Vehicle Camera System

A system for use in a vehicle including a vehicle camera that interfaces with a mobile communication device that is separate from the vehicle camera, the system comprising:

• the vehicle camera comprising:
• a) a camera display that provides a visual output, wherein the camera display communicates to a user a prediction of an alert level associated with a geographic location,
• b) an imaging component, which captures at least one image and creates an image file,
• c) a memory component designed to electronically store the image file,
• d) a short-range camera communication element configured to communicate over a short-range communication standard, and
• e) a wide-area camera communication element configured to communicate over a wide-area communication standard;
• and
• the mobile communication device comprising:
• a) a user interface that receives inputs from the user and communicates information to the user,
• b) a short-range communication element configured to communicate over the short-range communication standard, wherein the short-range communication element communicates with the short-range camera communication element over the short-range communication standard, and
• c) a location determination component configured to determine the geographic location;
• and
• wherein the mobile communication device exchanges data with the vehicle camera, wherein the data comprises the geographic location,
• wherein the geographic location is compiled with the image file to create a location identified image file, and wherein the location identified image file includes a timestamp, and
• wherein the vehicle camera receives the prediction from a remote server over the wide-area communication standard and wherein the prediction is generated based on an analysis of a plurality of data entries associated with the geographic location.

A vehicle camera that interfaces with an external device that is separate from the vehicle camera, the vehicle camera comprising:

• a) a user interface that receives inputs from a user and communicates information to the user,
• b) an imaging component, which captures video,
• c) a memory component designed to electronically store the video, and
• d) a communication element configured to communicate over a communication standard, wherein the communication element communicates with the external device over the communication standard;
• and
• wherein the vehicle camera is designed without a location determination capability and the vehicle camera receives a geographic location and a timestamp from the external device over the communication standard and compiles the geographic location and the timestamp with the video to generate a video file, and
• wherein the vehicle camera receives a prediction of an alert level associated with the geographic location from a remote server and the user interface communicates the prediction to the user, wherein the vehicle camera receives the prediction indirectly through the external device which receives the prediction over a wide-area communication standard and communicates the prediction to the vehicle camera over the communication standard, and
• wherein the remote server analyzes a data entry associated with the geographic location to generate the prediction.

A vehicle camera that interfaces with a mobile communication device that is separate from the vehicle camera, the vehicle camera comprising:

• a) a user interface that receives inputs from a user and communicates information to the user,
• b) an imaging component, which captures video,
• c) a memory component designed to electronically store the video, and
• d) a communication element configured to communicate over a communication standard, wherein the communication element communicates with the mobile communication device over the communication standard;
• and
• wherein the vehicle camera receives a geographic location and a timestamp from the mobile communication device over the communication standard and compiles the geographic location and the timestamp with the video to generate a video file;
• and
• wherein the vehicle camera further comprises an automatic upload mode, wherein the video file is automatically transmitted to a remote server upon receipt of a critical trigger while in the automatic upload mode.

A system for use in a vehicle including a vehicle camera that interfaces with an external device that is separate from the vehicle camera, the system comprising:

• the vehicle camera comprising:
• a) an imaging component, which captures at least one image and creates an image file,
• b) a memory component designed to electronically store the image file, and
• c) a camera communication element configured to communicate over a short-range communication standard;
• and
• the external device comprising:
• d) a user interface that receives inputs from a user and communicates information to the user, and
• e) an external device communication element configured to communicate over the short-range communication standard, wherein the external device communication element communicates with the camera communication element over the short-range communication standard;
• and
• wherein the external device exchanges data with the vehicle camera, wherein a geographic location of the vehicle camera is compiled with the image file to create a location identified image file, and wherein the location identified image file includes a timestamp,
• wherein the system receives a prediction of an alert level associated with the geographic location of the vehicle camera, and wherein the user interface communicates the prediction to the user, and
• wherein the prediction is generated based on an analysis of a plurality of data entries associated with the geographic location of the vehicle camera.