Abstract:
A vehicle legal compliance system for reporting a compliance status of a vehicle has a central computer with a vehicle database, and a legal compliance indicator for indicating the legal compliance status of the vehicle. The vehicle database is adapted for storing a unique vehicle identifier associated with the vehicle, and the compliance status of the vehicle. The vehicle legal compliance system also has a central processor for converting the unique vehicle identifier and the compliance status into a status indicator signal. The status indicator signal is received by the legal compliance indicator, and a microprocessor decodes the status indicator signal for operably controlling the status indicator. The legal compliance indicator is adapted to be operably attached to the vehicle for displaying the status indicator and the results of the status indicator signal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application for a utility patent claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/391,126, filed Jun. 24, 2002, incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH  
         [0002]    Not Applicable  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0004]    This invention relates generally to vehicle compliance indicating devices, and more particularly to a vehicle legal compliance system that indicates the legal compliance status of a vehicle.  
           [0005]    2. Description of Related Art  
           [0006]    Local, state, and national governments attempt to license, track, and otherwise monitor and control millions of vehicles, including automobiles and trucks. The vehicles are monitored and controlled for purposes of revenue collection (vehicle registrations) and citation enforcement, for public safety reasons (regular vehicle inspections, use of vehicles in serious crimes and monitoring stolen vehicles), and for other policy reasons, such as maintaining a minimum level of insurance on the vehicle.  
           [0007]    Several systems have been developed for the purposes of tracking vehicles. Adcox et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,359,570 B1, teaches a vehicle status device and system for remotely updating and locally indicating the status of a vehicle. The vehicle status device is located in a vehicle and indicates status information for the vehicle on a vehicle-status indicator on the vehicle when the device is interrogated by an interrogating unit. The device includes a database of status information for the vehicle and owner. An update receiver in the device receives encoded updated information from a wide area paging network for storage in the database. An interrogation receiver receives an interrogation signal from the interrogating unit, and a processor decodes the status information and sends it to the status indicator in response. The system also includes an interrogating unit which includes a police radar transmitter or a laser transmitter for transmitting the interrogation signal to the vehicle status device. The status indicator includes a set of summary status lights and may also include an LCD display for detailed status information. In an alternative embodiment, the device uses a wireless Internet access device to access external databases and download the vehicle status information either periodically or on demand. The information may be passed directly to the status indicator without the need for an internal database.  
           [0008]    Hudson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,889 B1, teaches an apparatus attachable to a vehicle that can transmit the position of a vehicle to a telecommunications satellite or a telecommunications ground base station, and is particularly concerned with enabling authorities to police the vehicle with respect to its identity, location, theft and condition, as well as unlawful tampering of the apparatus. The apparatus may be in the configuration of a license plate.  
           [0009]    Warner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,129, teaches a vehicle identification and information system for obtaining information on a plurality of vehicles. The system includes an identification unit, a remote unit, and a central microprocessor. The identification unit is installed in each vehicle and includes a first receiver for receiving information signals containing information regarding the vehicle from the central computer, a display device positioned on said vehicle for displaying information regarding the vehicle contained within the received information signal and an emergency signaling device for transmitting a distress signal to the receiver for display on the display device. The remote unit is positioned in a monitoring station and includes a transmitter for transmitting an information request signal to the central computer, a receiver for receiving an information response signal from the central computer, a microprocessor for processing the information response signal and a device for displaying the information received from the central computer. The central computer includes a database for storing the information regarding the plurality of vehicles and generates an information signal for transmission to both the identification unit and the remote unit.  
           [0010]    The above-described references are hereby incorporated by reference in full.  
           [0011]    The prior art teaches various vehicle identification and status indicating devices. However, the prior art does not teach a status indication system that includes the benefits of the present system. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.  
           [0013]    The present invention provides a vehicle legal compliance system for reporting a compliance status of a vehicle. The vehicle legal compliance system has a central computer with a vehicle database, and a legal compliance indicator for indicating the legal compliance status of the vehicle. The vehicle database is adapted for storing a unique vehicle identifier associated with the vehicle, and the compliance status of the vehicle. The vehicle legal compliance system also has a central processor for converting the unique vehicle identifier and the compliance status into a status indicator signal. The status indicator signal is received by the legal compliance indicator, and a microprocessor decodes the status indicator signal for operably controlling the status indicator. The legal compliance indicator is adapted to be operably attached to the vehicle for displaying the status indicator and the results of the status indicator signal.  
