Sounding custom motor vehicle horntones

• US 20080114904A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Michael Thomas Kosco
• Original Assignee: Michael Thomas Kosco
• Inventors: Kosco, Michael Thomas
• Application Number:
  US11/599,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114904A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/13
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/00 Arrangement or adaptation of acoustic signal devices

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of motor vehicle safety systems. Specifically, this invention creates a horntones audio player device, a new and useful method and a system that allows a user to sound custom motor vehicle horntones for alerting, locating and other purposes. The main elements of the system are a horntones audio player, a portable memory device and a remote computer. The player enables the user to sound custom horntones while the remote computer and the portable memory device operate together to both download new horntones files from a horntones website and transport the new horntones files to the horntones audio player.

Claims

1. A device for sounding motor vehicle horntones, the device comprising:

a horntones audio player located within a motor vehicle adapted to play horntone files stored within said horntones audio player when a motor vehicle horn button is pushed;

a user panel on said horntones audio player capable of playing said horntone files by pushing at least one from a group of buttons located on said user panel; and

a connecting means for connecting said horntones audio player to a portable memory device to load said horntone files into said horntones audio player.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises a connector, antenna, or wireless connection.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said memory device comprises a USB flash drive.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor configured to automatically register said memory device when said memory device is connected to said horntones audio player.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said horntones audio player comprises:

a system bus;

a non-volatile memory coupled to said system bus and storing a plurality of different horntones;

a microprocessor coupled to said system bus;

an audio file player/recorder coupled to said system bus;

a display coupled to said system bus;

a plurality of switches; and

an input/output port.

6. A method for using different horntones on a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of different horntones on a portable memory;

connecting said memory to an audio player coupled to horn speakers on said motor vehicle;

transferring said different horntones to said audio player;

selecting a specific one of said different horntones to use; and

depressing a horn button to play said specific horntone.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said memory is a non-volatile memory device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said storing comprises connecting said memory to a computer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said computer accesses said different horntones from the Internet or a file.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising registering said portable memory upon said connecting.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising removing said memory from said audio player after said transferring is completed.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein said selecting comprises pressing a specific button on said audio player.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein said selecting comprises rotating a knob to store a specific horntone corresponding to a specific button on said audio player and pressing said specific button.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising assigning a unique registration area to said memory corresponding to said audio player.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said memory is usable with different audio players.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein said memory is a USB flash drive.

17. A system for sounding motor vehicle horntones, the system comprising:

a horntones audio player located within a motor vehicle for playing horntone audio files;

a remote computer for browsing, selecting and downloading said horntone audio files from a source of horntone audio files;

a portable memory device for transporting said horntone audio files from a said computer to said player.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said source of horntone audio files is a website.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said source of horntones audio files is an electronic storage medium.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein said portable memory device is a USB flash drive.