IN-VEHICLE ENTERTAINMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EXECUTING THE SAME

• US 20090109019A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Lee, Richard M., Peterson, Michael J., Syed, Faizan
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• 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

Abstract

An in-vehicle entertainment method includes playing through an in-vehicle audio component a received program content broadcast from a remote location; and receiving, during the playing of the received program content, a user input selecting an identifier. The selected identifier is associated with an electronic device remote from the vehicle. The method further includes transmitting, from the vehicle to the electronic device during the playing of the received program content, an alert identifying the received program content, a channel from which the received program content is playing, or combinations thereof.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle entertainment method, comprising:

playing through an in-vehicle audio component a received program content broadcast from a remote location;

receiving, during the playing of the received program content, a user input selecting an identifier, wherein the selected identifier is associated with an electronic device remote from the vehicle; and

transmitting, from the vehicle to the electronic device during the playing of the received program content, an alert identifying the received program content, a channel from which the received program content is playing, or combinations thereof.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

accessing an Internet-enabled program;

creating, via the Internet-enabled program, the identifier; and

transmitting the identifier to the vehicle for storage therein.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, further comprising storing the identifier via the Internet-enabled program.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

re-accessing the Internet-enabled program; and

updating the identifier.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein prior to transmitting the alert to the electronic device, the method further comprises:

transmitting the alert from the vehicle to a centralized computer system; and

routing the alert to the electronic device.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 wherein routing the alert to the electronic device includes sending the alert to the electronic device in a predetermined format.

7. The method as defined in claim 6 wherein the electronic device and the predetermined format are based on a preference selected for the identifier.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifier includes a first name, a last name, a nickname, a name of a place, or combinations thereof.

9. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the alert identifies the radio channel playing the received program content, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving the alert at an audio component or telematics unit of an other vehicle;

accepting the alert; and

in response to accepting, automatically setting a radio channel in the other vehicle to the radio channel playing the received program content.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the alert is transmitted in text format, audio format, or combinations thereof.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein selecting the identifier is accomplished via pressing a button or touch screen, and wherein transmitting takes place in response to the pressing.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising displaying the identifier to a user via an in-vehicle display.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifier is associated with a phone number, an email address, or combinations thereof.

14. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the electronic device is a telematics unit of an other vehicle, an audio component of an other vehicle, a landline telephone, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, or combinations thereof.

15. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifier is one identifier in a list of identifiers stored in the vehicle and displayed to a user.

16. A system for executing an in-vehicle entertainment method, the system comprising:

an in-vehicle system configured to receive and store an identifier;

an other in-vehicle system configured to display the identifier to an in-vehicle user such that the user may select the identifier as a received program content is played through an in-vehicle audio component;

a central computer system in operative communication with the vehicle, and configured to receive from the vehicle an alert indicating the selected identifier and the received program content, a channel from which the received program content is received, or combinations thereof; and

an electronic device located remote from the vehicle and associated with the selected identifier, the electronic device configured to receive, from the central computer system, the alert.

17. The system as defined in claim 16, further comprising an Internet-enabled program for creating the identifier, the Internet-enabled program in operative and selective communication with the vehicle.

18. The system as defined in claim 16 wherein the electronic device is selected from a telematics unit of an other vehicle, an audio component of an other vehicle, a landline telephone, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a computer, or combinations thereof.

19. The system as defined in claim 16 wherein the alert is presented to the electronic device in a predetermined format.

20. The system as defined in claim 19 wherein the predetermined format is based on a preference set for the selected identifier.

21. An in-vehicle entertainment method, comprising:

transmitting a list of identifiers from an Internet-enabled program to the vehicle;

playing through an in-vehicle audio component a received program content broadcast from a remote location;

receiving, during the playing of the received program content, a user input selecting an identifier from the list of identifiers stored in the vehicle, wherein the selected identifier is associated with an electronic device remote from the vehicle;

transmitting, from the vehicle to a centralized computer system, an alert identifying the selected identifier, the received program content, and a radio channel from which the received program content is received; and

routing the alert to the electronic device.