Location-based services for a telematics service subscriber

• US 7,031,724 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Macfarlane, Jane F., Ross, Steven J., Rybicki, Julie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/387,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/201.09, 455/404.2, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/433, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/414.1, 701/117, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and system for providing location-based services to a telematics service subscriber. A message notice is sent to the telematics service subscriber and a request for messages is received. A determination is made as to whether at least one message includes a location information attachment, and then at least one telematics service is provided based on the determination. Another aspect of the invention is a computer usable medium used to provide the location-based services.

Claims

1. A method of providing location-based services to a telematics service subscriber, comprising:

sending a message notice to the telematics service subscriber;

receiving a request for messages;

determining whether at least one message includes a location information attachment; and

providing at least one telematics service based on the determination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message notice comprises a voice prompt.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for messages comprises a voice response.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the message with the attached location information comprises a content item.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the content item is selected from the group consisting of an alert, a calendar appointment, a calendar entry, a contact entry, an e-mail message, and a news story.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the location information attachment comprises information selected from the group consisting of a geo-coded point, a pair of global positioning system coordinates, a sweet address, a street intersection, a point-of-interest entry, a point-of-interest identifier, and a business name.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the telematics service is selected from the group consisting of driving directions, a map service, a business finder, traffic information, road condition information, accident updates, weather information, a news service, an address book service, a calendar service, a buddy list service, point of interest information, a message forwarding service, and a call connection service.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an initiation signal from the telematics service subscriber;

determining whether messages corresponding to the telematics service subscriber exist; and

sending the message notice based on the determination.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the message;

selecting location information to send as an attachment; and

sending the message with the attached location information to a call center.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the message generation comprises digitizing a voice signal.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the message generation comprises digitizing the voice signal following at least one keyword.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the message generation comprises invoicing a web-based application.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for messages is received at a call center, and wherein the messages are stored at the call center.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is sent from one mobile vehicle to a second mobile vehicle, wherein the message is received at the call center from the one mobile vehicle and sent to the second mobile vehicle by the call center.

15. A computer usable medium including a program to providing location-based services to a telematics service subscriber, comprising:

computer program code to send a message notice to the telematics service subscriber;

computer program code to receive a request for messages;

computer program code to determine whether at least one message includes a location information attachment; and

computer program code to provide at least one telematics service based on the determination.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code to receive an initiation signal from the telematics service subscriber;

computer program code to determine whether messages corresponding to the telematics service subscriber exist; and

computer program code to send the message notice based on the determination.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 15 further comprising:

computer program code to generate the message;

computer program code to select location information to send as an attachment; and

computer program code to send the message with the attached location information to a call center.

18. A system for providing location-based services to a telematics service subscriber, comprising:

means for sending a message notice to the telematics service subscriber;

means for receiving a request for messages;

means for determining whether at least one message includes a location information attachment; and

means for providing at least one telematics service based on the determination.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for receiving an initiation signal from the telematics service subscriber;

means for determining whether messages corresponding to the telematics unit exist; and

means for sending the message notice based on the determination.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

means for generating the message;

means for selecting location information to send as an attachment; and

means for sending the message with the attached location information to a call center.