Claims:We Claim:
1. A method for use in a system for maintaining vehicles, comprising:
a. receiving information concerning maintenance of vehicles
b. based on the information, identifying at least one selected vehicle having a certain condition, the selected vehicle being identified by identifying data
c. providing a message about the certain condition, over a communications network, to the selected vehicle based on the identifying data
d. providing, to a database, selected data from a vehicle service provider rectifying the certain condition of the Selected vehicle
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is electronically provided to the vehicle at an address based on the identifying data.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying data includes a type of the selected vehicle.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications between a vehicle and remote stations or servers are realized using electronic car-mail, referred to as "C-mail.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein each auto repair service sends an E-mail message to the central server mailbox describing the services rendered thereby to the vehicle
6. The method of claim 5 wherein each auto repair service includes the odometer readings of the vehicle, coupled with the dates and times corresponding thereto.
, Description:Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a communications technique, and more particularly to a technique for communicating information, including advertising and servicing information, with automobiles
Background of the Invention
To keep automobile users “wired even while on the road, a PC specifically designed for them, namely, the “Auto PC.' has been introduced. The AutoPC, which may be installed in the standard car Stereo slot, comprises well known communications and navigation technologies. For example, the automobile users can utilize the Auto PC to communicate E-mail and pager messages. The users can also rely on the AutoPC to navigate with the aid of the U.S. governments constellation of global positioning system (GPS) satellites. In response to signals from Such satellites, in a conventional manner, the Auto PC pinpoints the vehicle's location (in latitude and longitude). It also detects the vehicle's speed and direction. With geographic information stored therein, the Auto PC is capable of verbally and visually communicating to the user instructions for reaching the destination. The marriage of communications and GPS technologies benefitting automobiles has been observed. The resulting service is known as the "OnStar service.” This service requires that an OnStar system including a GPS receiver, and a cellular phone be installed in an automobile subscribing to the service. When an automobile user calls an OnStar service representative via the cellular phone, the system automatically communicates the vehicle's location tracked by the GPS receiver. The service representative may then provide the user with directions, restaurant recommenda tions, and/or roadside assistance depending on the vehicle's location. In addition, to obtain diagnostic information from, and upgrade certain software in, an automobile, a system whereby an automobile communicates, with a remote station, data concerning the automobile. In the disclosed system, the remote station communicates the data via a cellular phone network to the automobile having a cellular phone connection, using the cellular phone number to locate the automobile.

Object of the Invention
The object of the invention is system and method for communicating information for advertising and servicing with automobiles.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the communications between a vehicle and remote stations or servers are realized using electronic car-mail, referred to as "C-mail. Like a conventional E-mail message, a C-mail message is formatted in accordance with well-known protocols, and it may be delivered by conventional mail servers on a communications network Such as the Internet. However, unlike E-mail whose address identifies a person for personal communications and is analogous to the aforemen tioned cellular phone number, the C-mail has an address identifying the vehicle itself. For example, the C-mail. address may be made up of the vehicle identification number (VIN) identifying the vehicle. Such a C-mail address remains unchanged at least over the lifetime of the vehicle. As the C-mail address appertains to, or specifically associated with, the vehicle, rather than a person, e.g., the owner of the vehicle, communications with the vehicle using C-mail is intact throughout the lifetime of the vehicle, Surviving all changes in the ownership of the vehicle. In addition, by taking advantage of the well-known E-mail features, the vehicle may multicast via C-mail the same information, e.g., diagnostic information, simultaneously to various servers on the Internet for different analyses. Conversely, a server may multicast via C-mail the same information, e.g., recall information, simultaneously to selected vehicles using the corresponding VINs as parts of their C-mail addresses. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a user may utilize a car browser to browse advertising information from a communications network, e.g., the Internet. The advertising information is provided in a just-in-time (JIT) fashion, whose content is dependent upon the current location of the vehicle indicated by GPS coordinates.

