Patent Publication Number: US-8988210-B2

Title: Automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates to vehicle telematics systems and, more particularly, to communication of messages within a vehicle telematics system. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In recent years, vehicle telematics systems have grown in popularity and are increasingly available in all types of vehicles. In general, vehicle telematics systems use a combination of various wireless voice and data telecommunications technologies to communicate between vehicles and data centers. Such communication enables a wide variety of services to be provided to subscribers of telematics services, including vehicle navigation, maintenance, diagnostics, advertising, emergency services, and messaging. 
     For example, pre-recorded messages can be broadcast by satellite to an entire fleet of vehicles to notify vehicle occupants of generalized information such as advertisements. But broadcast messages are not personalized in that they are not specifically tailored to any particular subscriber or occupant of a subscriber&#39;s vehicle. In another example, a human customer service representative can generate a particular message and transmit it to a telematics subscriber&#39;s vehicle by telephony. But generation and delivery of messages by a customer service representative may not always be cost effective. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle, comprising the steps of:
         (a) establishing a reminder message and defining playback instructions for playing the reminder message;   (b) generating a trigger based on the defined playback instructions;   (c) setting the trigger;   (d) monitoring for an occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy the trigger; and   (e) determining whether the one or more conditions have occurred and, if so, then:   (f) accessing the reminder message associated with the trigger; and   (g) communicating the reminder message.       

    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram depicting an example of a telematics system that can be used automatic communication of reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle; and 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of an embodiment of an exemplary method of automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle that can be performed using the telematics system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An exemplary operating environment is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and can be used to implement the method shown in  FIG. 2  and discussed below. The method can be particularly useful for automatically providing reminder messages in a telematics-equipped vehicle. The method can be carried out using any suitable telematics system. Preferably, however, the method is carried out in conjunction with a vehicle telematics system such as system  100 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the overall architecture, as well as the individual elements of a system such as the system  100  shown here, are generally known in the art. 
     The system  100  can include a motor vehicle  102  carrying one or more occupants or users, a wireless communication system  104  for wirelessly communicating with the vehicle  102  and a second communications system  106  that, in turn, communicates with a call center  108  that provides services to the vehicle  102  by processing and storing data and communicating with the vehicle  102 . Additionally, the telematics system  100  can also include a web server  109  in communication with the vehicle  102  and call center  108  for providing Internet services thereto, and a personal communication device  111  in communication with the vehicle  102 . 
     The exemplary telematics system  100  generally facilitates one or more services to the occupant(s) of the vehicle  102 , including vehicle navigation, turn-by-turn driving directions, telephony including automated audio interaction with vehicle occupants, emergency services, vehicle diagnostics, vehicle system updates, and automated speech recognition. For this purpose the telematics system  100  processes data and instructions as well as facilitates wireless voice and data transfer between hardware located on the vehicle  102  and hardware in the remote call center  108 . For example, the telematics system  100  enables vehicle occupants to initiate voice communication, for example, with the call center  108  or the personal communication device  111 . Also, the telematics system  100  enables electronic communication between the vehicle  102  and the web server  109  for various purposes such as transmitting and/or receiving data such as updated voice messages, email, news, or the like. 
     Motor Vehicle 
     The motor vehicle  102  is depicted in the illustrated embodiment as a passenger vehicle, and it will be appreciated that any other vehicles including motorcycles, marine vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, and other automobiles such as vans, trucks, etc., can be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Various electronic modules can be located on the vehicle  102  and include one or more vehicle sub-systems or vehicle system modules (VSMs)  110 , an on-board vehicle communication bus  112 , and one or more vehicle telematics units  114  connected by the bus  112  to the VSMs  110 . 
     VSMs 
     The VSMs  110  facilitate suitable on-board functions such as vehicle diagnostics, monitoring, control, reporting, and/or other functions. For example, the VSMs  110  can be used for controlling engine operation, monitoring and deploying air bags or other safety devices, and/or diagnosing vehicle systems via various vehicle sensors. The VSMs  110  broadly represent any subsystems and/or components throughout the vehicle with which the telematics unit  114  interacts. In a specific example, if the call center  108  sends a signal to the vehicle  102  to unlock the vehicle doors, then the telematics unit  114  instructs a door lock VSM to unlock the doors. 
