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Vehicle behavior control apparatus and vehicle behavior control method

Vehicle behavior control apparatus and vehicle behavior control method description/claims

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/244,334, filed Sep. 16, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/551,365, filed Apr. 17, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,076, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/277,935, filed Mar. 29, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,130, which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/683,828, filed Jul. 18, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,405, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/622,749, filed Mar. 27, 1996, abandoned. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/551,365, filed Apr. 17, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,076, also claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/187,735, filed Mar. 8, 2000, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/190,379, filed Mar. 17, 2000.

The present invention pertains to a control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method and, in particular, to a control, monitoring, and/or security, apparatus and method for exercising and/or providing control, monitoring and/or security, for vehicles, motor vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, residential premises, commercial premises, structures and/or equipment, in a network environment.

Anti-theft devices for vehicles and premises are known in the prior art for preventing and/or thwarting the theft of a vehicle and/or of a premises. Vehicle recovery devices or systems are also known for recovering a motor vehicle. These known anti-theft and/or vehicle recovery devices may be of the active or passive variety and are typically available in many forms (i.e. steering wheel locks, hood locks, ignition system cut-off devices, alarms, vehicle homing devices with associated receiving devices, etc.). In some cases, these devices may be of a very simple design, while in other cases, they may be of a more sophisticated design. However, as is well known, these known anti-theft and/or vehicle recovery devices or systems may be easily defeated by thieves, and especially, by professional thieves and/or have other disadvantages associated with their use. Experience has shown that even the most sophisticated of anti-theft devices may be defeated by an experienced, and determined, thief, and that vehicle recovery systems also have drawbacks associated with their use.

In the case of some vehicle recovery devices, their use may be limited by the availability, or lack thereof, of the corresponding tracker or receiver device(s) in the particular locality, or the lack of same by the law enforcement department in a particular area.

In recent times, an even more disturbing criminal practice, involving the theft of motor vehicles, has rendered most anti-theft devices virtually useless. This criminal practice, known as car-jacking, has gained widespread attention. Car-jacking usually occurs when a thief or thieves confront a motorist or motor vehicle operator, when the motor vehicle engine is running, or when the car thief obtains easy access to the motor vehicle ignition keys and to the motor vehicle, either by force or by the threat of force, thereby bypassing, and rendering useless, any of the widely known anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent devices, thereby gaining control and/or possession of the motor vehicle. In these instances, the motorist or motor vehicle operator is well advised to surrender the motor vehicle. However, once surrendered, the motor vehicle is virtually lost to the car thief.

Anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent devices which attempt to defeat the ultimate vehicle theft, such as caused by car-jacking, by disabling the motor vehicle during the “getaway”, such as by shutting off power to the motor vehicle engine, have major disadvantages and drawbacks in that they could shut-off the vehicle engine at an inopportune instant in time, thereby causing a dangerous condition to exist which could lead to an accident and resulting injuries to individuals as well as damage to property. These accidents may arise when the motor vehicle power is suddenly shut-off while the vehicle is in motion, which condition could cause the vehicle to suddenly, or even gradually, lose power on a roadway or highway, while traveling at a moderate or at a high rate of speed and/or when a power steering and/or a power braking system, which derives its power from the vehicle engine, suddenly loses power upon the loss of the engine power. As noted above, accidents such as these may result in injuries to people, both inside and outside the vehicle, as well as property damage caused by, and to, the vehicle.

The above described disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art devices may also pose accident liability concerns to those manufacturers and/or sellers of these devices, as well as to the owner or operator of the motor vehicle, as these entities and/or individuals may be held liable for the injuries and/or the damages sustained as a result of the above described accidents.

Vehicle recovery systems are known which include a vehicle homing device, which is activated and which emits homing signals which are used to home in on, or to locate, the vehicle. These vehicle recovery systems usually require that the law enforcement agency have corresponding homing signal receivers and/or equipment and that they be kept in operating condition, in order to effectively home in on, or locate, the vehicle. Unless the local police or law enforcement authorities have such equipment, the homing signal recovery device serves little purpose in recovering the vehicle in that locale.

Other vehicle recovery systems require that a police report be made prior to an activation of the homing and/or recovery equipment, which practice could result in the loss of valuable time in the vehicle recovery process. The above problems concerning vehicle security are equally applicable to and present an equal or even greater problem in providing security for marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft and/or recreational vehicles.

Providing security for residential premises, commercial premises, structures, and/or equipment, is also of great concern, especially when such premises, structures and/or equipment are left vacant for hours and/or days at a time. These concerns may arise while residential premises are left unoccupied during the working day, when second homes and/or vacation homes are left unoccupied for days, weeks and months at a time, and in commercial premises which may also be left unoccupied for long periods of time such as after working hours or during weekends or other prolonged periods of time when these premises may be closed and/or unoccupied.

While anti-theft and/or security systems exist for residential and/or commercial premises, such systems fail to enable the owner or occupant and/or other authorized individual to conveniently and effectively exercise and/or perform control, monitoring and/or security functions with regards to these premises. The same holds true for other types or structures and/or equipment. The ability to conveniently and effectively enable one to exercise and/or to perform control, monitoring and/or security functions would prove to be invaluable in allowing owners, occupants and/or other authorized individuals to exercise and/or to provide control, monitoring and/or security functions over these premises, from a remote location and at any time.

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for overcoming the disadvantages and drawbacks which are associated with the known prior art control, monitoring and/or security systems and provides a control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method and, in particular, to a control, monitoring, and/or security, apparatus and method for exercising and/or providing control, monitoring and/or security, vehicles, motor vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, residential premises, commercial premises, structures and/or equipment, in a network environment.

The present invention also provides an apparatus and a method which also overcomes the shortcomings of prior art anti-theft and/or theft deterrent systems and, in particular, anti-theft and/or theft-deterrent systems for vehicles, marine vessels and vehicles, aircraft and recreational vehicles as well as for residential premises and/or for commercial premises.

The apparatus of the present invention includes a transmitter system for transmitting an electrical, an electronic, an electromagnetic or other suitable signal, transmittable over a communication system and/or medium, upon an activation by the owner or authorized user or operator of the vehicle, motor vehicle, marine vessel, aircraft, recreational vehicle, and/or the owner, occupant and/or authorized individual of and for the residential premises and/or the commercial premises.

The transmitter should also consist of a user interface device and a transmitting device. The transmitter should also have a receiver associated therewith for receiving signals. In this regard, the transmitter/receiver combination may be replaced and/or implemented with and/or by a transceiver. The transmitter transmits a signal, in response to an authorized user or operator accessing and/or activating the apparatus.

The transmitter system is a remote system, which may or may not be physically connected to the remainder of the apparatus. Further, the transmitter system is not located in the vehicle, motor vehicle, marine vessel or vehicle, aircraft, recreational vehicle, residential premises and/or commercial premises, but rather, is located external from, and/or separate and apart from, the vehicle.

The apparatus also includes a receiver for receiving the signals which are transmitted by the transmitter or transceiver system. The receiver receives the signal(s) which is transmitted by the transmitter or transceiver and provides an indication, in the form of a signal transmission, back to the transmitter or transceiver and, in particular, the transmitter receiver, which signifies that a signal has been received by the apparatus. The receiver also generates data which is indicative of the signal, or a portion thereof, which has been received. The receiver should also be provided with its own transmitter. In this regard, this receiver/transmitter combination may also be replaced and/or implemented with and/or by a transceiver.

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