Method and system for automated recall notification

• US 7,545,262 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Batchik, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, JACK K
• Application Number:
  US11/292,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20070129064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/426.1, 340/426.36, 455/414.1, 455/3.02, 455/12.1, 455/415, 455/456.1, 701/213
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

A method and system for providing an automated recall notification including receiving a recall communication instruction at a telematics unit from a call center via a wireless connection, initiating a service call to the call center from the telematics unit based on the recall communication instruction and responsive to a mobile vehicle operation, receiving a recall notification at the telematics unit, and sending a recall alert to a subscriber based on the received recall notification. A computer usable medium with suitable computer program code is employed for providing an automated recall notification.

Claims

1. A method for providing an automated recall notification, the method comprising in order:

first receiving a recall communication instruction at a telematics unit from a call center via a wireless connection;

next determining whether a qualifying vehicle operational event has occurred;

if a qualifying vehicle operational event has occurred, initiating a service call to the call center from the telematics unit based on the recall communication instruction without user intervention;

in response to the service call from the telematics unit to the call center, receiving a recall notification at the telematics unit; and

then providing a recall alert to a vehicle user based on the received recall notification.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the recall communication instruction includes:

a mobile vehicle operation;

call center contact information and recall identification information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the recall notification comprises an interaction between a real call center advisor and the telematics unit.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the recall notification comprises an interaction between a virtual call center advisor and the telematics unit.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the recall alert includes:

an identification of a recall purpose;

an identification of at least one mobile vehicle component; and

an identification of an action required.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the qualifying vehicle operational event operation is a key cycle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating the service call to the call center comprises:

receiving an indication of the qualifying vehicle operational event at the telematics unit;

sending a call center contact number; and

sending a recall identification information responsive to a successful call connection.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeating the service call initiation at each occurrence of the qualifying vehicle operational event until occurrence of a cessation event; and

terminating the service call initiation responsive to the cessation event.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the cessation event is at least one of a subscriber request, a recall repair, and a time-out.

10. A computer readable medium having thereon computer executable instructions for automated recall notification, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving a recall communication instruction at a telematics unit from a call center via a wireless connection;

instructions for determining whether a qualifying vehicle operational event has occurred;

instructions for initiating a service call to the call center from the telematics unit based on the recall communication instruction without user intervention if a qualifying vehicle operational event has occurred;

instructions for receiving a recall notification at the telematics unit in response to the service call from the telematics unit to the call center; and

instructions for providing a recall alert to a vehicle user based on the received recall notification.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the recall communication instruction includes:

a mobile vehicle operation;

a call center contact information; and

a recall identification information.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the recall notification comprises an interaction between a real call center advisor and the telematics unit.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the recall alert includes:

a recall purpose;

at least one mobile vehicle component; and

an action required.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10 wherein the instructions for initiating the service call to the call center comprise:

instructions for receiving an indication of the qualifying vehicle operational event at the telematics unit;

instructions for sending a call center contact number; and

instructions for sending recall identification information responsive to a successful call connection.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising instructions for repeating the service call at each instance of the qualifying vehicle operational event until occurrence of a cessation event;

and instructions for terminating the service call initiation responsive to the cessation event.