controlled by credit server  323 . Credit server  323  may be operated by a credit card company, bank, or other financial institution that is in a position to extend credit to user  222 . It is to be appreciated that in certain embodiments user  222  may access credit server  323  to get pre-qualified before they arrive at dealership  200 , while in other embodiments user  222  may access credit server  323  to get pre-qualified while they are at dealership  200 . 
     Once the user  222  has been pre-qualified by credit server  323 , a notification may be sent by credit server  323  to dealer server  202  that user  222  is pre-qualified for one or more vehicles. User  222  may then be authorized by dealer server  202  to unlock and browse one more vehicles at dealership  200  using their mobile device  224  with minimal human interaction. Dealer server  202  may send a digital master key to mobile device  224  of user  222 , which will pre-provision mobile device  224 , thereby allowing user  222  to unlock but not start one more vehicles at dealership  200 . 
     For example, the user  222  may have been pre-qualified for vehicles  208 A-B, but not vehicle  208 C. Dealer server  202  may then send a signal to an application running on mobile device  224 , which will provide mobile device  224  of user  222  with a digital master key, thereby pre-provisioning mobile device  224  to create a provisioned device. The digital master key on mobile device  224  will then allow user  222  to unlock and browse vehicles  208 A-B, but not vehicle  208 C. User  222  advantageously may unlock and browse vehicles  208 A-B without the need to interact with a salesperson or any other individual at dealership  200 . The digital master key on mobile device  224  may be configured to wirelessly transmit unlock and lock instructions to vehicles  208 A-B, allowing user  222  to access and browse each of vehicles  208 A-B. 
     In certain embodiments, the digital master key will automatically unlock each of vehicles  208 A-B when user  222  with mobile device  224  approaches and is close proximity to the respective vehicles  208 A-B. In certain embodiments, the digital master key will unlock each of vehicles  208 A-B when user places mobile device  224  in close proximity to a sensor on vehicles  208 A-B. In other embodiments, user  222  may activate an application running on mobile device  224  to unlock vehicles  208 A-B. 
     In certain embodiments, the digital master key on mobile device  224  may allow user  222  to limited access to one or more of vehicles  208 A-B. That is, the digital master key on mobile device  224  may restrict the access by user  222  to only portions of one or more vehicles at dealership  200 . For example, digital master key on mobile device  224  may allow user  222  to unlock the door, glove compartment, and trunk of vehicle  208 A, but only unlock the door and trunk, but not the glove compartment, of vehicle  208 B. This may allow dealership to protect items locked in the glove compartment of vehicle  208 B, for example. 
     In the illustrated example, for simplicity only three vehicles  208 A-C are illustrated, with user  222  being pre-qualified for two of the three vehicles. It is to be appreciated that dealership  200  could have a large number of vehicles, on the order of dozens or more vehicles, with user  222  being pre-qualified for many more than two vehicles. The number of vehicles for which user  222  has been pre-qualified is not intended to be limited by any factors beyond those used during the pre-qualification process. 
     In certain embodiments, the digital master key on mobile device  224  may be operable for a limited time period. The time period may be determined, for example, on the availability of the user to view vehicles at a particular time. Thus, user  222  may arrange to be at dealership  200  for one or more particular windows of time on one or more particular days. In such a case the digital master key on mobile device  224  may only be active for those particular windows of time. 
     In other embodiments, dealership  200  may restrict the availability of vehicles for user  222  to view to a certain time period. In certain embodiments, the time period may be dependent on availability of the vehicles for viewing at dealership  200 . In such a case, dealership  200  may have a particular window of time in which the vehicles for which user  222  is pre-qualified are available to be viewed, in which case a notification may be sent from dealer server  223  to user  222  informing them of the window of time in which digital master key will be active on mobile device  224  of user  222 . 
