Patent ID: 6853853

Claim:
A method for long-range remote control of predetermined vehicle functions on a vehicle having an existing short-range receiver for controlling a plurality of vehicle functions and being wired thereto, and a gateway device in communication with said short-range receiver and a remote long-range wireless transmission source, the existing short-range receiver having communication capabilities with an existing short-range remote control transmission device corresponding thereto, said method comprising the steps of: said gateway device receiving a long-range coded command from a remote long-range wireless transmission source, said gateway device being mounted on said vehicle, said long-range coded command having a first predefined protocol; said gateway device translating said long-range coded command into a second predefined protocol defining a short-range coded command; said gateway device transmitting said short-range coded command to the short-range receiver mounted on the vehicle, said transmission by way of a radio frequency sigal that is the same as a communication signal between the existing short-range receiver and its corresponding short-range remote control transmission device; said short-range receiver controlling the operation of at least one of a plurality of vehicle functions it is wired to by using the received coded short-range command having a second predefined protocol that corresponds to the long-range coded command received and translated by said gateway device.