Hands-Free Telephone Device of a Motor Vehicle

• US 20130053016A1
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Schramm, Peter, RAU, Richard, Arend, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• 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

Abstract

A motor vehicle hands-free device includes a communication interface designed so that at least one first mobile telephone and one second mobile telephone can be connected to the motor vehicle hands-free device, in particular in parallel or simultaneously, a control device designed so that mobile telephone address book entries from the first mobile telephone and mobile telephone address book entries from the second mobile telephone can be transferred to the motor vehicle hands-free device via the radio interface, and a common address book that can be generated on the basis of the mobile telephone address book entries of the first mobile telephone and the mobile telephone address book entries of the second mobile telephone.

Claims

1. A hands-free telephone device of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a communication interface operatively configured to connect at least first and second mobile telephones to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle;

a control unit operatively configured to control a transfer of mobile telephone address book entries from the first and second mobile telephones to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle via the communication interface; and

a common address book configured by the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle, the common address book containing entries generated based on the mobile telephone address book entries from the first and second mobile telephones.

2. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the common address book of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle is stored in a memory unit of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

the common address book of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle is at least partially output to a display unit operatively coupled to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle.

3. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising:

an identity tag received by the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle, the identity tag being assigned to the mobile telephone address book entries for the mobile telephone from which the address book entries originated; and

wherein at least one of

(a) the identity tag is stored together with the corresponding mobile telephone address book entries in the memory unit of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

(b) the identify tag is output together with the corresponding mobile address book entries to the display unit coupled with the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle.

4. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is operatively configured to jointly sort or filter the mobile telephone address book entries of the common address book of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle.

5. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of messages, calendar entries, tasks, and memos transferred from the first and second mobile telephones to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle via the communication interface; and

wherein the at least one of the messages, calendar entries, tasks, and memos are respectively provided in the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle as a common message list, a common calendar, a common task list, and a common memo list.

6. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising:

an input unit assigned to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

wherein the control unit is operatively configured to carry out a call setup based on a selection of an address book entry from the common address book via the input unit automatically using the mobile telephone having the identity tag assigned to the selected address book entry.

7. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a loudspeaker of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle;

a microphone of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle;

wherein the control unit is operatively configured to switch the loudspeaker and the microphone from a communication link established via the first mobile telephone to a communication link established via the second mobile telephone upon initiation by a user.

8. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a loudspeaker of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle;

a microphone of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

wherein the control unit is operatively configured to switch the loudspeaker and the microphone simultaneously to a communication link established via the first mobile telephone and to a communication link established via the second mobile telephone upon initiation by a user.

9. The hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is operatively configured to connect the first and second mobile telephones to the hands-free telephone device in parallel.

10. A method of operating a hands-free telephone device of a motor vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving mobile telephone address book entries from a first mobile telephone and mobile telephone address book entries from a second mobile telephone in the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle via a communication interface controlled by a control unit, the communication interface being configured to connect the first and second mobile telephones to the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

generating a common address book in the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle based on the mobile telephone address book entries from the first and second mobile telephones.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the act of:

storing the common address book in a memory unit of the hands-free telephone device.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the act of:

outputting at least a portion of the common address book to a display unit operatively coupled to the hands-free telephone device.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the act of:

outputting at least a portion of the common address book to a display unit operatively coupled to the hands-free telephone device.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the acts of:

receiving an identity tag for the mobile telephone address book entries identifying the mobile telephone from which said address book entries originated;

storing the identity tag with the corresponding address book entries of the common address book in the memory unit of the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle; and

outputting the identity tag together with the corresponding address book entries to the display unit coupled with the hands-free telephone device of the motor vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the act of:

automatically initiating a call set-up, based on a selection of an address book entry via an input unit coupled with the hands-free telephone device, via a respective mobile telephone having the identity tag assigned to the selected address book entry.