     It is to be appreciated that the digital master key on mobile device  224  may be invalidated or voided by dealership  200  at any time. For example, if one or more of vehicles  208 A-B for which user  222  has been provided with a digital master key becomes unavailable for viewing (e.g., vehicle  208 A has been sold, has been taken out on a test drive, or is being serviced) before user  222  has unlocked the vehicle, a void message may be sent by dealer server  223  to mobile device  224  of user  222 , thereby removing the access rights to the unavailable vehicle  208 A, but still allowing user  222  access to vehicle  208 B. In such an embodiment, dealer server  223  may send a message to mobile device  224 , alerting user  222  of the unavailability of vehicle  208 A, as well as indicating to user  222  which other vehicles at dealership  200  for which user  222  has been pre-qualified and may unlock and browse. Similarly, when user  222  has completed browsing the vehicles that they are interested in at dealership  200 , a void message may be sent by dealer server  223  to mobile device  224  of user  222 , thereby removing the access rights to all vehicles for which mobile device  224  has been provided unlocking capability. 
     In other embodiments, the access rights to unlock the vehicles may be maintained at dealer server  223 , and digital master key on mobile device  224  may maintain communication with dealer server  223  while the digital master key is activated. In such an embodiment, dealer server  223  can void access rights to the vehicles at dealer server  223 , at which point the digital master key on mobile device  224  would be deactivated. 
     Dealer server  223  may maintain the availability of access rights for the digital master key on mobile device  224  for a predetermined time, e.g., between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on a particular day. In such an embodiment, user  222  would be free to unlock and browse vehicles  208 A-B during that time window. At the end of that window of time, dealer server  223  may deactivate the digital master key on mobile device  224 . 
     In order to access the particular vehicles  208 A-B they are to browse, user  222  needs to know which specific parking spots vehicles  208 A-B are parked in. In some embodiments, a physical marker may be located on the vehicle and/or near a parking space. The physical marker may be stationary (e.g., a sticker having a fixed barcode) or dynamic (e.g., an electronic display, such as an e-ink display, configured to display a barcode). A dynamic physical marker may be updated or changed, e.g., by dealer server  202 . 
     In at least another illustrative aspect, a vehicle  208 A may be able to determine the relative location of a parking spot (e.g., parking spot  206 A). The vehicle  208 A may include an image sensor. For example, an image sensor may be present in an autonomous or semi-autonomous driving system, such as a lane-monitoring system installed on the front of the vehicle. In another example, an image sensor may be a mobile unit installed in the vehicle, such as camera module adhered to a windshield (e.g., a dash cam). In yet another example, an image sensor may be a mobile device, such as a phone, that is tethered to the vehicle. Physical markers  212 A- 212 C may be installed at parking spot systems at, adjacent to, or associated with each parking spot  206 A- 206 C. One or more image sensors may scan, read, or capture data from the physical markers  212 A- 212 C. The image sensors may be located within a vehicle that can be parked in the corresponding parking spot, or may be located within the mobile device  224 . In order to allow a vehicle&#39;s image sensor to scan, read, or capture data from physical markers  212 A- 212 C with ease, the physical markers  212 A- 212 C may be appropriately positioned to face the vehicle, e.g., via stands  210 A- 210 C. A location sensor (not shown) in the parking spot system may transmit locational information of the parking spot so that the user  222  can be informed of the location of the user&#39;s vehicle  208 A-B. 
     In at least another illustrative aspect, a user  222  may be able to locate and obtain directions to the vehicles  208 A-B. Dealer server  202  may authenticate user  222  via the user&#39;s mobile device  224 , and/or may determine that vehicles  208 A-B are associated with the user  222  for this visit to dealership  200 . Dealer server  202  may obtain the location of vehicles  208 A-B, e.g., from a location sensor. Dealer server  202  may then guide user  222  using an augmented reality (AR) application on the user&#39;s mobile device  224  to vehicles  208 A-B. 
     Once the user has located vehicle  208 A and or  208 B, a user  222  may be able to lock or unlock the requested vehicle via the digital master key that has been loaded on the user&#39;s mobile device  224 . 
     It is to be appreciated that after viewing a particular vehicle at dealership  200 , user  222  may wish to test drive that particular vehicle. In such an embodiment, user  222  could contact a sales representative or other individual at dealership  200 , provide necessary identification (e.g., a driver&#39;s license) and get authorization to test drive a vehicle. Dealer server  202  could update the digital master key residing on mobile device  224  of user  222  to allow the particular vehicle to be started by user  222  so that they may test drive the vehicle. 
