Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Of burglary or unauthorized use
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-16
2001-11-27
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Of burglary or unauthorized use
C425S541000, C425S542000, C425S808000, C307S010200, C307S010300, C307S010400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06323762
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to vehicle safety equipment and more particularly to a car jacking prevention system that includes a programmable control unit in controlling connection with a multi-timer unit having an output in connection with a mono-timer, an on board audio warning output system, and a manual disarm switch; the mono-timer having an activation output in electrical connection with each of the activation inputs of an engine cut-off mechanism, a hood lock assembly, an audible alarm system, a visual alarm system and a Global Positioning System tracking device with a radio communication transmitter for transmitting location data to a central tracking location; the car jacking prevention system further including a manual activation input in connection with a manual activation switch that may be hidden within a vehicle passenger compartment at a location known only to regular drivers of the vehicle, a trunk sensor activation switch that may be installed within the trunk compartment of a vehicle and that has an infrared sensor that is triggered by the body heat of a person within the trunk compartment and has an activation output in connection with a trunk sensor activation input of the control unit and an electric trunk lock opener for opening the lock of the trunk compartment, a door position sensor activation switch having a condition sensor for each passenger entry door of a vehicle and including logic circuitry in connection with each condition sensor for determining when a last condition sensor indicates the closing of a last door of a vehicle passenger compartment, and an activation output in connection with a passenger compartment entry activation input of the control unit, and a radio signal switch having a receiving antenna for receiving a radio transmitted activation signal and a radio switch activation output in connection with a radio activation input of the control unit; the radio signal switch being responsive to receipt of the radio transmitted activation signal by transmitting a system activation signal to the radio activation input of the control unit; the door position sensor activation switch generating a system activation signal to the passenger compartment entry activation input of the control unit when the logic circuitry determines a door position sensor switch indicates the closing of a last door of a vehicle passenger compartment; the trunk sensor activation switch generating a system activation signal to the trunk sensor activation input of the control unit; the manual activation switch generating a system activation signal to the control unit when depressed by a user; the control unit being programmed to trigger the multi-timer circuit upon receipt of a system activation signal; when triggered, multi-timer circuit activating on board audio warning system to audibly warn a driver of the vehicle that a car jacking prevention system has been enabled and that within a time period vehicle disabling and attention attracting events will be occurring, triggering the mono-timer, and activating the manual disarm switch which when depressed by the user before the mono-timer times out resets the control unit and thereby the car jacking prevention system; the mono-timer generating a control signal at its activation output upon timing out to simultaneously activate the engine cut-off mechanism, the hood lock assembly, the audible alarm system, the visual alarm system and the Global Positioning System tracking device with a radio communication transmitter for transmitting location data to a central tracking location.
BACKGROUND ART
Each year thousands of cars and other vehicles are car jacked. Because car jackers can be violent, it is often not a good idea to resist at the scene. It would be better, therefore, to have a car jacking prevention system that could be triggered in a number of ways that allowed the vehicle owner or driver to establish a safe distance between himself/herself and the car jacker before the car jacking prevention system triggered a number of anti theft mechanisms including an engine cut-off mechanism, an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and a radio transmitted location system to communicate to a central location the location of the vehicle for retrieval and immediate response by police or the like. Because car jackers may lock the driver of the vehicle within the vehicle trunk, it would be a further benefit to have a car jacking prevention system that included a trunk activation mechanism that triggered the car jacking prevention system while simultaneously unlocking the trunk of the vehicle. To aid in convicting the car jacker, it would be a further benefit if the car jacking prevention system also included a hidden camera for taking several pictures of the car jacker while the car jacking is in progress. It would be still a further advantage to have a car jacking prevention system that included a door monitoring mechanism for monitoring the doors of the vehicle such that when the last door of the vehicle was closed, the car jacking prevention system would be triggered by the door monitoring mechanism in a manner that would require a legitimate user of the vehicle to disarm the system by means of a hidden disarm button.
GENERAL SUMMARY DISCUSSION OF INVENTION
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a car jacking prevention system that includes a programmable control unit in controlling connection with a multi-timer unit having an output in connection with a mono-timer, an on board audio warning output system, and a manual disarm switch; the mono-timer having an activation output in electrical connection with each of the activation inputs of an engine cut-off mechanism, a hood lock assembly, an audible alarm system, a visual alarm system and a Global Positioning System tracking device with a radio communication transmitter for transmitting location data to a central tracking location; the car jacking prevention system further including a manual activation input in connection with a manual activation switch that may be hidden within a vehicle passenger compartment at a location known only to regular drivers of the vehicle, a trunk sensor activation switch that may be installed within the trunk compartment of a vehicle and that has an infrared sensor that is triggered by the body heat of a person within the trunk compartment and has an activation output in connection with a trunk sensor activation input of the control unit and an electric trunk lock opener for opening the lock of the trunk compartment, a door position sensor activation switch having a condition sensor for each passenger entry door of a vehicle and including logic circuitry in connection with each condition sensor for determining when a last condition sensor indicates the closing of a last door of a vehicle passenger compartment, and an activation output in connection with a passenger compartment entry activation input of the control unit, and a radio signal switch having a receiving antenna for receiving a radio transmitted activation signal and a radio switch activation output in connection with a radio activation input of the control unit; the radio signal switch being responsive to receipt of the radio transmitted activation signal by transmitting a system activation signal to the radio activation input of the control unit; the door position sensor activation switch generating a system activation signal to the passenger compartment entry activation input of the control unit when the logic circuitry determines a door position sensor switch indicates the closing of a last door of a vehicle passenger compartment; the trunk sensor activation switch generating a system activation signal to the trunk sensor activation input of the control unit; the manual activation switch generating a system activation signal to the control unit when depressed by a user; the control unit being programmed to trigger the multi-timer circuit upon receipt of a system activation signal; when triggered, multi-timer circuit activating on board audio warning system to au
Breaux Joseph N.
Hofsass Jeffery
Nguyen Tai T.
LandOfFree
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