Method for locating a vehicle
Methods of locating a vehicle are disclosed. Location coordinates are received at regular intervals via a handheld locator device for the current location of the handheld locator device. The handheld locator device detects the cessation of the presence of the vehicle. The location coordinates last-received before the detection of the cessation of the presence of the vehicle are stored automatically, and represent the approximate location of the parked vehicle when the cessation of the presence of the vehicle is detected.
1. A method of locating a vehicle, comprising:
a) placing a beacon device in the vehicle, the beacon device being capable of wireless signal communication according to preset parameters;
b) detecting the presence of the beacon device on a removable locator device via the wireless signal;
c) automatically initiating locating technology in the locator device to establish current location coordinates for the locator device upon detecting the presence of the beacon device;
d) updating the current location coordinates of the locator device at regular intervals for as long as the locator device remains within signal range of the beacon device; and,
e) automatically storing, as a waypoint on the locator device, the last updated location coordinates upon the locator device ceasing to detect the presence of the beacon device,
wherein the stored waypoint represents the approximate location of the vehicle.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications range of the beacon device is limited in range to less than 10 meters.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications range of the beacon device is limited in range to the approximate dimensions of a vehicle.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said locator device is an electronic device which uses GPS technology to determine its location coordinates, said electronic device being one of: a commercial GPS receiver, a cell phone, a smartphone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said locator device is one of: a cellular phone, a smartphone or a PDA and uses one of cellular phone or WiMAX locating technology to obtain location information to set the location waypoint.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the beacon device awaits a signal from the locator device before emitting any signal.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the beacon device emits a periodic signal to be detected by the locator device.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beacon device emits a signal continuously.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beacon signal is emitted every 60 or fewer seconds.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locator device provides one or more of the following to guide the user back to the stored waypoint representing the approximate location of their vehicle: a map, a set of text instructions, and a set of audio instructions.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the locator device displays a map and the map displays a symbol to denote the user's current location.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein the symbol to denote the user's current location additionally denotes the direction that the user is heading.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein the map displays a symbol to denote the stored waypoint representing the approximate location of the vehicle.
14. The method of claim 11 wherein the map displays both the symbol to denote the user's current location and the symbol to denote the stored waypoint representing the vehicle's approximate location on the map at the same time.
15. The method of claim 11 wherein the map displays an indicator of the general direction from the user's current location to the stored waypoint representing the vehicle's approximate location when the distance between both points is sufficiently large that both points are not visible on the map at the same time based on the scale of the map and removes the indicator when both points are sufficiently close that both points are visible on the map at the same time.
16. The method of claim 11 wherein the map displays a highlighted route from the user's current location to the vehicle's approximate location.
17. The method of claim 1 wherein the locator device prompts the user to reset upon detecting the beacon signal, which occurs when the user returns to be within close range of the stored waypoint representing the vehicle's approximate location.
18. The method of claim 1 wherein the locator device automatically resets upon detecting the continued presence of the beacon signal for a fixed period of time.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the locator device automatically resets upon detecting the continued presence of the beacon signal for a fixed period of time, which signal is only transmitted when said beacon is attached to a vehicle power supply and the vehicle is on.