METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE DELIVERY OF USER REQUESTED PROGRAM CONTENT USING BROADCAST CHANNELS

• US 20100056076A1
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Mazzara, William E. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,467,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/90.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/33 via the broadcast channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/91 Mobile communication networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/85

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure describe a method and system for the delivery and notification of user requested radio content. Aspects include a radio unit that is physically integrated with and is part of a telematics unit and receives user requested content data from a radio control center over a wireless network. The radio unit processes the user requested content data using a user request application. Further, the user requested data includes the scheduled times for one or more items of user requested content. The user request application orders the scheduled times for the one or more items of user requested content chronologically and displays the one or more items of user requested content data on the user display accordingly.

Claims

1. A method for the delivery and notification of user requested radio content, the method comprising:

receiving user requested content data at a telematics unit from a radio control center over a wireless network;

processing the user requested content data using a user request application running within a radio unit associated with the telematics unit; and

displaying the user requested content data on a user display that is part of the radio unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving user request data for radio content, by the user request application, through a user interface associated with the telematics unit; and

transmitting the user request data for radio content to a radio control center over a wireless network.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user request data for radio content is in a data format that is one of SMS, text, multi-media, voice, image, and instant message.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the radio content is selected from the group consisting of music, news, sports, and talk.

5. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving scheduled times for one or more user requested content items;

ordering the scheduled times for the one or more items of user requested content data chronologically; and

displaying the one or more items of user requested content data on the user display in chronological order of the scheduled times for the one or more items of user requested content data.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein user requested content data is selected from the group consisting of a title, keyword, scheduled time, broadcast channel, and radio frequency.

7. A method for the delivery and notification of user requested radio content, the method comprising:

receiving one or more user requests for radio content by a radio control center over a wireless network;

analyzing the one or more user requests using a software application that is running on a server; and

transmitting user requested content data to a user over the wireless network.

8. The method according to claim 7, the method further comprising:

categorizing user requests for radio content based on whether the radio content is scheduled to be broadcast or unscheduled to be broadcast; and

accessing the user requested content data for a scheduled radio content from a database.

9. The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising:

accessing unscheduled radio content associated with one or more user requests from the database;

determining the number of user requests for the unscheduled radio content over a first time period; and

scheduling the unscheduled radio content within a second time period when the number of user requests for the unscheduled radio content exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the user request for radio content is in a data format that is selected from the group consisting of an SMS message, text message, multi-media message, voice message, image message, and instant message.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the radio content is selected from the group consisting of music, news, sports, and talk.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein user requested content data is selected from the group consisting of title, keyword, scheduled time, broadcast channel, and radio frequency.

13. A system for the delivery and notification of user requested radio content, the system comprising:

a software application running on a server residing at a radio control center that processes one or more user requests for radio content and selectively provides the requested content; and

a database that stores radio content, the scheduled broadcast times for the radio content, and the broadcast channel of the radio content.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising;

a telematics unit that sends user requests for radio content over a wireless network;

a user request application residing in the telematics unit that processes one or more user requested content data received from the radio control center based on one or more user requests; and

a user display that displays one or more user requested content data in chronological order based on a schedule time for each user requested content.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the software application is adapted to categorize user requests for radio content based on whether the radio content is scheduled to be broadcast or unscheduled to be broadcast;

access the user requested content data for a scheduled radio content and for a unscheduled radio content from the database;

determine the number of user requests for the unscheduled radio content over a first time period; and

schedule the unscheduled radio content within a second time period when the number of user requests for the unscheduled radio content exceeds a predetermined threshold.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user request application is further adapted to receive scheduled times for one or more user requested content;

order scheduled times for the one or more user requested content chronologically; and

send the scheduled times for the one or more user requested content to the user display.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the user display displays the one or more user requested content data in chronological order of the scheduled times for the one or more user requested content data.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the user request for radio content is in a data format that is selected from the group consisting of an SMS message, text message, multi-media message, voice message, image message, and instant message.

19. The system according to claim 13, wherein the radio content is selected from the group consisting of music, news, sports, and talk.

20. The system according to claim 13, wherein the wireless network is selected from the group consisting of a wireless wide area network, a wireless metropolitan area network, a wireless local area network, a CDMA2000 network, an Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) network, a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network, a GSM network, a WiFi network, and a WiMAX network.