Gleaning localized information via at least one satellite television broadcast

• US 20080134257A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Application Number:
  US11/607,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20080134257A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/68
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A method of gleaning localized information via at least one satellite television broadcast includes receiving, at a call center, information from at least one information source, the information relating to at least one incident and at least one geographic location. A geographic region for the at least one incident is defined based upon the information. A channel that is local to the defined geographic region is identified via a satellite television broadcast. The identified local television channel is monitored to gather additional information regarding the incident.

Claims

1. A method of gleaning localized information via at least one satellite television broadcast, the method comprising:

receiving, at a call center, information from at least one information source, the information relating to at least one incident and at least one geographic location;

defining a geographic region for the at least one incident based upon the information;

identifying a satellite television channel that is local to the defined geographic region; and

monitoring the identified local satellite television channel to gather additional information regarding the incident.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a satellite radio channel that is local to the defined geographic region; and

monitoring the identified local satellite radio channel to gather additional information regarding the incident.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal, including a notice of the incident, to at least one subscriber located within the defined geographic region.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, prior to transmitting the signal, extracting contact information for the at least one subscriber from a subscriber database.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the contact information includes at least one of a garage address of a vehicle of the subscriber, a residential address, a telephone number, a facsimile number, an email address, or combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is received by a human, an automaton, or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one information source is selected from a news source, a weather source, a traffic source, a governmental source, an individual, a HAM radio operator, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein after the information is received, the method further comprises:

aggregating the information; and

determining a nature of the incident and a general geographic location of the incident based on the aggregated information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein defining the geographic region includes bounding the general geographic location of the incident using predetermined parameters in a digital map database, wherein the predetermined parameters are selected from counties, cities, townships, roads, surrounding vicinities thereof, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the information is received in a form selected from audible data, textual data, graphical data, video data, audio data, binary data, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initiating a request, from a subscriber to the call center, pertaining to the incident; and

responding to the request, wherein the information and the additional information assist the call center in responding to the request.

12. A system for gleaning localized information via at least one satellite television broadcast, the system comprising:

an aggregator configured to receive incident and geographic information from at least one information source, and to determine a nature of the incident and a general geographic location of the incident from the information;

a geographic-bounding engine in operative communication with the aggregator, the geographic-bounding engine configured to receive the general geographic location of the incident and to define a geographic region based upon the general geographic location; and

a satellite television broadcast system that is configured to output additional incident information via a channel that is local to the defined geographic region.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 wherein the aggregator, the geographic-bounding engine and the satellite television broadcast system each are operable by a service advisor located at a call center.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a satellite radio broadcast system configured to output additional incident information via a channel that is local to the defined geographic region.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein each of the aggregator, the geographic-bounding engine and the satellite television broadcast system is located within a call center, and wherein the system further comprises a wireless communication system selectively connecting the call center with at least one subscriber potentially located within the defined geographic area.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising a subscriber database located within the call center, the subscriber database containing contact information for the at least one subscriber.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one information source is selected from a news source, a weather source, a traffic source, a governmental source, an individual, a HAM radio operator, and combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the geographic-bounding engine is configured to bound the general geographic location of the incident using predetermined parameters selected from counties, cities, townships, roads, surrounding vicinities thereof, and combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the aggregator is configured to receive the information in a form selected from audible data, textual data, graphical data, video data, audio data, binary data, and combinations thereof.