Driver notification

• US 20080064420A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Omnitracs LLC (Solera Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krulce, Darrell L., Mattis, Eric Stephen, Aldern, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,628,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus for copying a message sent to a vehicle and routing the copied message to the vehicle driver'"'"'s mobile phone. Through a driver notification application, the copied message can contain driver identification or driver phone number information that is evaluated and confirmed for forwarding the copied message. The copied message is formatted and is sent to the driver'"'"'s mobile phone via short message service (SMS).

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message sent to a vehicle via a vehicle communication system and also to a user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

copying the message by a network monitoring center;

identifying the user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication address for delivery of the copied message by a driver notification application;

translating the copied message into a short message service (SMS) format; and

transmitting the short message service (SMS) message via a wireless carrier to the short message service (SMS) communication apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of copying the message comprises converting the copied message to a customer selected message.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the customer selected message comprises a member from the group consisting of a canned message, a predetermined number of macro characters and an entire macro message content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying comprises authenticating a user'"'"'s identification.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying comprises searching a unified address of the vehicle communication system to an associated user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication apparatus address.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of enabling the transmission of the copied message to predetermined short message service (SMS) communication apparatuses.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of reporting a transmission of the copied message to predetermined short message service (SMS) communication apparatuses.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of managing and editing a user'"'"'s configuration.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of managing and editing comprises at least one member from the group consisting of adding users, editing a user'"'"'s telephone number, editing a user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication apparatus address, enabling a user'"'"'s service, disabling a user'"'"'s service, a user'"'"'s security setting, a user'"'"'s role and permission settings and a user'"'"'s canned message option.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of auditing the transmission of the short message service message.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying comprises extracting the user'"'"'s SMS communication apparatus address from a data packet.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the step of identifying comprises searching for a user'"'"'s SMS communication apparatus address.

2. (canceled)

3. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. An apparatus for transmitting a message sent to a vehicle via a vehicle communication system and also to a user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

a network monitoring center for copying the message;

a driver notification application for identifying a short message service (SMS) communication apparatus address for delivery of the copied message and for translating the copied message into a short message service (SMS) format; and

a transmitter for sending the short message service (SMS) message to the user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) communication apparatus.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the copied message comprises a user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) apparatus address.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the user'"'"'s short message service (SMS) address comprises a user'"'"'s telephone number.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the driver notification application comprises a converter for converting the copied message into a customer selected short message service (SMS) message.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the customer selected short message service message comprises a member from the group consisting of a canned message, a predetermined number of macro characters and an entire macro message content.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the driver notification application comprises an authenticator for authenticating a user'"'"'s identification.

22. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the driver notification application comprises a search engine for searching a unified address of the vehicle communication system for an associated user'"'"'s communication apparatus address.

23. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the driver notification application comprises a manager and editor for managing and editing a user'"'"'s configuration.