Vehicle occupant response system

• US 20030079135A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 04/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT & T Investments UK Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT & T Investments UK Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Alan Henry
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,171 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/182
• 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

In a vehicle occupant response system, a vehicle navigation system supplies a vehicle location information to a computer which formulates messages for SMS transmission by a cellular telephone device. The messages are relayed by a GSM network to an internet server. The server identifies a user account, for example from the telephone number of the device embedded in each message. The server then runs an application which is specific to a user which may comprise sending messages containing desired information to the vehicle and making available the current location of the vehicle to a user of a personal computer.

Claims

1. A vehicle occupant response system comprising:

a reader located on board a vehicle and arranged to read identifying information sufficient to identify a person;

a wireless transmitter located on board said vehicle and arranged repeatedly to transmit a first message containing sufficient of said identifying information to identify a user account of said person on a server; and

a server located remotely from said vehicle and arranged to receive each said first message, to identify said user account from each said first message, to permit an application to be specified by said person, and to perform in response to receipt of each of at least some of said first messages said application specified by said person.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a wireless receiver located on board 15 said vehicle for receiving second messages from said server.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, in which said application comprises sending said second messages to said receiver.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3, in which each said second message contains information in at least one category selected by said person.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said application comprises sending a third message to an address previously selected by said person.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, in which said address comprises a private address.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, in which said private address is an e-mail address.

8. A system as claimed in claim 5, in which said address comprises a public address.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said application comprises updating a web page.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said transmitter is arranged to communicate over a cellular telephone network.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, in which said reader is a SIM card reader.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11, in which said account identifying information is a telephone number read from a SIM card.

13. A system as claimed in claim 10, comprising a wireless receiver located on board said vehicles for receiving second messages from said server, said receiver being arranged to communicate over said network.

14. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said account identifying information includes a code identifying said vehicle.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, in which said code comprises a vehicle registration number.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14, in which said server has a user-programmable index for associating said code with said user account.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which said server comprises an internet server.

18. A system as claimed in claim 1, in which each said first message contains location data representing a location of said vehicle.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, in which the transmitter has an interface for receiving the location data from an on-board vehicle navigation system.