Patent ID: 7155321

Claim:
A system for allowing a user to perform remote vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming for at least one vehicle, comprising: an onboard unit coupled to a data bus of the at least one vehicle, wherein the onboard unit is operable to exchange with the data bus telemetry data that is in a format native to at least one vehicle controller coupled to the data bus, and wherein the onboard unit includes a first communication means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data over a first network; a server comprising: a second communications means that is operable to exchange the telemetry data with the onboard unit via the first network; an onboard-unit server that is operable to convert the telemetry data between the native format and a human readable format so as to provide converted telemetry data; a repository database for holding information indicative of at least one of the vehicles; an application server, coupled to the onboard-unit server and the repository database, having at least one application for carrying out at least one of vehicle diagnostics, vehicle monitoring, vehicle configuration and vehicle reprogramming, wherein the application server is operable to carry out decision processing of the at least one application to generate processed information as a function of at least a portion of the information from the repository database and the converted telemetry data; and a network interface that is operable to exchange with at least one application the processed information, and responsive to a user request, provide at least a portion of the processed information and converted telemetry data over a second network; a graphical-user interface coupled to the network interface via the second network, wherein graphical-user interface is operable to submit the user request, exchange with the network interface at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data responsive to the request, and display at least a portion of the processed information and the converted telemetry data to the user; wherein at least the application server is provided by an application service provider; and wherein the user is charged a fee by the application service provider.