Output of messages received by a first receiving appliance and by a second receiving appliance

• US 9,402,168 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Felbermeir, Christian, Haas, Sebastian
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Liton
• Application Number:
  US13/996,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20130281072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

In a motor vehicle, messages received by a first receiving appliance and messages received by a second receiving appliance are joined to form a common message base and are output in combined form.

Claims

1. An apparatus in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a first receiving appliance, the first receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver communication module integrated in the motor vehicle to receive a message from an external source;

a second receiving appliance, the second receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver appliance to receive a message from an external source;

a controller integrated in the motor vehicle to combine messages received by the first receiving appliance from the external source and messages received by the second receiving appliance from the external source, to form a common message base for combined output of the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances; and

an output unit to output the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances according to the common message base, wherein

for each message combined by the controller, an identifier is stored to indicate which receiving appliance originally received the message, and

when a first response is received by the controller to a first message among the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances and output via the output unit, the controller is configured to route the first response to the first message from the controller to the respective receiving appliance which originally received the first message, by using the stored identifier, and the respective receiving appliance which originally received the first message is configured to transmit the first response to the external source which originally sent the message to the respective receiving appliance.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the messages have different message types, and

the controller combines the messages to contiguously output same type messages received by the first receiving appliance and contiguously output same type messages received by the second receiving appliance.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the output unit is a display,

the messages have different message types,

the controller determines which type of message is received, and

the controller prepares the common message base such that different types of messages are displayed in different areas of the display.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the output unit is a display, and

the messages are displayed on the display.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the display has a plurality of regions, and

each of the regions displays messages of one type.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the controller combines the messages to contiguously output same type messages received by the first receiving appliance and contiguously output same type messages received by the second receiving appliance,

the display has a plurality of regions, and

each of the regions displays messages of one type.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the display is switchable between a plurality of different display modes, and

the different message types are displayed respectively in the different display modes.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the controller combines the messages to contiguously output same type messages received by the first receiving appliance and contiguously output same type messages received by the second receiving appliance,

the display is switchable between a plurality of different display modes, and

the different message types are displayed respectively in the different display modes.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second receiving appliance is a mobile terminal.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the output unit is integrated in the motor vehicle to output the received by the first and second receiving appliances according to the common message base,

the output unit includes at least one display, and

the at least one display includes;

a first region which displays only messages of a first message type received from the first receiving appliance and the second receiving appliance depending on whether the first receiving appliance and second receiving appliance support the first message type, and

a second region which displays only messages of a second message type received from the first receiving appliance and the second receiving appliance depending on whether the first receiving appliance and second receiving appliance support the second message type.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one display groups messages of the first message type in the first region contiguously, according to which receiving appliance received the messages of the first message type.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim , wherein

the output unit is an audio device, and

the messages are acoustically output via the audio device.

13. A method for outputting messages in a motor vehicle, comprising:

receiving messages by a first receiving appliance from an external source, the first receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver communication module integrated in the motor vehicle;

receiving messages by a second receiving appliance from an external source, the second receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver appliance;

combining, by a controller integrated in the motor vehicle, the messages received by the first receiving appliance from the external source with messages received by the second receiving appliance from the external source, the messages being combined to form a common message base;

outputting the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances according to the common message base via an output unit; and

for each message combined, storing an identifier to indicate which receiving appliance originally received the message, and

when transmitting a first response to a first message among the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances and output via the output unit, the method further comprises;

receiving, via the controller, the first response to the first message;

routing the first response to the first message from the controller to the respective receiving appliance which originally received the first message, by using the stored identifier; and

transmitting the first response by the respective receiving appliance which originally received the first message to the external source which originally sent the first message to the respective receiving appliance.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the messages have different message types, and

the messages are combined to contiguously output same type messages received by the first receiving appliance and contiguously output same type messages received by the second receiving appliance.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the output unit is a display, and

the messages are displayed on the display.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the display has a plurality of regions, and

each of the regions displays messages of one type.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein

the messages have different message types,

the display is switchable between a plurality of different display modes, and

the different message types are displayed respectively in the different display modes.

18. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the output unit is an audio device, and

the messages are acoustically output via the audio device.

19. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second receiving appliance is a mobile terminal.

20. An apparatus in a motor vehicle, comprising:

a first receiving appliance, the first receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver communication module integrated in the motor vehicle to receive a message from an external source;

a second receiving appliance, the second receiving appliance being a message transmitter/receiver appliance to receive a message from an external source;

a combination unit to combine messages received by the first receiving appliance from the external source and messages received by the second receiving appliance from the external source, to form a common message base for combined output of the messages received by the first and second receiving appliances; and

an output unit including a display to output the common message base, wherein

for each message combined by the combination unit, an identifier is stored to indicate which receiving appliance received the message,

when transmitting a response to the message, the response is automatically transmitted by the respective receiving appliance which received the message to the external source which sent the message to the respective receiving appliance, according to the stored identifier, and

the display is configured so that;

messages are displayed on the display by dividing the display into a number of regions corresponding to a number of message types,

messages displayed in a first region are messages only of a first type which are received by the first receiving appliance and the second receiving appliance,

messages displayed in a second region are messages only of a second type which are received by the first receiving appliance and the second receiving appliance,

the messages displayed in the first region are displayed such that messages of the first type which are received by the first receiving appliance are displayed consecutively, and messages of the first type which are received by the second receiving appliance are displayed consecutively after the messages of the first type which are received by the first receiving appliance, and

the messages displayed in the second region are displayed such that messages of the second type which are received by the first receiving appliance are displayed consecutively, and messages of the second type which are received by the second receiving appliance are displayed consecutively after the messages of the second type which are received by the first receiving appliance.