Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method for verifying whether at least one of a pre-trip inspection and a post-trip inspection of a vehicle has been performed, comprising the steps of:(a) detecting a triggering condition, the triggering condition indicating at least one of the following:(i) the vehicle is about to start at least a segment of a trip; and(ii) the vehicle has completed at least the segment of the trip;(b) after the triggering condition has been detected, transmitting a signal indicating that a person has been disposed proximate to at least one predefined location associated with the vehicle, while nominally conducting at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle;(c) receiving the signal at a monitor that is not part of the vehicle, thereby enabling a person who is not disposed proximate to the vehicle to verify that the required inspection was performed; and(d) determining whether the signal has been received at the monitor before a predefined event occurs, and if not, determining that the person cannot yet have completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle, wherein if it is determined that the person cannot have completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle, performing at least one of the following functions:(i) storing data at a location other than at the vehicle, said data indicating that the person cannot have completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle;(ii) displaying a status message at a location other than at the vehicle, said status message indicating that the person cannot have completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle; and(iii) producing an alarm at a location other than at the vehicle. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm is displayed on a screen that is not part of the vehicle. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting the triggering condition comprises the step of identifying the vehicle. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of identifying the vehicle comprises the step of remotely reading a token on the vehicle, said token being associated with the vehicle. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the signal occurs in response to at least one of the steps of:(a) reading a token that is disposed proximate to the at least one predefined location;(b) reading a plurality of tokens at a plurality of predefined locations, each of the plurality of tokens being disposed proximate to a different one of the plurality of predefined locations, such that the signal is not transmitted until all of the plurality of tokens have been read;(c) actuating a plurality of switches at the plurality of predefined locations, each of the plurality of switches being disposed proximate to a different one of the plurality of predefined locations, each switch being actuated by the person upon reaching the predefined location to which the switch is proximate, such that the signal is not transmitted until all of the plurality of switches are actuated;(d) reading a unique identification code that is disposed proximate to the at least one predefined location, with a sensor; and(e) reading a plurality of unique identification codes at the plurality of predefined locations with a sensor, each of the plurality of unique identification codes being disposed proximate to a different one of the plurality of predefined locations, such that the signal is not transmitted until all of the unique identification codes are read. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the person carries a portable device when performing the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle, further comprising the step of using the portable device to read each unique identification code that is disposed proximate to each of the predefined locations. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined event comprises activating a switch that is external to the vehicle, where activation of the switch is intended to indicate that the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle has been completed. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting that the vehicle has completed the trip comprises the step of sensing the vehicle arriving at a location that corresponds to an end of the trip. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting a triggering condition comprises at least one of the steps of:(a) sensing that the vehicle is disposed at a location that corresponds to a beginning of at least the segment of the trip;(b) sensing that the vehicle has departed from a location that corresponds to the end of a previous trip;(c) sensing that the vehicle has been powered on;(d) determining that a predefined period of time has elapsed since a previous post-trip inspection;(e) sensing that the vehicle has arrived at a location that corresponds to an end of at least the segment of the trip; and(f) determining that a predefined period of time has elapsed since a previous pre-trip inspection. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined event comprises at least one of:(a) a lapse of a predefined interval of time since detecting that the vehicle is about to begin at least the segment of the trip;(b) a lapse of a predetermined time after powering on the vehicle;(c) actuation of a switch that is external to the vehicle, where actuation of the switch is intended to indicate that the at least one of the pre-trip and the post-trip inspection has been completed; and(d) receiving a second signal at the monitor, the second signal only being transmitted after an event indicating that the at least one of the pre-trip and the post-trip inspection was performed. 11. A system for verifying whether at least one of a pre-trip inspection and a post-trip inspection of a vehicle has been performed, comprising:(a) a detector that detects a triggering condition and produces a first signal indicative thereof, the triggering condition indicating at least one of the following:(i) the vehicle is about to start at least a segment of a trip; and(ii) the vehicle has completed at least the segment of the trip;(b) a sensor configured to produce a second signal indicating that a person has reached at least one predefined location associated with the vehicle, the at least one predefined location generally corresponding to an area to be inspected during the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection; and(c) a monitor that receives the first signal from the detector and the second signal from the sensor, said monitor producing an indication that the person cannot yet have performed the post-trip inspection of the vehicle, if the second signal has not been received by the monitor before a predefined event occurs after the first signal was received by the monitor, the monitor being disposed separate from the vehicle, such that a person remote from the vehicle can use the monitor to determine if the inspection was performed. 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:(a) a transmitter for transmitting the second signal produced by the sensor; and(b) a receiver that receives the second signal, producing an output signal in response thereto, the output signal being conveyed to the monitor. