# US 2019/0315313 A1 · Smart Key Emulation for Vehicles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0315313 A1 - Document ID: US20190315313A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/429,788 - Filed: 2019-06-03 - Published: 2019-10-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-03-14 - Assignees: The Crawford Group, Inc. - Applicants: The Crawford Group, Inc. - Inventors: Derik Reiser - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190315313A1 ## CPC - B60R 25/24: using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user - B60R 25/245: {where the antenna reception area plays a role} - G01S 19/51: Relative positioning - G06F 3/0482: Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus - G06F 3/04842: Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) - G06Q 10/02: Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events - G06Q 30/016: After-sales - G06Q 30/0645: Rental transactions; Leasing transactions - G06Q 50/40: Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) - G08C 17/02: using a radio link - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication - B60R 2325/101: Bluetooth® - B60R 2325/103: Near field communication [NFC] - B60R 2325/105: Radio frequency identification data [RFID] - B60R 2325/205: Mobile phones - H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information - H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds} - H04W 12/47: using near field communication [NFC] or radio frequency identification [RFID] modules - H04W 12/63: Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent - H04W 88/02: Terminal devices - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G08C: TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS (fluid pressure transmitting systems F15B; mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member into a different variable G01D5/00; mechanical control systems G05G) - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract Techniques are disclosed for permitting a person to keylessly start a vehicle using a machine-sensible item such as his/her mobile device without requiring the person to possess a smart key. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for control of vehicle access without a need for delivering keys to a user of a vehicle, the system comprising: a sensor configured to sense a machine-sensible item to generate data indicative of a request to access a vehicle; a smart key emulator; and a computer system comprising a plurality of processors that are connectable via a network, the processors comprising (1) a first processor resident in the vehicle and (2) a second processor resident in a server remote from the vehicle, wherein the computer system is configured to (1) compare the generated data with an authorization record for the vehicle, (2) based on the comparison, determine whether a user associated with the item is authorized to access the vehicle, (3) determine a current relative positioning between the vehicle and a wireless device associated with the authorization record, and (4) provide an enable signal to the smart key emulator in response to (i) the comparison resulting in a determination that the user associated with the item is authorized to access the vehicle, and (ii) a determination that the wireless device associated with the authorization record is near the vehicle based on the determined relative positioning; and wherein the smart key emulator is configured to, in response to the enable signal, emulate a smart key for the vehicle to permit the user to keylessly start the vehicle without requiring the user to possess a smart key for the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the computer system further comprises a third processor resident in the wireless device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the smart key emulator is resident in hardware installed in the vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein the hardware includes the first processor, and wherein the first processor is configured to controllably provide the enable signal to the smart key emulator based on authorization instructions from the second processor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4 wherein the enable signal comprises a multi-bit code. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5 wherein the enable signal comprises an encrypted enable signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3 wherein the hardware is further configured to: access vehicle data through a port of the vehicle in response to the user accessing the vehicle; and wirelessly communicate the accessed vehicle data to the first processor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7 wherein the accessed vehicle data comprises at least one member of a fuel level for the vehicle, an odometer reading for the vehicle, a current location for the vehicle, and a vehicle identification number (VIN) for the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the smart key emulator is resident in the wireless device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the item is the wireless device associated with the authorization record. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10 wherein the sensor is attached to the vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11 wherein the computer system is further configured to determine the current relative positioning independently of the sensor and the generated data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the computer system is further configured to: determine a current position for the wireless device; determine a current position for the vehicle; and determine the current relative positioning based on the determined current position for the wireless device and the determined current position for the vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the determined current wireless device position comprises a current global positioning system (GPS) location for the wireless device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13 wherein the determined current vehicle position comprises a current global positioning system (GPS) location for the vehicle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of (1) a near field communication (NFC) sensor, (2) an RFID sensor, and (3) a BlueTooth sensor. ### Claim 17 A method comprising: sensing a machine-sensible item to generate data indicative of a request to access a vehicle; comparing the generated data with an authorization record for the vehicle; based on the comparing, determining whether a user associated with the item is authorized to access the vehicle; determining a current relative positioning between the vehicle and a wireless device associated with the authorization record; in response to (1) the comparing resulting in a determination that the user associated with the item is authorized to access the vehicle, and (2) a determination that the wireless device associated with the authorization record is near the vehicle based on the determined relative positioning, providing an enable signal to a smart key emulator; and in response to the enable signal, the smart key emulator emulating a smart key for the vehicle to permit the user to keylessly start the vehicle without requiring the user to possess a smart key for the vehicle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the comparing step, the user authorization determining step, the current relative position determining step, and the providing step are performed by a computer system, the computer system comprising a plurality of processors that are connected via a network, the processors comprising (1) a first processor resident in the vehicle and (2) a second processor resident in a server remote from the vehicle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein the item is the wireless device associated with the authorization record. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein the current relative positioning determining step comprises: determining a current position for the wireless device; determining a current position for the vehicle; and determining the current relative positioning based on the determined current position for the wireless device and the determined current position for the vehicle.