Method and system for responding to digital vehicle requests
Granted: November 8, 2011
Patent Number:
8055308
The invention provides a method and system for responding to digital vehicle requests. After a telematics unit receives a voice query and converts the voice query to a compressed digital signal, the signal is transmitted to a call center node. The signal is then parsed at the call center node to determine an inquiry. The call center node may then formulate at least one response to the inquiry and transmit the at least one formulated response in a digital format over the wireless network…
Voice dialing using a rejection reference
Granted: November 8, 2011
Patent Number:
8055502
A voice dialing method includes the steps of receiving an utterance from a user, decoding the utterance to identify a recognition result for the utterance, and communicating to the user the recognition result. If an indication is received from the user that the communicated recognition result is incorrect, then it is added to a rejection reference. Then, when the user repeats the misunderstood utterance, the rejection reference can be used to eliminate the incorrect recognition result as…
Vehicle radio system with customized advertising
Granted: November 8, 2011
Patent Number:
8055540
A radio broadcast system includes a vehicle-based radio system that receives radio broadcasts via digital satellite transmission from a transmitting facility and provides two-way communication with a vehicle communications central facility. The transmitting facility broadcasts a number of different channels of programming content (music, news, etc.) along with one or more separate streams of radio advertisements. The advertisements are received by the vehicle radio system which selects…
Method of recognizing speech from a plurality of speaking locations within a vehicle
Granted: November 8, 2011
Patent Number:
8054990
A speech recognition method includes the steps of receiving a location-specific command from a vehicle occupant, and adjusting either the shape or magnitude of a pick up pattern of at least one microphone in response to the location-specific command. The microphone adjustment can be carried out by electronically or physically steering the pick-up pattern.
Adaptive initial volume settings for a vehicle audio system
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050419
A vehicle audio system such as a vehicle radio is integrated with a vehicle speech system so that outputted speech by the vehicle speech system is played through the audio system. When a speech session begins, the audio system mutes any entertainment audio being played and outputs audio speech received from the vehicle speech system at an initial volume that is constrained to be between minimum and maximum initial volume settings. These initial volume settings are automatically adjusted…
Primary connection strategy for vehicle originated cellular communication to a call center
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050673
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…
Method for controlling the distribution of vehicle-related data
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050811
A method for controlling the wireless distribution of vehicle-related data that is collected from a vehicle and is distributed to one or more authorized recipients in a confidential manner. This method uses predetermined business rules, which can be maintained and/or applied at the vehicle, at the telematics service provider, or elsewhere, to control the distribution of vehicle-related data. These business rules can determine which pieces of vehicle-related data, if any, are to be sent…
Method and system for selectively monitoring vehicle systems and for controlling vehicle system parameters
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050815
A method for selectively monitoring one or more vehicle systems is disclosed. The method includes recognizing, at the vehicle, an activation device that is configured to trigger predetermined setting(s) for the one or more vehicle systems. The telematics unit transmits to a secure server a signal indicative of the fact that the activation device is in use. Access to the secure server for monitoring the one or more vehicle systems via an Internet-enabled program is selectively enabled. A…
Method and system for transmitting data to a traffic information server
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050855
A method for transmitting data to a traffic information server includes obtaining, at a mobile vehicle, data including at least one of a vehicle speed and a vehicle location at a then-current time, and determining whether the data is redundant. Determining whether the data is redundant may be accomplished by at least one of comparing the data with other data previously transmitted to the traffic information server from an other mobile vehicle or determining whether the data falls within…
Speech to DTMF generation
Granted: November 1, 2011
Patent Number:
8050928
A method of speech to DTMF generation involving ASR-enabled and DTMF-controlled communications systems. The ASR-enabled system is used to recognize speech received from the DTMF-controlled telecommunications system using sampling rate independent speech recognition. It then identifies a speech segment contained in the speech received from the DTMF-controlled system that corresponds with at least one keyword associated with user-defined data. Then, the ASR-enabled system transmits at…
Method for accessing email attachments from a mobile vehicle
Granted: October 25, 2011
Patent Number:
8046414
A method for accessing email attachments from a mobile vehicle is disclosed. The method enables the user to contact a call center, and receive email attachments in a mobile vehicle telematics control unit. The telematics control unit determines whether the email attachment is audio-only, or whether it includes video elements. The telematics control unit then routes audio-only attachments to an audio device, and attachments having video elements to a display screen.