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the detector comprises one of the following:(a) a pressure sensor disposed at a location corresponding to at least one of an end of a segment of the trip and a beginning of a segment of the trip, said pressure sensor responding to a weight of the vehicle by producing the first signal;(b) a light sensor disposed at a location corresponding to at least one of an end of a segment of the trip and a beginning of a segment of the trip, said light sensor detecting passage of the vehicle past the light sensor, interrupting light received by the light sensor from a source, producing the first signal;(c) a video camera disposed at a location corresponding to at least one of an end of a segment of the trip and a beginning of a segment of the trip, said video camera producing an image of at least a portion of the vehicle that is indicative of the vehicle being at the location, causing the first signal to be produced;(d) a radio frequency (RF) source and an RF detector, one of the RF source and the RF detector being disposed on the vehicle, and the other of the RF source and the RF detector being disposed at a location corresponding to at least one of an end of a segment of the trip and a beginning of a segment of the trip, said RF detector responding to a radio signal from the RF source when the vehicle completes the trip, producing the first signal;(e) a token reading device that responds to a token disposed on the vehicle that is read by the token reading device when the vehicle has completed the trip, producing the first signal; and(f) a component configured to determine that the vehicle has been powered up. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the first signal and the second signal identifies the vehicle. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a token reader that produces the second signal when the token reader is proximate a token, one of the token and the token reader being disposed at the predefined location within the vehicle, and the other of the token and the token reader being portable and carried by a person moving to the predefined location within the vehicle. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the detector comprises a token reader that responds by producing the first signal when the token reader is proximate a token, one of the token and the token reader being disposed proximate an area where the detector detects when the vehicle has completed a trip, and the other of the token and the token reader being portable and carried by the vehicle. 17. The system of claim 11, further comprising an optically encoded identifier, wherein the sensor comprises an optical reader for reading the optically encoded identifier, at least one of the optical reader and the optically encoded identifier being disposed at the predefined location within the vehicle, and the other of the optical reader and the optically encoded identifier being carried by a person moving to the predefined location within the vehicle. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined event comprises at least one of:(a) lapse of a predetermined time after powering up the vehicle; and(b) actuation of a switch that is external to the vehicle, wherein actuation of the switch is intended to indicate that the at least one of the pre-trip and the post-trip inspection has been completed. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the indication is a status message that is displayed on a screen that is not part of the vehicle. 20. A method for verifying whether at least one of a pre-trip inspection and a post-trip inspection of a vehicle is likely to have been performed by a person, comprising the steps of:(a) detecting a triggering condition, the triggering condition indicating at least one of the following:(i) the vehicle is about to start at least a segment of a trip; and(ii) the vehicle has completed at least the segment of the trip;(b) waiting for a predefined event to occur;(c) determining if a second predefined event has occurred;(d) if the second predefined event has not occurred, determining that the person has not yet completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle, and transmitting a signal indicating that the person has not yet completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle; and(e) receiving the signal at a monitor that is not part of the vehicle, thereby enabling a person who is not proximate to the vehicle to verify whether the required inspection was performed. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the second predefined event comprises a determination that the person has been proximate at least one predefined location associated with the vehicle. 22. A system for producing an indication when at least one of a pre-trip inspection and a post-trip inspection of a vehicle has not been performed, comprising:(a) a detector that detects a triggering condition and produces a first signal indicative thereof, the triggering condition indicating at least one of the following:(i) the vehicle is about to start at least a segment of a trip; and(ii) the vehicle has completed at least the segment of the trip;(b) a sensor configured to receive the first signal, to produce a second signal, and to transmit the second signal, the second signal being a wireless communication not limited by a line of sight, the second signal being produced only if each of the following conditions are met:(i) the first signal has been received;(ii) a predefined event has occurred; and(iii) the sensor has not detected that a person has been proximate to at least one predefined location associated with the vehicle, the at least one predefined location generally corresponding to an area to be inspected during the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection, the second signal thus indicating that a person has not yet completed the at least one of the pre-trip inspection and the post-trip inspection of the vehicle; and(c) a monitor that receives the second signal from the sensor, the monitor being disposed separate from the vehicle, such that a person remote from the vehicle can use the monitor to determine if the inspection was performed. 23. A method for verifying whether an inspection of a vehicle has likely been performed, comprising the steps of:(a) detecting a triggering condition, the triggering condition corresponding to a beginning of a period during which the inspection should be performed, the triggering condition comprising at least one condition selected from a group of conditions consisting of;(i) a first condition in which the vehicle is present at a predetermined location; and(ii) a second condition in which the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance;(b) after the triggering condition has been detected, transmitting a signal indicating that a person has been proximate at least one predefined location associated with the inspection, while nominally performing the inspection; and(c) determining whether the signal has been received by a monitor, before a predefined event occurs, the monitor being disposed in a location remote from a detector used to detect the triggering condition and from the at least one predefined location, the monitor being configured to monitor signals from multiple detectors, and to monitor multiple inspections, the predefined event corresponding to the end of a period during which the inspection should be performed, and if not, determining that the person cannot yet have completed the inspection, wherein if it is determined that the person cannot yet have completed the inspection, performing at least one of the following functions:(i) storing data indicating that the person cannot yet have completed the inspection;(ii) displaying a status message indicating that the person cannot yet have completed the inspection of the vehicle; and(iii) producing an alarm at the monitor.