System and method for interfacing mobile units using a cellphone

A navigation system comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;
• a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station, wherein the voice portal server is external to the vehicle.

A navigation system comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;
• a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station, wherein the voice portal server is able to provide a destination location to the navigation device, the destination location corresponding to a requested location, the requested location is able to be communicated by an occupant of the vehicle to the voice portal server via the mobile communicator.

A navigation system comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;
• a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station,
• wherein the navigation device is able to provide at least one navigational direction to an occupant of the vehicle, the at least one navigational direction able to direct the occupant from a current location to a destination location along a selected route.

A navigation system comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;
• a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station;
• a speaker, the speaker able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator, the speaker able to create sound pressure waves that correspond to prompts from the voice portal server to an occupant of the vehicle;
• and
• a microphone, the microphone able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator, the microphone able to sense sound pressure waves that correspond to responses from the occupant to the voice portal server.

A navigation system comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in the vehicle, the decoder able to communicate electronically with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device able to communicate electronically with the decoder;
• a base station, the base station able to communicate wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a voice portal server, the voice portal server able to communicate electronically with the base station;
• wherein:
• the mobile communicator is a mobile telephone,
• the voice portal server is able to communicate to the navigation device via the base station and the mobile telephone over a voice channel, and
• the decoder is a DTMF decoder.

A method of providing navigation information to an occupant of a vehicle, the method comprising:

• providing a mobile communicator;
• providing a decoder, the decoder communicating electronically with the mobile communicator;
• providing a navigation device, the navigation device communicating electronically with the decoder;
• providing a base station, the base station communicating wirelessly with the mobile communicator;
• providing a voice portal server, the voice portal server communicating electronically with the base station;
• communicating by the occupant via the mobile communicator to the base station to the voice portal server a requested location;
• communicating by the voice portal server via the base station to the mobile communicator to the decoder a coded destination location, the coded destination location corresponding to an encoded version of a destination location;
• decoding by the decoder the coded destination location to determine the destination location;
• and
• communicating by the decoder to the navigation device the destination location.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder;
• wherein the mobile communicator is able to communicate with a base station, the base station able to communicate with a voice portal server.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder,
• wherein the mobile communicator is able to communicate with a base station, the base station able to communicate with a voice portal server, the voice portal server external to the vehicle.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder;
• wherein:
• a voice portal server is able to provide a destination location to the navigation device, the destination location corresponding to a requested location, and
• a requested location is able to be communicated by an occupant of the vehicle to the voice portal server via the mobile communicator.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder;
• wherein:
• the navigation device is able to provide at least one navigational direction to an occupant of the vehicle, and
• the at least one navigational direction is able to direct the occupant from a current location to a requested location along a selected route.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder;
• a speaker, the speaker electrically coupled to the mobile communicator, the speaker creating sound pressure waves that correspond to prompts from the voice portal server to an occupant of the vehicle;
• and
• a microphone, the microphone electrically coupled to the mobile communicator, the microphone sensing sound pressure waves that correspond with responses from the occupant to the voice portal server.

A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

• a mobile communicator situated in a vehicle;
• a decoder situated in a vehicle, the decoder electrically coupled to communication with the mobile communicator;
• and
• a vehicle navigation device situated in the vehicle, the navigation device electrically coupled to the decoder;
• wherein a voice portal server is able to communicate to the navigation device via a base station and the mobile telephone over a voice channel.