ENROLLMENT METHOD FOR A VEHICLE EMAIL NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

• US 20070191995A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Laghrari, Fahd
• Application Number:
  US11/618,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20070191995A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/908 Local area network

Abstract

A vehicle email notification system and method in which subscribers can enroll via a call to a wireless assistance center or via a website, or automatically at delivery using a customer delivery record supplied by the dealer to a wireless assistance center. Once enrolled, the subscriber receives periodic email messages that provide diverse types of dynamic vehicle information. The email notifications are triggered by different events, some of which are independent of the vehicle (e.g., a monthly trigger), and others of which occur at the vehicle, such as a mileage or low oil life trigger. The notification system builds and sends to the subscriber an email message that contains the dynamic vehicle information and identifies any detected vehicle condition for which action is needed.

Claims

1. A method of enrolling a subscriber into a vehicle notification message system, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request from a subscriber to enroll into a vehicle notification message system;

(b) creating a customer account;

(c) accessing vehicle data using a telematics unit of the vehicle;

(d) transmitting the vehicle data from the telematics unit to a central data system;

(e) constructing an initial notification message at the central data system using at least some of the vehicle data; and

(f) sending the notification message to a recipient via an electronic messaging system.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving a request from the subscriber at a dealer who supplied the vehicle to the subscriber, and wherein step (b) comprises creating a customer delivery record by the dealer and automatically creating the customer account under software control using data contained in the customer delivery record.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving a request from the subscriber via global computer system and wherein step (b) comprises creating the customer account either using data obtained automatically from a customer data record or using data obtained from the subscriber via the global computer system.

4. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises receiving a request from the subscriber via a communication session established over a cellular communication system using the telematics unit, and wherein step (b) comprises creating the customer account either using data obtained automatically from a customer data record or using data obtained from the subscriber via the communication session.

5. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises setting an initial trigger on the vehicle, and wherein step (c) comprises accessing the vehicle data in response to occurrence of the trigger.

6. The method set forth in claim 5, further comprising the steps of setting a time-based periodic trigger on the vehicle and sending subsequent periodic notification messages containing updated vehicle data in response to occurrences of the periodic trigger.

7. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein steps (b) through (f) are carried out within twenty four hours of step (a).

8. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (e) further comprises constructing the notification message as an email message using a markup language.

9. A method of automatically enrolling a subscriber into a vehicle notification message system, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a customer delivery record containing customer data;

(b) creating a customer account for the subscriber using customer data from the customer delivery record;

(c) establishing one or more triggers; and

(d) monitoring for the occurrence of a trigger and, in response to determining that the trigger has occurred;

providing vehicle data concerning one or more vehicle conditions to an electronic message generating system;

constructing a notification message that includes information concerning the one or more vehicle conditions; and

sending the notification message to the recipient via an electronic messaging system.

10. The method set forth in claim 9, wherein the step of constructing a notification message further comprises constructing the notification message so that it contains (1) at least some of the vehicle data represented in language characters, (2) vehicle identification information unique to the vehicle, and (3) a diagnostic result indicating whether some action is required to address one or more of the vehicle conditions.

11. The method set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of constructing a notification message further comprises generating an email message using a markup language.

12. The method set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of constructing a notification message further comprises constructing the notification message so that it contains the vehicle mileage or oil life, or both, represented in language characters.

13. The method set forth in claim 9, wherein step (c) further comprises establishing the trigger(s) in the vehicle by wirelessly transmitting the trigger(s) to the vehicle.

14. The method set forth in claim 13, wherein the step of providing vehicle data further comprises transmitting the vehicle data to the central data system.

15. A method of automatically enrolling a subscriber into a vehicle notification message system, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle having a telematics unit;

(b) setting a mileage trigger in the vehicle;

(c) delivering the vehicle to a dealer;

(d) receiving a customer data record from the dealer;

(e) creating a customer account for the subscriber using customer data contained in the customer data record;

(f) receiving a call from the telematics unit over a wireless communication system; and

(g) associating the customer account with the vehicle and telematics unit;

wherein steps (d) through (g) are carried out automatically using computers.

16. The method set forth in claim 15, further comprising the steps of receiving vehicle data from the telematics unit over the wireless communication system and sending a notification message to the subscriber via an electronic message system.

17. The method set forth in claim 15, further comprising the steps of hotlining the telematics unit in the vehicle prior to step(c) and carrying out carrier provisioning of the telematics unit following step (g).

18. A method of automatically enrolling a plurality of vehicles into a vehicle notification message system, comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a software robot to a plurality of vehicles over a wireless communication system;

(b) establishing a trigger on each vehicle in response to execution of the software robot;

(c) receiving vehicle data from each vehicle at a central data system in response to occurrence of the trigger;

(d) creating a customer account for one or more of the vehicles; and

(e) sending a notification message for each vehicle to one or more recipients, wherein the notification message includes at least some of the vehicle data.

19. The method set forth in claim 18, wherein the plurality of vehicles comprises a commonly owned fleet of vehicles and wherein step (e) comprises sending the notification messages to a fleet manager.

20. The method set forth in claim 18, wherein step (d) further comprises creating a customer account using customer data obtained from a customer delivery record.