Patent ID: 8818725

Claim:
A system to associate a stand-alone computing device and a vehicle comprising: a vehicle comprising: a head unit; the stand-alone computing device selectively interconnected to the head unit; an additional console display; wherein one or more of the vehicle or the stand-alone computing device are adapted to determine if the stand-alone computing device is docked with the vehicle and then, if not docked, if the stand-alone computing device is in the vehicle; a tracking module, executed by the stand-alone computing device, adapted to determine stand-alone computing device identifier for the stand-alone computing device to be associated with the vehicle; if the stand-alone device is not in the vehicle, a location module, executed by the stand-alone device, adapted to: initiate a locator routine to determine a location of the stand-alone computing device outside of the vehicle; transmitting stand-alone computing device location information, from the stand-alone computing device to the vehicle, about the location of the stand-alone computing device; and one or more of the additional console display or a communications device adapted to provide the stand-alone computing device location information to a user of the vehicle.