Assigning a local access telephone number to a wireless mobile communication device
Granted: October 18, 2011
Patent Number:
8041384
A method and apparatus for assigning a mobile dialing number (MDN) to a wireless mobile communication device (MCD), for providing local call access to the MCD from a base address for the MCD, by first selecting a wireless rate center encompassing the base address and having an MDN providing local call access to the MCD from the base address for the MCD, and then assigning the MDN to the MCD, for providing local calling access to the MCD from the base address for the MCD. A database…
Methods for realizing an in-vehicle ringtone
Granted: September 27, 2011
Patent Number:
8027706
A method of acquiring a preferred ringtone for a telematics unit in a vehicle includes indicating, via a user interface panel in communication with the telematics unit, that an audio emission is related to the preferred ringtone. The audio emission emanates from a vehicle audio system operatively disposed in the vehicle. The method further includes transmitting the preferred ringtone to the vehicle via the telematics unit. The preferred ringtone notifies a user of an incoming…
Vehicle diagnostic interface mechanism
Granted: September 13, 2011
Patent Number:
8019500
In examples of the invention, a vehicle diagnostics update mechanism provides a frequent connection to a vehicle telematics unit. In this way, large amounts of vehicle data that are available when the vehicle is on or cached, i.e., when the vehicle is off, can be pulled and used to provide a vehicle update to the user. In one example, a “vehicle dashboard” application running on a vehicle owner's computer in the form of a tool bar provides diagnostics updates in a quick and easy to…
Microphone windguard
Granted: August 30, 2011
Patent Number:
8009852
A windguard for a microphone includes an acoustic inlet at a downstream end and at least one pressure-relief port upstream of the acoustic inlet. The windguard has a base, a skirt depending from the base, and a first hood projecting from the base. The base and skirt provide space to accommodate the microphone. The first hood extends from an upstream end of the base to the downstream end and includes the acoustic inlet at the downstream end. The pressure-relief port(s) is located on the…
Method and system for providing a telematics readiness mode
Granted: August 23, 2011
Patent Number:
8005467
A method and system for providing a telematics readiness mode including receiving a first readiness mode input at a telematics unit, initiating a readiness mode responsive to the received first readiness mode input, receiving a second readiness mode input at the telematics unit while in the readiness mode, and determining a readiness action based on the received second readiness mode input. A computer usable medium with suitable computer program code is employed for providing a…
Adaptive confidence thresholds in telematics system speech recognition
Granted: August 23, 2011
Patent Number:
8005668
A method of configuring a speech recognition unit in a vehicle. The method includes receiving a noise error from the speech recognition unit responsive to a user voice command and reducing a confidence threshold for an appropriate grammar set responsive to the received noise error.
Method and system for predictive interactive voice recognition
Granted: August 16, 2011
Patent Number:
8000452
A method for a predictive interactive voice recognition system includes receiving a voice call, associating said voice call with a behavioral pattern, and invoking a service context responsive to said behavioral pattern. The system provides advantages of improved voice recognition and more efficient use of the voice user interface to obtain services.
Method to prevent excessive current drain of telematics unit network access device
Granted: August 16, 2011
Patent Number:
8000842
The disclosed examples illustrate a system and method that prevent excessive current drain through the network access device (NAD) of a telematics unit and provide flexible discontinuous-receive management. Normally, when in a Standby State and where communication service is unavailable, the NAD may dissipate current at rate many times more than where communication service is available. A Standby Counter provides the length of the time interval for Standby State or the sleep cycle.…
Telematics marketing information acquisition triggering method and system
Granted: August 9, 2011
Patent Number:
7996235
A method for acquiring marketing information from a marketing call center. The method involves a setting of a marketing information trigger based on a pre-determined event corresponding to at least one of a vehicle and an in-vehicle telematics unit, and an initiation of a call to the marketing call center to acquire the marketing information in response to an occurrence of the pre-determined event.