           [0014]    A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a vehicle legal compliance system having advantages not taught by the prior art.  
           [0015]    Another objective is to provide a vehicle legal compliance system in which a compliance status of a vehicle is stored on a central computer, and a status indicator signal is used to operably control a legal compliance indicator installed on or in the vehicle to visually display the compliance status of the vehicle.  
           [0016]    Another objective is to provide a vehicle legal compliance system that includes a status indicator for visibly displaying the compliance status of the vehicle.  
           [0017]    Another objective is to provide computer system that includes external computers, such as a DMV computer, an insurance company computer, and a law enforcement computer, that are operatively integrated with the central computer via a computer network so that data in the external computers is automatically shared with the central computer and used to update the state of the legal compliance indicator.  
           [0018]    Another objective is to provide a vehicle legal compliance system that reduces the costs of monitoring legal compliance of vehicles, and make it more difficult to commit fraud to avoid legal compliance.  
           [0019]    A further objective is to provide a vehicle legal compliance system that enables the police or other person or system to quickly and easily identify and locate vehicles that are non-compliant, or that have been stolen, used to commit a crime, or are otherwise necessary to locate.  
           [0020]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0021]    The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle legal compliance system that utilizes a central computer to operably connect external computers for updating an legal compliance indicator that can be used to monitor one of a plurality of vehicles;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2A is a front elevational view of the legal compliance indicator of a vehicle that is legally compliant, showing first and second red/green LEDs both illuminated green.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2B is a front elevational view of the legal compliance indicator of a vehicle that has a registration that is due to expire in 30 days; showing the first red/green LED illuminated green and the second red/green LED illuminated red;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2C is a front elevational view of the legal compliance indicator of a vehicle that has a registration that has expired, showing the first and second red/green LEDs illuminated red;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 2D is a front elevational view of the legal compliance indicator of a vehicle that has a registration that is over 60 days past due, that has been reported stolen, was involved in an accident or kidnapping, has outstanding citations, or some other serious outstanding danger, infraction, or other problem, showing the first and second red/green LEDs flashing red;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3A is a front elevational view of a first embodiment of the legal compliance indicator, a license plate frame that includes a red LED and a green LED for, together, indicating the status of the vehicle being monitored;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3B is a front elevational view of a second embodiment of the legal compliance indicator, an LED cluster that includes a pair of red LEDs and a pair of green LEDs mounted adjacent a resistor;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of a vehicle that includes a third embodiment of the legal compliance indicator that is mounted adjacent a third brake light of the vehicle;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a law enforcement vehicle responding to a red legal compliance indicator and retrieving information about the vehicle from the vehicle database of the central computer; and  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the function of one embodiment of the vehicle legal compliance system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0032]    The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a vehicle legal compliance system  10  for monitoring a plurality of vehicles  12 . For simplicity, in this discussion we will often refer to a single vehicle  12  rather than the plurality of vehicles  12 , with the understanding that the system is likely to be used to monitor many vehicles in the same manner in which it monitors the single vehicle  12 . The vehicle legal compliance system  10  can alert the owner of the vehicle  12 , police officers, or other parties that the vehicle  12  has not been registered, has been reported stolen, has been used in a kidnapping or other crime, or is being driven by a driver who does not carry insurance or has outstanding citations. The many uses and benefits of the present system  10  are described in greater detail below.  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle legal compliance system  10  utilizes a central computer  20  to operably connect external computers  40  for updating an legal compliance indicator  54  that can be used to monitor one of a plurality of vehicles  12 . The central computer  20  includes a vehicle database  22  that stores data associated with the vehicle  12 , including a unique vehicle identifier  24  such as the VIN number of the vehicle or other unique identifier. The vehicle database  22  may also store an insurance status  26  of the vehicle  12 , a theft status  28  of the vehicle  12 , a DMV status  30  of the vehicle  12 . Each status could be listed as either compliant or non-compliant. In the alternative, more detailed information could also be included. For example, a registration deadline could be included in the DMV status  30  so that a warning can be given the driver before the registration expires, as described below. The vehicle database  22  may also include additional useful information, such as an owner name  32 , an owner address  34 , and any other information that would be useful to track.  
