Vehicular monitoring system
First Claim
1. A portable electronic device for use inside a motor vehicle to collect and store information regarding operation of the motor vehicle, the portable electronic device comprising:
- a digital memory;
means for automatically detecting that the motor vehicle has started a new trip;
means for, in response to the detecting that the new trip has started, providing to an occupant of the motor vehicle at the start of the new trip an option of designating the new trip as a continuation of a prior trip;
means for generating data during the new trip representing distance traveled during the new trip; and
means for storing the data representing the distance traveled during the trip in the digital memory by;
adding the data representing distance traveled during the new trip to data stored in the digital memory representing distance traveled during the prior trip if the occupant designated the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip, orstoring the data representing distance traveled during the new trip in the digital memory in association with a new trip identifier identifying the new trip if the occupant did not designate the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device can be used inside a motor vehicle to collect and store information regarding operation of the motor vehicle. The electronic device can include a processor and a digital memory. The processor can determine miles traveled by the motor vehicle during a trip and store data representing the miles in the digital memory with a trip identifier identifying the trip. The miles traveled can be determined using data from a location sensor, such as a global positioning satellite device, that determines locations of the motor vehicle during the trip. The electronic device can also include an audio mechanism into which a user can speak information about the trip. Such audio data can be stored in the digital memory and associated with the trip identifier. Other data representing information about the trip can also be stored in the digital memory. The electronic device can also include a mechanism for transferring data stored in the digital memory in association with the trip identifier to a computing device.
-
Citations
14 Claims
-
1. A portable electronic device for use inside a motor vehicle to collect and store information regarding operation of the motor vehicle, the portable electronic device comprising:
-
a digital memory; means for automatically detecting that the motor vehicle has started a new trip; means for, in response to the detecting that the new trip has started, providing to an occupant of the motor vehicle at the start of the new trip an option of designating the new trip as a continuation of a prior trip; means for generating data during the new trip representing distance traveled during the new trip; and means for storing the data representing the distance traveled during the trip in the digital memory by; adding the data representing distance traveled during the new trip to data stored in the digital memory representing distance traveled during the prior trip if the occupant designated the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip, or storing the data representing distance traveled during the new trip in the digital memory in association with a new trip identifier identifying the new trip if the occupant did not designate the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
-
-
5. A method of recording data in a portable electronic device regarding a trip in a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
-
automatically detecting, utilizing a microprocessor that is part of the portable electronic device, that the motor vehicle has started a new trip; in response to the microprocessor detecting that the new trip has started, providing to an occupant of the motor vehicle an option of designating the new trip as a continuation of a prior trip; during the trip, collecting, utilizing the microprocessor, data during the new trip representing distance traveled during the new trip; and storing in a digital memory that is part of the portable electronic device the data representing the distance traveled during the new trip by; if the occupant designated the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip, adding the data representing the distance traveled during the new trip to data previously stored in the digital memory representing distance traveled during the prior trip, a sum of the data representing the distance traveled during the new trip and the data representing distance traveled during the prior trip stored in the digital memory in association with a trip identifier that identifies the prior trip, or if the occupant did not designate the new trip as a continuation of the prior trip, storing the data representing the distance traveled during the new trip in the digital memory in association with a trip identifier identifying the new trip. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
Specification