Apparatus and method to update and maintain a tire pressure monitoring tool

• US 20080164846A1
• Filed: 01/08/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Davis, Robert E., DeKeuster, Michael T.
• Application Number:
  US11/650,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20080164846A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/115
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/04 mounted on the wheel or tyre
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0479 Communicating with external units being not part of the vehicle, e.g. tools for diagnostic, mobile phones, electronic keys or service stations
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A dock has a cradle and at least one port for recharging and communicating with a tire pressure monitoring tool. The dock recognizes that the tool is inserted into the dock; evaluates the programming in the memory; compares the programming in the memory against programming stored in a computer; determines whether the programming in the memory is older than the programming stored in the computer; and if the programming in the memory is older than the programming in the computer, then loads the programming from the computer into the memory.

Claims

1. A dock for a tire pressure monitoring tool having a rechargeable battery and a memory storing programming for the tool, the dock comprising:

a cradle for receiving the tool; and

at least one port associated with the cradle and configured for (1) recharging the rechargeable battery and (2) communicating with the memory.

2. The dock of claim 1, wherein the at least one port is configured for recognizing a characteristic of the tool.

3. The dock of claim 2, wherein the at least one port is configured for recognizing whether the tool is in the cradle.

4. The dock of claim 2, wherein the at least one port is configured for recognizing whether the rechargeable battery is recharging.

5. The dock of claim 2, wherein the at least one port is configured for recognizing whether the memory is communicating.

6. The dock of claim 1, wherein the at least one port is configured for updating programming into the memory.

7. The dock of claim 1, wherein the at least one port is integrally positioned inside of or adjacent to the cradle;

and the cradle is configured for mechanically guiding the tool into the at least one port.

8. The dock of claim 1, wherein the at least one port comprises a universal serial bus.

9. A tire pressure monitoring tool comprising:

a rechargeable battery;

a memory; and

at least one port associated with the tool and configured for (1) recharging the rechargeable battery and (2) communicating with the memory.

10. A method for maintaining a tire pressure monitoring tool having a rechargeable battery and a memory storing programming, the method comprising:

recognizing that the tool is inserted into a dock;

evaluating the programming in the memory;

comparing the programming in the memory against programming stored in a computer;

determining whether the programming in the memory is older than the programming stored in the computer; and

if the programming in the memory is older than the programming in the computer, then loading the programming from the computer into the memory.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said evaluating, comparing, determining, and conditional loading are performed exactly once each time that the tool is recognized.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer:

searches for new programming located outside of the computer exactly once each time the tool is recognized; and

downloads the new programming if the search finds any new programming.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer searches for new programming at a regular periodic interval.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the regular periodic interval is 24 hours.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the regular periodic interval is one week.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the regular periodic interval is one month.

17. The method of claim 10, additionally comprising:

determining a status of the rechargeable battery; and

recharging the rechargeable battery if the status is low.