         [0034]    The central computer  20  includes a means for operably connecting  36  to a computer network  38  such as the Internet or other network. In one embodiment, the means for operably connecting  36  is a modem connected to a high speed Internet connection such as a T1 connection. Such an Internet connection is well known in the art and is therefore not described in greater detail herein. Alternative and equivalent connections that can be devised by those skilled in the art should be considered within the scope of the invention. Alternatives include a direct connection via telephone, wireless, satellite, or other means using proprietary software installed on the various computers. The central computer  20  may be permanently connected to the computer network  38 , or it may be limited to temporary connections established periodically for the update of information on the central computer  20 .  
         [0035]    Via the means for operatively connecting, the central computer  20  is connected to a plurality of external computers  40  such as a law enforcement computer  42 , an insurance company computer  44 , a DMV computer  46 , and/or other similar databases of useful information about the vehicle  12  and/or the driver. The central computer  20  includes a means for importing data  48  from the plurality of external computers  40  into the vehicle database  22  of the central computer  20 . The means for importing data  48  is preferably a computer software program that cooperates with software installed on each of the plurality of external computers  40  to periodically establish a link between the computers  20  and  40  and transmit the necessary data via the computer network  38 . Since such software in known in the art, and can be implemented given the teachings of this invention, the software is not described in greater detail herein.  
         [0036]    The central computer  20  is operable attached to a central transmitter/receiver  50  for establishing a wireless connection with any one of the plurality of legal compliance indicators  54  utilized by the vehicle legal compliance system  10 . The wireless connection may be established through a satellite  52  to enable national or even global coverage of the vehicle legal compliance system  10 . In alternative embodiments, the wireless connection could be made through a wireless network such as cellular, Blue Tooth, RF, or other system known in the art or developed in the future.  
         [0037]    While the vehicle legal compliance system  10  is anticipated to function with a plurality of legal compliance indicators  54 , potentially within the hundreds of millions of units, this application will discuss the function of a single legal compliance indicator  54  for purposes of clarity.  
         [0038]    The legal compliance indicator  54  includes a vehicle transmitter/receiver  56  for receiving the communications from the central computer  20 . The vehicle transmitter/receiver  56  is operably attached to a microprocessor  58 , which is operably attached to a memory  60 , a power supply  62 , a status indicator  64 , and any additional electronic components that those skilled in the art would consider helpful in carrying out the function of the invention as described. The legal compliance indicator  54  may be powered by the vehicle  12 . In alternative embodiments, the legal compliance indicator  54  could be powered by a battery and/or solar cells operably connected to the legal compliance indicator  54 .  
         [0039]    The memory  60  stores the unique vehicle identifier  24  that has been assigned to the vehicle  12  on which the legal compliance indicator  54  has been installed. The microprocessor  58  functions to recognize transmissions that are directed to the unique vehicle identifier  24  that is stored in the memory  60 , and to control the status of the status indicator  64  as directed by the central computer  20 .  
         [0040]    In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS.  2 A- 2 D, the status indicator  64  includes first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92 . When the vehicle  12  is legally compliant, as shown in FIG. 2A, the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are both green. If the vehicle registration is due to expire in  30  days, the second red/green LED  92  may turn red, as shown in FIG. 2B, thereby providing a warning to the driver without triggering a police response. As shown in FIG. 2C, if the vehicle&#39;s registration has expired, the first red/green LED  90  also turns red thereby alerting the police that the vehicle  12  is non-compliant. The police who see a non-compliant vehicle  12  can immediately spot the two red lights and pull the vehicle  12  over for a citation. The number of LEDs used, the colors of these LEDs, and the circumstances that lead to the various states of illumination of the LEDs can be varied by those skilled in the art, and alternative combinations of LEDs and LED lighting patterns should be considered within the scope of the invention as claimed below.  