     Vehicle Communication Bus 
     The vehicle communication bus  112  facilitates interactions among the various vehicle systems such as the VSMs  110  and the telematics unit  114  and uses any suitable network communication configuration whether wired or wireless. A few examples include a Controller Area Network (CAN), Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), Local Interconnect Network (LIN), Ethernet (10baseT, 100baseT), Local Area Network (LAN), ISO Standard 9141, ISO Standard 11898 for high-speed applications, ISO Standard 11519 for lower speed applications, SAE Standard J1850 for high-speed and lower speed applications, and/or a wireless area network. 
     Vehicle Telematics Unit 
     The vehicle telematics unit  114  facilitates communication and interactivity between the vehicle  102  or occupants thereof, and various remote locations including the call center  108 , web server  109 , and/or and personal communication device  111 . The telematics unit  114  interfaces with the various VSM&#39;s  110  via the vehicle communication bus  112 . The telematics unit  114  can be implemented in any suitable configuration and preferably includes a processor  116 , a communications device  118  for wireless communication to and from the vehicle  102  via one or more antennas  120 , a memory  122  to store programs  124  and/or one or more databases  126 , and a user interface  128 . The telematics unit  114  also includes any suitable device for intercommunicating the aforementioned devices. 
     The communications device  118  may include any suitable technology(ies) including a satellite receiver, a cellular chipset for voice communications, a modem for data communications, etc. Also, those skilled in the art recognized that the modem can transmit and receive data over a voice channel by applying some type of encoding or modulation to convert digital data for communication through a vocoder or speech codec incorporated in a cellular chipset. Any suitable encoding or modulation technique that provides an acceptable data rate and bit error rate can be used. For a more complete discussion of an example of data transmission over a voice channel, please refer to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/163,579 filed Oct. 24, 2005, which is assigned to the present assignee and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Telematics Processor 
     The telematics processor  116  is implemented in any of various ways known to those skilled in the art, such as in the form of a controller, microprocessor, microcontroller, host processor, vehicle communications processor, Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or as any other appropriate processor type. Alternatively, the processor  116  can work in conjunction with a central processing unit (not shown) performing the function of a general purpose computer. The processor  116  can be associated with other suitable devices (not shown) such as a real time clock to provide accurate date and time information. The processor  116  executes the one or more computer programs  124  stored in memory  122 , such as to carry out various functions of monitoring and processing data and communicating the telematics unit  114  with the VSM&#39;s  110 , vehicle occupants, and remote locations. For example, the processor  116  can execute one or more control programs and processes trigger and/or message programs and/or data to carry out a method of automatically providing reminder messages, either alone or in conjunction with the call center  108 . Further, the processor  116  controls, generates, and accepts signals transmitted between the telematics unit  114  and call center  108  via the communications systems  104 ,  106 , and between the telematics unit  114  and the vehicle communication bus  112  that is connected to the various mechanical and/or electronic VSM&#39;s  110 . In one mode, these signals are used to activate programming and operation modes of the VSM&#39;s  110 . 
     Telematics Memory 
     The telematics memory  122  can be any electronic storage device that provides computer-readable storage of data and programs for use by the processor  116 . The memory  122  can include volatile, and/or non-volatile memory storage, such as RAM, NVRAM, hard disks, flash memory, etc., and can be implemented as one or more separate physical devices. The programs  124  include one or more computer programs that are executed by the processor  116  to carry out the various functions of the telematics unit  114 . For example, the software or programs  124  resident in the memory  122  and executed by the processor  116  can be used for carrying out a method of automatically providing reminder messages. The database  126  can be used to store message data, diagnostic trouble code data or other diagnostic data, vehicle data upload (VDU) records, event activation tables, etc. For example, the database  126  can include voice or test messages, triggers, etc. This database  126  can be implemented as database tables that enable lookups to be performed on data stored in the database  126 , and this can be done using known indexing techniques and/or database queries, or by straight serial searching through such tables. These and other database storage and lookup techniques are well known to those skilled in the art. 