       FIG. 3  depicts an example network  300  in accordance with one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein. Each component or subcomponent shown in  FIG. 3  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of the two. Additionally, each component or subcomponent may include a computing device (or system) having some or all of the structural components described above for computing device  101 . At a high level, the network  300  may include, for example, one or more mobile devices (e.g., mobile device  302 ), one or more parking spot systems (e.g., parking spot system  318 ), one or more vehicle systems (e.g., vehicle  334 ), one or more credit server systems (e.g., credit server  323 ) and one or more server systems (e.g., dealer server system  223 ). The mobile device  302  (e.g., a “user device”) may comprise a mobile phone (e.g., smartphone), personal computer, tablet computer, laptop, or the like, which may include at least some of the features described herein. The mobile device  302  may belong to a user seeking to utilize systems and methods described herein, and may be used to send requests to and/or receive notifications from server system  223 , e.g., via an application and/or program hosted, managed, and/or otherwise controlled by the server system  223 . For example, the mobile device  302  may be used to request access to a smart key storage device, such as smart key storage device  328 , to be able to remove a stored vehicle key to test drive a vehicle, such as the vehicle associated with vehicle system  334 . The mobile device  302  may be a computing device distinct from the parking spot system  318 , or the dealer server system  223 . 
     According to some aspects of the disclosure described herein, the mobile device  302  may comprise one or more components or features described below. Through a communications interface  312 , the mobile device may be able to form wired and/or wireless data connections with other computing systems and devices, such as the one or more components of the parking spot system  318 , the vehicle  334 , and the server system  223 , as described further below, via an internet and/or other telecommunications network (e.g., network  390 ). The mobile device  302  may include various sensors  304  configured to capture physical data (e.g., from physical markers); collect locational, geographical, and/or movement information; and/or transmit data. For example, the mobile device  302  may comprise a built-in or connected image sensor  308  (e.g., a camera, a scanner, etc.) that may scan and/or generate image and/or video data. A user may operate image sensor  308  to capture image and/or video data including a physical marker associated with parking sport system  318  and/or vehicle system  334 , for example, a linear barcode, a matrix (2D) barcode (e.g., Aztec Code, augmented reality (AR) code, data matrix, quick response (QR) code, etc.) associated with a device and/or system. The sensors  304  within the mobile device may further include one or more orientation sensors  310  (e.g., gyrometer, solid-state gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, etc.) to measure a measure acceleration, direction, and/or rotation of the vehicle. Furthermore, the sensors  304  may include a location sensor  306  (e.g., global positioning system (GPS)) to determine a location of the mobile device. Other types of sensors may also be downloaded as applications  316 . The mobile device  302  may also store user-specific identifying information within its memory (not shown), which can be accessed by or sent to the server  223 , e.g., as metadata. 
     The user interface  314  may be a display coupled with input devices (e.g., keyboard, type pad, touch screen, mouse, buttons, icons, microphone, sensors, etc.) that allows a user to send requests, input information and/or view information. For example, the user interface  314  may allow user  222  to send a request to credit server system  223  requesting pre-qualification for vehicles or vehicle types that user  222  is interested in browsing. 