         [0041]    As shown in FIG. 2D, in the event that the vehicle  12  is involved in a serious infraction, or in any way poses a safety risk to the public, both the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  turn red and flash. Examples of what would trigger such a response could include a report that the vehicle was stolen, if the vehicle was involved in an accident or kidnapping, and possibly also if the vehicle has outstanding citations or some other serious outstanding danger, infraction, or other problem.  
         [0042]    In one embodiment, the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are illuminated at all times that the vehicle  12  is in use. In this embodiment, it is preferred that the legal compliance indicator  54  include a motion sensor  93  (shown in FIG. 1) so that the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are only illuminated while the vehicle  12  is in use, and not when it is parked or otherwise inoperative. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the motion sensor  93  could alternatively include another equivalent sensor for sensing when the vehicle  12  is in use, such as when the ignition is turned on, and such alternative sensors should be included within the definition of the term motion sensor  93 .  
         [0043]    In an alternative embodiment, the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are not always illuminated, but are only illuminated when the legal compliance indicator  54  is interrogated using a remote trigger  55 . The remote trigger may be a radar gun typically carried by the law enforcement vehicle  84 . In alternative embodiments, the remote trigger  55  may be a specialized electronic interrogator that uses a wave trigger such as RF, laser, or some other wireless trigger to activate the legal compliance indicator  54 . The structure and function of such a system can be devised by those skilled in the art, and is therefore not described in greater detail herein.  
         [0044]    As shown in FIG. 3A, in another embodiment the status indicator  64  includes a pair of LEDs  66 , a green LED  68  and a red LED  70 , that are mounted on a license plate frame  72  of the vehicle  12 . The pair of LEDs  66  function to provide the following signals:  
         [0045]    GREEN—When the green LED  68  is illuminated, the vehicle  12  is legally registered and in compliance with all state registration and insurance codes;  
         [0046]    RED—When the red LED  70  is illuminated, the vehicle&#39;s  12  registration and or insurance coverage has recently expired, or the owner of the vehicle  12  has an infraction on his or her record; and  
         [0047]    FLASHING RED—When the red LED  70  is flashing, the vehicle&#39;s  12  has been reported as stolen, and/or the owner of the vehicle  12  is being sought by law enforcement. Of course, those skilled in the art can determine many factors that could be tracked and reported by the status indicator  64 , potentially including LEDs of other colors. It is important, however, that the status indicator  64  be simple and straightforward to clearly report simple status information.  
         [0048]    In another embodiment the status indicator  64  may include an LED bulb  74  with multiple LEDs for brighter illumination and potentially a greater range of reporting capabilities. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the LED bulb  74  includes a housing  75  that includes at pair of red LEDs  76  and a pair of green LEDs  78  mounted around a resistor  80 . In this embodiment, the color of the LED bulb  74  is determined by which of the pair of LEDs  76  or  78  is illuminated. While the LED bulb  74  may include a pair of red LEDs  76  and a pair of green LEDs  78  to ensure that the LED bulb  74  is sufficiently bright, it is possible that the LED bulb  74  could include only a single red LED and a single green LED, or several red LEDs and several green LEDs, depending upon the brightness of the LEDs and the requirements of the status indicator  64 .  
         [0049]    The LED bulb  74  may be mounted upon a carrier card  81  that includes a pair of suction cups  82 . The carrier card  81  may be adapted to be mounted in the rear window of the vehicle  12  using the pair of suction cups  82 . While the pair of suction cups  82  is used in one embodiment, other means for mounting the carrier card  81  in the rear window, or side window, could also be used, including adhesive tape, hooks and loops (VELCRO®), or any other equivalent mounting means.  
         [0050]    As shown in FIG. 4, the legal compliance indicator  54  may also be built into the vehicle  12 . Those skilled in the art might devise many locations which may be suitable for such installation, and the present invention as claimed should include any particular location. In one embodiment, the legal compliance indicator  54  is mounted adjacent the third brake light  14 . Alternative locations for the legal compliance indicator  54  include but are not limited to the bumper, the trunk, the brake light, or any other suitable surface, either inside or outside of the vehicle  12 .  
