Telematics marketing information acquisition triggering method and system

• US 7,996,235 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2005
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Laghrari, Fahd Z., Sumcad, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brooks; Matthew L
• Application Number:
  US11/201,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20070038510A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,190 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A method for acquiring marketing information from a marketing call center. The method involves a setting of a marketing information trigger based on a pre-determined event corresponding to at least one of a vehicle and an in-vehicle telematics unit, and an initiation of a call to the marketing call center to acquire the marketing information in response to an occurrence of the pre-determined event.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring marketing information from a marketing call center, the method comprising:

via a processor associated with a vehicle telematics unit, receiving a personal calling bundle in the vehicle telematics unit, wherein the vehicle telematics unit is a vehicle module;

via the vehicle telematics unit processor, setting a marketing information trigger in the vehicle telematics unit, the marketing information trigger based on a depletion or an expiration of the personal calling bundle;

the vehicle telematics unit processor determining when the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle has occurred;

automatically initiating, via the vehicle telematics unit and without user manual operation, a call to a telematics call center, the call including data representative of a usage of the personal calling bundle; and

upon analyzing the data, transferring the call to the marketing call center so that the telematics unit acquires the marketing information from the marketing call center in response to an occurrence of the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle.

2. A computer readable non-transitory medium including computer readable code embodied thereon that when executed by a computer performs steps for automatically initiating a call to a marketing call center to acquire marketing information from the marketing call center, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer readable code for receiving a personal calling bundle in a vehicle telematics unit, wherein the vehicle telematics unit is a vehicle module;

computer readable code for setting a marketing information trigger in the vehicle telematics unit, the marketing information trigger based on a depletion or an expiration of the personal calling bundle;

computer readable code for determining when the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle has occurred; and

computer readable code for automatically initiating, via the vehicle telematics unit and without user manual operation, the call to a telematics call center, the call including data representative of a usage of the personal calling bundle; and

computer readable code for transferring the call to the marketing call center upon analyzing the data so that the telematics unit acquires the marketing information from the marketing call center in response to an occurrence of the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle.

3. A system for acquiring marketing information from a marketing call center, the system comprising:

a vehicle telematics unit configured to receive a personal calling bundle, wherein the vehicle telematics unit is a vehicle module;

a processor associated with the vehicle telematics unit, the processor being configured to;

i) set a marketing information trigger in the vehicle telematics unit, the marketing information trigger based on a depletion or an expiration of the personal calling bundle;

ii) determine when the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle has occurred;

iii) automatically initiate a call, without user manual operation, to a telematics call center, the call including data representative of a usage of the personal calling bundle; and

iv) upon analyzing the data, transferring the call to the marketing call center so that the telematics unit acquires the marketing information from the marketing call center in response to an occurrence of the depletion or the expiration of the personal calling bundle.