     Telematics Communications Device 
     The telematics communications device  118  provides wireless communication via cellular, satellite, or other wireless path, and facilitates both voice and data communications. For example, the wireless telematics communications device  118  and associated antenna  120  transmits and receives voice and data to and from the wireless communication system  104  so that the telematics unit  114  can communicate with the call center  108  via the second communication system  106 . Accordingly, the wireless communications device  118  is preferably equipped with cellular communications software and hardware such as a wireless modem or embedded cellular telephone, which can be analog, digital, dual mode, dual band, multi mode, and/or multi-band, and can include a separate processor and memory. Also, the wireless communications device  118  preferably uses cellular technology such as Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), etc. but could also utilize proprietary or other wireless technologies to communicate with the wireless communication system  104 . 
     The communications device  118  can also include global positioning system (GPS) communication and signal processing software and equipment, which can be separate from or integrated with the communications device  118 . For example, such a GPS receiver receives location and time data from the wireless communication system  104  and conveys corresponding latitude and longitude information to the telematics unit  114  to enable the telematics unit  114  to process, store, and send location information to carry out services such as navigation, driving directions, and emergency services. 
     The communications device  118  can further include satellite communications signal processing software and equipment, which can be separate from or integrated with the communications device  118 . The satellite communications module receives satellite radio broadcast signals from, for example, a geostationary satellite. The satellite radio module may receive broadcast radio information over one or more channels and generate an audio output or provide data communications from a satellite service provider. In addition to music and entertainment, traffic information, road construction information, advertisements, news and information on local events, satellite broadcasts may include messages. Satellite radio broadcast signals received by the satellite radio receiver can be monitored for signals with targeted information, and when the targeted information is detected, the targeted message and associated information can be extracted from the broadcast signal. 
     Telematics User Interface 
     The telematics user interface  128  includes one or more input and output modules and/or devices to receive input from, and transmit output to, a vehicle occupant. As used herein, the term interface broadly means any suitable form of electronic device or adapter, or even a software module or adapter, which enables a user or a piece of equipment to communicate with or control another piece of equipment. The interface described herein can be a single interface or can be implemented as separate interfaces or any combination thereof. 
     The input devices include one or more of the following devices: one or more tactile devices  130  such as one or more pushbutton switches, keypads, or keyboards; one or more microphones  132 ; or any other type of input device. The tactile input device  130  enables user-activation of one or more functions of the telematics unit  114  and can include a pushbutton switch, keypad, keyboard, or other suitable input device located within the vehicle in reach of the vehicle occupants. For example, the tactile input device  130  can be used to initiate telecommunications with remote locations, such as the call center  108  or cellular telephones and/or to initiate vehicle updates, diagnostics, or the like. The microphone  132  allows vehicle occupants to provide voice commands or other verbal input into the telematics unit  114 , as well as voice communication with various remote locations via the communications device  122 . Voice commands from the vehicle occupants can be interpreted using a suitable analog-to-digital interface or digital signal processor such as a sound card (not shown) between the microphone  132  and the processor  116  and voice recognition programs and data stored within the memory  122 . 
     The output devices can include one or more speakers  134 , a visual display device such as a liquid crystal or plasma screen (not shown), or any other types of output devices. The speaker(s)  134  enable the telematics unit  114  to communicate with the vehicle occupants through audible speech, signals, or audio files, and can be stand-alone speakers specifically dedicated for use with the telematics unit  114 , or they can be part of a vehicle audio system. A suitable interface device such as a sound card (not shown) can be interposed between the speakers  134  and the telematics processor  116 . 
     Although depicted in  FIG. 1  as separate individual modules, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many of the components of the telematics unit  114  can be integrated together, or integrated and/or shared with other vehicle systems. For example, the memory  122  can be incorporated into the processor  116  or located outside of telematics unit  114  and shared with one or more other vehicle systems such as a vehicle central processing unit. Although the VSM&#39;s  110  are shown separate from the telematics unit  114 , it is possible for any combination of these VSM&#39;s  110  to be integrated within the telematics unit  114 . Furthermore, the telematics unit  114  could include additional components not shown here, or could omit some of the components shown here. 
     Communication System(s) 
     The wireless communication system  104  can include an analog or digital cellular network  136 , a wireless computer network such as a wide area network (not shown), wireless local area network, broadband wireless network, or any other suitable wireless network used to transmit voice and/or data signals between the vehicle  102  and various remote locations such as the call center  108  and/or personal communication device  111 . In one embodiment, the cellular network  136  is implemented as a CDMA, GSM, or other cellular communication network that enables exchange of voice and data between the vehicle  102  and the second communication system  106 . 
