Satellite radio system and method of activating same

• US 8,019,298 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Hider, Mounir, Wadhwa, Sukhwinder, Reynolds, Lisa, Luk, Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/569,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20100022182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/410, 455/411, 455/422.1, 455/435.2, 455/525, 455/456.1, 455/404.1, 455/114.1, 455/456.2, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/420, 455/41.2, 455/552.1, 455/63.1, 455/3.02, 455/12.1, 455/419, 455/405, 455/427, 455/414.3, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/406, 455/152.1, 455/161.1, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/161.3, 455/3.04, 455/3.06, 370/252, 370/338, 370/328, 370/310.2, 370/331, 370/312, 342/13, 342/14, 342/15, 342/52, 342/54, 705/17, 705/44, 701/1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 455/152.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information

Abstract

A satellite radio system may include at least one computing device configured to receive a transaction date associated with a vehicle, to determine a preactivation duration based on the date, and to determine whether the preactivation duration exceeds a predetermined time period. The at least one computing device may be further configured to initiate the transmission of deactivation information for a satellite radio module in the vehicle if the preactivation duration exceeds the predetermined time period to disable the module from playing satellite broadcast signals.

Claims

1. A satellite radio system comprising:

at least one computing device configured to (i) receive a transaction date associated with a vehicle, (ii) determine a preactivation duration based on the date, (iii) determine whether the preactivation duration exceeds a predetermined time period, and (iv) initiate the transmission of deactivation information for a satellite radio module in the vehicle if the preactivation duration exceeds the predetermined time period to disable the module from playing satellite broadcast signals.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to receive an identification number of the satellite radio module in the vehicle and wherein the deactivation information includes the identification number.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to receive an identification number of the vehicle and wherein the deactivation information includes the identification number.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the transaction date is a date on which the satellite radio module was installed in the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the transaction date is a date on which the vehicle was shipped from a manufacturing facility.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the transaction date is a date on which the vehicle was sold to a customer.