WO2006080632A1

WO2006080632A1 - Car management system using mobile phones and the method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2006080632A1
Application number: PCT/KR2005/003151
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hyun Tae Jeon
Original assignee: Inforcall Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2004-11-19
Filing date: 2005-09-23
Publication date: 2006-08-03
Also published as: KR20060056081A

Abstract

A vehicle management system and method using wireless terminals is provided. In the method, a server on a network stores accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement time information in a specific recording medium. The server transmits an accumulated travel distance information request message to a wireless terminal of a subscriber. The wireless terminal of the subscriber transmits accumulated travel distance information to the server. The server checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information transmitted from the wireless terminal, is present, based on the accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement time information stored in the recording medium. If a vehicle maintenance/consumable item required to be replaced is present, the server notifies the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced. Thus, the appropriate time to replace maintenance/consumable items (for example, engine oil, brake linings/pads, and a generator) and prices of the items at the moment when they are replaced can be easily calculated according to the accumulated travel distance information provided through the wireless terminal.

Description

[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]

CAR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING MOBILE PHONES AND THE METHOD THEREOF

[Technical Field]

The present invention relates to a vehicle management system and method, and more particularly to a vehicle management system and method using wireless terminals, which regularly receives the accumulated travel distance of a vehicle through a wireless terminal of the vehicle's owner and provides vehicle management information according to the accumulated travel distance.

[Background Art ]

A vehicle log book is a book in which a driver who owns a vehicle manually writes inspection history, parts replacement history, the costs used to maintain and repair the vehicle such as the costs used to replace oil, the amount of fuel consumed, and the like. The vehicle log book makes it possible to estimate the time to replace parts or the time to inspect the vehicle, thereby preventing serious accidents, and also to calculate appropriate vehicle maintenance costs, thereby allowing the driver to more cost-effectively use the vehicle.

However, it is inconvenient to manually write information of each item in the vehicle log book when needed. Thus, there are quite some troubles with maintaining or repairing the vehicle at the appropriate time and at the appropriate costs. Moreover, even with the vehicle log book, drivers often miss the time to replace parts whose replacement period is long, so that, actually, only a few drivers use the vehicle log book. Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2000-29600 (published on

April 19, 2002) has been disclosed to overcome such problems. This prior art is characterized by detecting failures of parts of a vehicle based on signals from an electronic control system provided on a control device associated with each of the parts and transmitting diagnosis data to an information terminal of a service provider through a mobile communication device mounted in the vehicle. However, to accomplish this, the prior art requires a navigation system based on GPS and also requires the additional control device and mobile communication device to detect failures, thereby incurring high costs. Moreover, the prior art system cannot prevent failures since it is activated after the occurrence of failures is detected.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem]

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle management system and method using wireless terminals that is efficient and economical without requiring additional equipment, wherein a server regularly transmits a message, inquiring about accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, to a wireless terminal of the subscriber present on a network and then receives the accumulated travel distance information as a response message to the inquiry message, and the server checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the received accumulated travel distance information, is present and then notifies the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced.

[Technical Solution]

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a vehicle management system using wireless terminals, the system comprising a server for transmitting a message, inquiring about accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network, receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal, checking whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the received accumulated travel distance information, is present, and notifying the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced; and the wireless terminal for receiving the message inquiring about the accumulated travel distance information from the server and transmitting the current accumulated travel distance information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle management system using wireless terminals, the system comprising a server for transmitting a message, inquiring about accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network and receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal; and the wireless terminal for receiving the message inquiring about the accumulated travel distance information from the server and transmitting the current accumulated travel distance information, wherein the server records the accumulated travel distance information as respective accumulated travel distances of time intervals of a specific period, takes statistics of the respective accumulated travel distances to estimate an expected accumulated travel distance of a next time interval, checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the expected accumulated travel distance, is present, and notifies the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle management method using wireless terminals, the method comprising the steps of storing accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement information in a database in a server; transmitting a message, requesting accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, from the server to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network; transmitting accumulated travel distance information, as a response to the message, from the wireless terminal; checking, by the server, whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, is present, with reference to the database, upon receiving the accumulated travel distance information; and if the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is present, notifying the wireless terminal of the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle management method using wireless terminals, the method comprising the steps of storing vehicle information received from a wired or wireless terminal of a subscriber in a database in a server, the vehicle information including at least one of vehicle number information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information of a vehicle; transmitting a message, requesting accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, from the server to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network and receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal in response to the message; calculating, by the server, used car price information according to the accumulated travel distance information; and notifying, by the server, the wireless terminal of the used car price information.