     Additionally or alternatively, wireless communication can be carried out by satellite transmission using one or more satellites  138  to connect the vehicle  102  to the second communication system  106  via a central, ground-based satellite transceiver  140 . As an exemplary implementation, the satellite transceiver  140  and satellite(s)  138  can transmit radio signals to the vehicle  102 . As one example, a satellite transmission can be broadcast over a spectrum in the “S” band that has been allocated by the U.S. Federal Communication Commission for national broadcasting of satellite-based Digital Audio Radio Service (DARS). More specifically, satellite transmission can be carried out using XM™ brand satellite radio services. 
     The second communication system  106  can be another wireless communication system or can be a land-based wired system such as a public switched telephone network (PTSN), Internet Protocol (IP) network, optical network, fiber network, cable network, utility power transmission lines, and/or any combination of the aforementioned examples, any of which can be used for voice and/or data communication. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication systems  104 ,  106  can be implemented separately or can be combined as an integral system. 
     Call Center 
     The call center  108  can be a data center, and can include one or more locations and can be automated and/or staffed by advisors  142  to handle calls from vehicle occupants and/or to monitor various vehicle conditions such as an airbag deployment. The call center  108  includes one or more voice and/or data interfaces  144  such as modems, switches, and/or routers, to transmit and receive voice and/or data signals by vehicle data uploads (VDU) between the vehicle telematics unit  114  and the call center  108  through the communications systems  104 ,  106 . The call center  108  also includes one or more communication service managers  146 , one or more servers  148  to process data, one or more suitable databases  150  to store subscriber data and any other suitable data, and one or more networks  152  such as a LAN for connecting the call center components together along with the any computer(s) used by the one or more advisors  142 . For example, the servers  148  and databases  150  execute and store one or more control programs and trigger and/or message data to carry out a method of automatically providing reminder messages, either alone or in conjunction with the telematics unit  114  of the vehicle  102 . Suitable call center facilities are known and currently in use to provide remote assistance by human advisors in connection with in-vehicle safety and security systems. Apart from using human advisors, the advisors  142  can be implemented as automatons or programs running on a computer operatively disposed to respond to subscriber requests. 
     Web Server 
     The integration of the web server  109  with the system  100  enables vehicle occupants to access websites and other content over the Internet from the vehicle using automated speech recognition technology and text-to-voice technology such as VoiceXML, or the like. For example, vehicle occupants can use the telematics unit  114  and embedded speech recognition to ask for information, such as by vocalizing a command like “weather” or by speaking a nametag associated with a particular website address. The speech recognition technology recognizes the command or nametag and translates the request into suitable web language such as XML (Extensible Markup Language) and/or associate the request with a stored user profile, which correlates the request to a specific website. The web server  109  interprets the request, accesses and retrieves suitable information from the website according to the request, and translates the information into VoiceXML and then transmits a corresponding voice data file to the vehicle  102  where it is processed through the telematics unit  114  and output to the occupants via the user interface  128 . 
     The web server  109  is implemented using one or more computer servers located either at an independent remote location or, for example, at the call center  108 . If desired, the web server  109  can be integrated into the call center  108  rather than utilizing two separate systems. The exemplary server  109  includes a suitable communication interface  154  such as a modem, switch, and/or router, a computer  156 , and a database  158  all connected by a suitable network  160  such as an Ethernet LAN. The database  158  can be implemented using a separate network attached storage (NAS) device or can be stored on the computer  156  itself, or can be located elsewhere, as desired. The computer  156  has a server application program that controls the exchange of data between the vehicle  102  and the database  158  via the communication systems  104 ,  106 . The web server  109  also communicates with the call center  108  and/or the personal communication device  111  either via the second communication system  106  or by some more direct path. Suitable server hardware and software configurations are known to those skilled in the art. 
     Customer Device 
     The personal communication device  111  can be a landline telephone, wireless telephone or computer, internet-connected personal computer, or other devices. Accordingly, customers can access the call center  108  and/or web server  109 , for example, to speak with a call center advisor and/or to access their telematics subscription or account website. 
