Patent Publication Number: US-8542131-B2

Title: Musical key fob vehicle locator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to locating devices, and more particularly to a key fob that uses music to locate a parked vehicle. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The number of automobiles and related vehicles in use continues to grow. One result of this growth, particularly in urban areas, is the presence of large parking lots and parking garages. These large parking areas are commonly found around malls, sporting arenas, airports, and the like. With hundreds of cars in a given parking lot, many of them with a similar profile and color, it is easy for one to forget where they have parked, particularly after being away from their vehicle for several hours while shopping in a mall, watching a sporting event, or engaged in a similar distraction. A common approach to this problem is to walk up and is down aisles in a parking area in the hope of locating one&#39;s vehicle. This approach is time consuming, and oftentimes large vehicles such as vans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks block visibility as one walks the parking area. This can be frustrating, particularly if one is carrying packages or groceries, or if the weather is inclement. 
     There have been various attempts over the years to provide vehicle locators that aid in locating and identifying one&#39;s vehicle. One of the simplest vehicle locators is a tennis ball, ping pong ball, or similar sized ball mounted atop a car radio antenna. This is a purely visual indicator that has limited usefulness. Other similar vehicle locators such as flags, lights, and the like have also been available, and have limited usefulness and success. 
     With the advent of car remote controls that lock and unlock doors and also sound the horn, locating one&#39;s vehicle by remotely sounding the vehicle&#39;s horn has been a relatively common occurrence. Unfortunately, most if not all car remote controls have extremely limited range. In addition, activating a car horn remotely, particularly when using the horn as a locator which may require repeated horn activation, can be annoying to those around the parked car. The sound levels of a vehicular horn are such as to be not only annoying, but also can present a legitimate hazard to a person in close proximity to the activated horn. A remotely activated horn can startle and distract that person and place them in a potentially harmful situation. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a car locator that plays music at a vehicle to be located. It is another object of the present invention to provide a car locator that offers a selection of music to be used for vehicle location purposes. It is another object of the present invention to provide a car locator that controls the volume of music to be played at a vehicle to be located. 
     These and other objects of the present invention are not to be considered comprehensive or exhaustive, but rather, exemplary of objects that may be ascertained after reading this specification with the accompanying drawings and claims. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a musical key fob vehicle locator system for finding a vehicle in a parking area, the locator system comprising a portable radiofrequency controller for producing a radiofrequency output, a radiofrequency receiver operable on the radiofrequency output of said portable radiofrequency controller and installed in a vehicle, a digital audio file system wirelessly controlled by said portable radiofrequency controller through control signals output from said radiofrequency receiver and installed in a vehicle, a digital audio file source that provides digital audio files to the digital audio file system, an amplifier electrically coupled to an output of said digital audio file system and installed in a vehicle, and a speaker electrically coupled to an output of said amplifier and installed in a vehicle. 
     The foregoing paragraph has been provided by way of introduction, and is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described by reference to the following drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a musical key fob vehicle locator; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a musical key fob vehicle locator system; 
         FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of the musical key fob vehicle locator transmit circuitry; 
         FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of the musical key fob vehicle locator receive circuitry; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a wireless communications device activating vehicle locator circuitry; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method of the musical key fob vehicle locator; and 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram depicting various functions of the musical key fob vehicle locator. 
     
    
    
     The present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment, however, it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the invention to the embodiment described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by this specification, drawings, and the appended claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     For a general understanding of the present invention and the various embodiments described or envisioned herein, reference is made to the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements. 
     The present invention and the various embodiments described and envisioned herein provide for a novel and heretofore unrealized system and method for locating a vehicle in a parking area by activating and deactivating a digital audio file system through wireless means to provide a recognizable musical song, riff, clip, segment, or a similar portion or complete composure of music. The music provided is not synthetically generated or otherwise artificial (such as a series of electronically generated tones or jingles common in today&#39;s electronic devices), but rather, is a piece of music composed and performed by musicians using actual musical instruments to facilitate the recording. This approach provides a pleasant, personalized, and uniquely recognizable audio locator that is less offensive than a series of electronic tones, a car horn, a buzzer, a siren, or the like. In addition, a personalized selection of music provides a customizable vehicle locator system that reflects the taste, personality, and likes of the vehicle owner. 
