Patent ID: 8779909

Claim:
A vehicle based communication system ( 10 ) for sending and receiving text messages through heads up displaying and selective inputting, the sending and receiving and the displaying and inputting being done in a safe, convenient and economical manner, the system comprising, in combination: a vehicle ( 14 ) having a forward end ( 16 ) and a rearward end ( 18 ), the vehicle including a dashboard ( 20 ) and a windshield ( 22 ) extending laterally across the width of the vehicle, the vehicle also including a rearwardly extending steering wheel ( 24 ) located to one side of the dashboard and windshield; a standard touch screen/keyboard ( 28 ) coupled to a laterally intermediate region of the dashboard and extending rearwardly thereof, the standard touch screen/keyboard having alpha-numeric keys ( 30 ) adapted to be contacted by a user to create text messages, the standard touch screen/keyboard having a cradle ( 32 ; a projector ( 38 ) extending upwardly from the dashboard forwardly of and in longitudinal alignment with the steering wheel, the projector adapted to project text messages onto the windshield centered in front of a user sitting at the steering wheel, the projected text messages including a plurality of optional formats including horizontally and vertically spaced messages; a receiver ( 42 ) positioned within the dashboard, the receiver wirelessly coupling the standard touch screen/keyboard and the projector for transmitting digital data from the standard touch screen/keyboard to the projector, the receiver including an antenna ( 44 ) for receiving digital data from the standard touch screen/keyboard and from remote communication devices and for transmitting the received digital data to the projector for display as messages, the windshield having a height and a width, each message having a height and a width, the windshield having a top 67 percent devoid of messages and a bottom 33 percent adapted to receive messages covering the majority of the bottom 33 percent of the windshield in front of the steering wheel, the width of the message being greater than the height of the message; a computer ( 48 ) positioned within the dashboard, the computer wirelessly coupling the coupling the standard touch screen/keyboard and the receiver for transmitting digital data from the standard touch screen/keyboard to the computer and then to the projector, the computer adapted to receive digital data from the standard touch screen/keyboard and adapted to transmit the received digital data to the receiver and then to the projector to transmit digital data through the standard touch screen/keyboard and receiver and projector for display on the windshield.