     Method of Automatically Providing Reminder Messages 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a method  200  of automatically communicating reminder messages to a telematics-equipped vehicle is provided herein and can be carried out as one or more computer programs within the operating environment of the telematics system  100  described above. More specifically, the method  200  can be carried out using either or both of the vehicle telematics unit  114  and call center  108 , and using the communications system  104 ,  106 . Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the method can be carried out using other systems within other operating environments. Moreover, the method  200  can be carried out in accordance with other related methods including those disclosed in co-pending applications U.S. Ser. No. 11/426,982, filed Jun. 28, 2006, and U.S. Ser. No. 11/426,829, filed Jun. 27, 2006, and assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
     In general, the method  200  is provided to automatically communicate reminder messages in a vehicle based on an occurrence of a specific condition, which can be identified by a customer or message sender as a playback instruction or can be associated in some way with a telematics subscription for that vehicle. In other words, reminder messages can be automatically provided to the vehicle in response to some relevant, monitored event, and are subscriber-specific or personalized because the messages are intended for and tailored to some individual subscriber and/or vehicle occupant(s). Accordingly, in contrast to general information that is broadcast to multitudes of vehicles for general consumption, personalized reminder messages can be communicated to a particular vehicle, as will be further detailed below. 
     A telematics subscription can include a subscription agreement and expiration date, but can also encompass a subscriber, the subscriber&#39;s vehicle, and/or any other subscriber-related information. Accordingly, exemplary subscription-specific conditions can include one or more of the following items: achievement of a certain vehicle mileage via an odometer reading, expiration of a time period associated with the subscription, occurrence of a timestamp, arriving to or leaving from a certain geographical location or region, reaching a certain number of engine ignition cycles, etc. Any other suitable conditions can also be used in the method  200 . 
     In step  205 , reminder messages are established. A reminder message can be a communication of personalized information in audible, textual, or other suitable form. The reminder message can be communicated within a vehicle using audio and/or text messages that can be loaded to the vehicle in any suitable manner. Reminder messages can be established by a customer or message sender, who can be anyone or any entity who desires to play a reminder message in a subscriber vehicle and who has authorization to send the reminder message. Any reminder messages can be used, including the following exemplary messages: “remember to buy light bulbs,” “pick up medication at pharmacy,” “pick up dry cleaning,” or “make sure coffee pot is off.” Other reminder messages can also include predefined or template messages, which are pre-recorded or otherwise created by a service provider. In this case, a customer or other message sender can select from among a plurality of different predefined reminder messages. 
     The message sender can establish the reminder message to be sent using any suitable means, including using the Internet, a telematics equipped vehicle, a telephone, or the like. In one example, the reminder message sender can access a telematics services website via a computing device linked to the telematics system, such as to the call center and/or web server. The computing device can be linked to the telematics system in any suitable manner such as by the Internet, by wireless connection, or the like. The telematics services website can include a webpage where a message sender can create or otherwise establish a reminder message for a receiver. The message receiver can be a telematics service subscriber, a subscriber&#39;s vehicle, an occupant of a subscriber&#39;s vehicle, or the like. The reminder message can be manually entered by typing it (e.g., for subsequent text-to-speech conversion), vocalizing it, or attaching a message file to a webpage transmission, or the like. 
     In another example, the message sender can create or otherwise establish the message in a subscriber&#39;s vehicle using, for example, a vehicle&#39;s telematics system. In general, the message sender can use a vehicle telematics user interface to establish the message and define playback instructions. More specifically, the message sender can use the telematics microphone to record a voice message, and can use the telematics tactile device or the microphone to define playback instructions. The message and the instructions can be stored in vehicle memory or in memory at the call center. The vehicle that is used to establish the message can be the vehicle in which the message is to be played, or can be any other vehicle that subscribes to the telematics services of the telematics system. The reminder message can be manually entered by typing it such as for text-to-speech conversion, or by vocalizing it into a speech recognition system. 
     In still another example, the message sender can establish the message using a telephone. More specifically, the message sender can call a live advisor or an automated messaging service at the call center, wherein messages can be created by speaking words, or using an audio menu and touch tone telephone input. 
     No matter how the message is established or from where, it can be manifested in the form of a computer file and can be stored in memory on a telematics vehicle or telematics call center or the like. For example, the message can be saved as a voice message in acoustic data format such as a *.wav file, or a text message or text-to-voice message such as a VoiceXML file, or any other suitable format. 
