Automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle

• US 8,988,210 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Shuart, Kristen M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US11/944,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20090134991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,675 Days
• Field of Search: 340/457, 340/5.1, 340/902, 340/438, 340/425.5, 340/988, 340/955.17, 455/411, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/41.2, 455/466, 455/403, 455/412.2, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/507, 455/517, 715/248, 715/744, 370/345, 296/97.5, 701/1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method of automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle includes the following steps: (a) establishing a reminder message and defining playback instructions for playing the reminder message; (b) generating a trigger based on the defined playback instructions; (c) setting the trigger; (d) monitoring for the occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy the trigger; and (e) determining that the one or more conditions have occurred and, if so, then; (f) accessing the reminder message associated with the trigger; and (g) communicating the reminder message.

Claims

1. A method of automatically communicating a reminder message at a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a user-established reminder message inputted by the user, and receiving time-related or geographical playback instructions for playing the user-established reminder message;

(b) generating a trigger based on the playback instructions;

(c) communicating the user-established reminder message and the generated trigger between a telematics call center and a vehicle;

(d) setting the trigger;

(e) monitoring for occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy the trigger; and

(f) determining whether the one or more conditions have occurred and, if so, then;

(g) accessing the user-established reminder message associated with the trigger; and

(h) communicating the user-established reminder message to an occupant in a vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the user-established reminder message using at least one of an Internet web site, a telephone, or a vehicle telematics unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises creating the user-established reminder message by entering text.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein communicating the user-established reminder message includes converting the text reminder message to a voice message and playing the voice message in the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step further comprises receiving from the user a selection from among a plurality of predefined messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the user-established reminder message includes playing a voice message in the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the user-established reminder message includes displaying a text message in the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving manually entered text inputted using a computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving spoken words using a telephone.

10. An in-vehicle reminder system for automatically communicating a reminder message at a telematics-equipped vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle having a telematics unit;

a call center capable of wireless communication with the vehicle telematics unit via a wireless communication system; and

a computer configured to provide a website having at least one web page that enables a user to enter a user-established reminder message and specify one or more conditions under which the user-established reminder message will be presented at the vehicle;

wherein said call center generates a trigger based on the one or more conditions and uploads the trigger to the vehicle via its telematics unit; and

wherein said vehicle is operable upon occurrence of the trigger to access the user -established reminder message and present the user-established reminder message within the vehicle.

11. An in-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 10, wherein said web page is configured to receive the user-established reminder message as inputted text and wherein, upon occurrence of the trigger, the user-established reminder message is played in the vehicle using text-to-speech conversion of the inputted text.

12. An in-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 11, wherein the inputted text is supplied to the vehicle and the text-to-speech conversion is carried out at the vehicle.

13. An in-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 10, wherein the web page includes a predefined list of reminder messages for selection by the user.

14. An in-vehicle reminder system as defined in claim 13, wherein each of the predefined reminder messages is associated with a pre-recorded message that is played back with the trigger occurs.