Patent ID: 8451106

Claim:
A method for identifying a stolen vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: detecting the start of an engine of the vehicle; retrieving a vehicle identification information automatically when the engine is started; establishing a connection from a network access device in a hands free unit to an external database of stolen vehicles, where, when the hands free unit is connected to a mobile communications unit operable as a cell phone, the hands free unit is configured to obtain subscriber information from the mobile communication unit, to establish a subscriber connection over a mobile telephony network utilizing the subscriber information in accordance with a mobile telephony service corresponding to the subscriber information; and where, when the bands free unit is not connected to the mobile communication unit in order to receive subscriber information for communicating over the mobile telephony network using subscriber information in accordance with the mobile telephony service corresponding to the subscriber information, the hands flee unit is configured to establish the connection to the external database of stolen, vehicles without the subscriber information; transmitting the retrieved vehicle identification information via the mobile telephony network to the external database of stolen vehicles; determining whether the identified vehicle is in the database of stolen vehicles.