Remote vehicle start system with advance dynamic scheduling system

• US 8,489,085 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2010
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VOXX International Corporation
• Original Assignee: DEI Headquarters Inc (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Simmons, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, DUNG LE
• Application Number:
  US12/798,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20110256904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 455/569.2, 455/575.9, 4554561-4566, 340/426.2, 340/426.13, 340/426.14, 701/36, 701/408, 701/517, 701/522, 701/537
• US Class Current: 455/420
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/00 Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles locks for vehicles E05B77/00-E05B85/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/209 Remote starting of engine

Abstract

A system and method is described for a vehicle remote starter with an advanced dynamic scheduling system. The system and method utilizes a cellular telephone, interfacing with standard scheduling software, and capable of communicating with the Internet to gather real time data and communicating through a wireless telecommunication network with a vehicle to send vehicle remote start and other commands; an electronic scheduling system utilized within or accessible by the cellular telephone; a cellular telephone based and/or vehicle based GPS location module for determining the location of the vehicle and the cellular telephone at any particular point in time; a set of coded instructions that actively queries the Internet for real time data and that queries the electronic scheduling system to determine the time and location of a scheduled meeting, evaluating various vehicle operational parameters, the distance of the cellular phone from a vehicle, various environmental parameters, the distance from a vehicle to meeting location, the travel time required to timely travel and attend the scheduled meeting, and either prompting the user to actively send a remote start command signal to the vehicle or automatically sending the remote start command signal.

Claims

1. A vehicle remote starter scheduling system for a vehicle having a data bus in communication with a plurality of installed vehicle devices, the scheduling system comprising:

a wireless cellular telephone configured for wireless communication with a telecommunication network, and a vehicle;

scheduling software application residing within said wireless cellular telephone configured to;

interface and to synchronize with scheduling software not residing within the cellular telephone through said telecommunication network;

at least one location determination device residing within said wireless cellular telephone configured to determine the location of said vehicle when a user exits the vehicle; and

the at least one location determination device configured to determine a current location of said wireless cellular telephone,

a computer server in communication with said telecommunication network configured to gather weather and mapping data from said telecommunication network and processing instructions;

said software application configured to;

query said scheduling software for the time and location of a scheduled meeting,

query said telecommunication network for weather and mapping data,

determine a time necessary to warm said vehicle after starting said vehicle based on said weather information;

calculate the distance and time necessary to travel from the current location of the cellular telephone to the location of the vehicle, and

timely generate a signal in connection with remotely starting said vehicle through said telecommunications network based on said calculation.

2. The vehicle remote starter scheduling system of claim 1 wherein the scheduling system further queries the status of at least one vehicle operational parameter and adjusts the timing of said signal in connection with remotely starting said vehicle based on the status of said vehicle operational parameter.

3. The vehicle remote starter scheduling system of claim 2 wherein the vehicle operational parameter is at least one of vehicle cabin temperature, engine oil temperature, battery amperage, seat temperature, window temperature, or fuel level.

4. The vehicle remote starter scheduling system of claim 2 wherein said scheduling system adjust the amount of time of said signal in connection with remotely starting said vehicle based on an inverse relationship between temperature and start time, where when the temperature is reduced the start time is increased proportionately.

5. The vehicle remote starter scheduling system of claim 1 wherein the signal timely generated to the cellular telephone in connection with a remote start command is a signal that (a) notifies the cellular telephone user to send the remote start command, or (b) notifies the cellular telephone user that the system has sent the remote start command, or (c) notifies the cellular telephone user that a remote start command will be issued by the system unless said user aborts said remote start command.

6. The vehicle remote starter scheduling system of claim 1 wherein said computer server communicates with said telecommunications network to gather real time data using Extensible Markup Language (XML), Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), or Digital Weather Markup Language (DWML).

7. A method of generating a vehicle remote start signal, the method including the steps of:

periodically querying scheduling software to synchronize meeting appointments times and locations or changes to the schedule stored in the scheduling software;

determining if a meeting appointment time is approaching the current time;

determining the vehicle location by a cellular phone when a user exits the vehicle;

obtaining a current location data of the cellular telephone;

determining if said cellular telephone location is proximate to said vehicle;

determining the distance and travel time from said current location data of the cellular phone to the vehicle location;

querying said telecommunications network for current weather information for said vehicle location

determining the time necessary to warm said vehicle after starting said vehicle based on said weather information;

calculating the total time necessary to travel from said cellular phone location to said vehicle location; and

timely generating a signal by the cellular phone in connection with remotely starting said vehicle based on said calculation.