Patent Publication Number: US-2022232121-A1

Title: System, Method and Apparatus for Communication with Occupants of a Vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/837,734, filed Apr. 1, 2020, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/291,173, filed Mar. 4, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,645,552 issued May 5, 2020, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/380,602, filed Dec. 15, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,264,610 issued Apr. 16, 2019, which in turn is a non-provisional application claiming benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 62/368,117, filed Jul. 28, 2016, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of communications and more particularly to a system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are many needs for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle, car, bus, truck, etc. Examples of such are to initiate a transaction at a drive through, answering questions at a roadblock or checkpoint, during a traffic stop, etc. Currently, to perform such communications requires that an occupant of the vehicle open a window or door and communicate through that open window or door. 
     In recent times, due to extremely contagious diseases, it has been advised for people to maintain certain distances to reduce the spread of such diseases (e.g., the flu, Covid-19). This has led to issues when emergency personnel or law-enforcement personnel is required to speak to those within a vehicle. The days where the officer walks up to the vehicle and the occupant hands the officer his/her license and registration may be gone, as such an act could be fatal to the officer and/or the occupant. Likewise, as in-store purchasing is reduced and more people are picking up food, pharmaceuticals, etc., at a drive-through window, better distancing and higher efficiencies are needed for the drive-through process. 
     An example of such communication occurs when one places an order at an order taking position of a fast-food restaurant. In such, the occupant must roll down their window (or open their door) and verbally communicate with a speaker and microphone located at the order taking position. By opening the window, the occupant is exposed, not only to the weather, but to a potential of theft, bodily injury, infection from the prior vehicle, or carjacking. Meanwhile, the person taking the order is safe, dry and warm inside the fast-food restaurant until payment is made. To further compound the difficulty in communication, often the speaker is of inadequate quality to clearly hear the order taker and the background noise coupled with microphone quality and position makes it difficult for the order taker to hear and understand the occupant of the vehicle. 
     In certain climates, weather makes it uncomfortable and inconvenient for the occupant to open their window. In some location, cold weather includes temperatures well below zero, wind, rain, hail, snow, blowing snow, blowing sand and dust, etc. It is often uncomfortable to open a window in such climates, especially when young children are also situated in the vehicle. Many potential customers of establishments with drive-thru facilities are dissuaded from frequenting such establishments during bad weather. 
     In certain neighborhoods, it is dangerous to open a vehicle window for fear that a criminal will reach in the vehicle, cause bodily injury, grab something of value, coerce the occupant into getting out, etc. Many potential customers of establishments with drive-thru facilities are dissuaded from frequenting such establishments due to fear of lost valuables and/or bodily harm. 
     In certain law-enforcement situations it becomes necessary for a law officer, border guard, sentry, etc, to communicate with a vehicle occupant. For example, when a law officer makes a traffic stop, the officer must communicate with the driver to inform them of what they did wrong (speeding), get their name, license number, insurance company, etc. Similarly, at a checkpoint such as at a roadblock, border, etc, it is sometimes needed to ask questions of the vehicle occupants. The above noted or similar environmental, weather, and safety issues are present in these situations. In addition, there is a risk of transmitting infectious diseases to the law-enforcement officer. For example, when a law-enforcement officer makes a traffic stop, infectious diseases may be transmitted in the air or on materials such as driver&#39;s licenses between the officer and an occupant of the vehicle. Often, the officer must get out of their vehicle to retrieve the driver&#39;s information, return to their vehicle to access their computer system and issue the summons, then exit their vehicle to present the summons to the driver. This exposes the officer to infectious diseases as well as to the elements and increases the risk of the officer being hit by a passing vehicle, especially in bad weather such as fog or when roads are slippery. Furthermore, the initial confrontation with the driver is a dangerous situation for the officer. Further, if the individual is wanted for something serious, has a gun, or is otherwise dangerous, the initial confrontation often becomes a life-threatening situation for the officer. 
     There are existing ways to perform such communications, none of which are practical. For example, a cellular phone can be used to establish a voice call with the occupant. This is not practical for several reasons: not everybody has a cell phone, cell phone calls often result in costs to the owner of the cell phone, and there is no established protocol for conveying an occupant&#39;s or driver&#39;s phone number to a law-enforcement officer. 
     Another way to perform such communications is with a short-range wireless communication device such as a walkie-talkie. This solution would work if everybody had such a device and there were sufficient channels and security. 
