Patent ID: 8188837

Claim:
A method of finding a key of a mobile vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a call, at a call center, indicating that the key is lost; requesting, via the call center, a telematics unit on-board the mobile vehicle to establish communication with a remote access key fob that is associated with the key, the remote access key fob having an alarm integrated therewith; requesting, via the call center, the telematics unit to activate the alarm of the remote access key fob; activating, via the telematics unit, the alarm of the remote access key fob; deactivating at least one function of the remote access key fob, the at least one function being selected from a mobile vehicle door-unlocking function, a mobile vehicle ignition-start function, or combinations thereof; receiving confirmation from a user associated with the mobile vehicle that the key has been found; reactivating the previously deactivated at least one function of the remote access key fob in response to receiving confirmation; initiating, by a finder of the key, a call with an advisor of the call center; indicating to the advisor that the key has been found; and verifying that the finder is in fact the user associated with the mobile vehicle; wherein the user associated with the mobile vehicle is a non-owner of the mobile vehicle, and wherein the method further comprises contacting an owner of the mobile vehicle to inform the owner that the non-owner found the key.