Traffic paging system

• US 6,232,888 B1
• Filed: 12/07/1999
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kaiser Communications, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cue Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Steven J., Kaiser, Gordon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/455,614
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/988, 340/990, 340/996, 340/992, 340/994, 340/995, 340/989, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212, 701/117, 379/209, 455/456, 455/575, 455/517, 455/186.1
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A traffic paging system for audibly disseminating real-time traffic information and methods of manufacturing and using the same. The traffic paging system comprises a route-entry system, a receiver system, and an audio system. The route-entry system permits a user to specify one or more preselected routes. After receiving the real-time traffic information, the receiver system converts a relevant portion of the real-time traffic information that is specific to the preselected routes into audio traffic information. The audio system then audibly presents the audio traffic information to the user.

Claims

1. A traffic paging system for audibly disseminating traffic voice pages, comprising a traffic voice pager, the traffic voice pager including:

a route-entry system for specifying pager addresses associated with a preselected route;

a radio receiver for receiving traffic voice pages;

a message decoder coupled to the radio receiver for decoding pager addresses associated with the traffic voice pages;

an address selector coupled to the message decoder and route-entry system for selecting traffic voice pages associated with specified pager addresses;

a traffic voice page decoder coupled to the address selector for decoding and storing selected traffic voice pages in a message memory; and

an audio replay system coupled to the message memory for audibly presenting stored selected traffic voice pages.

2. The traffic paging system of claim 1 further comprising a transmit encoder system, said transmit encoder system having a receiver for receiving at least one encoded alert, a decoder for extracting a decoded alert from each of said at least one encoded alert, and a transmitter for transmitting the traffic voice pages.

3. The traffic paging system of claim 2 wherein said decoded alert includes a textual description of said at least one encoded alert.

4. The traffic paging system of claim 2 wherein said at least one encoded alert is provided by an external source.

5. The traffic paging system of claim 2 wherein said transmit encoder system includes a speech generator for generating speech information from each of said at least one encoded alert, and the traffic voice pages further comprise said speech information, said speech generator being coupled to said decoder and being coupled to said transmitter.

6. The traffic paging system of claim 5 wherein said speech generator comprises a speech synthesizer.

7. The traffic paging system of claim 5 wherein said speech generator comprises a separation system for separating said decoded alert into a sequence of at least one alert segment, a database for converting said sequence of at least one alert segment into a sequence of at least one speech segment, and a concatenation system for concatenating said sequence of at least one speech segment onto said decoded alert, said separation system being coupled to said decoder, said database being coupled to said separation system and substantially comprising a plurality of prerecorded speech files, said at least one alert segment each comprising at least one word.

8. The traffic paging system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially comprises a human voice.

9. The traffic paging system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially comprised of a WAV sound file.

10. The traffic paging system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially comprised of a compressed WAV sound file.

11. The traffic paging system of claim 7 wherein said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially comprised of a MIDI sound file.