Transfer dongle for stored vehicle information

• US 9,779,563 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RB Distribution, Inc. (Dorman Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: RB Distribution, Inc. (Dorman Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Manoukis, Dimitri, Hubicki, Joseph T., Nyce, Robin, Blalock, Christopher Todd, Thoppe Bremkumar, Venkataramani Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US15/443,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 218 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/38 Information transfer, e.g. on bus G06F13/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0858 wherein the data carrier is removable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A data transfer dongle for transferring information from an existing vehicle module to a predetermined replacement module. The dongle collects and stores data from an existing vehicle module in the original format and writes or uploads that original data to a repaired or replacement module. Preferably, the dongle is programmed for limited use and will disable itself after a successful data transfer.

Claims

1. A data transfer dongle for transferring information associated with a first vehicle module to a predetermined second vehicle module which replaces the first vehicle module, the dongle comprising:

an interface that connects with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics;

a diagnostic circuit which initiates an automatic detection process in which the vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics identify the first vehicle module and establishes a communication path between the dongle and the first vehicle module;

a circuit that collects and stores pre-existing data associated with the first vehicle module via the established communication path; and

a circuit that transfers the stored pre-existing data associated with the first vehicle module into a predetermined second vehicle module.

2. The data transfer dongle of claim 1, wherein the diagnostic circuit is pre-configured to be associated with a vehicle module group that includes the first vehicle module and the second vehicle module.

3. The data transfer dongle of claim 2, wherein the pre-configuration of the diagnostic circuit causes the vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics to initiate the automatic detection process.

4. A dongle for collecting information from an existing vehicle module and transferring the collected information to another module having the same functions, the dongle comprising:

an interface that connects with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics;

a diagnostic circuit that initiates a detection process through which the vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics identifies a predetermined vehicle module and establishes a communication channel between the dongle and the predetermined vehicle module;

a circuit that collects and stores data from the predetermined vehicle module; and

a circuit that transfers the collected and stored data from the predetermined vehicle module into another module through the vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics.

5. The dongle of claim 4, wherein the diagnostic circuit is pre-configured for a predetermined vehicle and vehicle module.

6. A data transfer dongle for transferring data associated with a selected vehicle'"'"'s existing module to a replacement module, the dongle comprising:

an interface that connects with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics;

a diagnostic circuit which initiates an automatic detection process through which a vehicle'"'"'s on-board electronics identifies a selected existing module and establishes a communication path with the dongle;

a circuit that collects and stores data associated with functions of the selected existing module via the established communication path; and

a circuit that transfers the stored data associated with functions of the selected existing module to a replacement module.

7. The data transfer dongle of claim 6, wherein the diagnostic circuit is pre-configured to be associated with a predetermined vehicle module group that includes the existing module and the replacement module.