     Additionally, user interface  314  may allow user  222  to send a request to the dealer server system  223  regarding browsing vehicles. The user interface  314  may then display instructions to the user regarding the location of the dealership and where the vehicles in question are parked. The mobile device  302  may also run programs or applications  316  on a user interface  314 . One application or program may enable a user to use the systems and methods described herein to unlock and browse a vehicle with limited human interaction. The application or program may be provided to the user device or hosted by server  223  (e.g., via an application program interface (API)  366 ). In some implementations, the mobile device  302  may include one or more subcomponents of computing device  101 , shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The parking spot system  318  may include one or more devices, computing systems, or sensors at, adjacent to, or associated with a parking spot of a vehicle. The parking spot system  318  may include one or more of the features and components described below. The parking spot system  318  may include various sensors  320  configured to capture physical data (e.g., from a physical marker on mobile device  302  or on a vehicle parked in a vehicle spot at, adjacent to, or associated with the parking spot system  318 ); collect locational or geographical information (e.g., via location sensor  324 ); and/or transmit sensor data. For example, the parking spot system  318  may include a built-in or affixed image sensor  326  (e.g., a camera, a scanner, etc.) that may scan and/or generate image and/or video data. These data may include, for example, a linear barcode, a matrix (2D) barcode (e.g., QR code, AR code, etc.). Thus, a user may present a mobile device with a downloaded or displayed physical marker to the image sensor  326  so that the image sensor can capture or register a requisite image or video data (e.g., linear barcode, matrix barcode, etc.). In some implementations, as a vehicle is being parked into a parking spot at, adjacent to, or otherwise associated with the parking spot system  318 , the image sensor  326  may be able to detect a physical marker on the vehicle. 
     The parking spot system  318  may include a communications interface  330  to establish wireless, wired, or network connections with one or more other systems (e.g., the mobile device  302 , the server system  223 , the vehicle systems  334 , etc.) 
     The parking spot system  318  may further comprise a physical marker  332 . The physical marker  332  may be a linear barcode (e.g., universal product code (UPC)), matrix barcode (e.g., QR code, AR code, etc.), or an RFID tag. The physical marker  332  may be utilized by a scanner, image sensor, and/or reader, e.g., on the mobile device  302  or the vehicle. For example, a user seeking to obtain a vehicle key from the smart key storage device  328  may be instructed to present scan, capture, and/or register the physical marker  332  (e.g., a QR code) using an image sensor  308  of the mobile device  302 . The image sensor may be used by an application  316 . 
     The vehicle  334  may include one or more devices, computing systems, circuitry or sensors that are interior to, exterior to, or otherwise associated with a vehicle. The parking spot system  318  may include one or more of the features and components described below, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the vehicle  334  may include various sensors  334  configured to capture a state of the vehicle (e.g., parking sensor  346 ); collect locational or geographical information (e.g., location sensor  348 ); scan, read, or capture image or video (e.g., image sensor  350 ); and/or transmit sensor data. For example, a parking sensor  346  may detect when a vehicle is being parked or is in a “parked” state. The parking sensor  346  may be an accelerometer that recognizes a vehicle parking based on a change in acceleration of a component of the vehicle (e.g., that the vehicle has ceased movement for a threshold time). Also or alternatively, the parking sensor  346  may be an image sensor reading when an indicator for parking is turned on, or a sensor (e.g., an ODBII-compatible sensor) that detects a change in a mechanical structure of the vehicle (e.g., brakes, clutch, etc.) as the vehicle is parked. The vehicle  334  may include a location sensor (e.g., a global positioning service (GPS)) to capture and present a location of the vehicle. In some implementations, the vehicle  334  may include an image sensor  350  that scans, reads, or captures a physical marker at a parking spot (e.g., physical marker  332  of the parking spot system  318 ), as the vehicle parks or approaches the parking spot. From data captured from the physical marker  332 , the image sensor  350  may allow the server system  223  to determine the locational information of the parking spot. For example, the server system  223  may have a list of known locations associated with identifiers and other data captured by sensors from physical markers. As discussed herein, there may be a physical marker located on one or more of the parking spot system (e.g., physical marker  332 ), or the vehicle system  334  (e.g., physical marker  342 ), according to some aspects of the present disclosure. 
     Additionally, or alternatively, the vehicle may include a physical marker, e.g., physical marker  342 , which may comprise a linear barcode, matrix barcode, RFID tag, etc. Thus, in some aspects, a user could rely on an image sensor  326  of the parking spot system  318  to scan a physical marker on the vehicle (e.g., physical marker  342 ), rather than use the mobile device&#39;s image sensor  308  to scan a physical marker  332  of the parking spot system  318 . Thus, the parking spot system  318  may comprise an image sensor  326  that may scan the physical marker  342  to determine if/where the vehicle  334  is parked. This may be an alternative to the vehicle  334  recording the physical marker  332 . The physical marker may be stationary (e.g., a sticker having a fixed barcode) or dynamic (e.g., an electronic display configured to display a barcode). For example, a dynamic physical marker may be updated or changed by the vehicle  334  and/or by one or more external systems (e.g., mobile device  302 , parking spot system  318 , server system  223 , etc.). In some implementations, a sensor  320  from the parking spot system  318  (e.g., image sensor  326 ) or a sensor  304  from the mobile device  302  may scan, read, and/or capture data from physical marker  342 . 
