FLEET TRACKING SYSTEM WITH REPORTING FEATURE
First Claim
1. A method of tracking usage habits of a vehicle having a standard vehicle data port, comprising the steps of:
- a. upon receiving an authorized user identification, recording in a local vehicle data storage medium a user identification, a start date, a start time, and a start odometer reading;
b. upon sensing engine shutoff, recording in the local vehicle data storage medium a shutoff date, a shutoff time and a shutoff odometer reading;
c. receiving a request for vehicle usage information from an off-board data storage device;
d. in response to the request, transmitting, from the local vehicle data storage medium to the off-board data storage device, the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading; and
e. transmitting from the off-board data storage device to a remote computer, via a global computer network, a report that includes the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a method of tracking usage habits of a vehicle having a standard vehicle data port, in which a user identification, a start date, a start time, and a start odometer reading are recorded a local vehicle data storage medium upon receipt of an authorized user identification. A shutoff date, a shutoff time and a shutoff odometer reading are recorded in the local vehicle data storage medium upon sensing engine shutoff. A request for vehicle usage information is received from an off-board data storage device. In response thereto the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading are transmitted from the local vehicle data storage medium to the off-board data storage device. A report that includes the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading, is transmitted from the off-board data storage device to a remote computer, via a global computer network.
73 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A method of tracking usage habits of a vehicle having a standard vehicle data port, comprising the steps of:
-
a. upon receiving an authorized user identification, recording in a local vehicle data storage medium a user identification, a start date, a start time, and a start odometer reading;
b. upon sensing engine shutoff, recording in the local vehicle data storage medium a shutoff date, a shutoff time and a shutoff odometer reading;
c. receiving a request for vehicle usage information from an off-board data storage device;
d. in response to the request, transmitting, from the local vehicle data storage medium to the off-board data storage device, the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading; and
e. transmitting from the off-board data storage device to a remote computer, via a global computer network, a report that includes the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method of tracking performance of a vehicle salesperson with respect to a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle including a standard vehicle data port, comprising the steps of:
-
a. reading, from a salesperson-specific identification device, a salesperson identification;
b. storing the identification input in a vehicle-specific data storage medium;
c. receiving odometer and speed data from the standard vehicle data port during a predetermined period after reading the identification input;
d. storing a start time and an end time for the predetermined period and a preselected set of the odometer and speed data in a data storage medium;
e. in response to a query from a data reading device, transferring the start time and end time and the preselected set of the odometer and speed data and an identification of the vehicle to the data reading device;
f. generating a report indicating at least one performance factor relative to the vehicle salesperson based on at least a preselected subset of data received by the data reading device; and
g. transmitting from the off-board data storage device to a remote computer, via a global computer network, a report that includes the user identification, the start date, the start, the start odometer reading, the shutoff date, the shutoff time and the shutoff odometer reading.
-
Specification