TECHNIQUES TO MANAGE VEHICLE COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20090298474A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: George, Moses
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.2
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface

Abstract

Techniques to manage vehicle communications are described. A mobile computing device may include a communication module operative to establish a first communication channel with a message server, and a second communication channel with a vehicle system, a message application module communicatively coupled to the communication module, the message application module operative to receive a user message over the first communication channel, and send an event message over the second communication channel, and a vehicle message application module communicatively coupled to the message application module, the vehicle message application module operative to receive a read control directive over the second communication channel, convert text information from the user message to mail audio information, and send the mail audio information over the second communication channel. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a communication module operative to establish a first communication channel with a message server, and a second communication channel with a vehicle system;

a message application module communicatively coupled to the communication module, the message application module operative to receive a user message over the first communication channel, and send an event message over the second communication channel; and

a vehicle message application module communicatively coupled to the message application module, the vehicle message application module operative to receive a read control directive over the second communication channel, convert text information from the user message to mail audio information, and send the mail audio information over the second communication channel.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the communication module operative to establish the first communication channel over a wireless local area network or a wireless wide area network, and the second communication channel over a wireless personal area network.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the communication module operative to establish the second communication channel with the vehicle system using a hands-free profile.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the message application module operative to receive the user message as an email message, a short message service message or a multimedia message service message.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, comprising an alert profile manager module communicatively coupled to the message application module, the alert profile manager module operative to retrieve an alert profile corresponding to a message type for the user message.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the vehicle message application module comprising a vehicle message control module communicatively coupled to a speech synthesis module, the vehicle message control module operative to send the event message as event audio information representing a ringtone from an alert profile, and the speech synthesis module operative to convert text information for the user message to the mail audio information representing machine synthesized speech.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, the communication module operative to send the event message as event audio information representing a ringtone from an alert profile over a telephone call signal channel, and the mail audio information representing machine synthesized speech over a telephone call media channel.

8. A vehicle system, comprising:

a communication module operative to establish a communication channel with a mobile computing device;

an input/output interface module communicatively coupled to the communication module, the input/output interface module operative to receive event audio information and audibly reproduce the event audio information using an output device; and

the input/output interface module operative to receive a read control directive from an input device, and send the read control directive over the communication channel.

9. The vehicle system of claim 8, the communication module operative to receive mail audio information, and the input/output interface module operative to audibly reproduce the mail audio information using the output device.

10. The vehicle system of claim 8, comprising a vehicle message application module communicatively coupled to the communication module and the input/output interface module, the vehicle message application module operative to navigate a message interface in response to voice commands received from the input device.

11. A method, comprising:

establishing a first communication channel with a message server;

establishing a second communication channel with a vehicle system;

receiving a user message over the first communication channel;

sending an event message over the second communication channel;

receiving a read control directive over the second communication channel;

synthesizing text information from the user message to mail audio information; and

sending the mail audio information over the second communication channel.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing the first communication channel over a wireless local area network or a wireless wide area network.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing the second communication channel over a wireless personal area network.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising establishing the second communication channel with the vehicle system using a hands-free profile.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising receiving the user message as an email message, a short message service message or a multimedia message service message.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising sending the event message as event audio information over a telephone call signal channel.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising sending the event message as event audio information representing a ringtone from an alert profile.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising retrieving an alert profile corresponding to a message type for the user message.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising synthesizing text information of the user message to the mail audio information representing machine synthesized speech.

20. The method of claim 11, comprising sending the mail audio information over a telephone call media channel.

21. A method, comprising:

establishing a communication channel with a mobile computing device;

receiving event audio information over the communication channel;

reproducing the event audio information using an output device;

receiving a read control directive from an input device;

sending the read control directive over the communication channel;

receiving mail audio information over the communication channel; and

reproducing the mail audio information using the output device.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising converting speech information to control directives for a message application module implemented by the mobile computing device by a speech synthesis module implemented by a vehicle system.

23. The method of claim 21, comprising navigating a message interface for a message application module implemented by the mobile computing device in response to voice commands received from the input device and sent over the communications channel.

24. The method of claim 21, comprising receiving voice commands representing control directives to navigate a message interface for a message application module implemented by the mobile computing device, the control directives comprising reading a message, creating a message, deleting a message, modifying a message, sending a message, forwarding a message, replying to a message.

25. The method of claim 21, comprising converting speech information to text information for a user message by a speech synthesis module implemented by a vehicle system.

26. An article comprising a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

establish a first communication channel with a message server;

establish a second communication channel with a vehicle system;

receive a user message over the first communication channel;

send an event message over the second communication channel;

receive a read control directive over the second communication channel;

synthesize text information of the user message to mail audio information; and

send the audio information over the second communication channel.

27. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions to establish the first communication channel over a wireless local area network or a wireless wide area network, and the second communication channel over a wireless personal area network.

28. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions to establish the second communication channel with the vehicle system using a hands-free profile.

29. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions to receive the user message as an email message, a short message service message or a multimedia message service message.

30. The article of claim 26, further comprising instructions to send the event message as event audio information representing ringtone from an alert profile over a telephone call signal channel, and the mail audio information representing machine synthesized speech over a telephone call media channel.