     The vehicle  334  may also include a user interface to allow user  222  to view sensor data (e.g., location, vehicle state, parking spot information, etc.) received from the above-described sensors, or communicate with external systems. The vehicle  334  may send information to or receive information from other systems (e.g., the mobile device  302 , the parking spot system  318 , the server system  223 , etc.) over a network  390 , via communications interface  336 . The communications interface  336  may comprise a wireless communications interface, such as a cellular connection (e.g., LTE, 5G), a Wi-Fi connection (e.g., Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6), or a Bluetooth tether to a mobile device  302 . 
     The server system  223  may comprise one or more remote, local, and/or connected computing systems or servers managing one or more functions of the above-described systems (e.g., the mobile device  302 , the parking spot system  318 , the vehicle  334 , etc.) to facilitate methods and systems described herein. For example, in some implementations, server  223  may be connected to the parking spot system  318 . At a high level, the server system may comprise one or more databases  354 , application program interfaces (APIs)  366 , a linking engine  376 , an update interface  378 , and a communications interface  380 . The update interface  378  and linking engine  376  may form a database management application, software, or plug-in that may be used to perform create, read, update, or destroy (CRUD) functions with respect to data stored in the one or more databases  354 . For example, the linking engine  376  may be used to form associations or link suitable data from different databases together, and/or to create new data based on associations or linkages. The update interface  378  may be used to update databases (e.g., by adding or deleting) data stored in the one or more databases  354  based on instructions from other parts of the server system  223  (e.g., computer readable instructions stored in memory of an API) or information received from one or more external systems (e.g., the mobile device  302 , the parking spot system  318 , the vehicle  334 , etc.). The server system  223  may send information to or receive information from the external systems over a network  390  via communications interface  336 . 
     Dealer server system  223  may include one or more databases described below. For example, the sever system  223  may include a database of known parking spots  362 , e.g., based on a geographic region. For example, the database of parking spots  362  may store identifiers of parking spots within a predetermined distance from a designated address or location. The address or location may be based on the location of a user, which can be found using a location sensor, e.g., of the mobile device  302  or of the vehicle system  334 . Thus, a database of parking spots  362  for the example environment illustrated in  FIG. 2  may include identifiers of parking spots  206 A- 206 C. 
     Also or additionally, sever system  223  may include a database of vehicle profiles  358 . The vehicle profiles may identify vehicles, e.g., by vehicle identification numbers, license plate numbers, and/or or other vehicle descriptors. In some examples, a vehicle may be identified based on an identifier of its vehicle key (e.g., a vehicle key ID). The list of vehicles may depend on the systems and methods for which the server  223  is being utilized. For example, the vehicle profiles database  358  may identify vehicles that one or more users may unlock and browse with limited human interaction based on systems and methods described herein. 
     The server system  223  may include one or more APIs described below. The server system  223  may include, e.g., an API for an application for unlocking vehicles using a mobile device (e.g., vehicle unlock API  368 ), an API for an application for tracking a parking location using a parking sensor (e.g., parking location API  370 ), and/or an API for an application for finding a vehicle using a mobile device (e.g., vehicle finder API  372 ). 
