ON THE ROAD GROUPS

• US 20110300840A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Basir, Otman A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data

Abstract

A mobile or in-vehicle communication system and method facilitate communication among groups. The system and method also facilitate the creation of such groups. The system and method may convert speech from one member of the group to text for distribution to other members of the group, for whom the text is converted to audible speech.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between vehicles including the steps of:

a) receiving a verbal request to create a group;

b) in response to said step a), creating a group having a plurality of members associated therewith, each of the ;

c) detecting a presence of each of the members in vehicles associated with each of the members; and

d) after said step c), providing communication among the plurality of members.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step d) further includes the steps of converting audible speech from one member to text, transmitting the text to the other members of the group and converting the transmitted text to audible speech for the other members.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step d) further includes the steps of recording audible speech from one of the members, transmitting the recorded audible speech to the other members of the group and playing the transmitted recorded audible speech for the other members.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of notifying the other members of the group when the presence of one member is detected in the vehicle associated with the one member.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of prioritizing telephone calls relative to communication among the members of the group based upon preferences set by each member.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of prioritizing includes interrupting the communication among the members of the group with a telephone call.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of prioritizing includes the step of indicating an incoming telephone call to one of the members of the group during communication among the members of the group.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of receiving a request from one member of the group that the presence of the one member in the vehicle of the one member not be indicated to other members of the group.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step of automatically adding the members to a communication session with one another in response to said step c).

10. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving a request from one of the members to participate in the communication among the members provided in said step d).

11. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving a request from one of the members to listen to the communication among the members but not to participate in the communication among the members.

12. The method of claim 1 further including the step of receiving identification of the plurality of members to associate with the group in said step b).

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the group is a first group, said method further including the step of creating a plurality of groups including the first group, wherein each of the plurality of members is associated with more than one of the plurality of groups.

14. A method of communicating between vehicles including the steps of:

a) associating a plurality of members with a group;

b) detecting a presence of mobile devices associated with each of the members near a different control unit; and

c) converting audible speech from one of the members to text on the control unit near the one member;

d) transmitting the text from the control unit of the one member to the control units of the other members; and

e) converting the text to audible speech on the control units of the other members and playing the audible speech to the other members.

15. The method of claim 14 further including the step of transmitting the text from the control unit of the one member to a server in said step d) and transmitting the text from the server to the control units of the other members in said step d).

16. A method for communicating including the steps of:

a) receiving a request from a user to add information to a social media server;

b) receiving the information from the user; and

c) transmitting the information to the social media server.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the information is received from the user as audible speech in said step b).

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the information is converted to text prior to said step c).