Mobile weather band radio and method

• US 6,526,268 B1
• Filed: 09/07/1999
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ValueStreet Consulting Group
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Marrah, Jeffrey Joseph, Diamond, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Cong
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, C.
• Application Number:
  US09/390,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,267 Days
• Field of Search: 455/344, 455/404, 455/179.1, 455/456, 455/414, 455/186.1, 455/161.3, 455/161.1, 455/457, 340/601, 340/286.02, 340/905, 340/7.54, 701/207, 701/117, 702/3
• US Class Current: 455/186.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/57 for mobile receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations

Abstract

A mobile weather band radio and method with dynamic geographic message updating. The radio has a weather band tuner for receiving weather band signals containing a message and a geographic identification code. A position indicative receiver is provided for receiving position indicative signals and determining a current position of the radio. Geographic identification codes and electronic map data are stored in memory for defining geographic regions corresponding to the geographic identification codes. A controller determines one of the geographic codes corresponding to the determined current position based on the position indicative signals, and further performs an operation, such as playing the message, when the determined geographic code corresponds to the received geographic code.

Claims

1. A radio with dynamic geographic message updating, said radio comprising:

a radio receiver for receiving broadcast radio signals containing a message and a corresponding geographic identifier;

a device for determining a current position of the radio;

geographic identifiers and electronic map data defining geographic regions corresponding to said geographic identifiers; and

a controller processing the determined current position to determine one of said geographic identifiers corresponding to the determined current position, said controller further performing an operation in response to said message when said received geographic identifier corresponds to said determined geographic identifier.

2. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said radio comprises a weather band radio for tuning to weather band stations.

3. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said controller ignores said message when said determined geographic identifier does not correspond to said received geographic identifier.

4. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said operation comprises communicating said message to a radio listener.

5. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said radio is located in a mobile vehicle.

6. The radio as defined in claim 5, wherein said radio is integrated in a car radio.

7. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said radio is a portable hand held radio.

8. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said device for determining a current position comprises a position indicative receiver for receiving position indicative signals.

9. The radio as defined in claim 8, wherein said position indicative receiver comprises a global positioning system receiver for receiving global positioning system signals.

10. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said geographic identifiers comprise unique alphanumeric codes corresponding to each of a plurality of counties.

11. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said geographic identifiers and electronic map data are stored in memory.

12. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said controller further determines a direction of travel of said radio and determines an expected upcoming geographic region based on said direction of travel, said controller further performing an operation when said expected upcoming geographic region corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

13. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said controller further determines one or more surrounding geographic regions and performs an operation when said one or more surrounding geographic regions corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

14. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said message comprises an emergency message.

15. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said controller further determines an expiration time for said message and compares said expiration time to a current time reading, said controller performing said operation only if said expiration time has not expired.

16. The radio as defined in claim 15, wherein said controller stores said messages and corresponding expiration time and performs said operation when the geographic identifier corresponds to the determined geographic identifier.

17. The radio as defined in claim 1, wherein said receiver includes a tuner.

18. A mobile weather band radio with dynamic geographic message updating, said radio comprising:

a radio receiver for receiving weather band signals containing a message and geographic identifier;

a position indicative receiver for receiving position indicative signals and determining a current position of said radio;

memory storing geographic identifiers and electronic map data defining geographic regions corresponding to said stored geographic identifiers; and

a controller processing the determined current position to determine one of said geographic identifiers corresponding to the determined current position, said controller generating an alert signal in response to said message when the determined geographic identifier corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

19. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said controller ignores said message when said determined geographic identifier does not correspond to said received geographic identifier.

20. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said radio is integrated in a car radio.

21. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said radio is a portable hand held radio.

22. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said position indicative receiver comprises a global positioning system receiver for receiving global positioning system signals.

23. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said controller further determines a direction of travel and determines an expected upcoming geographic region based on said direction of travel, said controller generating said alert signal when said expected upcoming geographic region corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

24. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said geographic identifiers comprise unique alphanumeric codes corresponding to each of a plurality of counties.

25. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said controller further determines one or more surrounding geographic regions and performs an operation when said one or more surrounding geographic regions corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

26. The radio as defined in claim 18, wherein said controller further determines an expiration time for said message and compares said expiration time to a current time reading, said controller performing said operation only if said expiration time has not expired.

27. The radio as defined in claim 26, wherein said controller stores said messages and corresponding expiration time and performs said operation when the geographic identifier corresponds to the determined geographic identifier.

28. A method for providing radio messages with dynamic geographic updating, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a current position;

comparing said current position with electronically stored map data and determining which one of a plurality of geographic regions said current position is located within;

receiving a radio wave signal containing a message and a geographic identifier;

comparing the determined geographic identifier defined by said position indicative signal with said received geographic identifier and determining whether said determined geographic identifier corresponds to said received geographic identifier; and

performing an operation if said determined geographic identifier corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

29. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein said step of performing an operation includes communicating said message to a radio user.

30. The method as defined in claim 29, wherein said step of performing an operation includes producing an audio sound signal in response to said message.

31. The method as defined in claim 28 further comprising the step of ignoring said radio wave signal if said determined geographic identifier does not correspond to said received geographic identifier.

32. The method as defined in claim 28 further comprising the step of storing a plurality of geographic identifiers in memory along with electronic map data with defined geographic regions corresponding to each of said identifiers.

33. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein said radio wave signals comprise weather band radio signals.

34. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein said step of determining a current position comprises receiving position indicative signals with a receiver and determining a current position thereof.

35. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein said radio is located in a mobile vehicle.

36. The method as defined in claim 35 further comprising the step of determining a direction of travel of said vehicle and determining an expected upcoming geographic region based on said direction of travel, and further performing an operation when said expected upcoming geographic region corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

37. The method as defined in claim 28, wherein said radio is a portable hand held radio.

38. The method as defined in claim 28 further comprising the step of determining one or more surrounding geographic regions and performing an operation when said one or more surrounding geographic regions corresponds to said received geographic identifier.

39. The method as defined in claim 28 further comprising the step of determining an expiration time for said message and comparing said expiration time to a current time reading, said method further performing said operation only if said expiration time has not expired.

40. The method as defined in claim 39 further comprising the step of performing said operation when the geographic identifier corresponds to the determined geographic identifier.