Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090036091 | METHOD OF ESTABLISHING A COMMUNICATIONS CONNECTION FROM A DEACTIVATED TELEMATICS UNIT ON A MOTOR VEHICLE - A system and method for communicating with a call center from a vehicle telematics unit that has had its cellular service deactivated. The method includes the step of receiving a request from the telematics unit to communicate with the call center via cellular telephony using a cleared telephone number. The call is then established and the type of request is determined at the call center and used to route the cellular call to an appropriate advisor or department in the call center based on the type of request being made. | 02-05-2009 |
20090248236 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING VEHICLE DIAGNOSTIC DATA - A system and method for communicating vehicle diagnostic data via an inactive telematics unit. A serious diagnostic condition detected in the vehicle is used to trigger a call from the telematics unit to a call center using a cleared number. During the call, diagnostic data can be transmitted to the call center and a temporary number can be provided by the call center to the telematics unit to permit temporary communication. Additional diagnostics can be run and reported using this temporary number. | 10-01-2009 |
20100159894 | METHOD OF COMMUNICATING BUSINESS CONTACT INFORMATION TO A WIRELESS USER - 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 allows the customer to use the wireless device to interact with the business. | 06-24-2010 |
20100164790 | METHOD OF MANAGING MULTIPLE VEHICLE ANTENNAS - A system and method of managing multiple vehicle antennas. Wireless signals to and from the vehicle are communicated via a primary antenna system having one or more antennas mounted in a housing on the vehicle. Operation of the primary antenna system is monitored so that, if the primary antenna system is broken or otherwise stops working properly, the system switches to a secondary antenna system housed in a separate location on the vehicle. | 07-01-2010 |
20100245122 | Unit Configuration/Reactivation Through VDU Services - A system and method for activating an inactive telematics unit provides a group of communications functions to the telematics unit. Initially, a call is received at a call center from a user of the telematics unit, through which subscriber information is obtained. An account data set is created at the call center based on the subscriber information and the call center advisor sets an activation trigger in the telematics unit. When the trigger condition occurs, the telematics unit places a VDU call to the call center. The call center then automatically activates and configures the telematics unit via the VDU call to provide the group of one or more communications functions. | 09-30-2010 |
20110250877 | METHOD FOR REACTIVATING A THEN-CURRENTLY DEACTIVATED MOBILE UNIT - A method for reactivating a then-currently deactivated mobile unit involves submitting a request to a call center to reactivate the mobile unit and, upon receiving the request, submitting another request to a cellular service provider from the call center, where such other request includes a request to broadcast a message having a mobile unit identifier and a reactivation protocol contained therein. The method further involves broadcasting the message from the cellular service provider to a plurality of mobile units each having an identical inactive dialing number stored therein. A processor operatively associated with the then-currently deactivated mobile unit recognizes the mobile unit identifier contained in the broadcasted message. Upon recognizing the mobile unit identifier, the processor applies the reactivation protocol contained in the broadcasted message to initiate reactivation of the then-currently deactivated mobile unit. | 10-13-2011 |
20110301839 | METHOD OF USING VEHICLE LOCATION INFORMATION WITH A WIRELESS MOBILE DEVICE - A system and method for monitoring vehicle position includes receiving vehicle location information at a mobile wireless device via short-range communication from the vehicle, storing the received vehicle location information at the wireless mobile device, receiving a request from a user of the wireless mobile device for a navigational route to the vehicle, determining the location of the wireless mobile device, and providing at the wireless mobile device the navigational route between the wireless mobile device and the vehicle based on the wireless mobile device location and vehicle location. This can be helpful where a user has parked his or her car and thereafter needs assistance locating where it is parked. | 12-08-2011 |
20120028607 | MOBILE-ORIGINATED SMS LOCAL BROADCAST - A method and system for local broadcasting of messages from a wireless mobile device to many others located within the same geographic area. This can be done using SMS messaging wherein a message to be broadcast is addressed to a particular designated address and, when received by a wireless carrier system, is checked to determine that it came from an authorized sender, and then is broadcasted by the wireless carrier system to a geographically-limited area within which the sending wireless mobile device is located. | 02-02-2012 |
20120029964 | METHOD FOR UPDATING AN ELECTRONIC CALENDAR IN A VEHICLE - A method for updating an electronic calendar in a vehicle involves uploading an appointment to the electronic calendar, where the appointment includes a description of an event, a time block for the event, and a travel time preceding the time block. An alert is set in a telematics unit of the vehicle, where the alert notifies a vehicle occupant of the appointment. The alert is configured to be activated in response to a trigger. At a time subsequent to the time block of the event, one of i) a memo is uploaded to the electronic calendar indicating that the alert was activated, or ii) another memo is uploaded to the electronic calendar indicating that the alert was not activated. | 02-02-2012 |
