Apparatus, system and method of integrating wireless telephones in vehicles

• US 20050153758A1
• Filed: 01/13/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Ying, Broussard, Scott J., Spring, Eduardo N., Robinson, Ann M.
• Application Number:
  US10/756,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20050153758A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method of integrating a wireless telephone in a vehicle are provided. The system, apparatus and method consist of installing a parabolic speaker in the vehicle that has a focused listening area at a location where an operator of the vehicle may be situated. The parabolic speaker may further have an integrated microphone. When a wireless telephone is placed in a cradle, that may be available in the vehicle for receiving the telephone, the telephone will be integrated in the vehicle. Consequently, the telephone will interact with the vehicle'"'"'s on-board computer (OBC). The OBC may then route all in-coming signals from the wireless telephone to the parabolic speaker. Further, the OBC may route all out-going signals from the integrated microphone to the wireless telephone.

Claims

1. A method of integrating a wireless telephone in a vehicle comprising the steps of:

installing a parabolic speaker in the vehicle, the parabolic speaker having a focused listening area at a location where an operator of the vehicle is situated and further having an integrated microphone; and

providing a cradle in the vehicle for integrating the parabolic speaker with an on-board computer (OBC) in the vehicle, the OBC for routing in-coming signals from the wireless telephone to the parabolic speaker and for routing out-going signals from the integrated microphone to the wireless telephone.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of routing only out-going voice signals from the operator to the wireless telephone by filtering out out-going signals from all other occupants in the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein features available in the vehicle are accessed through voice activation from out-going signals from the parabolic speaker when the wireless telephone is off.

4. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for integrating a wireless telephone in a vehicle comprising:

code means, when the telephone is placed in a cradle that facilitates integration with an on-board computer (OBC) in the vehicle, for routing in-coming signals from the wireless telephone to a parabolic speaker installed in the vehicle, the parabolic speaker having a focused listening area at a location where an operator of the vehicle is situated and further having an integrated microphone; and

code means for routing out-going signals from the integrated microphone to the wireless telephone.

5. The computer program product of claim 4 further having code means for allowing features available in the vehicle to be accessed through voice activation from out-going signals from the parabolic speaker.

6. An apparatus for integrating a wireless telephone in a vehicle comprising:

means, when the telephone is placed in a cradle that facilitates integration with an on-board computer (OBC) in the vehicle, for routing in-coming signals from the wireless telephone to a parabolic speaker installed in the vehicle, the parabolic speaker having a focused listening area at a location where an operator of the vehicle is situated and further having an integrated microphone; and

means for routing out-going signals from the integrated microphone to the wireless telephone.

11. A system for integrating a wireless telephone in a vehicle comprising:

at least on storage device for storing code data; and

at least one processor for processing the code data to, when the telephone is placed in a cradle that facilitates integration with an on-board computer (OBC) in the vehicle, for route in-coming signals from the wireless telephone to a parabolic speaker installed in the vehicle, the parabolic speaker having a focused listening area at a location where an operator of the vehicle is situated and having an integrated microphone, and to route out-going signals from the integrated microphone to the wireless telephone.

7. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising means for routing only out-going voice signals from the operator to the wireless telephone by filtering out out-going signals from all other occupants in the vehicle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein only the operator is able to distinctly hear sounds emanating from the parabolic speaker.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further having means for allowing features available in the vehicle to be accessed through voice activation from out-going signals from the parabolic speaker.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further having means for allowing the features available in the car to be accessed only when the wireless telephone is off.

12. The system of claim 11 further processing the code data to route only out-going voice signals from the operator to the wireless telephone by filtering out out-going signals from all other occupants in the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 12 further processing the code data to allow features available in the vehicle to be accessed through voice activation from out-going signals from the parabolic speaker.

14. A method of providing access to available features in a vehicle by occupants comprising the steps of:

installing a plurality of microphones in the vehicle, the microphones connected to an on-board computer (OBC);

determining, when a voice command to access a feature is received from an occupant, whether the occupant is allowed access to the feature; and

executing the command if the occupant is allowed access to the feature.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the determining step includes the step of determining the position of the occupant in the vehicle using triangulation.

16. A computer program product on a computer readable medium for providing access to available features in a vehicle by occupants comprising:

code means for determining, when a voice command to access a feature is received from an occupant at a plurality of microphones in the vehicle, the microphones connected to an on-board computer (OBC), whether the occupant is allowed access to the feature; and

code means for executing the command if the occupant is allowed access to the feature.

17. An apparatus for providing access to available features in a vehicle by occupants comprising:

means for determining, when a voice command to access a feature is received from an occupant at a plurality of microphones in the vehicle, the microphones connected to an on-board computer (OBC), whether the occupant is allowed access to the feature; and

means for executing the command if the occupant is allowed access to the feature.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the means for determining whether the occupant is allowed access to the feature includes means for determining the position of the occupant in the vehicle.

19. A system for providing access to available features in a vehicle by occupants comprising:

at least one storage device for storing code data; and

at least on processor for processing the code data to determine, when a voice command to access a feature is received from an occupant at a plurality of microphones in the vehicle, the microphones connected to an on- board computer (OBC), whether the occupant is allowed access to the feature, and to execute the command if the occupant is allowed access to the feature.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the code data is further processed to determine the position of the occupant in the vehicle.