     There are known one-way methods of communicating on-way to an occupant of vehicle. For years, it has been known to locally transmit audio to occupants of vehicles through the ubiquitous AM/FM radio present in almost every vehicle. This has been done to warn drivers of weather and traffic issues, to guide and inform drivers in theme parks, to describe attractions as the occupants drive through (e.g., animal parks), etc. This has long been used as an inward way to communicate in one direction, but this mechanism has no provision for the vehicle occupant(s) to communicate outwardly. 
     Many newer vehicles are equipped with an audio system that has local data communications such as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) or Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15), for example for communicating with a device located within the vehicle to provide hands-free capabilities for phone calls through a cellular device. Such capabilities currently work within the vehicle, but do not communicate with devices outside of the vehicle, for example, with a law-enforcement vehicle. 
     What is needed is a system that will enable two-way communication without requiring opening and/or approaching the vehicle. 
     SUMMARY 
     A two-way communication system for communicating with a person who is within a target vehicle is disclosed. Communication to the person is done by way of a short-range radio transmission with a transceiver (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) within the vehicle. After paring or authentication, voice communication from the occupant(s) of the target vehicle are detected by a microphone in the target vehicle and transmitted out of the target vehicle on radio waves according to a protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). Voice communications from outside the target vehicle (e.g., from a law-enforcement vehicle) are received and encoded and transmitted to the target vehicle on radio waves according to such protocols (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and reproduced on an audio transducer (e.g., speaker) within the target vehicle. 
     In one embodiment, an apparatus for communicating with an occupant of a target vehicle is disclosed including a first cellphone within the target vehicle that is configured to communicate with a second cellphone in a law enforcement vehicle over a protocol. The protocol is configured to exchange audio signals and document items between the law enforcement vehicle and the target vehicle. After the first cellphone within the target vehicle is instructed to accept a connection to the second cellphone over the protocol and the first cellphone accepts the connection, two-way communications is established over the protocol, exchanging the audio signals and the document items between the first cellphone and the second cellphone. The document items are one or more of a driver&#39;s license, a vehicle registration, a proof-of-insurance card, a vehicle tag number, a gun registration, notice of availability of a weapon within the target vehicle and an email address. 
     In another embodiment, a method of communicating with a person within a target vehicle is disclosed, including using a protocol for attempting a point-to-point connection between a second cellphone in a second vehicle and a first cellphone in the target vehicle. Upon accepting the point-to-point connection is established and voice and data communications between the first cellphone and the second cellphone are established. After establishing the point-to-point connection, at least one item is selected from the group consisting of an image of a driver&#39;s license, an image of a vehicle registration, a firearm registration, a vehicle tag number, and an address is transferred from the first cellphone to the second cellphone. 
     In another embodiment, an apparatus for law-enforcement communications is disclosed, including a first cellphone within a target vehicle and a second cellphone within a law-enforcement vehicle. When a traffic stop is active, the first cellphone establishes a connection with the second cellphone and communicates audio over the connection such that a person within the target vehicle verbally communicates with a law-enforcement person within the law-enforcement vehicle. One or more items are stored within a memory of the first cellphone and upon request from the second cellphone, one or more of the one or more items are sent from the first cellphone to the second cellphone over the connection; the items are any of an image of a driver&#39;s license, an image of a vehicle registration, an image of a proof-of-insurance card, a vehicle tag number, a physical home address, and an email address. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view illustrating a system for communicating between a law-enforcement person and an occupant of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic view of the prior art. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a schematic view of a system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic view of the system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4A  illustrates a schematic view of the system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 4B  illustrates a plan view of an embodiment of the system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic view of the system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. 
     Note that throughout the description, existing local area communications protocols (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) are used as examples of currently available technology, but it is fully anticipated that as standards evolve; such standards will be adapted for use with the described system. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of a system for communicating with an occupant of a vehicle will be described. A high-quality, two-way audio communications system between a first entity such as vehicle (e.g., a car, boat, etc.—any target vehicle  10 ) and second entity such as a law-enforcement vehicle  50  (as shown), a military check-point, an entry station for a protected facility (e.g., guard station), etc. In the example shown in  FIG. 1 , a law-enforcement vehicle  50  is shown as an example of such. In this example, the target vehicle  10  is the subject of a traffic stop by law-enforcement personnel  57  within the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . Prior to the present invention, the law-enforcement personnel  57  had to exit their law-enforcement vehicle  50  and approach the target vehicle  10  in order to obtain information from the driver  12  (e.g., license, registration, and proof of insurance). Not only is this inconvenient in bad weather, but this has proven dangerous in many situations due to criminal activity within the target vehicle  10  as well as dangers from other motorists, especially on high-speed roads and during weather that impairs visibility and vehicle control such as snow and fog. 
