Patent ID: 7865282

Claim:
A method of managing communications for an in-vehicle telematics system, the method comprising: receiving, at the in-vehicle telematics unit, a request for communicating, via a vehicle audio system, a first audio signal corresponding to interactive voice services from a first in-vehicle system; providing interactive voice services to an in-vehicle user through at least one menu dialog during which a user-generated request is initiated using the in-vehicle telematics system; while the interactive voice services are being provided, receiving, at the in-vehicle telematics unit, a request for communicating, via the vehicle audio system, a second audio signal corresponding to a first audio messaging from a second in-vehicle system; receiving a request for communicating, via the vehicle audio system, a third audio signal corresponding to a second audio messaging from a third in-vehicle system, the request received substantially simultaneously with the request for communicating the second signal; selecting, via an arbitration control in the in-vehicle telematics unit, one of the second or third audio signals as a priority output, either the first audio signal or an other of the second or third audio signals as a first subordinate output, and a remaining one of the first audio signal or the other of the second or third audio signals as a second subordinate output; providing the priority output over the vehicle audio system, thereby interrupting the user-generated request; and maintaining, via an queue manager, the first subordinate output in a queue for outputting over the vehicle audio system after completion of the priority output; and maintaining, via the queue manager, the second subordinate output in the queue for outputting over the vehicle audio system after completion of the first subordinate output; wherein the first or second subordinate output includes the user-generated audio request and wherein the maintaining of the first or second subordinate output includes maintaining a state of the user-generated request, as of a time the priority output is selected, for continuation of the user-generated request from the maintained state after the completion of the priority output or after completion of the first subordinate output.