20120098717 | MULTIPLE ANTENNA ELEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD - An antenna system connectable to a vehicle includes a primary antenna, a primary data transmission line, a secondary antenna, a secondary data transmission line, and an RF device. The primary antenna is connected to the vehicle and is located in an exterior environment. The secondary antenna is connected to the vehicle and is located in one of the exterior environment and an interior cabin of the vehicle. The primary data transmission line transmits a first RF signal and is in communication with the primary antenna. The secondary data transmission line transmits a secondary RF signal and is in communication with the secondary antenna. The fixed RF device is connected to the vehicle and is in communication with the primary data transmission line and the secondary data transmission line to provide an output RF signal. | 04-26-2012 |
20120243528 | Mobile Application DRx Synchronization with Embedded Vehicle Hardware - The described method and system provide for synchronizing a mobile application on a mobile device with a DRx (discontinuous receive) schedule of a vehicle. When the vehicle ignition is turned off, a telecommunications unit on the vehicle sends a synchronization message to the mobile device, which allows the mobile application to synchronize with the DRx schedule of the vehicle. The DRx schedule includes a standby mode, a cyclic mode, and a powered down mode for the vehicle, and user requests inputted into the mobile application will be processed according to the mobile application's determination of vehicle availability during those modes. The mobile application is thus able to inform the user of the vehicle status at any point during the vehicle's DRx schedule without requiring any further information from the vehicle after the synchronization message. | 09-27-2012 |
20120258705 | TELEMATICS SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH MULTIPLE ANTENNAS - Vehicle telematics systems and methods for vehicle telematics systems are provided. The telematics system includes a first antenna, a second antenna, and a processing device. The first antenna is disposed at a first location on the vehicle. The second antenna is disposed at a second location on the vehicle. The second location is remote from the first location. The processing device is coupled to the first antenna and the second antenna. The processing device is configured to monitor a parameter that is indicative as to whether the first antenna is operational, communicate using the first antenna if the parameter indicates that the first antenna is operational, and communicate using the second antenna if the parameter indicates that the first antenna is not operational. | 10-11-2012 |
20130149985 | EXTENDING THE RANGE OF VEHICULAR CELLULAR COMMUNICATIONS - A method of carrying out communications using a vehicle telematics unit includes identifying a cellular base station in wireless communication with a vehicle telematics unit; attempting an emergency call via the identified cellular base station using the vehicle telematics unit; determining that a forward link portion of a cellular signal between the vehicle telematics unit and the identified cellular base station lacks sufficient strength to place the attempted emergency call; and transmitting emergency communications via the identified cellular base station using a reverse link portion of the cellular signal based on the determination. | 06-13-2013 |
20130196612 | TELEMATICS UNIT AND MOBILE DEVICE PAIRING WITH MISSING DEVICE NOTIFICATIONS - The described method and system provide for forgotten phone notification and vehicle theft notification. A method includes: activating a configurable device pairing program module associated with a short-range wireless unit of the telematics unit when a triggering condition is satisfied; determining, using the configurable device pairing program module and short-range wireless unit, whether the paired mobile device is within range of the short-range wireless unit; and providing, in response to a determination that the paired mobile device is not within range of the short-range wireless unit, a notification to the paired mobile device that the vehicle is being operated in the exception state that is based, at least in part, upon the paired mobile device not being detected during the determining step. | 08-01-2013 |
20130281023 | ENABLING FEATURES AND DISPLAY REMINDERS ON A MOBILE PHONE - A method and system of providing a reminder message to a vehicle user, comprising the steps of establishing a short-range wireless communication between a vehicle and a mobile phone or other handheld communications device carried by the user; determining a vehicle trip initiation or termination involving the vehicle user; and providing a reminder message to the vehicle user via the handheld communications device in response to that determination. In addition, the method may comprise the step of transmitting an instruction from the handheld communications device comprising the execution of an auxiliary vehicle function. | 10-24-2013 |
20140279019 | ELECTRONIC GLOVEBOX FOR A VEHICLE - A method and a system for providing access to a cloud computer from a vehicle. The method carried out by the system includes providing at least one client (e.g., an e-glovebox device). The method also includes configuring a cloud server to allow access to one or more clients and accessing the cloud server using the e-glovebox. The access may include uploading one or more data members to the cloud server. The access may also include downloading one or more data members from the cloud server. | 09-18-2014 |