Charge notification method for extended range electric vehicles
Granted: May 6, 2014
Patent Number:
8718844
The described principles provide a method and system for assisting a user of an electric vehicle in maintaining a charge state of the chargeable onboard energy storage system so as to be able to forgo the use of an auxiliary power unit to great extent. The method, also implemented by the system, comprises identifying charging locations for the vehicle, and prompting the user to charge the vehicle when the vehicle is at a charging location and a charge is need to avoid the use of the…
Notification method and system
Granted: May 6, 2014
Patent Number:
8718621
A notification method involves creating a template via a web server interface, where the template includes a statement having at least one tag, and triggering a transmission of raw data from a mobile communications device to the web server interface. The method further involves completing the template via the web server interface using the raw data transmitted to the mobile communications device. The template is completed by substituting the tag(s) with an alphanumeric expression deduced…
Method and system for modifying satellite radio program subscriptions in a mobile vehicle
Granted: April 29, 2014
Patent Number:
8713140
A system and method is directed to modifying a satellite radio subscription in a mobile vehicle. The method provides for receiving at least one satellite radio subscription modification request from the vehicle at a service provider, retrieving current satellite radio program subscription status at the service provider, determining at least one adjustment required to implement the at least one modification, and sending the determined adjustments required to implement the at least one…
Authenticating messages sent between a vehicle and a central facility
Granted: April 29, 2014
Patent Number:
8712379
A system and method for transmitting short message service (SMS) messages between a vehicle and a central facility includes determining an authentication tone having a unique characteristic, generating an SMS message that includes computer-readable data representing the authentication tone; sending the SMS message to a central facility, establishing a call between the central facility and the vehicle using a vehicle telematics unit and a wireless carrier system, generating the determined…
Method of posting a voice related message on a remotely accessible networking page
Granted: April 22, 2014
Patent Number:
8705724
A method of posting a voice related message on a remotely accessible networking page includes receiving, at a data center, a voice connection from a communications device. An account on the remotely accessible networking page that is associated with the voice connection is identified at the data center. A voice post is generated during or from the voice connection. Via the data center, the voice post is associated with the remotely accessible networking page so that the voice post is…
Multi-function antenna
Granted: April 22, 2014
Patent Number:
8704719
An antenna includes a CPW transmission line and a radiating portion. The radiating portion is coupled to the CPW transmission line and is substantially coplanar with the CPW transmission line. The radiating portion is configured to produce a first linear polarization at a first frequency, a circular polarization at a second frequency, and a second linear polarization at a third frequency. The radiating portion includes a conductive material extending from the CPW transmission line and…
Wireless monitoring of battery for lifecycle management
Granted: April 8, 2014
Patent Number:
8692663
The disclosed invention provides a system and apparatus for monitoring battery status and usage to facilitate battery protection, battery repurposing and battery maintenance. Wireless interrogation of a battery's location and key attributes provides efficiencies to manage the total lifecycle of an electric vehicle battery, whether installed in a vehicle or in an environment external to the vehicle environment. A wireless battery tether, combined with a wireless battery reader, a wireless…
Real-time ride share system
Granted: April 1, 2014
Patent Number:
8688532
A method of organizing the sharing of vehicle trips includes receiving a ride request from one or more riders, wherein the ride request includes a rider location and a rider destination, identifying a beginning waypoint and an ending waypoint for vehicle travel, determining a vehicle route based on the beginning and ending waypoints, choosing a rider whose rider location or rider destination is geographically closest to the determined vehicle route, presenting the rider location and…
Distinguishing out-of-vocabulary speech from in-vocabulary speech
Granted: April 1, 2014
Patent Number:
8688451
A speech recognition method includes receiving input speech from a user, processing the input speech using a first grammar to obtain parameter values of a first N-best list of vocabulary, comparing a parameter value of a top result of the first N-best list to a threshold value, and if the compared parameter value is below the threshold value, then additionally processing the input speech using a second grammar to obtain parameter values of a second N-best list of vocabulary. Other…
Vehicle telematics communication using text encoding of binary data
Granted: March 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8682364
A system and method for sending binary data via a short message service (SMS) over a wireless communication system. The method provides the capability to send and receive binary data to a vehicle telematics unit using a text SMS message. The binary data is converted to encoded text according to an encoding scheme supported by a wireless communication system. Then, the encoded text is sent as an SMS message over the wireless communication system. Once, the SMS message containing the…
Device-interoperability notification method and system, and method for assessing an interoperability of an electronic device with a vehicle
