Vehicle-related messaging methods and systems

• US 8,779,947 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tengler, Steven C., Frye, Mark S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARAMOLA, ISRAEL O
• Application Number:
  US13/439,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20130265178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/670, 340/870.02, 340/995.19, 359/604, 307/10.7, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 340/989
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Vehicle-related messaging methods and systems are disclosed herein. In one of the methods, a telematics unit disposed in a vehicle detects that the vehicle is no longer in operation. Upon making the detection, the telematics unit automatically transmits a message to a device, where the message includes a suggestion, a recommendation, an indication, or a notification pertaining to a vehicle utility. An application resident on the device, or on a cloud computing system in communication with the device, presents the message on the device by displaying i) the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification and ii) a plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification.

Claims

1. A vehicle-related messaging method, comprising:

by a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle, detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation;

upon detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation, by the telematics unit, automatically transmitting a message to a device, the message including a suggestion, a recommendation, an indication, or a notification pertaining to a vehicle utility; and

by an application resident on the device or on a cloud computing system in communication with the device, presenting the message on the device, the presenting including displaying i) the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification and ii) a plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, wherein the application is executable by a processor of the device or by a processor of the cloud computing system, and the application includes computer readable code, embedded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium, for performing the presenting;

wherein prior to transmitting the message to the device, the method further includes;

identifying the vehicle utility, the identifying being accomplished by a processor operatively associated with the telematics unit, the processor operatively associated with the telematics unit executing computer readable code embedded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium associated therewith; and

one of;

via the processor of the telematics unit, formulating the message pertaining to the identified vehicle utility;

or

upon receiving a note from the telematics unit including i) an indication that the vehicle is no longer in operation and ii) the identified vehicle utility, formulating the message, by the processor of the cloud computing system, pertaining to the identified vehicle utility;

wherein the vehicle utility is a personal item disposed inside a vehicle interior, and wherein the identifying of the vehicle utility is accomplished by;

recognizing a characteristic of an object inside the vehicle interior; and

recognizing, by the processor of the telematics unit, the object as being the personal item based on the recognized characteristic of the object.

2. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein the detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation is accomplished by detecting any of:

a vehicle ignition has been switched to an OFF state and a vehicle transmission system has been switched into park mode;

a short range wireless connection has ended;

an in-vehicle camera image has indicated a lack of persons inside the vehicle;

a seat weight has changed to a null state;

a seat belt sensor has indicated that a seat belt locking mechanism has been released;

or combinations thereof.

3. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein the recognizing of the characteristic is accomplished using an in-vehicle camera, a motion sensor, a heartbeat sensor, a short range wireless communications unit, or combinations thereof.

4. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of actionable items is chosen from:

i) a first actionable item that, when selected, performs the suggestion, the recommendation, an action associated with the indication, or an action associated with the notification, ii) a second actionable item that, when selected, ignores the suggestion, the recommendation, the action associated with the indication, or the action associated with the notification, iii) a third actionable item that, when selected, performs an alternative proposition to the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, and iv) combinations of i), ii), and iii).

5. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by one of the processor of the telematics unit or the processor of the cloud computing system, a user-selected setting; and

generating, by the processor of the telematics unit or the processor of the cloud computing system, a rule based on the user-selected setting for transmitting the message or for configuring the message.

6. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to automatically transmitting the message to the device, the method further comprises:

determining a then-current location of the vehicle; and

by a processor operatively associated with the telematics unit, formulating the message based on the then-current location of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein upon detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation, the method further comprises:

obtaining then-current geographic location data from an in-vehicle location detection unit;

utilizing the then-current geographic location data to determine a then-current location of the vehicle;

formulating an other message that includes the then-current location of the vehicle; and

posting the other message on an online networking page.

8. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation, the method further comprises establishing a connection between the telematics unit and a communications unit at a facility.

9. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 8 wherein upon identifying the vehicle utility, the method further comprises, by a processor of the telematics unit, determining where to transmit the message, and wherein the transmitting of the message includes transmitting the message to i) a user-owned mobile communications device, ii) a facility-owned device, or iii) both i) and ii).

10. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 9 wherein the vehicle utility is a plurality of vehicle utilities, and wherein the determining of where to transmit the message is based on a user-selected priority of the plurality of vehicle utilities.

11. A vehicle-related messaging method, comprising:

by a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle, detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation;

upon detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation, by a processor operatively associated with the telematics unit, formulating a text message including i) a suggestion, a recommendation, an indication, or a notification pertaining to a vehicle utility, and ii) a plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, wherein the processor executes computer readable code for performing the formulating, and wherein the computer readable code is embedded on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium;

by the telematics unit, automatically transmitting the text message to a mobile communications device; and

presenting the text message on the mobile communications device;

wherein prior to formulating the text message, the method further includes;

identifying, by the processor, the vehicle utility;

wherein the vehicle utility is a personal item disposed inside a vehicle interior, and wherein the identifying of the vehicle utility is accomplished by;

recognizing a characteristic of an object inside the vehicle interior; and

recognizing, by the processor, the object as being the personal item based on the recognized characteristic of the object.

12. The vehicle-related messaging method as defined in claim 11 wherein upon presenting the text message on the mobile communications device, the method further comprises:

transmitting a reply to the text message to a server, the reply including a selection of one of the plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification;

recognizing the reply at the server; and

transmitting an instruction from the server to the telematics unit, the instruction corresponding to the selection of one of the plurality of actionable items included in the reply.

13. A vehicle-related messaging system, comprising:

a vehicle;

a telematics unit operatively disposed in the vehicle, the telematics unit including a processor executing computer readable code, embedded on a tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium, for detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation;

a mobile communications device in selective and operative communication with the telematics unit via a short range wireless connection, the mobile communications device to receive a message from the telematics unit upon detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation, the message including i) a suggestion, a recommendation, an indication, or a notification pertaining to a vehicle utility and ii) a plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification;

a user interface associated with the mobile communications device and usable to submit a reply to the message received from the telematics unit, the reply including a selection of one of the actionable items included in the message; and

at least one of a vehicle sensor, an in-vehicle camera, or a short range wireless communications unit to perform the detecting that the vehicle is no longer in operation;

wherein the vehicle utility is a personal item, and wherein the at least one of the vehicle sensor, the in-vehicle camera, or the short range wireless communications unit is configured to recognize an object disposed inside a vehicle interior, the object having a characteristic recognizable by the processor of the telematics unit as being the personal item.

14. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

a processor operatively associated with the mobile communications device; and

an application resident on the mobile communications device and executable by the processor, the application including computer readable code, embedded on a non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium for displaying i) the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification and ii) the plurality of actionable items associated with the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification.

15. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13 wherein the message is a text message, and wherein the user interface is operatively connected to a display to present the text message on the mobile communications device.

16. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13 wherein the processor operatively associated with the telematics unit further includes computer readable code for identifying the vehicle utility as the personal item.

17. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13 wherein the at least one actionable item is chosen from:

i) a first actionable item that, when selected, performs the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, ii) a second actionable item that, when selected, ignores the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, iii) a third actionable item that, when selected, performs an alternative proposition to the suggestion, the recommendation, the indication, or the notification, and iv) combinations of i), ii), and iii).

18. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13, further comprising:

a geographic location detection unit to determine a then-current geographic location of the vehicle; and

an online networking page upon which an other message is to be posted, the other message including the then-current geographic location of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle-related messaging system as defined in claim 13, further comprising a webpage accessible by a user of the vehicle, the webpage being usable to update settings pertaining to how the message is to be formulated, when the message is to be formulated, and combinations thereof.