Patent ID: RE44785

Claim:
A vehicle immobilization system for a vehicle, said vehicle having an on/off switch and an engine, said vehicle immobilization system comprising: an electronically controlled locking mechanism responsive to a remote command signal to move between a locked state and an unlocked state, said electronically controlled locking mechanism requiring an electrical supply to move in either direction between said locked state and said unlocked state, such that said electronically controlled locking mechanism remains in its current locked or unlocked state whenever disconnected from said electrical supply; switch means for selectably connecting and disconnecting said electronically controlled locking mechanism to and from said electrical supply in response to an enable power command and a disable power command and for receiving an engine speed message and a vehicle speed message ; and control means coupled to said electronically controlled locking mechanism and said switch means, said control means generating said enable power command in response to activity of said on/off switch and preventing said enable power command when said engine is running or when said vehicle is moving , wherein said control means is operably coupled to said electronically controlled locking mechanism and to said switch means by a multiplex bus, said control means transmitting said enable power command on said multiplex bus to said switch means in response to activity of said on/off switch and said switch means receiving said engine speed message and said vehicle speed message on said multiplex bus and failing to respond to said enable power command unless said engine speed message indicates said engine is stopped and said vehicle speed message indicates said vehicle is not moving, and wherein said switch means disconnects said electronically controlled locking mechanism from both live and ground sides of said electrical supply in response to said disable power command .