METHOD FOR RECORDING AN ANNOTATION AND MAKING IT AVAILABLE FOR LATER PLAYBACK

• US 20090070034A1
• Filed: 03/17/2006
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L, Stefan, Jeffrey M
• Application Number:
  US11/276,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070034A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00

Abstract

A method that is used with a vehicle navigation system and enables a driver or other vehicle occupant to record personalized information, such as verbal annotations, so that they may be automatically played back at a later time. When the voice annotations are recorded, the vehicle navigation system assigns them a location tag that indicates the place where they were recorded. Therefore, when that vehicle navigation system, or another navigation system installed on a different vehicle, comes within a certain proximity of the location identified by the location tag, the associated voice annotation is played back.

Claims

1. A method for capturing annotations provided by a vehicle occupant and making them available for later playback, comprising the steps:

(a) recording an annotation that pertains to a selected location;

(b) generating a location tag that indicates the position of the selected location;

(c) saving the annotation and the location tag, and;

(d) automatically playing back the annotation if the selected location is encountered again.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises recording an annotation that includes verbal comments that are spoken by a vehicle occupant, recorded by a microphone, and stored as a digital audio file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises recording an annotation that includes electronic comments that are inputted by a vehicle occupant, captured by an electronic input device, and stored as an electronic file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises generating a location tag that includes GPS-derived longitude and latitude coordinates provided by a vehicle navigation system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises saving the annotation and the location tag in a manner that associates them to one another.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises automatically playing back the annotation only if a GPS-based vehicle navigation system comes within a predetermined proximity of the selected location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined proximity regarding the selected location can be adjusted by the vehicle occupant.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined proximity regarding the selected location is affected by the direction in which the vehicle is heading.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined proximity regarding the selected location is affected by the speed at which the vehicle is being driven.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the recorded annotation includes a verbal comment that is played through one or more speakers.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation includes an electronic comment that is displayed by one or more graphical user interfaces.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending the annotation and the location tag to another vehicle, and playing back the annotation if that other vehicle comes within a predetermined proximity of the selected location.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises storing the annotation and the location tag at a remote location, and making it available to another vehicle via a wireless communications system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises associating the annotation and the location tag with an automated route, and executing step (d) only if:

(i) the selected location is encountered again, and ii) the automated route is being run.

15. A method for capturing verbal annotations spoken by a vehicle occupant and making them available for later playback, comprising the steps:

(a) using a microphone in the vehicle to record a verbal annotation that pertains to a selected location;

(b) using a GPS-based vehicle navigation system to generate a location tag that indicates the position of the selected location;

(c) saving the verbal annotation and the location tag as electronic files, and;

(d) automatically playing back the annotation over a speaker in the vehicle when the vehicle navigation system determines that it is within a predetermined proximity of the selected location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (c) further comprises saving the annotation and the location tag in a manner that associates them to one another.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined proximity regarding the selected location can be adjusted by the vehicle occupant.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises sending the annotation and the location tag to another vehicle, and playing back the annotation if that other vehicle comes within a predetermined proximity of the selected location.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises associating the annotation and the location tag with an automated route, and executing step (d) only if:

(i) the selected location is encountered again, and ii) the automated route is being run.