Method and apparatus for remote vehicle keypad enablement and disablement

• US 9,589,404 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Badger, Charles Everett II
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRIAN E
• Application Number:
  US14/731,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20160358392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/23 using manual input of alphanumerical codes
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 49/00 Electric permutation locks; Circuits therefor ; Mechanical aspects of electronic locks; Mechanical keys therefor arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; mechanisms including electronic locks actuated by nonmechanical keys such as passive and active electrical keys and other data carriers G07C9/00, G07F7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/04 Electrical electrical circuits E05B81/54
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/56 Control of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/0069 actuated in a predetermined sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00698 actuated in function of displayed informations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00817 where the code of the lock can be programmed
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to determine that a number of invalid attempts to input a code into a vehicle door keypad has passed a predetermined threshold. The processor is also configured to notify a registered user through a vehicle telematics system of the invalid attempts and selectively ignore future attempts to input the code.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request to control a vehicle door keypad state from a remote device, the request including a vehicle identifier identifying a vehicle including the vehicle door keypad and a user identifier identifying a user requesting to change the vehicle door keypad state;

validate the request;

receive a current vehicle door keypad state from the vehicle;

send the current vehicle door keypad state to the remote device; and

send an instruction to change the vehicle door keypad state to the vehicle, responsive to an instruction to change the vehicle door keypad state received from the remote device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle door keypad state indicates the vehicle door keypad is enabled.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle door keypad state indicates the vehicle door keypad is disabled.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to validate the request based on a determination that the user is authorized to change the vehicle door keypad state for the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to send an unlock code to the vehicle door keypad to unlock the vehicle, responsive to an instruction to unlock the vehicle received from the remote device.