Traffic paging system

• US 6,411,220 B1
• Filed: 11/03/2000
• Issued: 06/25/2002
• 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:
  US09/706,665
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/988, 340/990, 340/992, 340/994, 340/995, 340/996, 340/989, 455/158.4, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 455/45, 455/226.1, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208
• US Class Current: 340/905
• 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 voice pager, comprising:

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

a receiver system for receiving traffic voice pages, the receiver system being coupled with the route-entry system and including a message decoder for decoding pager addresses associated with the traffic voice pages and an address selector for selecting the traffic voice pages with the pager addresses that substantially correspond with the pager addresses associated with the preselected route;

an audio converter for converting the selected traffic voice pages into audio information, the audio converter being coupled with the address selector; and

an audio system for audibly presenting the audio information, the audio system being coupled with the audio converter.

2. The traffic voice pager of claim 1, wherein said traffic voice pages comprise at least one predetermined code associated with an attribute of said traffic voice pages.

3. The traffic voice pager of claim 1, wherein said message decoder comprises a table associating a plurality of predetermined codes each with at least one attribute.

4. The traffic voice pager of claim 3, wherein said table comprises a plurality of prerecorded speech files.

5. The traffic voice pager of claim 4, wherein said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially comprise a human voice.

6. The traffic voice pager of claim 4, wherein said at least one of the plurality of prerecorded speech files comprises a compressed waveform audio file.

7. The traffic voice pager of claim 1, wherein said message decoder includes a speech generator for generating speech information from said traffic voice pages, said speech generator being coupled with said receiver system and said address selector.

8. The traffic voice pager of claim 7, wherein said speech generator comprises a speech synthesizer.

9. The traffic voice pager of claim 1, wherein said route-entry system comprises a plurality of switches and a map of a geographic region divided into a plurality of traffic zones, said preselected route being specified by selecting at least one of said plurality of traffic zones via said plurality of switches.

10. The traffic voice pager of claim 9, wherein said audio system substantially comprises a car radio and said plurality of switches substantially comprise a plurality of station preset buttons on said car radio.

11. The traffic voice pager of claim 10, wherein said receiver system is coupled with said car radio via a cellular telephone interface of said car radio such that, when at least one of said traffic voice pages substantially corresponds with said preselected route, said car radio mutes a radio receiver of said car radio and audibly presents said audio information.

12. A method for disseminating relevant, real-time traffic information, the method comprising the steps of:

specifying pager addresses associated with a preselected route;

receiving traffic voice pages;

decoding pager addresses associated with the traffic voice pages;

selecting the traffic voice pages with the pager addresses that substantially correspond with the pager addresses associated with the preselected route;

converting the selected traffic voice pages into audio information; and

audibly presenting the audio information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of specifying comprises the steps of:

providing a map of a geographic region, said map being dividing into a plurality of traffic zones; and

selecting at least one of said plurality of traffic zones to define said preselected route.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding comprises the steps of:

including at least one predetermined code with said traffic voice pages; and

associating said at least one predetermined code with an attribute of said traffic voice pages.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding comprises the step of associating a plurality of predetermined codes for said traffic voice pages each with at least one attribute in a table.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of associating includes the step of providing said table with plurality of prerecorded speech files.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of providing comprises the step of prerecording said plurality of prerecorded speech files each substantially with a human voice.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of providing comprises the step of storing said plurality of prerecorded speech files each as a compressed waveform audio file.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of decoding occurs before the step of receiving.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of receiving occurs before the step of decoding.