         [0051]    As shown in FIG. 5, a law enforcement vehicle  84  responds to the legal compliance indicator  54  when the officer sees the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  (or other lights described above) illuminated red, or flashing red. The officer is able to access the central computer  20  to download information from the vehicle database  22  to assist in dealing with the noncompliance of the vehicle  12 . For example, the dispatcher (now shown) for the officer could access the computer network  38  using techniques well known in the art and tell the police, over the existing communications network the status of the vehicle  12 . In alternative embodiments, the police could use an advanced wireless communication device (not shown) to access information directly.  
         [0052]    In use, when the vehicle  12  is legally compliant the microprocessor  58  would initially direct the status indicator  64  to show that the vehicle  12  is legally compliant. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.  2 A- 2 D, this is accomplished by illuminating both the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  in the green mode. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, only the green LED  68  is illuminated, and the red LED  70 . The status indicator  64  will remain in this mode until there is a change in the status of the central computer  20 .  
         [0053]    As soon as there is a change in any of the external computers  40 , such as the law enforcement computer  42 , the insurance company computer  44 , or the DMV computer  46 , the change is reported to the central computer  20  via the computer network  38  and stored in the vehicle database  22 . For example, if the DMV computer  46  were to show that the registration of the vehicle  12  was about to expire, this information would be forwarded to the central computer  20 , which would update the vehicle database  22  to change the DMV status  30  from registered to due to expire in  30  days. The central computer  20  would then encode this information with the unique vehicle identifier  24  of the vehicle  12 , and transmit this information to the legal compliance indicator  54 .  
         [0054]    When the legal compliance indicator  54  received the signal with the vehicle transmitter/receiver  56 , and decoded the message with the decoder  59 , the microprocessor  58  would then recognize the unique vehicle identifier  24  and alter the status indicator  64  from “green” to “red” (for example, turning the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  from green to red). Any passing policeman would be able to immediately recognize that the vehicle  12  is not properly registered and take action, at least to warn the driver to renew the registration. Of course, the data from the external computers  40  would not have to transmitted directly to the central computer  20 , but could be transmitted via lower tech channels and then inputted manually into the central computer  20 .  
         [0055]    The benefit of the status indicator  64  is that the DMV would no longer have to print and mail registration stickers, and the owner of the vehicle  12  would no longer have to affix the registration stickers to their vehicle  12 . It would also no longer be possible to steal registration stickers and use them to fool police into thinking the vehicle  12  was registered. The legal compliance indicator  54  would remain fixed on the vehicle  12 , potentially for the life of the vehicle  12 , displaying the compliance status of the vehicle  12 .  
         [0056]    If the vehicle  12  were reported stolen, the signal would cause the legal compliance indicator  54  to flash red, as described above, thereby alerting any nearby law enforcement vehicle  84  (or even other motorists) that the vehicle  12  has been stolen, or was involved in a kidnapping, or other serious crime. The affirmative warning of the flashing red legal compliance indicator  54  would enable many stolen vehicles  12  to be recovered without requiring police to search for specific stolen vehicles  12 , but only for vehicles  12  with flashing red lights.  
         [0057]    Of course, to enable the legal compliance indicator  54  to function, it would be necessary to prevent tampering with the legal compliance indicator  54 . Various anti-tampering devices and methods are known in the art, and any of these prior art devices or methods may be adapted to the present invention.  
         [0058]    The power supply  62  may be the battery of the vehicle  12  directly wired into the legal compliance indicator  54 . In an alternative embodiment, the power supply  62  may be provided by a separate battery (not shown) directly attached to the legal compliance indicator  54 . The separate battery would preferably be securely stored within the legal compliance indicator  54  to prevent tampering. In yet another embodiment, the legal compliance indicator  54  further includes a solar cell (not shown) that can power the legal compliance indicator  54  as well as recharge the separate battery.  
         [0059]    In an alternative embodiment, the power supply  62  is a power storage circuit (not shown) that derives power from the transmission that is received. When the transmission is received, the circuit stores the energy generated by the signal and uses the energy to temporarily power the microprocessor  58  and the status indicator  64 . The advantage of this arrangement is that no components would have to be wired to the vehicle  12 , thereby facilitating installation, and no batteries would ever have to be replaced. The disadvantage is that the status indicator  64  would have to be queried in order to be activated, rather than being always on and advertising the status of the vehicle  12 . Alternative power arrangements can be devised by those skilled in the art, and such alternatives should be considered within the scope of the invention.  