     Credit server  323  may comprise one or more remote, local, and/or connected computing systems or servers managing one or more functions of the above-described systems (e.g., a qualification engine  327 , a user assessment engine  329 , etc.) to facilitate methods and systems described herein. For example, in some implementations, credit server  223  may be connected to the dealer server system  223  and user device  302 . At a high level, the server system may comprise a vehicle database  325  of vehicles available at auto dealerships, and a communications interface  321 . Credit server  323  may send information to or receive information from the external systems over a network  390  via communications interface  321 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a second auto dealership  400  with a corresponding dealer server  402  and an inventory of vehicles  404 A-C in parking spots  406 A-C. It is to be appreciated that the actual number of vehicles at dealership  400  may be much larger than the three vehicles  404 A-C that are shown here for illustrative purposes. After unlocking and browsing one or more of vehicles  208 A-C at dealership  200 , user  222  may request to view vehicles at another dealership. User  222  may contact credit server  323  and request that they be provided with other vehicles for which they are pre-qualified at one or more additional dealerships. User  222  may then subsequently be notified of vehicles for which they are pre-qualified that are located at second dealership  400 . In certain embodiments, user  222  may be notified of other vehicles for which they are pre-qualified without requesting such a list. In a manner similar to that described above, dealer server  423  may provide a digital master key to the mobile device  224  of user  222  to allow user  222  to unlock and browse one or more of vehicles  404 A-C of the inventory at second dealership  400 . 
     In certain embodiments, based on the amount of time user  222  spent browsing a particular vehicle at dealership  200 , a recommendation may be provided to user  222  regarding additional vehicles that user  222  might be interested in, and which are within a particular geographical area that is convenient for user  222  to visit. Thus, for example, credit server  323  could pre-qualify user  222  for one or more of the vehicles  408 A-C at second dealership  400 , and send a notification to user  222  informing them of the availability of vehicles at second dealership  400  for which they are pre-qualified and may be interested in. Credit server  323  could then send a notification to second dealer server  404  forwarding the name of user  222  and indicating the particular vehicles of the inventory of vehicles at second dealership  400  for which user  222  is pre-qualified. Dealer server  402  could then provide a digital master key to mobile device  224  of user  222  for each of the vehicles for which user  222  is pre-qualified, thereby allowing user  222  to unlock and browse these additional vehicles. 
     It is to be appreciated that user  222  may also be directed to more dealerships beyond dealership  200  and second dealership  400  where user  222  may unlock and browse additional vehicles. The number of dealerships that user  222  may visit after being pre-qualified is not intended to be limited. 
     A method  500  of providing a user with access to one or more vehicles at an auto dealership is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . At step  510 , user  222  applies to be pre-qualified for one or more vehicles. At step  515 , user  222  uploads information to credit server  323 . The information uploaded by user  222  could include identifying and qualification information, vehicle information, and geographical information. The identifying and qualification information could include, for example, the user&#39;s name, address, work history, and salary information. The vehicle information could include the type of vehicle or vehicles the user is interested in, and particular vehicle features the user is interested in. The geographical information could include a geographic threshold, i.e., the maximum distance the user would be willing to travel to visit an auto dealership. At step  520 , credit server  323  determines if user  222  can be pre-qualified for one or more vehicles using qualification engine  327 , which may review the information provided by user  222  to determine which, if any, vehicles user  222  may be pre-qualified for. In certain embodiments, the determination of whether user  222  can be pre-qualified may consist of a soft credit check that does not affect the user&#39;s credit score. In other embodiments, the pre-qualification review may be a more thorough evaluation of the user&#39;s suitability for credit. 
     If at step  520 , user  222  is not pre-qualified for any vehicles a notification is sent at step  525  by credit server  323  to user  222  informing them that they have not been pre-qualified for any vehicles. If at step  520 , user  222  is pre-qualified for one or more vehicles, a notification may be sent at step  530  by credit server  323  to user  222  informing them that they have been pre-qualified, and also providing user  222  with the location at which the vehicle(s) for which they have been pre-qualified are located and which is within the user&#39;s geographic threshold if one has been created. 
     At step  535 , credit server  323  may send a notification to dealer server  202  that user  222  have been pre-qualified for one or more vehicles at dealership  200 . In certain embodiments the notification being sent by credit server  323  to dealer server  202  at step  535  includes only the name of user  222  and the list of vehicles for which they are pre-qualified. In such an embodiment, personal information such as the user&#39;s salary information, for example, is not forwarded to dealer server  223  by credit server  323 . 
