Patent ID: 6856867
Filing Date: 2005-02-15
Classification: B60N,F02N

Abstract:
1. In an automobile having an engine and one or more passenger-activated functions each having a functional status, a method of reactivating a passenger-activated function that was previously activated by an automobile passenger, the method comprising: storing the functional status of each passenger-activated function that is activated when the engine is shut off; storing an activation time of each passenger-activated function, the activation time corresponding to a time that the passenger-activated function was activated prior to the engine being shut off; reactivating upon engine restart, each passenger-activated function that was previously activated to its stored functional status, if its stored activation time is less than a predetermined calibration time; determining an engine shut-off time, which corresponds to a time that the engine has been shut-off; and wherein each passenger-activated function is reactivated to its stored functional status if (i) its stored activation time is less than a predetermined calibration time and (ii) the engine shut-off time is less than a predetermined soak time.