Brief description of Drawings:
FIG. 1 illustrates data fields in an electronic car-mail message in accordance with the invention communicated by the communications Subsystem
Detailed Description of Invention:
FIG. 1 illustrates different data fields in the C-mail message as composed by processor. Specifically, data field contains the address of the central server mailbox, i.e., mail (acarcentral.com, to which the C-mail message is delivered. Such an address is stored in memory. Data field contains the C-mail origination address associated with the vehicle in question, which is xxxxxx vehicle.com in this instance as described before. Data field contains selected ones of the dynamic data provided by the subsystems in a predetermined format. Data field contains the date and time stamp of the C-mail message which is provided by clock subsystem. Data field contains the current odometer reading of the vehicle provided by auxiliary subsystem. Data field contains GPS data provided by navigation subsystem described below, indicating the current location of the vehicle. Data field contains direction data from Subsystem concerning the current direction toward which the vehicle is heading. Data field contains data concerning the current speed of the vehicle provided by the speedometer in subsystem. Upon receipt of the C-mail message, central server processes the data contained in the message, and distributes the data into appropriate databases to facilitate queries by different entities. Each new data entry to the databases is identified by the VIN of the vehicle which, as mentioned before, forms part of the C-mail origination address. A first database in central server , which may be queried by law enforcement using queries in accordance with the standard relational database programming language SQL, may contain C-mail data from the respective vehicles concerning, e.g., their emission, pollution content, and integrity of lights, restraint devices, etc. For example, after querying the first database, the law enforcement may issue warnings or Summonses to the owners of violating vehicles, or even prohibit use of such vehicles when the emission of the vehicles does not meet a certain standard, or when the safety of the vehicles calls into question because of a lack of integrity of their lights, restraint devices, etc. The law enforcement may issue such warnings or Summonses via C-mail to the violating vehicles using the VINs, forming part of the C-mail addresses, in the responses to the queries. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the subject vehicle includes a security mechanism whereby the vehicle may be remotely disabled via C-mail in case of emergency, car theft, prohibition by law of use of the vehicle, etc. In accordance with Such a mechanism, process Sor checks each incoming C-mail message for a secret code for effecting disablement of the vehicle. If such a secret code is detected, processor accordingly shuts the engine off, preferably when the speed of the vehicle is low to avoid an accident. The rest of the C-mail message may indicate the cause of disablement through user interface described below. In a preferred embodiment, multiple secret codes are used to disable the vehicle, and a secret code is assigned to the law enforcement. In the event that the vehicle is disabled because of a violation of law, having so informed by the C-mail message, the vehicle owner needs to resolve the violation with the appropriate law enforcement authority before the vehicle engine is reactivated based on the particular secret code. A second database in central server 230, which may be queried by financial institutions to track the leased and financed vehicles in case of repossession, may contain C-mail data from the respective vehicles concerning their GPS locations coupled with the dates, times, and heading directions and speeds corresponding to such locations. The knowledge of the whereabouts of each vehicle is also important when the vehicle needs to be in case of an emergency or accident, especially when the user is incapacitated and unable to communicate the current vehicle location. A third database in central server, which may be queried by auto repair services, OEMs and independent watch groups, may contain C-mail data from the respective vehicles concerning diagnostics of the working components in the vehicles provided by the above-described subsystems. An auto insurance company may also query the third data base for data concerning, e.g., the speeds, and statuses of the brakes of a vehicle to assess the driving habit of the user. Based on the data which indicates the frequency of the vehicle's exceeding the highway speed limit, the rate at which its brakes wear out, etc., the insurance company determines certain risk factors associated with the user, and the insurance premium for his/her vehicle accordingly. The auto repair services can also contribute to the third database after they furnish repair, maintenance and/or part replacements to each vehicle, thereby Supplementing the database. To that end, each auto repair service sends an E-mail message to the central server mailbox describing the services rendered thereby to the vehicle. The data fields of Such an E-mail message may include (a) the destination address field containing the address of the central server mailbox, i.e., mail(acarcentral.com in this instance, (b) the subject matter or “re:” field containing the VIN of the vehicle just serviced, (c) the origination address field containing the E-mail address identifying the auto repair Ser vice, which in this instance has been registered with the central server, and (d) the message body field contains data concerning the services performed on the vehicle, any replacement of vehicle parts and descriptions thereof, and the date and time of the services, with an indication of whether any service or part replacement is in response to a recall notice by an auto manufacturer. The message body field may contain the data in a predetermined format, which may be in code to facilitate the data processing by central server after receiving the E-mail message. Central server distinguishes such an E-mail message from a C-mail message by the origination address identifying the repair service, which is registered and in a different format than a C-mail address. Upon receipt of the E-mail message from the repair service, central server extracts the data from its message body field and incorporates the data into the third database under the VIN provided in the subject matter field. The auto manufacturer typically maintains, on its own computer, a database of the VINs of the vehicles sold to which the recall notice applies. Thus, by entering the aforementioned VINs obtained from the supplemented third database, and by elimination, the auto manufacturer computer identifies the VINs of those vehicles which have not responded to the recall notice. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the auto manufacturer computer may multicast a second recall notice via C-mail to those vehicles using the identified VINs as parts of the C-mail “cc:” addresses. Compared with the prior art Snail mail approach whose practicability precariously depends on the validity of the record address of each vehicle owner who may have moved or changed, the inventive C-mail approach is much more effective where the recall notice in the form of C-mail is transmitted via the Internet to the vehicle itself, and the user in the vehicle is prompted by a user interface in a manner described below to read the C-mail recall notice as soon as it arrives. In fact, it is more economical and advantageous for the auto manufacturer to multicast the recall notice via C-mail to all the vehicles concerned in the first instance. As mentioned before, the third database supplemented by the auto repair services also catalogues the parts of each vehicle, which were replaced by such services, by their replacement dates and times, and descriptions. In the eventual scrappage of the vehicle, by querying the Supplemented third database, the history of each replacement part therein is known. Depending on its history, the replacement part can be recycled, refurbished, or properly disposed to better protect the environment. For used vehicle buyers, the supplemented third database may also provide C-mail data concerning any detection of a physical impact on the body of a vehicle, and any deployment of airbags therein, indicative of a prior collision. In addition, it may include the odometer readings of the vehicle, coupled with the dates and times corresponding thereto. The odometer readings are assumed accurate if they increase with time. It should be noted that to prevent fraud or tampering with the databases in central server , the data in the E-mail or C-mail to server may be encrypted, or signed with a digital signature for authentication purposes, in accordance with a well-known cryptographic algorithm, e.g., the RSA algorithm, digital signature algorithm (DSA), pretty good privacy (PGP) algorithm, etc. It should also be noted that by using a conventional relational database manager (not shown) in server, each query against the databases therein results in a concise report satisfying the criteria specified in the query. If any text, graphics, pictures, audio clips and/or video clips are attached to the C-mail or E-mail messages sent to server. Such attachments are titled and tagged in the databases. The report generated in response to a query includes any relevant attachments.