Patent ID: 7171294

Claim:
An on-vehicle device for placement in a vehicle and connection to an external image taking device via the Internet such that the on-vehicle device is able to communicate with the image taking device via the Internet, the external image taking device for detecting an emergency at least within an area in which an image is captured or a call, and transmitting an emergency detection notification or a call detection notification to a previously designated destination when the emergency or the call is detected, respectively, the on-vehicle device comprising: communication means for communicating with the image taking device via the Internet; reception notification means for notifying a user, by at least one of blinking of a button, a sound, vibration, and displaying a character or a symbol on a display panel, that the communication means receives an emergency detection notification or a call detection notification from the image taking device; display means for displaying a video image of video data received by the communication means from the image taking device; vehicle stopped state detection means for detecting whether or not the vehicle is stopped; control means for checking the vehicle stopped state detection means to determine whether or not the vehicle is stopped when the communication means receives the emergency detection notification or the call detection notification from the image taking device, receiving the video data from the image taking device via the communication means and causing the display means to display the video image of the video data if the vehicle is stopped, and notifying the user of the emergency detection notification or the call detection notification by the reception notification means if the vehicle is not stopped; and a video image playback instruction input means for accepting an input of a video image playback instruction from the user, wherein if the vehicle is not stopped, the control means is operable to receive the video data from the image taking device via the communication means at least when the video image playback instruction input means receives the video image playback instruction, and cause the display means to display the video image of the video data.