Vehicular data exchange system and method therefor

• US 6,920,433 B1
• Filed: 08/09/1999
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vehicle Network Solutions Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vehicle Network Solutions Corporation
• Inventors: Schaukowitch, Carl, Seretti, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): Retta, Yehdega
• Application Number:
  US09/370,935
• Time in Patent Office: 2,171 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/26, 705/37, 705/3, 705/4, 705/28, 395/200, 707/3, 707/4, 707/10, 707/5, 707/6
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

The vehicular data exchange system of the present invention includes a plurality of computer terminals and a processor. Each of the computer terminals include an input device for inputting the vehicular data and a display device for visually displaying the inputted vehicular data which include vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units. The processor controls the vehicular data whereby the vehicular characteristics data units inputted into a first one of the computer terminals are transmitted to a plurality of other ones of the computer terminals for display on respective ones of the display devices associated with the other ones of the computer terminals. The processor also controls the vehicular data whereby vehicular financial data units inputted to at least a responding one of the other ones of the computer terminals in response to the vehicular characteristics data units displayed on the display device of the at least responding one of the other ones of the computer terminals are transmitted to the first one of the computer terminals for display on the display device associated with the first one of the computer terminals. A method of implementing the present invention is also described.

Claims

1. A vehicular data exchange system adapted for use to exchange vehicular data relating to a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals including an input device for inputting the vehicular data that includes vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units and a display device for visually displaying the vehicular data inputted into said plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals operative to transmit to each other and receive from one another both the vehicular characteristics data units and the vehicular financial data units for display on respective display devices; and

a processor in communication with said plurality of computer terminals for controlling the vehicular data

wherein the vehicular characteristics data units are inputted at any time into any selected one of said computer terminals and are transmitted immediately thereafter to remaining ones of said computer terminals for display on respective ones of said display devices associated with said remaining ones of said computer terminals and

wherein the vehicular financial data units are inputted into at least a responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals in response to the vehicular characteristics data units displayed on said display device of said at least responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals and are transmitted to said selected one of said computer terminals for display on said display device associated with said selected one of the computer terminals.

2. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 1, further comprising a discriminator for choosing specific ones of said remaining ones of said plurality of computer terminals to which the vehicular characteristics data units are transmitted.

3. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a make, a model and a year of the vehicle.

4. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a description of the vehicle.

5. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 4, wherein the description of the vehicle includes at least one of a body type of the vehicle, a color of the vehicle, an amount of mileage displayed on an odometer of the vehicle and a general condition of the vehicle.

6. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include at least one of a bid price amount, an assessment price amount, a wholesale price amount, and a retail price amount.

7. A vehicular data exchange system a to claim 1, wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle further include information identifying a source of vehicular financial data units transmitted.

14. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicular financial data units include an identity of a responding vehicle dealership.

15. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 1, wherein each of said computer terminals is a personal computer.

8. A method of exchanging vehicular data of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

providing at least three computer terminals, each of the at least three computer terminals having a display device, the at least three computer terminals operative to transmit to each other and receive from one another the vehicular data for display on respective display devices;

selecting any one of the at least three computer terminals as a data inquiring computer terminal;

deeming the remaining ones of the at least three computer terminals as data responsive computer terminals;

inputting vehicular characteristics data units of the vehicle at any time into the data inquiring computer terminal for display on its display device;

processing the vehicular characteristics data units immediately after inputting the vehicular characteristics data units by transmitting the vehicular characteristics data units to the data responsive computer terminals for display thereon;

inputting the vehicular financial data units into at least one of the data responsive computer terminals for display on its display device in response to the vehicular characteristics data received by the data responsive computer terminals; and

transmitting the vehicular financial data units immediately after inputting the vehicular financial data units to said inquiring computer terminal for display on the display device of said inquiring computer terminal.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of processing the vehicular characteristics data units includes selecting select ones of said plurality of said data responsive computer terminals to which the vehicular characteristics data units are transmitted.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a make, a model and a year of the vehicle.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units include a description of the vehicle.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include at least one of a bid price amount, an assessment price amount, a wholesale price amount, and a retail price amount.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the vehicular financial data units of the vehicle include identifying information identifying a source of each data responsive computer terminal transmitting the vehicular financial data units.

16. A vehicular data exchange system adapted for use to exchange vehicular data relating to a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals including an input device for inputting the vehicular data that includes vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units and a display device for visually displaying the vehicular data inputted into said plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals operative to transmit to each other and receive from one another both the vehicular characteristics data units and the vehicular financial data units for display on respective display devices; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of computer terminals for controlling the vehicular data wherein

the vehicular characteristics data units are inputted at any time into any selected one of said computer terminals and are transmitted immediately after being inputted to remaining ones of said computer terminals for display on respective ones of said display devices associated with said remaining ones of said computer terminals and wherein

the vehicular financial data units are inputted into at least a responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals in response to the vehicular characteristics data units displayed on said display device of said at least responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals and are transmitted immediately after being inputted to said selected one of said computer terminals for display on said display device associated with said selected one of said computer terminals.

17. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 16, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units are inputted and transmitted by an inquiring human operator and wherein the vehicular financial data units are inputted and transmitted by a responding human operator.

18. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 17, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units are transmitted at discretion of the inquiring human operator.

19. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 16, wherein the vehicular characteristics data units are simultaneously displayed on said display device of said selected one of said computer terminals with the vehicular financial data units after the vehicular financial data units are transmitted to said selected one of said computer terminals.

20. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 16, wherein the vehicular financial data units include an identity of a responding vehicle dealership.

21. A vehicular data exchange system adapted for use to exchange vehicular data relating to a vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals including an input device for inputting the vehicular data that includes vehicular characteristics data units and vehicular financial data units and a display device for visually displaying the vehicular data inputted into said plurality of computer terminals, each of said computer terminals operative to transmit to each other and receive from one another both the vehicular characteristics data units and the vehicular financial data units for display on respective display devices; and

a processor in communication with the plurality of computer terminals for controlling the vehicular data wherein

the vehicular characteristics data units are inputted at any time by an inquiring human operator into characteristics data fields for display on said display device of any selected one of said computer terminals and are transmitted immediately after being inputted by the inquiring human operator to remaining ones of said computer terminals for display on respective ones of said display devices associated with said remaining ones of said computer terminals and wherein

the vehicular financial data units are inputted by a responding human operator into a financial data field for display on said display device of at least a responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals in response to the vehicular characteristics data units displayed in the characteristics data fields on said display device of said at least responding one of said remaining ones of said computer terminals and are transmitted immediately after being inputted by the responding human operator to said selected one of said computer terminals for display on said display device associated with said selected one of said computer terminals.

22. A vehicular data exchange system according to claim 21 wherein the vehicular characteristics data units and the vehicular financial data units are simultaneously displayed on said display device associated with said selected one of said computer terminals after the vehicular financial data units are transmitted.