Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-03
2001-02-13
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S035000, C307S010600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188941
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for locking the door of a vehicle, and in particular to an apparatus and method for locking a vehicle door automatically in response to starting of the vehicle and the occurrence of an additional event, such as the pressing of the brake pedal prior to placing the vehicle in gear.
2. Description of Related Art
Nearly every vehicle alarm system has an ignition controlled door lock/unlock feature that locks the doors automatically when the ignition is turned on. Automatic locking ensures that no one can open a door of the vehicle while it is moving, or enter the vehicle while it is temporarily stopped, relieving the driver of the responsibility for carrying out this safety function.
In situations where a driver might wish to start the engine and sweep snow or scrape ice of the car while the engine is warming up, however, automatic locking of the vehicle doors following starting of the engine is an inconvenience. Although the driver can exit the vehicle after door locking has taken place, if the driver later re-enters the vehicle and drives away without re-starting the engine, the doors will not be automatically locked. As a result, it would be desirable for the automatic door locking feature to take effect only after some further action is performed, and in particular some further action that is normally performed after starting of the vehicle, but not until just before the vehicle is to be driven and the driver no longer has any need to exit the vehicle.
One suitable action that may be used to trigger the automatic door locking feature, in the case of automatic transmission vehicles, is stepping on the brake of the vehicle. In such vehicles, the driver will generally step on the brake before putting the vehicle in gear, making pressing the brake an appropriate trigger for the automatic locking function.
In manual transmission vehicles, on the other hand, the driver will not generally step on the brake before moving the vehicle, in which case it should be possible to leave the door locking function dependent on ignition or starting of the vehicle rather than pressing of the brake, or to make the door locking function dependent on some action or event other than pressing of the vehicle brake, such as release of a parking brake, placing the vehicle in gear, or release of a clutch pedal while the vehicle is in gear.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a accordingly a first objective of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for locking the door or doors of a vehicle following starting of the vehicle and performance by the driver of another action, the other action indicating that the driver is ready to move the vehicle and no longer would need to exit, thereby allowing the driver to start and leave the vehicle as it warms up, while ensuring that automatic door locking occurs before the vehicle is driven away.
It is a second objective of the invention to provide an apparatus and method which enables the feature of automatic locking of the vehicle following starting and the occurrence of an additional event to be programmed, so that the system can also be enabled, if desired, to automatically lock the vehicle immediately upon starting of the vehicle, as opposed to locking of the vehicle only upon occurrence of starting followed by the additional event.
These objectives are achieved, in accordance with the principles of the invention, by providing an automatic door locking feature that locks the doors of the vehicle upon detection of two separate user inputs. The two inputs may include, but are not limited to, the turning of a key in the ignition to start the engine of the vehicle, and depression by the driver of the brake pedal of the vehicle.
In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the automatic door locking feature is provided as part of a programmable vehicle security system. Such programmable vehicle security systems typically include a microprocessor-based controller having multiple inputs and outputs, the response of the outputs to the inputs being programmable either by the installer or the user. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, an output to the door locking mechanism is programmable to be controlled either by detection that the ignition switch has been turned to the ON position, or upon detection that the ignition switch has been turned to the ON position and that the brake pedal has been pressed.
A suitable system to which the principles of the invention may be applied is the one disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/002,408, filed Jan. 2, 1998, herein incorporated by reference, which is user-programmable by means of a remote control transmitter or other readily accessible user inputs, and readily adaptable to include additional programmable functions. However, the principles of the invention may also be applied to other vehicle security or convenience systems, including systems that are programmable only during installation, or which are not programmable at all.
Although the automatic door locking apparatus and method of the invention utilizes two user inputs or events, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept could be extended to make door locking dependent on more than two inputs, or to enable programmable selection of alternative or additional inputs. In the case of a manual transmission vehicle, for example, it may be desirable to make door locking dependent on release of the parking brake, since in the situation discussed above, in which the driver desires to warm up the vehicle after starting and leaving the vehicle, the driver will typically leave the parking brake on while the car is idling in neutral, and release the brake only after re-entering the vehicle in preparation for driving away.
Consequently, while the preferred system only offers the options of automatic locking following ignition and automatic locking following ignition and depression of the brake pedal, in order to provide optimal convenience for most users without unduly raising the cost of the system in which the feature is included, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific user inputs disclosed below.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4709776 (1987-12-01), Metz
patent: 4834207 (1989-05-01), Havenhill et al.
patent: 4892014 (1990-01-01), Morell et al.
patent: 5111902 (1992-05-01), Sundeen et al.
patent: 5485376 (1996-01-01), Oike et al.
patent: 5777546 (1998-07-01), Dean et al.
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Nguyen Tan
LandOfFree
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