     At step  540 , user  222  may contact dealership  200  to let them know when user  222  would like to arrange to browse the vehicle(s) for which they have been pre-qualified. At step  545 , dealer server  202  confirms that mobile device  224  is the mobile device of user  222  and validates mobile device  224 . At step  550 , dealer server  202  may upload the digital master key to mobile device  224  of user  222  for each vehicle for which user  222  has been pre-qualified. At step  555 , user  222  may unlock and browse each of the vehicles for which they have been pre-qualified. At step  560 , after user  222  has finished browsing the vehicles, dealer server  202  may void or otherwise remove the digital master key from the mobile device  224  of user  222 . 
     A method  600  of providing a user with access to one or more vehicles at a second auto dealership  400  is illustrated in  FIG. 6 . Based on the amount of time user  222  spent browsing a particular vehicle at dealership  200 , a recommendation may be provided to user  222  regarding additional vehicles that user  222  might be interested in, and which are within a particular geographical area that is convenient for user  222  to visit. Credit server  323  may be linked to the digital master key or another application on mobile device  224  of user  222 , which may allow credit server  323  to track the amount of time that user  222  spends viewing one or more vehicles at dealership  200 . At step  610 , credit server  323  analyzes the time user  222  spends viewing vehicles at dealership  200  using user assessment engine  329 , which may calculate the amount of time that mobile device  224  is in proximity of a particular vehicle and compares that time to the amount of time that mobile device  224  is in proximity of other vehicles. At step  615 , with user assessment engine  329 , credit server  323  determines whether user  222  spends significantly more time viewing one or more vehicles compared to other vehicles, or one or more types of vehicles compared to other types of vehicles. If it is determined at step  615  that user  222  did not spend significantly more time viewing a particular vehicle, or type of vehicle, credit server  323  may continue at step  610  to analyze the time spent by user  222  viewing vehicles. If it is determined at step  615  that user  222  has spent significantly more time viewing a particular vehicle, or type of vehicle, at step  620  credit server  323  may create a vehicle profile for user  222  that includes a type of vehicle that user  222  appears to be most interested in and for which user  222  has pre-qualified. The vehicle profile may also include vehicle features that user  222  appears to be most interested in. 
     At step  625 , credit server  323  may access and review vehicle database  325 , which may list the inventory of vehicles at various auto dealerships, such as second dealership  400 , with which credit server  323  has established a communication link. By reviewing vehicle database  325 , credit server  323  may determine the availability of vehicles that match the vehicle profile for user  222 . At step  630 , credit server may notify user  222  of the availability of other vehicles at other dealerships, like second dealership  400 , that are within the geographical threshold of user  222 . At step  635 , credit server  323  may send a notification to dealer server  402  of second dealership  400  that user  222  has been pre-qualified for one or more vehicles at dealership  400 . In certain embodiments, the notification being sent by credit server  323  to dealer server  402  at step  635  includes only the name of user  222  and the list of vehicles for which they are pre-qualified. In such an embodiment, personal information such as the user&#39;s salary information, for example, is not forwarded to dealer server  402  by credit server  323 . 
     At step  640 , user  222  may contact second dealership  400  to let them know when user  222  would like to arrange to browse the vehicle(s) for which they have been pre-qualified. At step  645 , dealer server  402  may confirm that mobile device  224  is the mobile device of user  222 , validate mobile device  224 , and download the digital master key to mobile device  224  of user  222  for each vehicle for which user  222  has been pre-qualified. At step  650 , user  222  may unlock and browse each of the vehicles at second dealership  400  for which they have been pre-qualified. At step  660 , after user  222  has finished browsing the vehicles, dealer server  402  may void or otherwise remove the digital master key from the mobile device  224  of user  222 . 
     One or more aspects described herein may provide automated systems for allowing users to unlock and browse vehicles with limited human interaction. This may have the benefit of reducing the manpower needed to store, sell, lease, or rent vehicles, while reducing the strain on the consumer. For example, a consumer may unlock and access one or more vehicles using a mobile application, which may have the advantage of allowing a user to avoid a pushy salesperson (which may also reduce overhead for a car dealer). This may promote more efficient sales due to reduced friction for the consumer and reduced costs for the retailer. 
     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.