     Although in some embodiments, the present invention provides communications between vehicles  10 / 50  that are not moving (e.g., registering zero on a speedometer), in other embodiments, the present invention provides communications between vehicles  10 / 50  that are moving, and in such, it is anticipated that there is a specific speed threshold, limit, or range of speeds at which communications are provided. For example, communications are allowed at speeds less than ten miles per hour or at speeds greater than 70 miles per hour (e.g., so speeders can be requested to slow down and pull over). 
     To provide the communications between the occupants of the target vehicle  10  with the occupant of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 , the audio system of the target vehicle  10  is modified as will be describe so as to communicate with the communication system of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . With such, the law-enforcement personnel  57  speaks into a microphone  80  (see  FIGS. 3-5 ) and his or her voice is detected by the microphone  80  and the voice is encoded and transmitted by an external transceiver  82  (e.g., a transceiver external to the target vehicle, for example within a law-enforcement vehicle  50 ) over a radio frequency signal according to a protocol such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.15, 802.11). The signal is transmitted between an antenna  56  associated with the law-enforcement vehicle  50  to an antenna  14  associated with the target vehicle  10 . A transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  (see  FIGS. 3-5 ) receives the signal and the transceiver  190  decodes the signal and reproduces the officer&#39;s voice on a transducer  24  (e.g., speaker, earbud) within the target vehicle  10 . When the occupant(s), e.g., driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  speaks, their voices are detected by a microphone  22  within the target vehicle  10 . The microphone  22  is coupled to the audio system  20  within the target vehicle  10  and the voice signal is processed by the transceiver  190  (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi transceiver) within the target vehicle  10 . The transceiver  190  encodes the voice into the protocol and sends the encoded signal (e.g., modulated according to the protocol such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to the external transceiver  82  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50  where the modulated signal is decoded and reproduced as audio at an audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbud) within the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . In some embodiments, the law-enforcement personnel  57  wears a portable transceiver device  150  that is linked to the external transceiver  82  providing hands-free communication while the law-enforcement personnel  57  is within the law-enforcement vehicle  50  and/or after the law-enforcement personnel  57  exits the law-enforcement vehicle  50  to approach the target vehicle  10 . In this way, the law-enforcement personnel  57  hear whatever is being said within the target vehicle  10  while approaching. Note that in many of the examples shown, the disclosed system communicates between a law-enforcement vehicle  50  and a target vehicle  10 , hence the transceiver within the law-enforcement vehicle  50  is sometimes referred to as the external transceiver  82 . This does not limit the location of such transceiver. As will be discussed, it is anticipated that the “external transceiver  82 ” be situated in business establishments, toll booths, theme park entrances, etc. 
     It is anticipated that some privacy issues may result in the use of such systems and such issues, if they occur, need to be dealt with through legislation or other means. For example, it is anticipated that a law be passed to permit law-enforcement personnel  57  to begin reception of audio from the occupant(s), e.g., driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  as soon as they turn on their emergency lights  59  and/or siren (not shown). Likewise, it is anticipated that any such communications between the law-enforcement vehicle  50  and the target vehicle  10  be private and protected from ease dropping by inadvertent listeners through data encryption standards of the selected communications protocols (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi). 
     It is also anticipated that, in some embodiments, the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  needs to agree to the voice communications with the law-enforcement personnel  57  by, for example, by accepting a pairing request (Bluetooth) or other features for accepting the incoming communications based upon the protocol used between the transceivers  82 / 190 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a schematic view of a system of the prior art will be described. In this example, the target vehicle  10  is equipped with an audio system  20  having a microphone  22  and transducer  24  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) within the target vehicle  10 . This is a standard configuration on many newer model vehicles and is typically used to provide hands-free cellular calling (e.g., speakerphone mode) or to link to music players, etc. 
