Recording and indicating the state of an apparatus remotely

• US 20040061604A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Giles, James Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 7,167,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/2009 Antitheft state indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/62 Comprising means for indicating the status of the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks

Abstract

A system for indicating a past state of an apparatus through the use of a remote device by indicating the state with the remote device whether or not the remote device is still within communications range of the apparatus. In one embodiment, an indication can be made as to whether or not a vehicle door has been locked by providing such an indication at a remote keyless entry key remote control.

Claims

1. A method of indicating a state of an apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one remote device;

storing at least one state condition of said apparatus at said at least one remote device; and

at said at least one remote device, indicating the at least one state condition of said apparatus regardless of whether said at least one remote device is in-range with respect to said apparatus or out of range with respect to said apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of providing at least one remote device comprises providing a plurality of remote devices, said plurality of remote devices including at least one in-range remote device;

said method further comprises monitoring, at said apparatus, changes in a given state among a set of states; and

said method further comprises transmitting the at least one state condition to said at least one in-range remote device from at least one other of said remote devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step of storing comprises overwriting a previously stored state condition.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of transmitting comprises transmitting the at least one state condition to at least one other device apart from said plurality of remote devices.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing at least one state indication activator; and

initiating said step of indicating with said at least one state indication activator.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of transmitting occurs after a change in state condition regardless of whether any of said remote devices is in-range.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of transmitting comprises employing a schedule for transmissions.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein said step of transmitting comprises sending state conditions only when at least one remote device is detected as being in-range.

9. A system comprising:

at least one remote device comprising;

a receiver to receive at least one state condition of an external apparatus;

a memory to store said at least one state condition; and

at least one state indicator to indicate at least one state condition from said memory even when at least one remote device is out of range.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said at least one remote device comprises a plurality of remote devices, said system further comprising a transmitter which transmits at least one state condition state condition to at least one in-range remote device among said set of remote devices.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is adapted to transmit said at least one state condition to at least one device apart from said set of remote devices.

12. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a monitor which monitors said at least one state condition.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein at least one state condition is stored in said memory by overwriting at least one previously stored state condition.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said external apparatus is a vehicle, said at least one state condition including a state of door locks, and said at least one remote device comprises a remote control for a vehicle remote keyless entry system.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein said external apparatus is a set of doors for a building, said at least one state condition including a state of door locks, and said at least one remote device comprises a remote control for a building remote keyless entry system.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is adapted to transmit a state condition when a state changes regardless of whether any remote device is in-range.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein said transmitter is adapted to transmit a state condition according to a schedule regardless of whether any remote device is in-range.

18. The system according to claim 10 wherein said transmitter is adapted to transmit state conditions only when at least one in-range remote device is detected.

19. The system according to claim 10, wherein said at least one remote device further comprises at least one state indicator activator.

20. A remote device comprising:

a receiver to receive at least one state condition of an external apparatus;

a memory to store said at least one state condition; and

a state indicator to indicate at least one state condition from said memory even when said remote device is out of range