         [0060]    As shown in FIG. 6, the invention includes a method for monitoring the compliance status of the vehicle using the vehicle compliance system described above. The status indicator described above is operably controlled by a status indicator control code generated by the central computer.  
         [0061]    The unique vehicle identifier  24  assigned to each vehicle (such as that vehicle&#39;s VIN number) is stored in the memory  60  of the legal compliance indicator  54 . The legal compliance indicator  54  is then attached to the vehicle  12  for visually displaying the status indicator  64  described above. Some methods of attachment are described above; however, the invention is not limited thereto, and should also encompass alternative or equivalent attachment method or location. The unique vehicle identifier  24  associated with the vehicle  12  is also stored in the vehicle database  22 .  
         [0062]    The compliance status of the vehicle  12  is also stored in the vehicle database. This can be drawn from the external computers  40 , as described above, across the computer network  38 , or it can be manually entered.  
         [0063]    When there is a change to the vehicle database  22 , or on a periodic basis, a status indicator control code is created based upon the compliance status. A status indicator signal is then transmitted that includes the unique vehicle identifier  24  and the status indicator control code. Since the generation and transmission of the status indicator signal is within the skill of one skilled in the art, a more detail discussion of the process is not included herein.  
         [0064]    The status indicator signal is received at the legal compliance indicator  54  by the vehicle transmitter/receiver  56 , and decoded by the microprocessor  58 /decoder  59 . The unique vehicle identifier  24  contained in the status indicator signal is then compared with the unique vehicle identifier  24  stored in the memory  60  of the legal compliance indicator  56 , and if there is a match, the status indicator control code is used to operably control the status indicator  64 .  
         [0065]    With reference to the first embodiment, shown in FIGS.  2 A- 2 D, wherein the status indicator  64  includes a first red/green LED  90  and a second red/green LED  92 , the status indicator control code operates as follows: when the compliance status of the vehicle is compliant, both the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are green (as shown in FIG. 2A); when the compliance status of the vehicle is partially-compliant (for example, if the registration is about to expire), the first red/green LED is green  90  and the second red/green LED  92  is red (as shown in FIG. 2B); when the compliance status of the vehicle  12  is non-compliant (for example, if the registration has expired), both the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are red (as shown in FIG. 2C); and when the compliance status of the vehicle  12  is stolen, both the first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  are flashing red (as shown in FIG. 2D). The first and second red/green LEDs  90  and  92  may also flash red when the vehicle  12  has been reported in an accident, used in a kidnapping, or any other serious infractions, legal violations, or safety issues. This system may also be used to track the driver of the vehicle—for instance, if the driver has an outstanding warrant for his/her arrest.  
         [0066]    Similarly, when the status indicator includes a green LED  68  and a red LED  70 , as shown in FIG. 3A, the status indicator control code operates as follows: when the compliance status of the vehicle  12  is compliant, the green LED  68  is illuminated and the red LED  70  is not illuminated; and when the compliance status of the vehicle  12  is non-compliant, the red LED  70  is illuminated and the green LED  68  is not illuminated. The red LED  70  may also flash, as described above, when the compliance status is stolen (a term including all of the other circumstances described above).  
         [0067]    As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle legal compliance system  10  may also include a GPS  65  (global positioning system) for the purposes of monitoring the location of the vehicle  12 . The inclusion of the GPS  65  enables the police to readily locate the vehicle  12  in the event that the vehicle database  22  shows a serious infraction. For example, if the vehicle  12  is reported stolen, or is used in a crime, not only would the status indicator  64  begin to flash red, but the police would also be able to receive directions that would lead them directly to the vehicle  12 . It is important that the GPS  65  is not activated until the central computer  20  receives a report that a serious infraction or crime has been committed. It is up to the police or other authorized agency to determine what infractions or crimes are serious enough to warrant the activation of the GPS  65 . Otherwise, the GPS  65  could not be activated, thereby protecting the privacy of the driver of the vehicle  12 .  
         [0068]    While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art can devise alternative arrangements and structures that are equivalent to the described invention, and these alternative embodiments should be considered within the scope of the present invention.