     In step  210 , a message sender can define playback instructions according to which a reminder message is to be played in a vehicle. Exemplary playback instructions can include time-related instructions such as dates, times, and/or vehicle ignition events. Another exemplary playback instruction can include geographical instructions. Exemplary geographical instructions can include arrival of a telematics equipped vehicle to a geographical location or region, or departure from a geographical location or region, or the like. 
     The message sender can define the instructions using any suitable means, including using the Internet, a telematics equipped vehicle, a telephone, or the like, as previously described with respect to step  205 . No matter how the instructions are created or from where, they can be manifested in the form of a computer file and can be stored in memory on a telematics vehicle or telematics call center or the like. For example, the instructions can be stored as an individual computer file, or as data included in a computer file for the message, or the like. In defining the instructions, the message sender can define a date and time for the reminder message to be played, and/or precisely when the reminder message should be played such as upon vehicle ignition on the defined date, or the like. 
     Once the reminder message is established and playback instructions defined, the reminder message and instructions can be sent to the call center and/or web server in implementations where the message and instructions are not established and defined using the telematics interface of the vehicle. For example, the message and instructions can be sent automatically once the message and playback instructions are complete, or can be sent after the message sender manually confirms, such as with a click of a send button of a webpage, or the like. 
     In step  215 , at the web server and/or call center, the message and its playback instructions can be received and associated with a particular vehicle of a given subscription, a particular subscriber, a particular user associated with a subscription, or the like. This can be done, for example, using a database lookup where the playback instructions communicated from the message sender is used as input to look up and return the vehicle(s), subscriber, user, or the like associated with those instructions. 
     In step  220 , triggers are generated. More specifically, one or more triggers are generated for monitoring conditions corresponding to the playback instructions. In other words, conditions can be tracked using triggers that can be loaded to the vehicle, and a trigger includes one or more pre-defined conditions that correspond to the playback instructions and, when met, enable initiation of some further action. There can be many different types of triggers; exemplary triggers generally include time-related triggers such as dates, times, elapsed time, vehicle ignition events and/or geographical triggers. Exemplary geographical triggers can include arrival of a telematics equipped vehicle to a geographical location or region, or departure from a geographical location or region, or the like. Other triggers can generally include vehicle mileage triggers, engine ignition cycle triggers, diagnostic trouble code triggers, global positioning triggers to name just a few. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a trigger can be defined for just about any playback instructions. 
     A trigger can be manifested in the form of a computer file, such as a computer program file or a portion thereof like an algorithm, pseudo code or conditional logic, or in the form of a computer data file for use by another program. Use of triggers can be facilitated by known vehicle data upload (VDU) techniques. Exemplary VDU techniques are described in U.S. Patent Application Publications 2004/0259524, 2004/0054444, and 2004/0203696, which are all assigned to the present assignee and hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     In step  225 , a trigger and/or associated reminder message can be loaded to a telematics-equipped vehicle. Triggers and reminder messages can be loaded to the vehicle from the call center in any suitable fashion including using the communications system. The triggers and reminder messages can be loaded into any appropriate vehicle computing device or the like, such as the vehicle telematics unit where the triggers and reminder messages can be stored in memory. 
     In step  230 , a trigger can be set. The trigger can be set in any suitable location such as the call center, or the vehicle. In one example, the trigger is automatically set in the vehicle, such as when it is downloaded in step  225  from the call center to the vehicle. In another example, some triggers can be dormant in that they are already loaded on the vehicle and stored in vehicle memory but are not yet activated. Such triggers can be set by receiving an instruction from the call center. 
     In step  235 , an occurrence of one or more conditions that satisfy a trigger can be monitored. Any of various vehicle systems, such as the VSM&#39;s, and related sensors can be used to monitor vehicle conditions covered by a set trigger. For example, a vehicle clocking device can be used to monitor a date and time signal. That signal can be used in monitoring for a time-related trigger. In another example, a vehicle odometer signal can be monitored to provide a signal indicative of miles traveled by the vehicle. That signal can be used in monitoring vehicle mileage as it relates to a set trigger such as a 10,000 mile trigger. 
