Vehicletalk

• US 20070082678A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fleet Connect Solutions LLC (Empire IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Richard Himmelstein
• Inventors: Himmelstein, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0265 Vehicular advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A vehicle and system for providing a communication link among a plurality of mobile vehicles comprises a broadband RF transceiver with antenna, a GPS receiver, an audio-visual interface, and a microprocessor with associated memory, whereby said microprocessor generates a communication by constructing data packets from a plurality of data fields, including sender information and receiver information.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A method for tracking vehicle maintenance information, comprising:

identifying a vehicle associated with a mobile unit using a vehicle identifier;

determining a status of the vehicle using the vehicle identifier;

determining a warning associated with the vehicle; and

transmitting a message indicating the warning.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the step of determining a warning is based on a maintenance schedule and the warning represents a need for maintenance.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein the warning represents a recall notification.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted by the mobile unit associated with the vehicle, the signal including the vehicle identification and the status of the vehicle;

wherein the step of determining the vehicle identification includes parsing the signal to determine the vehicle identification; and

wherein the step of determining a status includes parsing the signal to determine the status.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of receiving is performed upon request.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of receiving is performed automatically.

28. A method for tracking vehicle maintenance information, comprising:

receiving at a mobile unit associated with a vehicle a signal transmitted by a system administrator;

determining based on the signal a warning associated with the vehicle; and

outputting the warning to a driver through an audio-visual interface.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the warming represents a need for regular maintenance.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the warning represents a recall notification.

31. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

employing an electro-mechanical interface to obtain a status; and

transmitting a signal including a vehicle identification and the status of the vehicle.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising receiving a request to report vehicle information.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising determining whether to automatically report vehicle information.

34. A system for tracking vehicle maintenance information, comprising:

means for identifying a vehicle associated with a mobile unit using a vehicle identifier;

means for determining a status of the vehicle using the vehicle identifier;

means for determining a warning associated with the vehicle; and

means for transmitting a message indicating the warning.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the means for determining a warning operates based on a maintenance schedule and the warning represents a need for maintenance.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the warning represents a recall notification.

37. The system of claim 34 further comprising:

means for receiving a signal transmitted by the mobile unit associated with the vehicle, the signal including the vehicle identification and the status of the vehicle;

wherein the means for determining the vehicle identification is parses the signal to determine the vehicle identification; and

wherein the means for determining a status parses the signal to determine the status.

38. A system for tracking vehicle maintenance information, comprising:

means for receiving at a mobile unit associated with a vehicle a signal transmitted by a system administrator;

means for determining based on the signal a warning associated with the vehicle; and

means for outputting the warning to a driver through an audio-visual interface.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the warning represents a need for regular maintenance.

40. The system of claim 38 wherein the warning represents a recall notification.

41. The system of claim 38 further comprising:

an electro-mechanical interface to obtain a status; and

means for transmitting a signal including a vehicle identification and the status of the vehicle.

42. The system of claim 41 further comprising means for receiving a request to report vehicle information.

43. The system of claim 41 further comprising means for determining whether to automatically report vehicle information.