Vehicle profile control and monitoring

• US 8,989,955 B1
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Paul Hart
• Original Assignee: Paul Hart
• Inventors: Hart, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/913,660
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• US Class Current: 701/32.3
• 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 25/102 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: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus for vehicle control, tracking, and reporting. In an aspect, vehicle parameters that describe the current operation of the vehicle are compared to profile parameters of a driver. If the vehicle parameters are not within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters, an out of profile parameter process is performed. The out of profile parameter process includes wirelessly sending a violation report to an administrator device.

Claims

1. A vehicle control and monitoring system, comprising:

a vehicle device comprising a processing subsystem, a communication subsystem that communicates over a wireless network, and a memory subsystem that stores;

a plurality of user profiles, each user profile specifying a profile parameters for the user profile, the profile parameters defining operational limits for an automotive vehicle;

an administrator profile, the administrator profile storing contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device; and

processing instructions that are executable by the processing subsystem and upon such execution cause the processing subsystem to perform operations comprising;

determine a profile of a user that is in an operator role of a vehicle in which the vehicle device is installed, the determination comprising receiving, from a smart key, a profile identifier of a user that is in an operator role of the vehicle, the profile identifier identifying the profile of user, and wherein each profile identifier is uniquely associated with a respective smart key so that each smart key identifies the respective profile of the user;

if the profile of the user in one of the user profiles, then;

obtain vehicle parameters that describe the current operation of the vehicle;

determine whether the vehicle parameters are within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters of the user profile of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle;

in response to determining that a vehicle parameter is not within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters, perform an out of profile parameter process that includes wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device by use of the communication subsystem;

wherein the processing instructions cause the processing subsystem to perform operations further comprise;

for each determination of a user profile, performing a security test based on prior usage pattern data associated with the user profile that defines time periods of normal usage; and

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be within the time period of normal usage, unlocking an ignition of the vehicle;

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be without the time period of normal usage, requiring approval by an administer associated with the administrator profile to unlock the ignition of the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device comprises short messaging service (SMS) communication contact information; and

wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device by use of the communication subsystem comprises sending a SMS message to the administrator device, the SMS message including location data and the data describing the vehicle parameters that are not within the operational limits.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further includes a global positioning system module, and wherein the location data are latitude and longitude coordinates obtained from the global positioning system module.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

software stored in a computer readable storage device, the software being executable by the administrator device and upon such execution cause the administrator device to perform operations comprising;

in response to receiving the violation report by an SMS message;

retrieve the location data from the violation report;

render a map on a display device of the administrator device, the map including the location specified by the latitude and longitude coordinates;

render an icon identifying the location of the vehicle; and

render on the map a message that describes the vehicle parameters that are not within the operational limits.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the violation report further comprises data describing additional vehicle parameters, including a profile identifier of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the violation report further comprises voice call data that facilitates establishing a voice call with the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle by use of the administrator device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the voice call data comprises a first cellular telephone number for the vehicle control and monitoring system.

8. A method performed by a vehicle mounted data processing apparatus, comprising:

storing, in the vehicle mounted data processing apparatus, a plurality of user profiles and an administrator profile, each user profile specifying a profile parameters for the user profile, the profile parameters defining operational limits for an automotive vehicle, and the administrator profile storing contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device; and

determining a profile of a user that is in an operator role of a vehicle in which the vehicle device is installed, the determining comprising receiving, from a smart key, a profile identifier of a user that is in an operator role of the vehicle, the profile identifier identifying the profile of user, and wherein each profile identifier is uniquely associated with a respective smart key so that each smart key identifies the respective profile of the user;

if the profile of the user in one of the user profiles, then;

obtaining vehicle parameters that describe the current operation of the vehicle;

determining whether the vehicle parameters are within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters of the user profile of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle;

in response to determining that a vehicle parameter is not within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters, performing an out of profile parameter process that includes wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device;

for each determination of a user profile, performing a security test based on prior usage pattern data associated with the user profile that defines time periods of normal usage;

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be within the time period of normal usage, unlocking an ignition of the vehicle; and

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be without the time period of normal usage, requiring approval by an administer associated with the administrator profile to unlock the ignition of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device comprises short messaging service (SMS) communication contact information; and

wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device comprises sending a SMS message to the administrator device, the SMS message including location data and the data describing the vehicle parameters that are not within the operational limits.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location data are latitude and longitude coordinates obtained from a global positioning system module.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the violation report further comprises data describing additional vehicle parameters, including a profile identifier of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the violation report further comprises voice call data that facilitates establishing a voice call with the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle by use of the administrator device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the voice call data comprises a first cellular telephone number for the vehicle control and monitoring system.

14. A vehicle control and monitoring system, comprising:

a vehicle device comprising a processing subsystem, a communication subsystem that communicates over a wireless network, and a memory subsystem that stores;

a plurality of user profiles, each user profile specifying a profile parameters for the user profile, the profile parameters defining operational limits for an automotive vehicle;

an administrator profile, the administrator profile storing contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device; and

processing instructions that are executable by the processing subsystem and upon such execution cause the processing subsystem to perform operations comprising;

determine a profile of a user that is in an operator role of a vehicle in which the vehicle device is installed;

if the profile of the user in one of the user profiles, then;

obtain vehicle parameters that describe the current operation of the vehicle;

determine whether the vehicle parameters are within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters of the user profile of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle;

in response to determining that a vehicle parameter is not within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters, perform an out of profile parameter process that includes wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device by use of the communication subsystem;

wherein the processing instructions cause the processing subsystem to perform operations further comprise;

for each determination of a user profile, performing a security test based on prior usage pattern data associated with the user profile that defines time periods of normal usage;

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be within the time period of normal usage, unlocking an ignition of the vehicle; and

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be without the time period of normal usage, requiring approval by an administer associated with the administrator profile to unlock the ignition of the vehicle.

15. A method performed by a vehicle mounted data processing apparatus, comprising:

storing, in the vehicle mounted data processing apparatus, a plurality of user profiles and an administrator profile, each user profile specifying a profile parameters for the user profile, the profile parameters defining operational limits for an automotive vehicle, and the administrator profile storing contact information for wirelessly providing data to an administrator device; and

determining a profile of a user that is in an operator role of a vehicle in which the vehicle device is installed;

if the profile of the user in one of the user profiles, then;

obtaining vehicle parameters that describe the current operation of the vehicle;

determining whether the vehicle parameters are within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters of the user profile of the user that is in the operator role of the vehicle;

in response to determining that a vehicle parameter is not within the operational limits defined by the profile parameters, performing an out of profile parameter process that includes wirelessly sending a violation report to the administrator device;

for each determination of a user profile, performing a security test based on prior usage pattern data associated with the user profile that defines time periods of normal usage;

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be within the time period of normal usage, unlocking an ignition of the vehicle; and

for each security test for which a current time is determined to be without the time period of normal usage, requiring approval by an administer associated with the administrator profile to unlock the ignition of the vehicle.