     To provide the hands-free operation, a transceiver  19  (e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) is integrated/coupled to the audio system  20 . In existing vehicles, such transceivers  19  are typically used to communicate with consumer electronic devices  13  located within the target vehicle  10 , in particular with cellular phones or media players within the target vehicle  10 . In existing vehicles, such internal data communications are provided for playing music from the consumer electronic device  13 , providing hands-free phone calls from the consumer electronic devices  13 , etc. In existing protocols, before communications is established between the transceiver  19  and the consumer electronic device  13  (e.g., through antennae  14 / 15 ), the transceiver  19  and/or the consumer electronic device  13  must be configured to enable such communications. This enablement is required so that unauthorized devices cannot be easily connected to the transceiver  19  or the consumer electronic device  13 . In the example of Bluetooth, the consumer electronic device  13  is paired with the transceiver  19 , as known in the industry, typically by instructing both the transceiver  19  to accept and consumer electronic device  13  to initiate a discovery protocol. Once paired, the transceiver  19  typically remembers the consumer electronic device  13  for future communications. In the example of Wi-Fi, the transceiver  19  has encryption credentials and, matching encryption credentials must be entered into the consumer electronic device  13 . Without such encryption credentials (or keys), communications is prohibited. This is similar to adding a consumer electronic device  13  to a home wireless network. 
     Within the law-enforcement vehicle  50  of the prior art, a microphone  80  and audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) is typically connected to a transceiver  8 . The transceiver is typically for wide-area communications with dispatchers, etc., modulating voice and data communications and sending/receiving such through an antenna  6 . The transceiver  8  does not encodes the audio signal from the microphone  80  into a transmission protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), compatible with the existing transceiver  19  (coupled to the audio system  20 ) of the target vehicle  10  and, therefore, the existing transceiver does not communicate with the transceiver  8 , having no way to pair and/or lack of proper encryption credentials and, therefore, the transceiver  19  of the target vehicle  10  does not communicate with the transceiver  8  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a schematic view of a system for communicating with a driver  12  (or occupant) of a target vehicle  10  will be described. Within the law-enforcement vehicle  50  of this example, a microphone  80  and audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) are connected to an external transceiver  82 . The external transceiver  82  encodes the audio signal from the microphone  80  into the transmission protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and emits the encoded signal from an antenna  56 . For listening to the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10 , the external transceiver  82  receives and decodes audio signals according to the transmission protocol on the antenna  56  and reproduces the audio, for example, emitting the audio at an audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). 
     It is anticipated that due to limitations of the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  and certain protocol requirements and/or standards, the external transceiver  82  will have higher transmission power output in order to reach the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle and/or greater receiver sensitivity since the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  typically transmits/receives at very lower power levels (e.g., for communicating with devices within the target vehicle  10 ). In embodiments in which the protocol includes Bluetooth (802.15), the higher transmission power output is anticipated to be above the maximum power output allowance of a specification for Bluetooth (802.15) for penetration into the target vehicle. 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the audio system  20 / 190  of the target vehicle  10  is modified as will be describe so as to communicate with the external transceiver  82  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . When the law-enforcement personnel  57  speak into a microphone  80 , his or her voice is detected by a microphone  80  and encoded/transmitted by the external transceiver  82 . The signal is transmitted between an antenna  56  associated with the law-enforcement vehicle  50  to an antenna  14  associated with the target vehicle  10  over a radio frequency signal according to a specific protocol such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11). The transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  understands the protocol transmitted by the external transceiver  82 , received, decodes, and reproduces the officer&#39;s voice on a transducer  24  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) within the target vehicle  10 . 
     When the occupant(s), e.g., driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  speaks, their voice is detected by a microphone  22  within the target vehicle  10 . The microphone  22  is coupled to the transceiver  190  (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi radio) within the target vehicle  10 . The transceiver  190  encodes/modulates the voice signal from the occupant of the target vehicle  10  according to the protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) which is transmitted to the external transceiver  82  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50  where the signal is decoded, demodulated, and reproduced as audio at an audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) within the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . In this way, the law-enforcement personnel  57  hear whatever is being said within the target vehicle  10 . 
