Abstract: A system installed in an automobile or other vehicle includes a master pager receiver unit or acknowledgment pager receiver/transmitter which receives paging messages sent from a paging transmitter site. The master unit is also in wireless communication with a set of slave units installed in the vehicle which include electronic switches and are programmed to control relays or other in-vehicle devices upon receipt of appropriate commands from the in-vehicle master unit. The slave units may include transceivers which allow the master unit to receive acknowledgment signals indicating that its commands were followed. The paging transmitter in the master unit also allows transmission of an acknowledgment signal to the paging transmitter site. The system provides a method and apparatus for communicating with specific electrical and mechanical components in the vehicle in order to access, monitor, disable and/or enable certain functions, features, and accessories in the vehicle.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 21, 1999
Date of Patent:
August 26, 2003
Assignee:
Ventronix Corporation
Inventors:
Ronald D. Bishop, Kenneth M. Dodd, R. Clark Lindberg