Cellular augmented vehicle alarm

• US 20070075848A1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Pitt, Lance
• Application Number:
  US11/295,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20070075848A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/426.200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• 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: B60R 25/104 characterised by the type of theft warning signal, e.g. visual or audible signals with special characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera

Abstract

Cellular network technology is combined with a vehicle alarm to provide direct wireless notification of a vehicle alarm event over a cellular system to the owner or other interested party of a vehicle. A vehicle alarm notification is sent directly to the owner of a particular vehicle immediately upon alarm, or to the police, or to building security to dispatch an investigative team, or to a building surveillance company to activate or monitor a relevant security camera. In addition to the alarming status of the vehicle, the cellular alarm notification cellular call may provide a position of the alarming vehicle to the notified party, obtained through appropriate location services provided in a wireless system to satisfy requirements for responding in a personal emergency to a requesting public safety access point (PSAP). This real time alarm notification cellular call may be in lieu of, or additional to, sounding of an horn.

Claims

1. A cellular vehicle alarm, comprising:

a vehicle alarm unit to detect an alarm event in a vehicle;

a processor to generate an alarm notification based on alarm detection;

a cellular transceiver to wirelessly transmit said cellular alarm notification instigated by said processor; and

a pre-designated phone number, universal resource locator (URL), or universal resource indicator (URI) indicating at least one recipient of said cellular alarm notification.

2. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output from said vehicle alarm to an audible horn in said vehicle.

3. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said cellular alarm notification comprises:

a telephone call.

4. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said cellular alarm notification comprises:

a short message.

5. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said cellular alarm notification comprises:

a pre-recorded voice message.

6. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said cellular alarm notification comprises:

a transfer control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP) message using a higher level communication abstraction.

7. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 6, wherein said higher level communication abstraction includes at least one of:

hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP); and

hyper-text markup language (HTML) message.

8. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said alarm event comprises:

an opening of a door of said vehicle.

9. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said alarm event comprises:

a breaking of glass on said vehicle.

10. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 9, wherein:

wherein said glass is a window in said vehicle.

11. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein said alarm event comprises:

tipping said vehicle in an unstarted condition beyond a given threshold angle.

12. The cellular vehicle alarm according to claim 1, wherein:

said cellular alarm notification is transmitted to a cellular system base station.

13. A method for notifying a pre-designated uniform resource locator (URL) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle, comprising:

sensing an alarm event in said vehicle;

determining a pre-designated uniform resource locator (URL) number to be contacted relating to said alarm event at said vehicle; and

automatically connecting to said determined pre-designated URL and transmitting a cellular alarm notification, in response to said sensed alarm event.

14. A method for notifying a pre-designated uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle, comprising:

sensing an alarm event in said vehicle;

determining a pre-designated uniform resource indicator (URI) number to be contacted relating to said alarm event at said vehicle; and

automatically connecting to said determined pre-designated URI and transmitting a cellular alarm notification, in response to said sensed alarm event

15. A method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle, comprising:

sensing an alarm event in said vehicle;

determining a pre-designated telephone number to be called relating to said alarm event at said vehicle; and

automatically calling said determined pre-designated telephone number and transmitting a cellular alarm notification, in response to said sensed alarm event.

16. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, wherein:

said pre-designated telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) is determined via a table look-up.

17. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, wherein:

said pre-designated telephone number is determined based on a particular alarm event in said vehicle, with a different alarm event in said same vehicle being associated with a different pre-designated telephone number.

18. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising:

providing an alarm signal to an audible horn in said vehicle.

19. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a pre-recorded voice message after telephone equipment at said pre-designated telephone number receives said cellular alarm notification.

20. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said alarm event comprises:

an opening of a door of said vehicle.

21. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said alarm event comprises:

a breaking of glass on said vehicle.

22. The method for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said alarm event comprises:

opening a door of said vehicle without use of a key.

23. Apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle, comprising:

means for sensing an alarm event in said vehicle;

means for processing alarm event indicator to create a cellular alarm notification;

means for determining a pre-designated telephone number, uniform resource locator (URL), or uniform resource indicator (URI) to be contacted relating to said alarm event at said vehicle; and

means for automatically contacting said determined pre-designated telephone number, URL, or URI and transmitting a cellular alarm notification, in response to said sensed alarm event.

24. The apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 23, wherein:

said means for determining determines said pre-designated telephone number based on a type of said alarm event, at least two different pre-designated telephone numbers being associated with a respective at least two different alarm events within a same vehicle.

25. The apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 23, further comprising:

means for providing an alarm signal to an audible horn in said vehicle.

26. The apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 23, wherein said alarm event comprises:

an opening of a door of said vehicle.

27. The apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 23, wherein said alarm event comprises:

a breaking of glass on said vehicle.

28. The apparatus for notifying a pre-designated cellular telephone number, uniform resource indicator (URI) of an alarm event in a particular vehicle according to claim 23, wherein said alarm event comprises:

opening a door of said vehicle without use of a key.