     The transceiver  190  in the target vehicle  10  is similar to the existing transceiver  19  of the prior art, optionally including specific modifications to the protocols (e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) and/or pairing/encryption mechanisms to provide limited connections to an external device (e.g. external transceiver  82 ) without the need to pair the transceiver  190  with the external device (e.g. external transceiver  82 ) or to provide security credentials from the external device (e.g. external transceiver  82 ). The limited capabilities provide for reproduction of an encoded audio signal received from an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ) and/or transmission of voices to/from within the target vehicle  10  to an external device (e.g. external transceiver  82 ). In some embodiments, a secret key is provided to/by the external transceiver  82  that enables limited communications with the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the external transceiver  82  requests a connection with the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  and a message is displayed on the audio system  20  of the target vehicle (or an audio message is played and emitted from the transducer  24 ). The message requests that the driver  12  (or occupant, operator, etc.) of the target vehicle  10  agree to communicate with the law-enforcement personnel  57 . In some embodiments, approval is made by the driver  12  making a verbal statement of agreement (e.g., saying “yes”) while in some embodiments, approval is made by pressing an optional button  191  that indicates approval. As voice recognition is available in many vehicle audio systems  20 , it is anticipated that in some embodiments, the verbal agreement is received from the microphone  22  and recognized by the transceiver  190   
     After approval by the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10 , limited communications between the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  and the external transceiver  82  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50  is established. An example of such approval is for the driver  12  to press a button  191  on the transceiver  190  of the transceiver  190  or audio system  20  within the target vehicle  10 , press the volume-up button on the steering wheel of the target vehicle  10 , or speak an agreement word. 
     It is fully anticipated that, for some embodiments, these limited “back-door” capabilities are provided requiring specific law-enforcement credentials, limiting access by non-law-enforcement people. For example, the external transceiver  82  has secret credentials that enable communication over the desired protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to all transceivers  190  of all target vehicles  10 . The secret credentials are provided by the external transceiver  82  in the law-enforcement vehicle  50  to the transceiver  190  in the target vehicle  10 . Once the secret credentials are discovered, for example by hackers, they are difficult to change. The consequence is that such hackers will only have the ability to access the audio capabilities of the target vehicle  10 . It is anticipated that through legislation it be made illegal for non-law-enforcement people to use such secret credentials, just as it is illegal to use certain police and military radio frequencies for civilian uses, etc. 
     In some embodiments, for various consumer rights reasons, it is fully anticipated that the transceiver  190  within the target vehicle  10  includes software that detects communications from the external transceiver  82  and, before accepting a point-to-point connection with the external transceiver  82 , requires the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  to take an action such as pressing an accept button  191 , providing a voice approval by saying a word (e.g., “yes”) to accept the point-to-point connection, etc. 
     Although the examples shown have an external transceiver  82  within a law-enforcement vehicle  50 , it is fully anticipated that the external transceiver  82  (and hence, the microphone  80  and audio transducer  84 ), be embodied with other devices such as integrated into a hand-held portable device (e.g., worn on the body of the law-enforcement personnel  57 ), within a guard house, within a restaurant or pharmacy, in other types of vehicles such as helicopters, boats, motorcycles, etc. Likewise, the transceiver  190  of the target vehicle  10  is anticipated to be within any type of target vehicle  10 , including, but not limited to marine vehicles, aircraft, golf carts, etc. Likewise, it is anticipated that the transceiver  190  of the target vehicle  10  is integrated with other electronics of the target vehicle  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a schematic view of the system for communicating with a driver  12  of a target vehicle  10  will be described. For many older-model vehicles, there are no wireless data communication facilities such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For such vehicles, a communications adapter  290  is provided for installation within the target vehicle  10 . The communications adapter  290  communicates over the protocol with the external transceiver  82  and communicates with an existing radio  21  (e.g., AM, FM, AM/FM radio) within the target vehicle  10 . In some embodiments, the communications adapter  290  includes an audio transducer (e.g., similar to the audio transducer  25  of  FIG. 4 ) and does not need to transmit the audio signal to the existing radio  21 . 
     The law-enforcement vehicle  50  (or other facility) of this example includes a microphone  80  and audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) that are connected to an external transceiver  82  (e.g., external to the target vehicle  10 ). The external transceiver  82  encodes the audio signal from the microphone  80  into the transmission protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and emits the encoded signal from an antenna  56 . When the law-enforcement personnel  57  or other person speaks into a microphone  80 , his or her voice is detected by a microphone  80 , is encoded and transmitted from the external transceiver  82  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . The signal is transmitted between an antenna  56  associated with the law-enforcement vehicle  50  to an antenna  214  of the communications adapter  290  over a radio frequency signal according to a specific protocol such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (e.g., 802.11). The communications adapter  290  is a transceiver that understands the protocol transmitted by the external transceiver  82 , and, receives and decodes the officer&#39;s voice. 
