Method of speeding call flow

• US 9,165,466 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2011
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Yi, Ki Hak, Shamoun, Christopher N., Doherty, James
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HOANG-CHUONG Q
• Application Number:
  US13/160,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370352-354, 370/356, 701/522, 701/537
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/42 for mass transport vehicles, e.g. buses, trains or aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

A system and method for communicating between a vehicle and a central facility includes initiating at a vehicle a request for turn-by-turn directions; establishing a packet-switched call between the vehicle and a central facility using a wireless carrier system and a mobile dialed number (MDN) associated with the vehicle; receiving determined route information at the vehicle from the central facility via the packet-switched call; offering a vehicle occupant a service option that uses a circuit-switched call; and if the vehicle occupant accepts the service option, directing the wireless carrier system to establish the circuit-switched call using the MDN while maintaining the packet-switched call in a dormant state.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a vehicle and a central facility, comprising the steps of:

(a) initiating at a vehicle a request for turn-by-turn directions;

(b) establishing a packet-switched call between the vehicle and a central facility using a mobile dialed number (MDN) and a hotline number, provided by a wireless carrier system, that permits a plurality of simultaneous calls associated with the MDN;

(c) offering a vehicle occupant a service option that uses a circuit-switched call;

(d) if the vehicle occupant accepts the service option, directing the wireless carrier system to establish the circuit-switched call using the MDN while maintaining the packet-switched call in a dormant state; and

(e) receiving determined route information at the vehicle from the central facility via the packet-switched call.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the request for turn-by-turn directions via the packet-switched call.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending information identifying the vehicle via the packet-switched call.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of identifying the vehicle using a vehicle identification number (VIN).

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the information identifying the vehicle further comprises a geographic location of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of receiving at the vehicle from the vehicle occupant a destination for turn-by-turn directions and sending the destination to the central facility via the packet switched call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises offering a vehicle occupant an opportunity to speak with an advisor at the central facility as the service option.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of ending the circuit-switched call while simultaneously maintaining the packet-switched call.

9. A method of communicating between a vehicle and a central facility, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at a central facility vehicle identity information and a request for turn-by-turn directions sent from the vehicle via a wireless carrier system;

(b) establishing a packet-switched call between the vehicle and the central facility using a mobile dialed number (MDN) and a hotline number, provided by a wireless carrier system, that permits a plurality of simultaneous calls associated with the MDN;

(c) receiving a request from the vehicle for a service option that uses a circuit-switched call;

(d) directing the wireless carrier system from the central facility to establish the circuit-switched call using the MDN and to maintain the packet-switched call in a dormant state; and

(e) sending a determined turn-by-turn route from the central facility to the vehicle via the packet-switched call.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of receiving the request for turn-by-turn directions via the packet-switched call.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of receiving the vehicle identity information via the packet-switched call.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of receiving from the vehicle occupant a destination for turn-by-turn directions that is inputted at the vehicle via the packet switched call.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein step (c) further comprises receiving a request from the vehicle occupant to speak with an advisor at the central facility as the service option.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of ending the circuit-switched call while simultaneously maintaining the packet-switched call.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of identifying the vehicle using a vehicle identification number (VIN).

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the vehicle identity information further comprises a geographic location of the vehicle.

17. A method of communicating between a vehicle and a central facility, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a request for turn-by-turn directions from a vehicle that also includes vehicle identifying information and mobile dialed number (MDN);

(b) establishing a packet-switched call between the central facility and the vehicle via a hotline number provided by a wireless carrier system that permits a plurality of simultaneous calls associated with the MDN;

(c) offering a vehicle occupant in the vehicle a service option that uses a circuit-switched call;

(d) if the vehicle occupant selects the service option, then directing the wireless carrier system to establish the circuit-switched call while maintaining the packet-switched call in a dormant state, wherein both the packet-switched call and the circuit-switched call are simultaneously connected through the wireless carrier system using the MDN;

(e) receiving voice communication for turn-by-turn directions at the central facility from the vehicle occupant via the circuit-switched call;

(f) ending the circuit-switched call; and

(g) sending a response to the request for turn-by-turn directions via the re-activated packet-switched call.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the vehicle identifying information further comprises a geographic location of the vehicle.