Extensible infotainment/telematics system

A portable communication device for use in an infotainment-telematics system comprising:

• a portable communication device processor;
• a user interface controlled by the portable communication device processor;
• one or more portable communications device (“PCD”) components cooperating with the portable communication device processor to execute at least one stand-alone function, the at least one stand-alone function being at least one of an infotainment or a telematics function;
• and
• a communication interface adapted for communication with an intelligent fixed base unit having a set of stand-alone functions, the stand-alone functions being at least one of infotainment or telematics functions;
• where the portable communication device may be is in connected for intelligent communication with the fixed base unit, the intelligent communication including at least one of transmittal to or receipt from the fixed base unit of a request to share a base unit component or a PCD component, and where the shared component receives commands and receives data from the portable communication device and the fixed base unit to extend one of the stand-alone functions of the fixed base unit or extend the at least one stand-alone function of the portable communication device.

A fixed base unit for use in an infotainment-telematics system comprising:

• a base unit processor;
• a user interface controlled by the base unit processor;
• a plurality of base unit components cooperating with the base unit processor to execute a set of stand-alone functions, each stand-alone function being at least one of an infotainment or a telematics function;
• a communication interface adapted for communication with an intelligent portable communication device having one or more portable communications device (“PCD”) components adapted to execute at least one stand-alone function, the at least one stand-alone function being at least one of an infotainment function or a telematics function;
• and
• where the base unit is in intelligent communication with the portable communication device, the intelligent communication extending a stand-alone function of the base unit or a stand-alone function of the portable communication device via a pooled component, the pooled component being a base unit component or a PCD component, and where the pooled component receives commands and receives data from the portable communication device and the fixed base unit.

A portable communication device for use in an infotainment system comprising:

• a processor configured to control operation of the portable communication device;
• a user interface configured to provide a user an interface to operate the portable communication device;
• one or more portable communication device (“PCD”) components configured to execute at least one of infotainment or telematics functions in cooperation with the processor;
• a communication interface configured to integrate with an intelligent fixed base unit having a set of base unit components configured to execute at least one of infotainment functions or telematics functions;
• and
• where at least one of the infotainment or the telematics functionality of one or both of the fixed base unit and the portable communication device is extended to include at least one of an infotainment or a telematics function of a mutual component, the mutual component identified from the PCD components or the base unit components when the portable communication device and the fixed base unit are in communication with one another over the communication interface.

A method of operating an infotainment system comprising:

• providing a first set of stand-alone functions, each function being at least one of an infotainment function or a telematics function using a set of fixed components;
• providing a second set of stand-alone functions, each function being at least one of an infotainment function or a telematics function using a set of portable components;
• sharing shared components, each shared component being one of the portable components or one of the fixed components, the sharing performed via a communication interface;
• and
• providing a third set of stand-alone functions, each function being at least one of an infotainment function or a telematics function using the shared components, where the third set of stand-alone functions comprises one or more of the first set of stand-alone functions and one or more of the second set of stand-alone functions.

A system comprising:

• a fixed base unit having a base unit processor and a user interface including a display, where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of base unit components cooperating with the base unit processor to execute a set of stand-alone functions, the stand-alone functions being at least one of infotainment functions or telematics functions, where the user interface comprises a browser, and where the fixed base unit includes a plurality of markup language pages facilitating user access to the plurality of base unit components;
• a portable communication device having a portable communication device processor and a user interface including a display, where the portable communication device further includes a plurality of portable communications device (“PCD”) components cooperating with the portable communication device processor to execute a set of stand-alone functions, the stand-alone functions being at least one of infotainment functions or telematics functions, where the user interface comprises a browser, and where the portable communication device includes a markup language page facilitating user access to the plurality of PCD components;
• and
• where the fixed base unit and the portable communication device are in intelligent communication with one another to extend the stand-alone functions of the fixed base unit or the stand-alone functions of the portable communication device, the intelligent communication including transmission and receipt of a request and acknowledgement to share a base unit component or a PCD component as a shared component, and the intelligent communication further including transmission of data and transmission of commands to the shared component from the fixed base unit and the portable communication device and receipt of processed data from the shared component at the fixed base unit and the portable communication device.