Call response method for vehicle

• US 6,424,888 B1
• Filed: 01/12/2000
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Sone, Akira, Sugiura, Masuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Louis-Jacques, Jacques H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US09/481,515
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/28, 701/211, 455/414, 455/569, 455/566, 455/550, 455/567, 345/329, 345/330, 379/52, 379/90.01, 379/96, 379/100.06, 348/14-1-
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• 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 call response method for a vehicle used in a vehicle to respond to a call received from another system includes following steps: performing a call reception previous notification for previously signaling a call reception at a predetermined interval to appeal to one sense or a combination of at lease two senses among a sense of hearing, a sense of smell and a sense of touch of a driver except for a sense of sight of the driver when a call including at least an image is received in the vehicle from another system; and performing a call reception main notification for presenting the image included in the call to appeal to the sense of sight of the driver, after performing the call reception previous notification except of the sense of sight.

Claims

1. A call response method for use in a vehicle to respond to a call received from a system located at a call originating side, the call including at least one image generated by an image recording device in the system, the method comprising:

generating a first call reception notification by appealing to at least one sense chosen from a sense of hearing, a sense of smell, and a sense of touch of a driver;

waiting for a predetermined interval after generating a first call reception notification; and

generating a second call reception notification after waiting for a predetermined interval, the second call reception notification including the image to appeal to a sense of sight of the driver.

2. The call response method of claim 1, wherein generating a first call reception notification by appealing to a sense of hearing includes generating a sound or a voice capable of notifying the driver of a call received from the system.

3. The call response method of claim 1, wherein generating a first call reception notification by appealing to a sense of smell includes generating a smell capable of notifying the driver of a call received from the system.

4. The call response method of claim 1, wherein generating a first call reception notification by appealing to a sense of touch includes generating vibration capable of notifying the driver of a call received from the system.

5. The call response method of claim 4, wherein generating vibration capable of notifying the driver of a call received from the system includes vibrating at least one item chosen from a steering wheel and a seat for the driver.

6. The call response method of claim 1, wherein the call is an interphone call that includes the at least one image received from an interphone, which has been provided on another side.