     The communications adapter  290  receives the signal encoded with audio from the external transceiver  82  on a first antenna  214  and decodes the audio signal from the signal encoded with audio. Although it is anticipated that the communications adapter  290  include its own speaker, in some embodiments, the communications adapter  290  modulates the decoded audio signal onto a radio-band using amplitude modulation or frequency modulation (e.g., AM or FM) and emits the modulated audio signal on a second antenna  216 . An existing radio  21  within the target vehicle  10  receives the modulated audio signal on an antenna  15 , demodulates and amplifies the audio signal and emits the audio signal from an audio transducer  25  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). Note, it is anticipated that the existing radio  21  is any AM, FM, AM/FM radio either originally installed into the target vehicle  10 , after-market installed in to the target vehicle  10 , or is a hand-held portable AM, FM, or AM/FM radio, with or without additional features such as a CD player, etc. 
     When the occupant(s), e.g., driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  speaks, their voice is detected by a microphone  222  of the communications adapter  290 . The microphone  222  is coupled to the communications adapter  290  and the communications adapter  290  encodes/modulates the voice signal from the occupant of the target vehicle  10  according to the protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and transmits the encoded signal to the external transceiver  82  where the signal is decoded, demodulated, and reproduced as audio at an audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone), for example, within the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . In this example, the law-enforcement personnel  57  hear whatever is being said within the target vehicle  10 . 
     The communications adapter  290  includes specific modifications, if needed, to the protocols (e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) and/or pairing/encryption mechanisms to provide limited connections to an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ) without the need to explicitly pair the communications adapter  290  with the external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ) or to provide security credentials from the external device (e.g. external transceiver  82 ). The limited capabilities provide for reproduction of an encoded audio signal received from an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ) and/or transmission of voices to/from within the target vehicle  10  to an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ). In some embodiments, a secret key is provided to the external transceiver  82  that enables limited communications with the communications adapter  290 . 
     In some embodiments, the external transceiver  82  requests pairing with the communications adapter  290  and a message is displayed on a display of the communications adapter  290 , an LED is illuminated, or a text to speech message is played and emitted from the audio transducer  25  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). The message requests that the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  agree to communicate (e.g., with the law-enforcement personnel  57 ). After approval by the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10 , limited communications between the communications adapter  290  within the target vehicle  10  and the external transceiver  82  is established. An example of such approval is for the driver  12  to press a button on the communications adapter  290  or makes a specific utterance such as “agree” or “yes.” 
     For certain uses, for example a traffic stop, it is beneficial for the law-enforcement personnel  57  to remain in communications with the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  after the officer exits the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . To allow such communications, the law-enforcement personnel  57  is provides with a portable transceiver device  150  as shown in  FIG. 5  for use within or outside of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 . Although it is anticipated that the portable transceiver device  150  be similar to an earbud (as shown in  FIG. 1 ), there is no limitation as to the physical embodiment of the portable transceiver device  150 , as other embodiments are anticipated including, but not limited to, a uniform-worn embodiment. 
     One exemplary embodiment of the portable transceiver device  150  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The portable transceiver device  150  has a transceiver  152  that receives an encoded audio signal on an antenna  156 , detects, decodes and/or demodulates the encoded audio signal and reproduces the audio signal on a transducer  158  (e.g., an earbud, speaker, etc.). When the law-enforcement personnel  57  speak, the speech is received by a microphone  154  that is interfaced to the transceiver  152 . The transceiver  152  encodes and modulates the audio signal from the microphone  154  and transmits an encoded audio signal from the antenna  156 . This encoded audio signal is received on the antenna  56  of the law-enforcement vehicle  50 , decoded by the external transceiver  82  and then retransmitted or forwarded to the transceiver  190  of the target vehicle  10  where the encoded audio signal is decoded and reproduced on the transducer  24  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) as described above. 
     In an alternate law-enforcement embodiment, the external transceiver  82  associated with the law-enforcement vehicle  50  along with audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbud) and microphone  80  are portable and handheld or worn by the law-enforcement personnel  57 , thereby eliminating the need for a separate portable transceiver device  150 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4A , a schematic view of the system for communicating with a driver  12  of a target vehicle  10  will be described. For many older-model vehicles, there are no wireless data communication facilities such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. For such vehicles, a stand-alone device  200  is provided for installation within the target vehicle  10 . 
