Vehicle to vehicle chatting and communication system

• US 9,978,272 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Appy Risk Technologies Limited (Trak Global Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Ridetones, Inc.
• Inventors: Basir, Otman A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tang, Son M
• Application Number:
  US12/954,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20110121991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,736 Days
• Field of Search: 34042616
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle communication system includes a plurality of user accounts, each user account corresponding to a user. A server is programmed to receive communication invitations from inviting vehicles, and is programmed to transmit the communication invitations to invitee vehicles to facilitate inter-vehicle communication.

Claims

1. A method for communicating including the steps of:

receiving speech from a sender, the speech containing a recipient license plate number of a recipient vehicle;

converting the speech to text to discern the recipient license plate number;

associating the recipient license plate number with an electronic device in the recipient vehicle;

receiving a speech communication from the sender;

converting the speech communication to a text communication; and

transmitting the text communication to the electronic device in the recipient vehicle based upon the recipient license plate number;

wherein the step of associating is performed by a server at a location remote from the recipient vehicle and the sender.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a user mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a control unit in the recipient vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the control unit communicates with a mobile device associated with a user.

5. The method of claim 1 further including the step of converting the text communication back to speech communication and playing the speech communication in the recipient vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication is a voice communication provided to the recipient vehicle via a server.

7. The method of claim 1 further including the step of logging the communication.

8. The method of claim 1 further including the step of storing the recipient license plate number on the electronic device, wherein the electronic device is installed on the recipient vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

storing a plurality of user profiles, each having at least one associated license plate number and each having an associated electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the user profiles has a plurality of license plate numbers associated therewith.

11. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of determining a geographical location of the recipient vehicle and directing the communication to the electronic device based upon the geographical location of the recipient vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 further including the step of prioritizing the communication in the recipient vehicle relative to at least one other communication or notification, wherein the step of prioritizing includes the step of delaying presentation of the communication in the recipient vehicle until after the at least one other communication or notification.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one other communication or notification is an email.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one other communication or notification is a navigation instruction.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication is an invitation to communicate, the method further including the steps of receiving an acceptance of the invitation to communicate and initiating a communication session with the electronic device in the recipient vehicle.

16. A method for communicating including the steps of:

receiving a speech communication from a first user;

converting the speech communication to a text communication;

transmitting the text communication to a second user;

prioritizing the text communication to the second user relative to at least one other communication to the second user or notification to the second user, wherein the step of prioritizing includes prioritizing presentation of the text communication to the second user over presentation of the at least one other communication or notification to the second user; and

converting the text communication to speech and playing the speech for the second user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one other communication or notification is an email.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one other communication or notification is a navigation instruction.