Method for providing a security service using a vehicle keyfob

• US 8,731,741 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Oesterling, Christopher L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/963,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2025/1013 Alarm systems characterised by the type of warning signal, e.g. visual, audible
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/24 using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A system and method that enables a user of a telematics-equipped vehicle to initiate security services by activating their vehicle keyfob. If a user senses an emergency situation, such as a person breaking into their home, they can engage a panic button on their vehicle keyfob. This causes the vehicle to send a wireless warning signal to a call center which already has emergency contact numbers on file. The call center can then call the user to see if they require assistance from a police department, fire department, ambulance, etc. In one embodiment, the method also determines if the vehicle is currently located within a certain proximity of one or more designated locations (usually the user'"'"'s home or work) before contacting the user. This can reduce responses to non-emergencies, such as when a user simply presses their panic button in order to locate their vehicle in a crowded parking lot.

Claims

1. A method for providing a security service using a vehicle keyfob, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a wireless activation signal from the vehicle keyfob at a telematics-equipped vehicle;

(b) utilizing the wireless activation signal to determine if a panic button has been engaged; and

(c) if the panic button has been engaged and the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a user-specified location stored at the vehicle, then sending a wireless warning signal from the telematics-equipped vehicle to a call center, wherein the wireless warning signal indicates that the panic button on the vehicle keyfob has been engaged.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

enrolling the telematics-equipped vehicle in the security service by acquiring from a customer at least one piece of information from the group consisting of;

the user-specified location, a contact number for responding to the wireless warning signal, and a confidential code.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of:

implementing response instructions that compare a vehicle location to the user-specified location to determine if they are within the predetermined distance of each other.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) further comprises sending vehicle location information to the call center with the wireless warning signal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the response instructions are implemented at the telematics-equipped vehicle and include the following steps:

i) determining the vehicle location from a GPS module in the telematics-equipped vehicle, ii) comparing the vehicle location to the designated location, which is maintained at the telematics-equipped vehicle, and iii) instructing the telematics-equipped vehicle to send the wireless warning signal in step (c) if the vehicle location is within the certain proximity of the designated location.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle location is determined by obtaining previously saved vehicle location data.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the vehicle location is determined by powering up a GPS module in the telematics-equipped vehicle and obtaining new vehicle location data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the panic button can also be used to set off a light and/or alarm on the telematics-equipped vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

responding to the wireless warning signal by placing a call to a previously provided contact number, and engaging the services of a public-safety answering point (PSAP) if needed.