LICENSE PLATE AND VIN SCAN/CODE CATALOG AND INFORMATION LOOKUP

• US 20150052022A1
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dayco IP Holdings, LLC (Dayco Products LLC)
• Original Assignee: Dayco IP Holdings, LLC (Dayco Products LLC)
• Inventors: Thao, Johnny, Wilson, Scott, Christy, Robert, Mathis, Sherry
• Granted Patent: US 9,349,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.63
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

A portable electronic device is disclosed that includes a housing with a display; a memory in the housing that stores machine instructions and data, which can include an access code to a restricted database of vehicle components of an identified component manufacturer; a user interface enabling a user to select options; a device for importing a VIN or code containing the VIN; and communications circuitry. The communications circuitry includes signal transmitting and signal receiving capability. The signal receiving capability receives a VIN or code containing the VIN from the device for importing a VIN, and the signal transmitting capability sends the VIN and an access code to a restricted access database to lookup vehicle component information. The signal receiving capability receives the vehicle component information from the restricted access database, and an information processor processes the vehicle component information for presentation on the display.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing having a display;

a memory within the housing in which machine instructions and data are stored, including an access code to a restricted access database of vehicle components of an identified component manufacturer;

a device for importing a vehicle identification number (VIN) or code containing said VIN included in the housing;

a user interface from which a user inputs or selects options, including activation of the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN;

communication circuitry within the housing, the communication circuitry comprising signal transmitting and signal receiving capability;

wherein the signal receiving capability receives the VIN from the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN, the signal transmitting capability sends the VIN to the restricted access database, external to the portable electronic device, along with the access code to lookup vehicle component information related to the VIN, and the signal receiving capability receives information sent from the restricted access database to the portable electronic device in response to the lookup of vehicle component information; and

an information processor to process the information received by the signal receiving capability of the communication circuitry into a displayable form for presentation on the display.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the information received from the restricted access database includes photographs, videos, documents, audio recordings, individual data points, and combinations thereof related to a vehicle component associated with the VIN.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication circuitry sends the VIN to a decoder external to the portable electronic device to decode the VIN into one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine of a vehicle, receives the one or more of a make, model, year, type and engine, and the information processor displays said one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for a user of the electronic device to verify a correctness thereof.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the information processor, in response to a favorable response to the prompt to verify the correctness, instructs the communication circuitry to send and the communication circuitry sends the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine information to the restricted access database to retrieve vehicle component information relative thereto.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the vehicle component information includes one or more of part numbers and part names of the identified component manufacturer that are operable for the verified one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine information.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the information processor displays the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine along with a prompt for the user to save the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine in the memory.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN includes at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the access code is a code associated with and stored in the portable electronic device, wherein the restricted access database authenticates the code before the communication circuitry of the portable electronic device is allowed to send and receive information to and therefrom.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the access code is a username and password associated with a direct customer of the identified component manufacturer, and the vehicle component information from the restricted access database includes at least one of a direct customer'"'"'s current price for components and an availability of the components.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the displayable form includes a prompt regarding placing an order when the availability of the component indicates said components are available.

11. A method for accessing the contents of a component manufacturer'"'"'s restricted access database of part-related information, the method comprising:

providing a portable electronic device of claim 3;

activating the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN;

capturing the VIN using the device for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN; and

verifying the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine presented in the displayable form on the display of the portable electronic device, and thereby receiving, on the display, vehicle component information from the component manufacturer'"'"'s restricted access database of part-related information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information processor, after the verifying of the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine, instructs the communication circuitry to send and the communication circuitry sends the one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine information to the restricted access database to retrieve vehicle component information relative thereto.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle component information includes one or more of part numbers and part names of the identified component manufacturer that are operable for the verified one or more of the make, model, year, type and engine information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle component information includes photographs, videos, documents, audio recordings, individual data points, and combinations thereof related to the vehicle component associated with the VIN.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the displayable form includes a prompt for the user to save the vehicle identification information in the memory;

and the method includes saving the vehicle identification information by responding to the prompt.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the portable electronic device includes at least one of a scanner, a reader, and a camera for importing a VIN or code containing said VIN.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the access code is a code associated with and stored in the portable electronic device, wherein the restricted access database authenticates the code before the communication circuitry of the portable electronic device is allowed to send and receive information to and therefrom.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting a username and password as the access code.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the user is a direct customer of the identified component manufacturer, the displayable form includes at least one of a direct customer'"'"'s current price for components and an availability of the components as received from the restricted access database.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the displayable form includes a prompt regarding placing an order when the availability of the components indicates is greater than zero;

and

the method includes responding to the prompt to place an order.