Technique for effectively providing to a vehicle information concerning a condition of the vehicle

• US 6,987,964 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2004
• Issued: 01/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: American Calcar, Inc.
• Inventors: Obradovich, Michael L., White, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewart, James D.
• Application Number:
  US10/840,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 455/96, 455/99, 455/345, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/422, 455/426, 455/466, 455/507, 455/556, 455/557, 340/7.52, 340/7.31, 340/7.35, 340/286.14, 340/425.5, 340/426.1, 340/438, 340/457, 340/825.72, 340/825.52, 340/426.28, 340/426.29, 340/539.16, 340/998, 701/24, 701/29, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/425.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/137 the indicator being in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• 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 4/44 : for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

In an automobile, communications to and from the automobile are in the form of messages. Such messages are referred to as “electronic car-mail” or “C-mail” messages as each message has a destination or origination address which includes an identifier, e.g., a vehicle identification number (VIN), identifying the automobile. The messages may be delivered to the automobile from a remote server through a communications network, e.g., the Internet. One such message may contain a recall notice to the automobile. Another message may contain just-in-time map information for navigation, depending on the current location of the automobile. Yet another message may contain advertising information concerning selected entities, e.g., restaurants, gas stations, department stores, etc., also depending on the current location of the automobile. The messages transmitted from the automobile to the remote server may contain, e.g., GPS information identifying the location of the automobile, dynamic data furnished by sensors in the automobile for analysis, an odometer reading and a speedometer reading for records, etc.

Claims

1. A method for disseminating information about a faulty condition concerning a type of vehicle, comprising:

generating a message about the faulty condition;

searching a database for identifiers of a plurality of vehicles which belong to the type of vehicle; and

electronically transmitting the message about the faulty condition, to the plurality of vehicles, over a communications network based on the identifiers of the plurality of vehicles.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is electronically transmitted to the vehicles at addresses containing the respective identifiers of the vehicles.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of the respective identifiers of the vehicles includes at least part of a vehicle identification number (VIN).

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the identifiers of the vehicles includes at least part of a VIN.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is electronically transmitted via the Internet.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the message includes a recall notice.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising monitoring for correction of the faulty condition in ones of the vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle model.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle year.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle manufacturer.

11. A method for obtaining information about a vehicle, comprising:

receiving messages from a vehicle via a communications network at different times, the messages containing measures provided by at least one device in the vehicle, the messages being associated with an identifier of the vehicle;

storing in a memory the measures in the messages, the measures being stored in association with the identifier;

receiving a query for data about a condition of the vehicle based on the identifier; and

in response to the query, providing the data based on at least one of the measures stored in association with the identifier, wherein the data concerns a status of a mirror of the vehicle.

12. A system for disseminating information about a faulty condition concerning a type of vehicle, comprising:

a server for generating a message about the faulty condition;

a database for searching for identifiers of a plurality of vehicles which belong to the type of vehicle; and

a mechanism for electronically transmitting the message about the faulty condition, to the plurality of vehicles, over a communications network based on the identifiers of the plurality of vehicles.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the message is electronically transmitted to the vehicles at addresses containing the respective identifiers of the vehicles.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of the respective identifiers of the vehicles includes at least part of a VIN.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein at least one of the identifiers of the vehicles includes at least part of a VIN.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the message is electronically transmitted via the Internet.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the message includes a recall notice.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein correction of the faulty condition in ones of the vehicles is monitored.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle model.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle year.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the type of vehicle is specified by at least a vehicle manufacturer.

22. A system for obtaining information about a vehicle, comprising:

an interface for receiving messages from a vehicle via a communications network at different times, the messages containing measures provided by at least one device in the vehicle, the messages being associated with an identifier of the vehicle;

a memory for storing the measures in the messages, the measures being stored in association with the identifier; and

a server for receiving a query for data about a condition of the vehicle based on the identifier, the data being provided in response to the query based on at least one of the measures stored in association with the identifier, wherein the data concerns a status of a mirror of the vehicle.