Granted: March 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8682307
A device-interoperability notification method and system are disclosed herein. The method involves establishing a connection between an electronic device and a telematics unit operatively disposed in a vehicle. Via the telematics unit, data obtained from the device is transmitted to a data aggregator at a call center. From the data, the data aggregator recognizes that an interoperability issue exists between the device and the vehicle within which the device is disposed. Via a…
Tertiary connection strategy for vehicle originated cellular communication to a call center
Granted: March 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8676199
A system and method for making vehicle originated calls to a telematics service provider or other call center. The method includes identifying a call type associated with a desired wireless communication of speech or data to the call center, and then carrying out one of a number of different call connection processes depending on the call type. For voice channel cellular connections, an in-band modem cellular connection is preferably established in most instances using a connection retry…
Timing adjustment for extending the wireless range of a vehicle telematics unit
Granted: March 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8675629
A system and method of extending the range of a vehicle telematics unit includes determining that a vehicle telematics unit is outside of a geographic range beyond which time division multiple access (TDMA) transmissions sent from the vehicle telematics unit to a base station arrive at the base station after a time slot allocated to the vehicle telematics unit in a time frame has passed; calculating a time delay that causes the TDMA transmissions to arrive at the base station in the…
Detecting degradation of wireless network performance
Granted: March 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8675514
A system and method for monitoring wireless network performance that provides a real-time detection and identification of problem areas within a wireless carrier's network. The method involves receiving and attempting to fulfill requests for vehicle services data sent via the wireless carrier system between vehicles and a call center or other remote facility. The success or failure of these attempts are recorded and associated with the geographic region in which the vehicle was located…
Creation of GIS tools and spatial database for limited access highway entrance points in the US and Canada
Granted: March 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8670924
A navigation assistance system and method determines limited access highway entrance points as destinations in a geographic information system. In one aspect, the limited access highway entrance points are stored as destinations in a geographic database within the geographic information system such that a telematics service provider can provide directions to the limited access highway entrance points.
Telematics device reactivation via broadcast SMS alert
Granted: March 11, 2014
Patent Number:
8670365
The disclosed invention provides a system and apparatus for deactivating unused telematics units in a cost effective manner, while allowing later contact with the unit by the service provider. The service provider deactivates a device by replacing a valid MIN with an invalid default MIN, deactivating the normal CDMA registration process, and implementing a reduced frequency registration regimen. A regionally broadcast SMS message is subsequently used to reach the deactivated module. The…
Vehicle interior component for supporting a communication system
Granted: March 4, 2014
Patent Number:
8666464
An vehicle interior component for supporting a communication system is disclosed herein. The vehicle interior component includes, but is not limited to, a body that is adapted for attachment to an interior of the vehicle and that is configured to receive a smartphone. The vehicle interior component further includes a hardware module that is configured to communicatively couple with the smartphone. The vehicle interior component still further includes a user input module communicatively…
Method of providing information to a vehicle
Granted: February 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8660735
A method of providing information to a vehicle involves selecting content, and a source from which the information is retrievable. The information pertains to the content and the content is associated with an entity. The vehicle is tracked in real time. Via a telematics unit of the vehicle, vehicle data obtained from the tracking (including at least a then-current vehicle location and speed) is uploaded to an offboard server. The data is utilized, by a processor associated with the…
Method of communicating business contact information to a wireless user
Granted: February 25, 2014
Patent Number:
8660538
A method for providing business services to a customer via a wireless device used by the customer. The method includes asking a customer for a wireless telephone number associated with a wireless device used by the customer, receiving the wireless telephone number, storing the wireless telephone number, and sending the customer a short message service (SMS) message to the wireless telephone number, wherein the SMS message contains a phone number or universal resource locator (URL) that…
Systems and methods for detecting an error in the installation of an electrical component
Granted: February 18, 2014
Patent Number:
8653954
A system and method for detecting an error in the installation of an electrical component in a vehicle having a vehicle bus is disclosed herein. The system includes, but is not limited to a vehicle communication interface that is configured to be communicatively coupled with the vehicle bus and to detect a first power state of the vehicle. The system further includes an aftermarket telematics unit that is configured to be electrically connected to the vehicle and to wirelessly…
