System for tracking vehicle and driver location and mileage and generating reports therefrom

• US 20010020204A1
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Published: 09/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ETP Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ETP Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Camp, Richard G., Runyon, David
• Application Number:
  US09/796,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20010020204A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/35
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom is provided. The system includes a device connected to a vehicle which includes a mileage tracking component connected to a central processor having suitable memory associated therewith for receiving and storing an input from the mileage tracking component as input data corresponding to mileage traveled on the vehicle. The device further includes operating software thereon and low power use detector operably connected to a battery on a vehicle for supplying power to said system in one of a normal power use mode and a low power use mode. Also, operably connected to the power supply and the mileage signal generating device is a detector which indicates when the vehicle is in a generally non-mobile state and causing the system to enter into said low power use mode. A SMART card reader/writer device is connected to the central processor and a SMART card having a memory storage thereon is operably associated with the SMART reader/writer device to enable the mileage input data to be written to the memory on the card.

Claims

1. A system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom, comprising:

mileage signal generating means generating an input signal corresponding to vehicle mileage at least on one of a continuous and predetermined basis;

an onboard central processor having memory, operating software thereon, a clock, a keyboard, means operably connected to a battery on a vehicle for supplying power to said system in one of a normal power use mode and a low power use mode, and display, wherein said central processor is operably connected to said mileage signal generating means for receiving said signal and storing said signal in said memory as mileage input data; and

means operably connected to said power supplying means and said mileage signal generating means for detecting when the vehicle is in a generally non-mobile state and causing said system to enter into said low power use mode.

2. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, which further includes means for detecting when the vehicle is in a generally mobile state and causes said system to enter said normal power use mode.

3. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, wherein said operating software is further characterized to receive data of at least one of driver start and stop time data, vehicle condition data and service data.

4. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 2

, which further includes a first SMART card writer means operably connected to said central processor for enabling writing of said signal to a SMART card, and a SMART card for receivably storing said signal thereon.

5. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 4

, which further includes a remotely located central processor having memory, operating software therein, a clock, a keyboard, power source, and display wherein upon receiving at least one of said data, said operating software includes means for generating selectively generating at least one of a driver'"'"'s single trip report, driver'"'"'s daily log, a vehicle trip report, a vehicle use report, mileage summary report, vehicle mileage exception report, expense report, time card report;

and

a second remotely located SMART card reader means for enabling reading of said signal stored on said SMART card and transferring said signal to said remotely located central processor.

6. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 5

, wherein said operating software on said remotely located central processor includes means for selectively permitting third party remote access to said data base to permit remote printing of at least one of said reports based upon a predefined user characteristic.

7. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, wherein said mileage generating means includes a mileage counter connectable to a movable part of the vehicle, wherein movement of the part corresponds to mileage of the vehicle and initiates said counter.

8. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, wherein said mileage generating means includes a GPS receiver.

9. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 8

, wherein said mileage generating means further includes a GPS receiver.

10. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, which includes means connected to said onboard central processor for illuminating upon activation of said normal power use mode.

11. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 4

, which includes means connected to said system for illuminating when said SMART card is operably disposed in said SMART card writer of said onboard central processor.

12. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 4

, wherein said SMART card writer of said onboard central processor is further characterized as a SMART card reader/writer.

13. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 5

, wherein said SMART card reader of said remotely located central processor is further characterized as a SMART card reader/writer.

14. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, wherein said onboard central processor is operably connectable to a DC power source of the vehicle.

15. The system for tracking vehicle and driver location, mileage and time and generating reports therefrom of

claim 1

, which further includes a rapid data transfer port operably connected to said onboard central processor.