Patent ID: 8890670

Claim:
A trailer configured to support and carry a load while being towed, the trailer comprising: a frame; a processor; a non-transitory memory device coupled to the processor; a plurality of load cells supporting a load on the trailer, each load cell being operatively coupled to the frame and electrically coupled to the processor, each load cell providing a corresponding signal to the processor, responsive to the load on the corresponding load cell and corresponding load location information to the processor from which the processor determines the weight and location of the load on the trailer, a determined location of the load on the trailer including a front-to-back location and a side-to-side location; a communications device operatively coupled to the processor, and configured to send to a tow vehicle, data representing information about the load on the trailer, the information about the load on the trailer being obtained from said plurality of load cells and being provided to the tow vehicle by the communications device in order to provide operating specifications of the trailer and provide characteristics of the load on the trailer to an engine control unit for the tow vehicle; wherein the communications device is additionally configured to send to the tow vehicle, operating requirements of the tow vehicle that are required by the trailer; and wherein the information about the load on the trailer is configured to be used by the tow vehicle to automatically inhibit operation of the tow vehicle if the tow vehicle has insufficient towing capacity to safely pull the trailer and its load.