     Moreover, triggers can be set in the vehicle and all monitoring for the occurrence of a related event can take place in the vehicle. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that at least some triggers can be monitored at the call center and then a call placed to the vehicle to obtain the data associated with the trigger. In other words, the monitoring can be carried out in any suitable location by any suitable computing device that processes a trigger computer file, such as a trigger program file or other suitable program file using a trigger data file, or using any other suitable arrangement. 
     In step  240 , it is determined whether condition(s) defined by a trigger have occurred. For example, if a clock signal is received that indicates that a certain date or time has occurred, then the trigger can initiate a messaging sequence wherein a reminder message associated with the trigger is communicated to the vehicle. In one implementation, a computer program, routine, or algorithm can be executed by a vehicle computing device such as the telematics processor and used in conjunction with signals received by suitable vehicle systems and/or sensors to determine if the one or more trigger conditions have been satisfied. If the condition(s) defined by the trigger have not occurred, then the process loops back to step  235 . 
     If, however, the condition(s) defined by the trigger have occurred, then a reminder messaging sequence is triggered. The messaging sequence can include communicating of a reminder message from a call center to a vehicle as described with respect to steps  245  through  255  below. Instead, the reminder messaging sequence can include accessing memory of a vehicle computing device to retrieve a previously stored computer file containing the associated reminder message, and processing the computer file to communicate the reminder message to the vehicle, as indicated by the dashed line in  FIG. 2 . 
     In step  245 , a vehicle can communicate with a call center. More specifically, the trigger can initiate a communication session between the vehicle and the call center to upload data associated with the trigger from the vehicle, in response to an affirmative determination from the determining step  240 . For example, if the trigger was a date trigger, then the trigger event data can include any suitable data indicating that the date has arrived, or simply that the trigger condition was met. The communication or call can be carried out using the telematics communication system. This step can be carried out using VDU protocol or any other suitable data transfer protocol(s). 
     In step  250 , a reminder message associated with uploaded trigger data can be accessed from memory in a call center. This can be done, for example, using a lookup table in memory where the particular type of trigger communicated from the vehicle is used as input to look up and return the message associated with that trigger. 
     In step  255 , a reminder message accessed from call center memory can be downloaded to the vehicle. The reminder message can be downloaded to the vehicle in any suitable fashion, including using any or all of the communication system. For example, the call center may use any suitable data transfer protocol such as short messaging service (SMS), GSM, CDMA, AMPS, etc. In another example, the reminder message can be sent by satellite transmission using any suitable satellite transmission protocol. U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0046649 discloses an example of messaging using satellite transmission, and this publication is assigned to the present assignee and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     In step  260 , a reminder message can be communicated so that it is seen and/or heard in the vehicle. For example, a computer file, such as a program or data file, containing the reminder message can be executed or otherwise processed by any suitable vehicle processor, such as the telematics processor. Accordingly, an audio or text message can be presented to a vehicle occupant. For example, a text message can be presented on an in-vehicle display such as a computer monitor, GPS navigation screen, vehicle radio display, driver information display, or any other suitable visual output device. Also, an audio message can be presented via vehicle radio speakers, telematics speakers, or any other suitable audible output device. Such audio can be presented using any suitable in-vehicle voice messaging protocol. 
     With reference back to  FIG. 1 , in one particular implementation, either a computer at call center  108  or the web server  109  itself is used to host a website that provides at least one web page configured to receive the reminder message(s) along with the conditions under which it is to be played (i.e., playback instructions). The message is inputted by the user as text (e.g., by typing it in) or selected from a predefined list presented on the web page. Then, the trigger conditions (playback instructions) are specified by the user from among predefined types of conditions or events, such as “at vehicle startup,” “when oil life falls below _,” or “when vehicle speed exceeds _” with the specific values being specified by the user. Then, a suitable trigger is sent to the vehicle and the reminder message is either supplied to the vehicle at that time or held at the call center  108  or web server  109  for later retrieval. Then, when the trigger occurs, the reminder is played or otherwise presented to the occupant(s) at the vehicle. For audible reminder messages that are entered via the web page as text, text-to-speech conversion is carried out using known techniques, and this can be done either at the vehicle or at the remote facility such that the reminder message downloaded to the vehicle is already in a usable audio format. 
     It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not a definition of the invention itself, but is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims. 
     As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example” and “such as,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.