US US7430471

A comprehensive summary of United States Patent US7430471 is provided below, based on a thorough analysis of the patent documentation and a search of public records as of April 26, 2026.

Summary of U.S. Patent No. 7,430,471

Title: Method and system for monitoring a vehicle

Inventor: Franklin C. Simon

Original Assignee: Payment Protection Systems Inc.

Filing Date: October 25, 2005

Issue Date: September 30, 2008

Current Assignee: As of a 2023 court filing, the patent was asserted by RFC Lenders of Texas, LLC. A search of the USPTO's assignment database did not reveal any subsequent reassignments. Therefore, RFC Lenders of Texas, LLC is the last known assignee.

Abstract: The patent describes a method for monitoring a vehicle that involves detecting the vehicle's movement or activation. A signal indicating this activity is then transmitted to a control center. Any operator identification that is received by the vehicle's system is also sent to the control center. A key feature is the determination of whether the operator's identification was received within a specified time frame relative to the vehicle's movement or activation.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims

This patent contains two independent claims, which define the core of the invention in their broadest terms.

Independent Claim 1: This claim outlines a method for monitoring a vehicle. The core steps are:

• Detecting that the vehicle is moving or has been activated (e.g., the engine has been started).
• Sending a signal to a central control center to report this activity.
• Transmitting any identification provided by the vehicle's operator to the control center.
• Determining at the control center if the operator's identification was received within a predefined time window of the vehicle's movement or activation.
• A unique feature of this claim is that the vehicle itself has the capability to detect when it is at a specific "landmark" (such as a dealership or a service center) and can then transmit information identifying that landmark or its location to the control center.

Independent Claim 15: This claim describes a similar vehicle monitoring method with the same initial steps of detecting vehicle activity, signaling a control center, and transmitting operator identification for a time-sensitive check. The key distinction in this claim is how the vehicle's location at a landmark is reported. Instead of the vehicle detecting and reporting its own location, a "landmark" is equipped to detect the presence of the vehicle. The landmark then transmits data to the control center that identifies the specific vehicle and the location of that landmark.

Litigation and Expiration Status

A review of court records indicates that this patent was the subject of litigation in 2023, with RFC Lenders of Texas, LLC asserting the patent. A search of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) dockets for 2026 did not yield any cases involving US7430471. It is important to note that this patent has expired, meaning its term of legal protection has ended.