Method and system for demonstrating vehicle features and vehicle promotions

• US 7,358,851 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Veliu, Shpetim S., Patenaude, Russell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US11/173,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20070001876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 340/438, 340/439, 340/825.31, 340/825.69, 340/425.5, 705/14, 701/33, 701/29, 455/99
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A method for dynamically demonstrating vehicle features and vehicle promotions. The method involves a telematics unit receiving a broadcast over a wireless channel wherein the broadcast includes commercial information associated with at least one of the vehicle features and the vehicle promotions, filtering the broadcast to yield demonstration information which is at least a portion of the commercial information, and presenting the filtered demonstration information in an audio format and/or a video format.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically demonstrating vehicle features and vehicle promotions with demonstration information, the method comprising:

storing and updating a plurality of filter nodes that provides a basis to separate out the demonstration information from a larger body of commercial information, each of the plurality of filter nodes being selected and stored in a telematics unit in a vehicle with no direct input by a vehicle user, the telematics unit being programmed to update the plurality of filter nodes from data systems both outside and inside the vehicle;

receiving a broadcast over a wireless channel, wherein the broadcast includes the commercial information associated with at least one of the vehicle features and the vehicle promotions;

filtering the broadcast with at least one of the plurality of filter nodes to yield the demonstration information filtered to be individually relevant to the vehicle user, wherein the demonstration information is at least a portion of the commercial information, and wherein the demonstration information includes content selected from physical aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, operational aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, purchasing of the user'"'"'s vehicle, driving of the user'"'"'s vehicle, servicing of the user'"'"'s vehicle and combinations thereof; and

presenting the filtered demonstration information in at least one of an audio format, a video format, or one or more executable files.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless channel is a dedicated satellite radio channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to an architecture of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one of a telematics subscription status associated with the vehicle and a telematics operational setting associated with the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one of a satellite subscription status associated with the vehicle and a satellite operational setting associated with the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to a geographic location of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to a dealership being located within a predetermined distance of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one trigger event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering further includes:

filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to a driving history of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenting of the filtered demonstration information includes:

developing a demo message from the filtered demonstration information; and

presenting the demo message in at least one of the audio format and the video format.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the filtered demonstration information is presented via the one or more executable files, and wherein the method further comprises instructing the telematics unit to operate a predetermine vehicle module in response to the one or more executable files.

11. A computer usable medium for dynamically demonstrating vehicle features and vehicle promotions, the computer usable medium comprising:

computer readable code for storing and updating a plurality of filter nodes that provides a basis to separate out the demonstration information from a larger body of commercial information, each of the plurality of filter nodes being selected and stored in a telematics unit in a vehicle with no direct input by a vehicle user, the telematics unit being programmed to update the plurality of filter nodes from data systems both outside and inside the vehicle;

computer readable code for receiving a broadcast over a wireless channel, wherein the broadcast includes the commercial information associated with at least one of the vehicle features and the vehicle promotions;

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with at least one of the plurality of filter nodes to yield the demonstration information, filtered to be individually relevant to the vehicle user, wherein the demonstration information is at least a portion of the commercial information, and wherein the demonstration information includes content selected from physical aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, operational aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, purchasing of the user'"'"'s vehicle, driving of the user'"'"'s vehicle, servicing of the user'"'"'s vehicle and combinations thereof; and

computer readable code for presenting the filtered demonstration information in at least one of an audio format, a video format, or one or more executable files.

12. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to an architecture of the vehicle.

13. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one of a telematics subscription status associated with the vehicle and a telematics operational setting associated with the vehicle.

14. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one of a satellite subscription status associated with the vehicle and a satellite operational setting associated with the vehicle.

15. The computer usable medium for claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to a geographic location of the vehicle.

16. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to dealership being located within a predetermined distance of the vehicle.

17. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to at least one trigger event.

18. The computer usable medium of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code for filtering further includes:

computer readable code for filtering the broadcast with one of the plurality of filter nodes configured to separate information relating to a driving history of the vehicle.

19. A system for dynamically demonstrating vehicle features and vehicle promotions, the system comprising:

means for storing and updating a plurality of filter nodes that provides a basis to separate out the demonstration information from a larger body of commercial information, each of the plurality of filter nodes being selected and stored in a telematics unit in a vehicle with no direct input by a vehicle user, the telematics unit being programmed to update the plurality of filter nodes from data systems both outside and inside the vehicle;

means for receiving a broadcast over a wireless channel, wherein the broadcast includes the commercial information associated with at least one of the vehicle features and the vehicle promotions from the broadcast;

means for filtering the broadcast to yield demonstration information, wherein the demonstration information, filtered to be individually relevant to the vehicle user, is at least a portion of the commercial information, wherein the demonstration information includes content selected from physical aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, operational aspects of the user'"'"'s vehicle, purchasing of the user'"'"'s vehicle, driving of the user'"'"'s vehicle, servicing of the user'"'"'s vehicle and combinations thereof; and

means for presenting the filtered demonstration information in at least one of an audio format, a video format, or one or more executable files.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the filtered demonstration information includes at least one of vehicle feature information and vehicle purchase incentive information to thereby persuade a person to purchase the vehicle, vehicle service information, and service dealership information to thereby inform a person of an appropriate service for the vehicle.