Automotive diagnostic interface device

An automotive diagnostic interface device comprising:

• a hand-held interface unit including a housing, a microprocessor disposed in said housing and having circuitry for interfacing with an engine management computer system and also having circuitry for transforming and transmitting data to a receiver/transmitter, said hand-held interface unit further including an input cable connected to said microprocessor and having an end, and an output cable connected to said microprocessor and having an end, said interface unit further including a screen disposed in a wall of said housing for displaying data received from the engine management computer system, said interface unit also including a plurality of keys disposed in said wall of said housing for controlling the receiving and transmitting of data through said microprocessor and to a remote diagnostic machine, said microprocessor being adapted to receive fault codes from the engine management computer system and being adapted to transmit said fault codes through said output cable to the remote diagnostic machine for immediate diagnosis of engine problems of a vehicle, said microprocessor including a RS-232 interface;
• an adapter plug securely connected to said end of said input cable and being adapted to be received in a diagnostic port of the engine management computer system;
• and
• an acoustics coupler securely connected to said end of said output cable and being adapted to be connected to a telephone, said acoustics coupler including a flexible membrane adapted to detachably attach by suction to the telephone including a cellular telephone such that said flexible membrane is adapted for blocking external noises from being received by the telephone.

A method of immediately diagnosing engine problems from a remote location includes the steps of:

• providing a hand-held interface unit including a microprocessor having circuitry for interfacing with an engine management computer system and also having circuitry for transforming and transmitting data to a receiver/transmitter, said hand-held interface unit further including an input cable connected to said microprocessor and having an end, and an output cable connected to said microprocessor and having an end, and also providing an adapter plug securely connected to said end of said input cable, and further providing an acoustics coupler securely connected to said end of said output cable;
• connecting said adapter plug to a diagnostic port of an engine management computer system;
• connecting said acoustics coupler to a telephone, wherein said acoustics coupler includes a flexible membrane adapted to detachably attach by suction to the telephone such that said flexible membrane is adapted for blocking external noises from being received by the telephone;
• receiving fault codes from the engine management computer system by said microprocessor;
• and
• transmitting said fault codes through the telephone to a remote diagnostic machine where said fault codes are deciphered for determining the engine problems.