[Advantageous Effects]

As described above, according to the present invention, the subscriber is notified in real time of information of the appropriate time to replace maintenance/consumable items, vehicle inspection information, parts price information, repair shop guide information, used car price information, and the like, based on accumulated travel distance information of the vehicle of the subscriber that is regularly provided by the wireless terminal. Thus, the user can achieve optimal, efficient, and fast maintenance and sale of the vehicle at the appropriate time and at the proper price based on the variety of accurate information. In addition, the system according to the present invention is very efficient and economical since the information is communicated with the vehicle management server simply using the wireless terminal of the subscriber without the need to mount additional equipment in the vehicle to accomplish the system according to the present invention. Further, using the wireless terminal or the like, it is possible to easily check past replacement history of each maintenance/consumable item and also to receive a maintenance certificate of the maintenance history at the moment of selling the vehicle, thereby improving the reliability for sale of used cars.

[ Description of Drawings ]

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the configuration of a vehicle management system using wireless terminals according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates example information data stored in a database in the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating how a member registration procedure is performed in a vehicle management method according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating how a management target vehicle is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating how vehicle maintenance information is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating how used car price information is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates how accumulated travel distance information is transmitted using a wireless terminal according to the present invention.

[Best Mode]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are provided for an overall understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the configuration of a vehicle management system using wireless terminals according to the present invention.

The vehicle management system using wireless terminals according to the present invention includes a vehicle management server 1 and a wireless terminal 2 of a subscriber that is connected to the vehicle management server 1 via a wireless network.

The vehicle management server 1 regularly receives an accumulated travel distance from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber and regularly provides information of vehicle maintenance/consumable items, which are required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance, to the wireless terminal 2.

The wireless terminal 2 includes at least one communication program (for example, a wireless web browser) whereby it can communicate with the vehicle management server 1 through at least one wireless network. The wireless terminal 2 includes at least one of a Personal Communication System (PCS), a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), a Personal Digital Cellular (PDC) system, a Personal Handyphone System (PHS), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a portable/mobile communication terminal such as a smart phone, a wireless data communication terminal, a portable Internet terminal, an auto-PC, or an automotive telematics unit.

The vehicle management server 1 functions to regularly request that the wireless terminal 2 having a wireless network communication function provide accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle of the subscriber and to obtain the accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber and then to update and store the accumulated travel distance information. The vehicle management server 1 also functions to check vehicle maintenance/consumable items that are required to be replaced with reference to the accumulated travel distance and then to transmit the checked vehicle maintenance/consumable item information back to the wireless terminal 2. To accomplish these functions, the vehicle management server 1 preferably includes a receiver 3, a database 11, a database manager 10, a checking unit 8, an information transmitter 4, an information provider 5, a member registration unit 9, a price calculator 7, a record unit 6, and the like.

The receiver 3 receives accumulated travel distance information transmitted wirelessly or by wire from a wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber or a client 14. The vehicle management server 1 regularly transmits an accumulated travel distance information request message to the subscriber's wireless terminal 2 through the information transmitter 4. In response to the request message, the vehicle management server 1 receives a response message containing the accumulated travel distance information from the subscriber's wireless terminal 2 through the receiver 3. The vehicle management server 1 extracts the accumulated travel distance information from the response message and stores it in the database 11.

