Auto diagnostic method and device

• US 20020193925A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innova Electronics Corporation (Innova Telematics Solutions)
• Original Assignee: Carcheckup LLC
• Inventors: Funkhouser, Jennifer, Combopiano, Kevin T., Combopiano, Michael, Funkhouser, Travis
• Granted Patent: US 6,807,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/33
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0808 Diagnosing performance data testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005

Abstract

According to the present invention, a vehicle monitoring and maintenance device capable of being connected to a diagnostic port of a vehicle is provided. The monitoring and maintenance device comprises a hand holdable, data acquisition and transfer device. The data acquisition and transfer device includes a first data link connectable to a diagnostic port of a vehicle for retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle; and a second data link connectable to a global computer network communicable device. The data acquisition and transfer device also includes a processor and memory unit capable of retrieving unprocessed diagnostic data containing error codes from the vehicle via the first data link, storing unprocessed diagnostic data for a limited time, and transferring the unprocessed data to the global computer network communicable device, to the second data link. The hand holdable data acquisition and transfer device lacks sufficient data processing capability to fully process the unprocessed diagnostic data into human useable diagnostic information.

Claims