Pre-connection system readiness for receiving voice and data commands

• US 7,599,690 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Kamdar, Hitan S., Veliu, Shpetim S., Reeser, Brad T., Sumcad, Anthony J., Patenaude, Russell A.
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US10/909,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20060025173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 4554561-457, 455/521, 455/427, 701/35, 340/425.5, 340/436, 379/265.01, 379/265.05, 379/265.11, 379/265.1, 379/266.02
• US Class Current: 455/427
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/552 Call annotations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends

Abstract

A pre-connection readiness system employs a telematics unit and a telematics call center. The telematics unit receives and stores pre-connection user information prior to a connection between the telematics unit and the telematics call center. The telematics unit and the telematics call center exchange the pre-connection user information subsequent to the connection between the telematics unit and the telematics call center.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a telematics unit; and

a call center;

wherein the telematics unit includes means for receiving and storing pre-connection user information after initiating a connection between the telematics unit and the call center but prior to establishing the connection between the telematics unit and the call center; and

wherein the telematics unit and the call center include means for exchanging the received and stored pre-connection user information upon establishing the connection between the telematics unit and the call center.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the pre-connection user information includes one or more voice commands.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the exchange of the pre-connection user information between the telematics unit and the call center involves a speech to text conversion of the one or more voice commands.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the exchange of the pre-connection user information between the telematics unit and the call center involves an audio playback of the pre-connection user information by the call center.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the exchange of the pre-connection user information between the telematics unit and the call center involves a routing of the connection to an appropriate advisor of the call center.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the pre-connection user information includes one or more computer data commands in the form of electronic data signals.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the exchange of the pre-connection user information between the telematics unit and the call center involves a data retrieval by the call center of the pre-connection user information from the telematics unit.

8. A method of establishing a connection between a telematics unit and a call center, the method comprising:

initiating a connection from the telematics unit to the call center;

receiving and storing pre-connection user information after the connection is initiated but prior to establishing the connection; and

transmitting the received and stored pre-connection user information to the call center upon establishing the connection.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the pre-connection user information includes one or more voice commands.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the pre-connection user information includes one or more computer data commands in the form of electronic data signals.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving the transmitted pre-connection user information; and

transmitting a call center reply responsive to the received pre-connection user information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the call center reply is selected in response to the content of the pre-connection user information.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the stored pre-connection user information is stored in memory until overwritten by new pre-connection user information.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

transmitting the pre-connection user information to an advisor.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method of transmitting the pre-connection user information to an advisor is selected from the group consisting of replicated audio playback, display on a screen dialog box, display on a screen dialog box involving a speech-to-text conversion, data transfer, and operation of interactive voice response system.

16. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving the transmitted pre-connection user information;

parsing the received transmitted pre-connection user information to determine the contents of the pre-connection user information; and

routing the communication to a destination in response to the contents of the pre-connection user information.

17. A method of communicating from a telematics unit to a call center comprising:

initiating a connection from the telematics unit to the call center;

receiving and storing pre-connection user information after the connection is initiated but prior to establishing the connection;

transmitting the received and stored pre-connection user information to the call center upon establishing the connection;

receiving a communication including the pre-connection user information at the call center;

parsing the pre-connection user information to determine the contents of the pre-connection user information; and

routing the communication in response to the contents of the pre-connection user information.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the pre-connection user information includes one or more voice commands.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

transmitting a call center reply responsive to the contents of the pre-connection user information.