Remote, bidirectional communication with an engine control unit

Abstract

A remote computing device communicates bi-directionally with an on-board computing device disposed in a combustion engine vehicle, wherein the on-board computing device controls a fuel pump of the vehicle. The remote computing device queries for and receives data about the vehicle from the on-board computing device, such as the Vehicle Identification Number, diagnostic information about the vehicle, and/or data about how the vehicle is being driven.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product being useable with a computing device comprising a programmable processor for remote, bidirectional communication with an engine control unit disposed in a combustion engine vehicle, the computer program product comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to request a first Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) from the engine control unit; and   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to receive and store said first VIN.   
     
     
         2 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use said first VIN to determine at least a make of the combustion engine vehicle; and   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the make of the combustion engine vehicle to determine whether the combustion engine vehicle has been recalled.   
     
     
         3 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , further comprising computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to send data to the engine control unit to cause the engine control unit to turn on an engine warning light in the combustion engine vehicle. 
     
     
         4 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to compare the first VIN with at least a second VIN to find a match; and   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the second VIN to determine an identifier associated with a driver of the combustion engine vehicle.   
     
     
         5 . The computer program product of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to request data about the combustion engine vehicle; and   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to receive and store the data.   
     
     
         6 . The computer program product of  claim 5 , further comprising computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the data to rate a driving status of the driver of the combustion engine vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The computer program product of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the computer readable program code causes the programmable processor to request, receive, and store the data a plurality of times; and   further comprising computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the data to rate a driving habit of the driver of the combustion engine vehicle.   
     
     
         8 . The computer program product of  claim 7 , further comprising computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to determine an offer from a rental car company based on the driving habit. 
     
     
         9 . The computer program product of  claim 5 , wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: speed of the combustion engine vehicle; throttle position; acceleration pedal position; engine run time; fuel level; and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the data to determine that the combustion engine vehicle is being driven by a driver;   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to send an alert regarding the data for delivery to a driver of the combustion engine vehicle.   
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the alert is message configured to be delivered by a cellular telephone of the driver. 
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 10 , wherein the alert includes a warning that a fuel level of the combustion engine vehicle is low and a fuel station is located nearby. 
     
     
         13 . A computer program product encoded in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product being useable with a computing device comprising a programmable processor for remote, bidirectional communication with an engine control unit disposed in a combustion engine vehicle, the computer program product comprising:
 computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to request diagnostic data about the combustion engine vehicle; and   computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to receive and store the diagnostic data.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13 , further comprising computer readable program code which causes the programmable processor to use the diagnostic data to identify a driver of the combustion engine vehicle.