Customer selectable vehicle notification sounds

• US 8,299,907 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2007
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Petniunas, Alexander, Vandenbrink, Kelly A., Payne, David L., Russell, Melanie R., Puda, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Sigmund
• Application Number:
  US11/625,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20080024285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/425.5, 701/1, 701/53
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling

Abstract

A method and system for customizing vehicle interior sounds and other indicia associated with vehicle accessories and events. The method enables a vehicle operator to selectively associate a particular sound with a particular event by selecting a desired sound and associating it with a particular event whereby emission of the desired sound occurs upon occurrence of the particular event to notify the vehicle operator of the occurrence of the particular event. Accordingly, the present invention enables a vehicle operator to configure and associate specific vehicle notification with particular events. In addition, the present invention provides a method and system whereby the vehicle operator uploads into the system customized sounds and sound bytes.

Claims

1. A method for customizing a vehicle interior profile, including varying certain indicators associated with predetermined events, said method including the steps of:

providing a predefined profile including a plurality of predetermined sounds;

selecting a sound from said set of predetermined sounds;

associating the selected sound with a particular event;

storing the associated sound and event in the storage means; and

retrieving said sound from said storage means upon the occurrence of the particular event associated with said sound and playing said sound at an audible level; and

step of selecting a sound from said set of predetermined sounds includes using an ignition key cycle input step, said key cycle input step includes the user cycling said ignition key between an on and off position to select a particular sound.

2. A method for customizing a vehicle interior profile as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of selecting a sound from said set of predetermined sounds includes a vehicle dealer accessing the predetermined sounds and associating a particular sound with a particular event.

3. A method for customizing a vehicle interior profile as set forth in claim 1 including the step of providing said predefined profile with at least a plurality of predetermined vehicle interior lighting configurations.

4. A method for customizing a vehicle interior profile as set forth in claim 3 including the step of associating a particular vehicle interior lighting configuration with a particular event;

storing the associated lighting configuration in the storage means; and

retrieving said lighting configuration from said storage means upon the occurrence of the particular event associated with said lighting configuration and actuating said lighting configuration.

5. A method for customizing a vehicle interior profile as set forth in claim 1 wherein said predefined profile includes at least one of the following, plurality of predetermined interior lighting schemes, instrument cluster display settings, driver information graphics, radio presets, and vehicle control mechanism settings.