     As in the prior example, a microphone  80  and audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone) are connected to an external transceiver  82  (e.g., a transceiver external to the target vehicle  10 —for example associated with a law-enforcement vehicle  50 ). The external transceiver  82  encodes the audio signal from the microphone  80  into the transmission protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and emits the encoded signal from an antenna  56 . In this embodiment, the car radio  21  of the target vehicle  10  is not able to directly communicate with the external transceiver  82 . 
     To provide such communications, a stand-alone device  200  is provided for mounting within the target vehicle  10  (e.g., by suction to a window, to a sun visor). The stand-alone device  200  includes a communications adapter  290  (as describe above) that receives the signal encoded with audio from the external transceiver  82  on a first antenna  214  and decodes the audio signal from the signal encoded with audio. The communications adapter  290  then modulates the decoded audio signal onto a radio-band using amplitude modulation or frequency modulation (e.g., AM or FM) and emits the modulated audio signal on a second antenna  216 . 
     The existing radio  21  within the target vehicle  10  receives the modulated audio signal on an antenna  15 , demodulates and amplifies the audio signal and emits the audio signal from an audio transducer  25  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). Note, it is anticipated that the existing radio  21  is any AM, FM, AM/FM radio either originally installed into the target vehicle  10 , after-market installed in to the target vehicle  10 , or is a hand-held portable AM, FM, or AM/FM radio, etc. 
     When the occupant(s), e.g., driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  speaks, their voice is detected by a microphone  222  mounted on the stand-alone device  200  and interfaced to the communications adapter  290 . The microphone  222  is electrically coupled to the communications adapter  290  (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi radio transceiver). The communications adapter  290  encodes/modulates the voice signal from the occupant of the target vehicle  10  according to the protocol (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) and transmits the encoded signal from the antenna  214  to the antenna  56  of the external transceiver  82  where the signal is decoded, demodulated, and reproduced as audio at an audio transducer  84  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). In this way, the law-enforcement personnel  57  or other persons external to the target vehicle  10  hear whatever is being said within the target vehicle  10 . 
     The communications adapter  290  includes specific modifications, if needed, to the protocols (e.g., Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi) and/or pairing/encryption mechanisms to provide limited connections to the external transceiver  82  and, in some embodiments, without the need to explicitly pair the communications adapter  290  with the external transceiver  82  or to provide security credentials from the external transceiver  82 . The limited capabilities provide for reproduction of an encoded audio signal received from an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ) and/or transmission of voices to/from within the target vehicle  10  to an external device (e.g., external transceiver  82 ). In some embodiments, a secret key is provided to the external transceiver  82  that enables limited communications with the communications adapter  290 . 
     In some embodiments, the external transceiver  82  requests a connection to the communications adapter  290  and a message is displayed on a display of the stand-alone device  200  (e.g., a flashing LED  201 —see  FIG. 4B ) or a text to speech message is transmitted from the communications adapter  290  to the existing radio  21  and emitted from the audio transducer  25  (e.g., speaker, earbuds, headphone). In some embodiments, the message requests that the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10  agree to communicate (e.g., with the law-enforcement personnel  57 ). In some embodiments, agreement is made by pressing an “accept” button  191  on the stand-alone device  200 . In some embodiments, agreement is made by saying a word (e.g., “agree” or “yes”) that is received by the microphone  222  and recognized by the communications adapter  290 . 
     After approval by the driver  12  of the target vehicle  10 , limited communications between the communications adapter  290  within the target vehicle  10  and the external transceiver  82  is established. 
     In some embodiments, the stand-alone device  200  includes a battery  217  and a power connector  219  for charging the battery  217  and/or powering the communications adapter  290 . 
     In some embodiments, the cellphone  100  is the communications adapter, communicating directly with the law-enforcement vehicle  50  or other emergency vehicle, either through the transceiver  82  or through the Internet, as cellphones  100  are known to have applications loaded thereon having capabilities to communicate digital and audio information through the Internet to other cellphones  100 . In such, the law-enforcement vehicle  50  has a cellphone  100  instead of the transceiver  82  and the cellphones  100  communicate with each other through applications on each respective cellphone  100  using the cellular network and/or Internet to exchange voice as well as data such as driver&#39;s license information, etc. In such, the accept button  191  is a logical button (e.g., an icon displayed by the application on the cellphone  100 ). 
