Automobile tracking and notification device and service
OwnerRobert Turleyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automobile tracking and notification device and an associated communication system provide numerous safety and convenience features that ease the stress of daily operation of an automobile. The device provides functionality for monitoring the location of the vehicle and providing real-time location updates to the user; detecting when the vehicle is being towed or stolen and providing real-time alerts to the user and/or to local authorities; detecting when the vehicle is involved in an accident and alerting nearby authorities; and providing information and guidance relating to diagnostic trouble codes.
Claims20
An automobile tracking and notification device for tracking a vehicle, comprising:
- a memory;
- a GPS chip configured to determine a location of the device;
- a processor configured to track the location of the device based on information from the GPS chip and generate notifications related to operation of the vehicle;
- a cellular transceiver configured to transmit the notifications related to the operation of the vehicle;
- a communications interface configured to communicate with one or more computer systems of the vehicle, the communications interface including an immobilizer-unit control interface configured to provide a disable signal to an immobilizer unit of the vehicle to disable the vehicle while the engine is running but the vehicle is not moving;
- and
- a power input;
- wherein the automobile tracking and notification device includes an associated unique identification code hardcoded into the automobile tracking and notification device, the unique identification code being based on an automobile's vehicle identification number (VIN).
A method of providing an automobile tracking and notification service for a vehicle, the method comprising:
- determining whether the vehicle is running;
- entering a standby mode upon a determination that the vehicle is not running;
- and
- entering an active mode upon a determination that the vehicle is running.
A system for tracking a vehicle and providing notifications relating to the vehicle, the system comprising:
- an automobile tracking and notification device;
- an auxiliary power supply;
- a back-end system;
- and
- a mobile application configured to operate on a mobile device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.