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New patent on Geofencing for cars

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JPP

Active Member
Feb 4, 2013
3,088
1,355
SF Bay Area, CA
Just caught this post about an Apple patent application using your iPhone and a geofence to allow activation of functions in your car. There are the obvious ones like automatic door unlock-lock, and not so obvious ones like the phone/car recognizing that you are walking towards the car and will be at your vehicle in 5 minutes, and thus the climate control can be switched on prior to your arrival. Some of the functions are linked to low power Bluetooth and iBeacon technology being rolled out.

See:

http://www.macrumors.com/2013/12/11...ons-detailed-in-new-apple-patent-application/

(Mods--feel free to move as appropriate).
 
This is actually really cool to pair with what seems like their near term plans in the infotainment space. The not-too-far-fetched idea will be when the driver is instead the geofence, things like the car preconditioning as it drives itself to the driver.
 
I have been geofencing, not with my car but otherwise for years using an Android app called Locale. I have Locale set up to configure my phone to tether whenever it connects via Bluetooth to my car. To me the patent seems fairly obvious and I'm sure prior art will surface, showing it's another BS Apple patent.
 
Sure sounds like Apple patent trolling again.. Locale and several similar apps use this principle and work very well.
Locale is brilliant once one takes the time to set everything. It automates everything around you really.