The Auto Reminder

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The Auto Reminder

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The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for
reminding a driver of a car that a child, a pet and/or a valuable is in a
parked car and, more particularly to providing a keyless remote entry
device with at least one button which, when first pressed indicates that a
child, a pet and/or a valuable is being placed in the car for transportation.
Upon arrival at a destination the keyless remote entry device cannot be
used to lock the car doors if the child, a pet and/or a valuable is still in the
car after the car engine is turned off and the button first pressed has not
been pressed a second time to alert the keyless remote entry device that
the child, pet or valuable has been removed from the car.

On hectic and busy days, it can be very easy for adults to experience
momentary confusion and lapses in judgment. Juggling the sometimes
daunting demands of career and family, parents can be particularly
susceptible to this, despite their best intentions and diligence. Rushing
from work to collect children from school or day care, a parent may have
to complete a plethora of other errands before finally reaching home, such
as making a bank deposit or picking up a few items from the market for
dinner. In a hurry, the parent may consider it safe to leave a child in the car
while quickly dashing into an establishment, or they may be so harried
that they leave the child behind without realizing they have done so.

Unfortunately, leaving a child or a pet alone in a car, even for a short
period of time, can lead to tragic circumstances, especially on hot days.

According to: "Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles"
by Jan Null, CCM, Adjunct Professor of Meteorology, SFSU
Updated July 9, 2010

For more informational and data including annual, monthly, state
comparison, as well as a breakdown by age and temperature follow this
link to the Department of Geosciences An Academic Affiliate of the
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research A unit of the College of
Science and Engineering San Francisco State University.
http://ggweather.com/heat/

Below is some of the information from the above referenced web site.

To date there have been twenty deaths in 2010 of children due to
hyperthermia (heat stroke) from being in hot vehicles. Last year there
were a total of at least 33 such fatalities in the United States due to
hyperthermia after they were left in hot cars, trucks, vans and SUV's.
Since 1998 there have been at least a total of 465 of these needless
tragedies. This study shows that these incidents can occur on days with
relatively mild (i.e., ~ 70 degrees F) temperatures and that vehicles can
reach life-threatening temperatures very rapidly. The present invention of

The Auto Reminder is a sound and sight reminder which alerts a driver of
a car that a child, a pet and/or a valuable has been accidentally left in a
parked car after the engine has been turned off and the driver is
attempting to lock the car doors. Designed as an after market product or
as part of original equipment manufacture, The Auto Reminder is
comprised of a transmitting unit that can be installed within the keyless
remote entry device and configured to operate with that unit’s lock/unlock
capabilities. In addition a small, liquid crystal display having a baby icon, a
pet icon and a valuable icon such as a dollar sign ($) can be located on the
front of the keyless remote entry device to serve as a control and a visual
indicator that, upon entering the car, the system has been activated to
indicate that a child, a pet and/or a valuable is being placed in the car. A
speaker or a vibrator can be located within the keyless remote entry
device’s durable plastic housing to provide a warning when the driver
attempts to lock the car doors before removing the child, pet and/or
valuable from the car. Audio and visual alerts can also be incorporated
into the screen of the monitor in the car’s instrument panel and the lights
and horn of the car.

Referring to FIG. 3 (above), there is shown a view of the keyless remote
entry device for a car having the usual manufacture’s provided functions
of lock, unlock, trunk and alarm in addition to the functions of setting the
system of The Auto Reminder here disclosed to indicate that a child, a pet
and/or a valuable is still in the car if the driver attempts to lock the car
doors after the car is parked and before the child, a pet and/or a valuable
has been removed from the car. In addition the keyless remote entry
device can have a display screen (not shown) and a small speaker (not
shown) to provide visual and audio messages to the car driver.

In operation, a person before entering his/her car, presses the door
unlocking button and then presses any one or combination of three icon
buttons on the keyless remote entry device to designate that a child, a pet
and/or a valuable is being place in the car.

The driver then places the child, a pet and/or a valuable into the car and
starts the car. At this time the screen of the monitor in the car is activated
and the icon(s) of the buttons pressed prior to entering the car light up to
indicate who and/or what the driver indicated was being placed into the
car. The monitor may have voice capability and will announce who and/or
what the driver placed into the car. See Fig 1. (below)

When the driver reaches his/her destination, parks the car and places the
shift lever in the park position, the screen of the display monitor will
visually and verbally remind the driver to remove who and/or what was
placed into the car and should now be removed.

After removing the child, pet and/or valuable from the car, the button(s) on
the keyless remote entry device is pressed a second time by the driver to
alert The Auto Reminder that the child, pet and/or valuable which was
placed into the car at the beginning of the car ride has been removed. If
the icon button(s) on the keyless remote entry device is not pressed a
second time to indicate that the child, pet and/or valuables has been
removed from the car prior to pressing the door locking button on the
keyless device, the keyless device will vibrate, flash and/or verbally alert
the driver that the child, pet and/or valuable is still in the car. If this alert
warning is ignored by the driver, after a preset interval of time which can
vary from five seconds to forty five seconds, the car head lights will flash
and/or the horn will sound to more positively remind the driver that the
child, pet and/or valuable has not been removed from the car. The lights
will flash and the horn will sound until the driver removes the child, pet
and/or valuable and then presses the appropriate button(s) on the keyless
remote entry device a second time. By pressing a second time The Auto
Reminder is deactivated which will turn off all audio and visual signals, as
well as, allow the driver to lock the vehicle.

When a user has driven to a chosen destination, turns the car engine off
and attempts to lock the car doors before pressing the first pressed button
a second time, the keyless remote entry device will begin vibrating or
making a buzzing sound to alert the driver that a child, a pet or a valuable
is still in the car. Should the driver ignore this warning, the horn will sound
and/or headlights of the car will flash after a brief interval of time until the
child, pet and/or valuable is removed from the car and the appropriate icon
button on the keyless remote entry device is pressed.

Bucks woman charged in hot car death
Child Found Dead in Car
Phoenix girl dead after left in hot car for hours
5-month-old girl was found inside vehicle on a residential street
Antioch Baby Dies After Being Left In Car
Child found dead inside vehicle in Vero Beach, mother questioned
Kingsville baby dead after being left in hot car

After a family has suffered the first tragedy; the serious illness/ injury or
death of a child. They must now face a second tragedy which is the official
charges of a mother, father, grandmother or grandfather or any other
caretaker who left the child in the auto at the time of serious illness/ injury
or death. The individual will be charged with “Child Endangerment" for
serious illness/ injury and should a child die the individual will be charged
with “Felony Involuntary Manslaughter” and the family could now lose
another loved one for years.

Patent
Pending

A Real Life Saver

The Auto Reminder: Invention Details

Tragic Incidents: Preventable Deaths

Keyless
Remote

Monitor

Patent
Pending

The Inventor has
been in public service
his entire life

US Marine Corp.
wounded in Vietnam
awarded purple heart

Philadelphia Police
Officer 15 years
retired 1988

U.S. Marshall
Special Deputy
20 years
retired 2008

He is very passionate
about saving lives;
by getting The Auto
Reminder into
vehicles via auto
manufacturers and/
or as an after market
device we can be
proactive and put an
end to these tragic
preventable deaths

Double Tragedy