The receiver 3 receives member registration information from a subscriber and initiates a vehicle management service according to the present invention. The subscriber carries out the member registration wirelessly or by wire. Here, an ARS service can also be provided for the subscriber's convenience. The receiver 3 receives vehicle information provided wirelessly or by wire from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber or the client 14, which includes at least one of current accumulated travel distance information, vehicle number information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information. The database manager 10 classifies and stores the received information in the database 11. The member registration is performed through the member registration unit 9.

The database 11 stores information provided from the outside by classifying it by purpose into an accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file, a vehicle information data file, and a membership information data file. The information data files can be updated regularly. The accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file includes information about the appropriate time to replace each of at least one maintenance/consumable item to be replaced (for example, engine oil, brake linings/pads, a generator, etc.) according to the travel distance. Associated repair shop information, price information, and the like of each maintenance/consumable item may be regularly added and updated by regularly reading it from a repair shop server 13 that operates in conjunction with the vehicle management server 1 on the network.

The vehicle information data file includes vehicle information of a management target vehicle, which includes at least one of current accumulated travel distance information, vehicle number information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information. The vehicle information data file is constructed by receiving the vehicle information wirelessly or by wire from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber or the client 14 and processing it in association with the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file so that internal data elements of the vehicle information data file correspond to those of the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file. Preferably, the past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item may be received not only from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber or the client 14 but also from a repair shop server 13.

The membership information data file includes membership information of the subscriber corresponding to the vehicle information data file. FlG. 2 shows an example of such information data stored in the database 11.

The checking unit 8 checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item required to be replaced is present, according to the accumulated travel distance information which the receiver 3 has received from the wireless terminal 2. Specifically, the checking unit 8 checks any vehicle maintenance/consumable item required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, with reference to the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file and the vehicle information data file stored in the database 11. The information provider 5 then creates a specific message containing the checked vehicle maintenance/consumable item information and transmits the message to the wireless terminal 2 through the information transmitter 4. The information provider 5 provides a specific program or menu structure, which is required to access the vehicle management server 1 , to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber. The information provider 5 creates a message containing a variety of maintenance information as described above and transmits the message to the wireless terminal 2 through the information transmitter 4. The created message includes a Short Messaging Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), or call back URL message.

The price calculator 7 operates in conjunction with a dealer server 12 connected to the vehicle management server 1 via a network and calculates used car price information corresponding to the management target vehicle of the subscriber with reference to used car price information provided from the dealer server 12, based on the vehicle information data file stored in the database 1 1 and the accumulated travel distance information regularly provided from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber. The information provider 5 creates a specific message based on the price information and transmits the message to the wireless terminal 2 through the information transmitter 4.

When information requesting that the management target vehicle be sold has been received through the receiver 3 from the subscriber that has received the price information, the registration unit 6 extracts information data required for the sale from the vehicle information data file stored in the database 1 1 and transmits the extracted information data to the dealer server 12 so that it is registered in the dealer server 12.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating how a member registration procedure is performed in the vehicle management method according to the present invention.

In order to receive a vehicle management service according to the present invention, first, the subscriber must register for membership on the vehicle management server 1 wirelessly or by wire. Here, an ARS service can be provided for the subscriber's convenience.

As a step of preparing for the vehicle management service, the vehicle management server 1 establishes and stores an accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file corresponding to each vehicle model in the database 11 (S300). As described above, the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data includes a list of maintenance/consumable items to be replaced according to travel distances, associated repair shop information, parts price information, and the like. The list of maintenance/consumable items to be replaced according to travel distances is preferably created with reference to a guideline recommended by a vehicle manufacturer, a maintenance service provider, or the like.