     As during a traffic stop, a license, registration, and insurance card is often required, in some embodiments, the communications adapter  290  is preprogrammed with such documents. Also anticipated are other documents and status such as gun permits and availability of any type of weapon within the target vehicle  10 . In one embodiment, the communications adapter  290  is preprogrammed with one or more such documents using a cellphone  100 . In such, an image of each document (driver&#39;s license is shown as an example) is captured, for example, from a camera (or uploaded/copied) as known in the industry of cellphones  100  and, during configuration of the stand-alone device  200  using an application running on the cellphone  100 , one or more documents are downloaded to the communications adapter  290  and stored in a memory  221  of the communications adapter  290 . In some embodiments, the tag number of the target vehicle  10  is also entered at the cellphone  100  and transferred and stored in the memory  221  of the communications adapter  290 . In some embodiments, an email address or other address of the driver  12  is entered at the cellphone  100  and transferred and stored in the memory  221  of the communications adapter  290 . In some embodiments, the email address or address is used by law-enforcement to send a citation or other communications (e.g., thanking the driver for being courteous and using their turn signals). Note that the image of the documents is anticipated to be any type of image, including a camera image (e.g., JPEG), a PDF, a document with text and images, etc. 
     Note that, in some situations, a single target vehicle  10  is shared between multiple people as, for example, a family. In such, it is also anticipated that multiple driver&#39;s licenses are downloaded into the memory  221  of the communications adapter  290 . In such, it is anticipated that the cellphone  100  of the family member that is driving the vehicle will be present in the target vehicle  10  during a traffic stop and, by way of communications between the cellphone  100  of that family member and the communications adapter  290 , the communications adapter  200  will select a corresponding driver&#39;s license from the memory  221  of the communications adapter  290  during the traffic stop. In situations where two or more registered drivers are present along with their cellphones  100 , a decision is made, for example, by signal strength or by sending a query from the communications adapter  290  to all cellphone  100  that are present and receiving an acknowledgement from an application running on the cellphone  100  of the driver. 
     As many vehicles will be equipped with the stand-alone device  200 , it may be necessary to uniquely address one specific stand-alone device  200 . For example, when a law-enforcement vehicle  50  stops the target vehicle  10 , it is not wanted to initiate communications inadvertently with a different nearby vehicle, for example, in traffic. There are many ways to make improve selection of the correct target vehicle  10 . For one, if the tag number of the target vehicle  10  is in the memory  221  of the communications adapter  290 , the law-enforcement personnel  57  will enter the tag number at the external transceiver  82  (or the tag number is recognized using a camera mounted to the law-enforcement vehicle  50 ) and the external transceiver  82  will transmit the tag number to the communications adapter  290  and only the communications adapter  290  having stored there in the equivalent tag number will connect with the external transceiver  82 . A second way to make improve selection of the correct target vehicle  10  is by use of received signal strength (RSS), as the closest vehicle to the law-enforcement vehicle  50  will indicate the highest receive signal strength (RSS). Other ways to make improve selection of the correct target vehicle  10  include, for example, encoding a color of the vehicle in the memory of the communications adapter  290  and using that as the tag number was used above or having a number encoded into a bar code that is read with a bar code reader. 
     In embodiments related to drive-through order processing, the external transceiver  82 , microphone  80 , and speaker/headphone  82  are associated with an establishment such as a fast-food restaurant, restaurant, pharmacy, grocery, etc. When the target vehicle  10  approaches the establishment, the external transceiver  82  of the establishment communicates with the communications adapter  290  of the target vehicle  10  for order processing. Note that it is anticipated that multiple target vehicles  10  will be present at the establishment and, therefore, the external transceiver  82  needs to connect to the correct target vehicle by way of mechanisms stated above such as receive signal strength, tag number, bar code, vehicle color, etc. In some drive-through scenarios, the tag number is used to recall information of the driver  12  such as name, previous order, etc. 
     In  FIG. 4B , an exemplary physical embodiment of the stand-alone device  200  is shown clipped onto a sun visor  1  by a clip  203 . In this, the bezel of the stand-alone device  200  includes the accept button  191 , an indicator LED  201 , and a power connector  219  for charging the internal battery  217 . The microphone  222  is mounted behind a small hole to allow audio waves to enter the stand-alone device  200  and reach the microphone  222 . Note that this is only shown for example purposes as many other physical and mounting embodiments are anticipates, all of which are included here in. 
     Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result. 
     It is believed that the system and method as described and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.