PRE-DELIVERY INSPECTION AUDITING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20070173986A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Inbarajan, Krishnaraj
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 370/908 Local area network

Abstract

A vehicle email notification system in which pre-delivery inspections by dealers can be automatically audited to help insure that vehicles are being delivered to customers with the proper initial values of such things as tire pressure and fluid levels. The notification system uses triggers to initiate the generation and transmission of email messages that provide diverse types of dynamic vehicle information to the owner or other authorized subscriber. This information is also used by the manufacturer to determine dealer compliance with pre-delivery inspection requirements. The email notifications are triggered by different events, some of which are independent of the vehicle (e.g., a monthly trigger), and others of which occur at the vehicle, such as a mileage or low oil life trigger. The notification system builds and sends to the subscriber an email message that contains the dynamic vehicle information and identifies any detected vehicle condition for which action is needed.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining information indicative of a condition of a vehicle at delivery to a customer, comprising the steps of:

(a) enrolling a subscriber into a vehicle notification message service following delivery of the vehicle to the subscriber;

(b) accessing vehicle data using a telematics unit of the vehicle;

(c) transmitting the vehicle data from the telematics unit to a central data system;

(d) constructing an initial notification message at the central data system using the vehicle data;

(e) sending the notification message to the subscriber via an electronic messaging system; and

(f) determining whether at least one vehicle condition meets a predefined criteria using the vehicle data.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (f) comprises comparing at least some of the vehicle data to pre-established desired values.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (f) further comprises sending the notification message to the vehicle manufacturer and comparing at least some of the vehicle data to pre-established desired values.

4. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (b) further comprises accessing tire pressure data at the vehicle, step (d) comprises constructing the notification message such that it includes the tire pressure data, and step (f) comprises comparing the tire pressure data with desired tire pressure values.

5. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprising constructing the notification message using one or more items of vehicle data and step (f) further comprises determining whether at least one vehicle condition meets a predefined criteria using vehicle data that is different than the one or more items of vehicle data.

6. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the step of carrying out a pre-delivery inspection of the vehicle condition prior to delivery of the vehicle to the subscriber, and wherein step (f) further comprises comparing vehicle data indicative of the vehicle condition to a desired value for the vehicle condition.

7. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the vehicle condition is tire pressure.

8. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (a) further comprises setting an initial trigger on the vehicle, and wherein step (b) comprises accessing the vehicle data in response to occurrence of the trigger.

9. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein steps (b) through (f) are carried out within twenty four hours of step (a).

10. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein step (d) further comprises constructing the notification message as an email message using a markup language.

11. A method of obtaining information indicative of a condition of a vehicle at delivery to a customer, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving information from a dealer indicating that the customer has taken delivery of the vehicle;

(b) accessing vehicle data using a telematics unit of the vehicle;

(c) transmitting the vehicle data from the telematics unit to a central data system;

and

(d) determining whether at least one vehicle condition meets a predefined criteria using the vehicle data.

12. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises carrying out step (a) in response to receipt of a customer delivery record from the dealer.

13. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises carrying out step (a) in response to enrollment of the customer in a vehicle notification message service.

14. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein step (b) further comprises accessing tire pressure data at the vehicle, step (c) further comprises transmitting the tire pressure data to the central data system, and step (d) further comprises comparing the tire pressure data with desired tire pressure values.

15. The method set forth in claim 11, further comprising the steps of constructing an initial notification message at the central data system using the vehicle data, and sending the notification message to the subscriber via an electronic messaging system.

16. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the step of constructing an initial notification message further comprises constructing the notification message so that it contains (1) at least some of the vehicle data represented in language characters, (2) vehicle identification information unique to the vehicle, and (3) a diagnostic result indicating whether some action is required to address one or more of the vehicle conditions.

17. The method set forth in claim 16, wherein the step of constructing an initial notification message further comprises constructing the notification message as an email message using a markup language.

18. A method of obtaining information indicative of a condition of a vehicle at delivery to a customer, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a vehicle having a telematics unit;

(b) setting a mileage trigger in the vehicle;

(c) delivering the vehicle to a dealer;

(d) receiving measured tire pressure data from the telematics unit over a wireless communication system in response to occurrence of the trigger; and

(e) comparing the tire pressure data to desired tire pressure values.

19. The method set forth in claim 18, further comprising the steps of receiving the tire pressure data from the telematics unit over the wireless communication system and sending a notification message containing the tire pressure data to the customer via an electronic message system.

20. The method set forth in claim 19, further comprising the step of constructing the notification message as an email message using a markup language.