Vehicle tracker with user notifications and associated methods

• US 6,888,495 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Original Assignee: Omega Patents, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Flick, Kenneth E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US10/325,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.07, 342/357.08, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 340/466, 340/568.1, 340/426, 340/936, 340/426.19, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 342/357.395
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/202 Personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/04 operating on the propulsion system, e.g. engine or drive motor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A tracking system includes a vehicle tracking unit and a monitoring station communicating therewith. The vehicle tracking unit preferably includes a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller connected to the wireless communications device and the vehicle position determining device. The controller preferably cooperates with the wireless communications device to send an alert message. The monitoring station may include a user interface for generating a sequence of alert message notifications based upon receiving the alert message sent from the vehicle tracking unit, and for canceling any remaining alert message notification of the sequence based upon a cancellation command response from a user having already received the alert message notification.

Claims

1. A vehicle tracking system comprising:

a vehicle tracking unit and a monitoring station communicating therewith;

said vehicle tracking unit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device;

said controller being switchable to be in an armed mode for cooperating with said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device to generate and send a speeding alert message based upon the vehicle exceeding a speed threshold for longer than a predetermined time indicative of aggressive driving of the vehicle;

said monitoring station generating a series of speeding alert message notifications for a user based upon receiving the speeding alert message from said vehicle tracking unit;

said monitoring station canceling any remaining speeding alert message notifications of the series based upon a cancellation command response from an entity already having received the speeding alert message notification.

2. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

3. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular telephone communications device.

4. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 3 wherein said cellular telephone communications device communicates over a cellular control channel.

5. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein said monitoring station comprises a user interface for accepting at least one command from a user and sending at least one alert to the user.

6. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 5 wherein said user interface comprises an Internet interface.

7. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 5 wherein said user interface comprises a telephone network interface.

8. A vehicle tracking system comprising:

a vehicle tracking unit and a monitoring station communicating therewith;

said vehicle tracking unit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller connected to said wireless communications device and said vehicle position determining device;

said controller being switchable to be in an armed mode for cooperating with said vehicle position determining device and said wireless communications device to generate and send an acceleration alert message based upon the vehicle exceeding an acceleration threshold indicative of aggressive driving of the vehicle;

said monitoring station generating a series of acceleration alert message notifications for a user based upon receiving the acceleration alert message from said vehicle tracking unit;

said monitoring station canceling any remaining acceleration alert message notifications of the series based upon a cancellation command response from an entity already having received the acceleration alert message notification.