Wireless communications system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9370041-B2
Application number	US-201414552285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2014
Priority date	May 26, 1999
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A system for communicating information facilitates wireless communication between electronic devices. The system includes a transceiver provided in a vehicle. The transceiver communicates with an electronic device located external to the transceiver using a Bluetooth communications standard.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for communicating menu information to an occupant of a vehicle from an electronic device external the vehicle, the electronic device including a first radio frequency transceiver and a third radio frequency transceiver each configured to operate according to a wireless communications protocol, the vehicle including at least one of a vehicle display system or a vehicle audio system, the system comprising:
a second radio frequency transceiver mounted in the vehicle, wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to automatically establish a first wireless communications link with the first radio frequency transceiver in response to entering a proximity of the first radio frequency transceiver; and
a fourth radio frequency transceiver mounted in the vehicle, wherein the fourth radio frequency transceiver is configured to establish a second wireless communications link with the third radio frequency transceiver in response to the second radio frequency transceiver establishing the first wireless communications link, the second wireless communications link being secured in order for the fourth radio frequency transceiver to transmit an electronic payment in response to receiving a payment authorization;
wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to communicate the menu information with the first radio frequency transceiver, wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to provide the menu information received from the first radio frequency transceiver to the at least one of the vehicle display system or the vehicle audio system.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface configured to receive selections regarding the menu information.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive audio input.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second transceivers are configured to communicate with a plurality of other transceivers simultaneously.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless communications link is unencrypted and the second wireless communications link is encrypted.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the user interface is configured to receive an input configured to control components of the vehicle including at least one of the seats, mirrors, radio settings, or climate control.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system includes the vehicle audio system; wherein the user interface is configured to allow the occupant to convert text information into audio information; wherein the audio information is transmitted to the vehicle audio system for playback.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system includes the vehicle display system, wherein the user interface is configured to allow the occupant to display vehicle diagnostic information on the vehicle display system.

9. The system of claim 2 , which is further configured to allow the occupant to complete a transaction including at least one of a a retail transaction in which the device external to the vehicle is a drive-through menu a banking transaction, a prescription transaction, or a toll transaction.

10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the user interface is configured to allow the occupant to send control messages to the device external to the vehicle.

11. The system of claim 2 , which is further configured to provide information from the Internet to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the device external to the vehicle is a computing device configured to receive the information from the Internet.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the user interface is configured to allow the occupant of the vehicle to cause the information to be provided via the at least one of the vehicle display system or the vehicle audio system.

13. The system of claim 2 , which is further configured as a push-based communication system to push download information to the occupant of the vehicle; wherein the device external to the vehicle is a computing device, the computing device configured to connect to a wireless service organization;
wherein the wireless service organization and the computing device are configured to push the download information to the second radio frequency transceiver.

14. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first radio frequency transceiver is further configured to receive personalized information from the device external to the vehicle, as the vehicle passes a point along a road or highway, and wherein the display is configured to communicate the information to the occupant of the vehicle; wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is further configured to transmit identifying information to the device external to the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the personalized information relates to the point, the identifying information, or the point and the identifying information.

16. The system of claim 2 , wherein the system includes the vehicle display system, wherein the vehicle display system is configured to display a subset of map information on the vehicle display system, wherein:
the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to request directions for traveling to a particular destination from the device external to the vehicle which is an electronic system via a wireless data communication link, wherein the electronic system is linked to an Internet-based information source configured to generate the map information in response to the request, wherein the electronic system is configured to send the map information to the second radio frequency transceiver in response to the request, wherein the radio frequency transceiver is further configured to receive the map information sent by the electronic system; and the system further comprises:
a memory configured to store the map information received by the second radio frequency transceiver prior to the display of the map information on the vehicle display system.

17. A system for communicating menu information to an occupant of a vehicle from an electronic device external the vehicle, the electronic device including a first radio frequency transceiver configured to operate according to a wireless communications protocol, the vehicle including a vehicle display system, a vehicle audio system, or both the vehicle audio system and the vehicle display system, the system comprising:
a second radio frequency transceiver mounted in the vehicle, wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to communicate the menu information with the first radio frequency transceiver, wherein the second radio frequency transceiver is configured to provide the menu information received from the first radio frequency transceiver to the vehicle display system, the vehicle audio system, or to both the vehicle display system and the vehicle audio system;
a user interface configured to receive selections regarding the menu information;
wherein the system is further configured to allow wireless communication for enabling information relating to a point-of-interest along a route of travel to be communicated to the occupant of the vehicle, wherein the point-of-interest information is communicated to the first radio frequency transceiver of the device external to the vehicle from a wireless service organization; and
wherein the system further comprises:
a global positioning device on-board the vehicle configured to transmit location parameters to the first radio frequency transceiver and the wireless service organization via the second radio frequency transceiver and the wireless communications link, wherein the second ra

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• Visteon Global Tech Inc

Inventors

• Witkowski Todd R
• Dykema Kurt A
• Geerlings Steven L
• Zeinstra Mark L

Classifications

• H04W4/04

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G06K7/10386

  the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader · CPC title

• H04B1/3822

  specially adapted for use in vehicles (H04B1/3827 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B7/26

  at least one of which is mobile · CPC title