Patent ID: 7467216

Claim:
A method for handling a message on a message transmission backbone within a mobile data processing system for controlling a plurality of features and functions of a vehicle, said method comprising: generating an allowable message types data structure, wherein each entry of said allowable message types data structure includes information for identifying an allowable message type describing a message that may be present on a message transmission backbone within a mobile data processing system for controlling a plurality of features and functions of a vehicle; repetitiously detecting a change in a status of a module within a group of loaded programs within the mobile data processing system, wherein said group of loaded programs includes multiple data processing software modules; in response to detecting the change in the status of the module within the group of loaded programs, modifying a corresponding entry within said allowable message types data structure; and communicating a message, which message was received from the message transmission backbone within the mobile data processing system for controlling the plurality of features and functions of the vehicle, to said group of loaded programs based on whether an item of identifying information within said message meets all criteria of said entries within said allowable message types data structure.