     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , a musical key fob vehicle locator  100  is depicted. The shape and physical attributes of the musical key fob vehicle locator  100  may change, or the musical key fob vehicle locator may be integral to another device such as a remote car starter, a car unlocking fob, a wireless communications device, a computer such as a tablet computer, a garage door opener, any of various remote control devices, a vehicle ignition key, and the like. In  FIG. 1 , several control buttons are depicted. The functions and structure of these control-buttons are exemplary only. Button  107  and button  105  may, in one embodiment of the present invention, be volume control buttons where button  107  reduces volume of the vehicle locator music and button  105  increases volume of the vehicle locator music. Button  101  may activate and deactivate the vehicle locator music, and button  103  may perform a peripheral function such as turning on the vehicle headlights, reverse lights, or similar indicators that may assist in vehicle location. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a musical key fob vehicle locator system where the musical key fob vehicle locator  100  is shown with a radiofrequency link to receiving electronics contained in a vehicle  203 . The receiving electronics comprise a radiofrequency receiver operable on the radiofrequency output of the portable radiofrequency controller contained within the musical key fob vehicle locator  100 . The radiofrequency receiver and related connections to digital audio files and systems will be further described by way of later figures. In one embodiment of the present invention, the portable radiofrequency controller operates on frequencies allocated by regulatory agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. An example of such allocated frequencies is the 315 Megahertz frequency hand allocated to remote keyless entry systems in the United States and Japan, and the 433.92 Megahertz band in Europe. In addition, the output of the portable radiofrequency controller may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized reception and deception of control signals contained in the radiofrequency transmission from the key fob car locator  100 . Other embodiments of the present invention may use different frequencies and protocols. For example, the Bluetooth short range wireless connectivity standard (IEEE standard 802.15) using frequency-hopping spread spectrum techniques in the 2,400 to 2,483.5 Megahertz hands. In other embodiments of the present invention, the key fob car locator operates using a cellular network or a combination of a cellular network and other radio frequencies and protocols.  FIG. 2  depicts a wireless link with two parallel lines indicating that the link may not be a direct link, but may also traverse other routes, networks, frequencies, protocols, and the like. 
       FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of the musical key fob vehicle locator transmit circuitry. A portable radiofrequency controller is contained within the musical key fob locator that contains the transmit circuitry depicted in the block diagram of  FIG. 3 . A transmitter  313  produces an appropriate radiofrequency output  315  that is radiated by way of an antenna  317 . The radiofrequency transmitter may utilize a variety of frequencies, for example, the 315 Megahertz frequency band allocated to remote keyless entry systems in the United States and Japan. and the 433.92 Megahertz band in Europe. Encryption of the control signals may also be employed. Other frequencies and protocols may include the Bluetooth short range wireless connectivity standard (IEEE standard 802.15) using frequency-hopping spread spectrum techniques in the 2,400 to 2,483.5 Megahertz bands. The transmit circuitry receives input from an encoder  311  that converts the various functions requested by a user into a control signal that may be embedded in or otherwise contained in the radiofrequency transmission of the transmitter  313 . A plurality of functions are depicted in  FIG. 3  by way of  301 ,  303 ,  305 ,  307 , and  309 . More or fewer functions may be present. The functions include, for example, volume control, activate the vehicle locator music, deactivate the vehicle locator music, change song, load song, delete song, peripheral function such as turning on the vehicle headlights, reverse lights, or similar indicators that may assist in vehicle location, lock and unlock the vehicle, open vehicle trunk or hatch, stall the vehicle, disable the vehicle, activate an alarm or a panic function, and the like. Each of these functions is enabled by way of a user interface such as a button, a knob, a touch screen, or like. Once a function is activated by way of a signal such as, for example, a binary “1” or a closed circuit condition, the indicator is sent to the encoder  311  where the change in state of the function (function request) is encoded to a control signal or signals that may be transmitted by way of radio frequency using the transmitter  313 . 
       FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of the musical key fob vehicle locator receive circuitry. A radiofrequency receiver  401  is coupled to an appropriate wavelength antenna  405  to provide radiofrequency input  403  to the radiofrequency receiver  401 . The radiofrequency input matches the radiofrequency output  315  depicted in  FIG. 3  such that communication between the transmit circuitry depicted in  FIG. 3  and the receive circuitry depicted in  FIG. 4  can occur. Various functions  407  are received by the radiofrequency receiver  401  using control signals that have been transmitted by the transmitter  313  depicted in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 4  also depicts other controls  417  that may use the same receiver transmitter system of the present invention. Other controls may include, for example, a connection to vehicle is diagnostics, a connection to a wireless network, an interface to an on board vehicular navigation system, and the like. The primary functions that are sent by the transmitter and received by the receiver  401  are control functions to a digital audio file system  409 . Such a digital audio file system  409  converts a digital audio file to an analog output song. Such digital audio file systems are known to those skilled in the art, and are contained in many of the digital audio devices of today, such as MP3 players, CD players, and the like. Digital audio files typically contain sound reproduction using pulse code modulation. A codec is contained in the digital audio file system to perform the coding and decoding of the audio data. Various digital audio file sources  411  may be provided to the digital audio file system to generate audible reproductions of songs and music. Digital audio file formats include WAV, MPEG-4, MP3, and others. Once converted to an analog audio output, the digital audio file system  409  is electrically connected to an amplifier  413  and lastly to a speaker  415  for outputting audible music at the vehicle when the proper control functions are activated. 
       FIG. 5  depicts a wireless communications device activating vehicle locator circuitry. A wireless communications device  501  may include, for example, a cell phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, or the like. Many of these wireless communications devices operate using a cellular network.  503  is a wireless connection to the in vehicle receiving and audio electronics, as previously described by way of  FIG. 4 . As depicted in  FIG. 5 , the wireless connection  503  may traverse a network as well as other frequencies and protocols. The double vertical dotted line in  FIG. 5  indicates that such indirect or networked connections may be present. The in vehicle electronics  505  may include, for example, a cellular transceiver to facilitate connectivity to the wireless communications device  501 . An example of such a transceiver is the subscription based communications service offered by OnStar® Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors. The OnStar® service relies on a CDMA cellular telephone network. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method of the musical key fob vehicle locator. In use, the musical key fob vehicle locator (audible locator) is enabled in step  601 . A personal device such as a key fob produces a radiofrequency signal in step  603 . The produced radiofrequency signal is received at a vehicle in step  605 , and the digital audio file system play function is activated in step  607 . A control function “n” may be activated at any time in step  609 . Control function “n” may be an activate or deactivate audio function, a volume control function, a change song function, a load song function, a delete song function, a peripheral function such as turning on the vehicle headlights, reverse lights, or similar indicators that may assist in vehicle location, a lock and unlock vehicle function, an open trunk or hatch function, a start vehicle function, a disable vehicle function, an activate alarm or panic function, and the like. The exemplary method of using the present invention will end in step  611  at an arbitrary time that is elected by the user, such as when the vehicle is located and moving, parked in a home location, or the like. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram depicting various functions of the musical key fob vehicle locator. The digital audio locator function  701  of the musical key fob vehicle locator may contain various functions that are either directly related to music based car location or may be peripheral functions that nevertheless may be present in the musical key fob vehicle locator. Examples of functionality include audio play  703 , volume control  705 , digital audio file select  707 , digital audio file upload  709 , digital audio file delete  711 , lock/unlock the vehicle  713 , start the vehicle  715 , panic  717 , or activate an alarm  719 . These functions are, however, exemplary, and not exhaustive. 
     It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordance with the various objects of the present invention, a musical key fob vehicle locator. While the various objects of this invention have been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly. it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of this specification, drawings, and the claims appended herein.