If a subscriber who owns a vehicle accesses the vehicle management server 1 through a wired or wireless terminal such as the wireless terminal 2 or the client 14 and selects "MEMBER REGISTRATION" (S301), then the vehicle management server 1 transmits a specific member registration interface, used to input membership information and the vehicle information, to the wired or wireless terminal (S302). Then, the subscriber inputs the membership information and the vehicle information through the member registration interface on the wired or wireless terminal and transmits the input information back to the vehicle management server 1 (S303). As described above, the vehicle information includes at least one of vehicle number information, model year information, current accumulated travel distance information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information of the management target vehicle. The past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item is preferably provided from the repair shop server 13 that operates in conjunction with the vehicle management server 1 via a network. When the procedure for inputting and transmitting the membership information and the vehicle information is completed, the vehicle management server 1 processes the membership information and the vehicle information to be associated with each other and stores it in the database 11 while classifying it into an accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file, a vehicle information data file, and a membership information data file, thereby completing the member registration procedure (S304). As described above, the database is preferably implemented as a so-called relational database in which the vehicle information data file is constructed in association with the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file such that internal data elements of the vehicle information data file correspond to those of the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file.

In an embodiment of the present invention, to provide convenience to the subscriber when using the wireless terminal 2 in the member registration procedure, the wireless terminal 2 preferably includes a browser, menus, icons, an automatic access program, and the like, which allows convenient access to the vehicle management server 1 afterwards.

After the member registration procedure is completed as described above (S304), the vehicle management server 1 transmits, to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber, a message containing a call back URL for providing a menu or icon structure or an automatic access program that operates in conjunction with the vehicle management server 1 (S305). The wireless terminal 2 then receives and installs the automatic access program or the menu or icon structure from the vehicle management server 1 through the call back URL (S306).

FlG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating how a management target vehicle is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention.

With reference to the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file and the vehicle information data file stored in the database 1 1 , the vehicle management server 1 regularly creates an accumulated travel distance information request message that contains both information requesting accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber and a specific call back URL for receiving the accumulated travel distance (S400).

The vehicle management server 1 extracts information of a wireless terminal, to which the accumulated travel distance information request message is to be transmitted, from the membership information of the membership information data file stored in the database 11 (S401). The vehicle management server 1 then transmits the accumulated travel distance information request message to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber using the extracted wireless terminal information (S402) and then switches to reception standby mode in which it awaits a response message received from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber (S403).

Upon receiving the accumulated travel distance information request message from the vehicle management server 1, the wireless terminal 2 receives current accumulated travel distance information of the management target vehicle input by the subscriber and creates a response message corresponding to the accumulated travel distance information request message (S404), and then transmits the response message to the vehicle management server 1 through the call back URL (S405). If the response message corresponding to the accumulated travel distance information request message is not received from the wireless terminal for a specific time (S406), the vehicle management server 1 repeats the above steps (S402 and S403) of transmitting the accumulated travel distance information request message to the wireless terminal of the subscriber at least once. In another embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber may regularly access the vehicle management server 1 through his or her wireless terminal 2 to transmit the accumulated travel distance information to the vehicle management server 1, instead of transmitting the accumulated travel distance information request message from the vehicle management server to the wireless terminal 2 as described above (S400-S403).

Upon receiving the response message containing the accumulated travel distance information of the management target vehicle from the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber (S406), the vehicle management server 1 extracts the accumulated travel distance information of the vehicle from the response message and updates and stores the accumulated travel distance information in the information data files stored in the database 11 (S407). Information of accumulated travel distances of the past is also stored and managed together with the corresponding dates to produce past maintenance history information. The past accumulated travel distance information is written and stored based on time intervals of a specific period arbitrarily determined by a manager of the vehicle management server 1. For example, the past accumulated travel distance information is recorded and stored in a format that includes respective accumulated travel distances of months and the corresponding recording dates.

With reference to the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file in the database 11, the vehicle management server 1 determines whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, is present (S408). As described above, the accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file includes at least one of current accumulated travel distance information, vehicle number information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information, associated repair shop information, and parts price information of the management target vehicle. When any vehicle maintenance/consumable item of the management target vehicle, which is to be replaced, is present (S409), the vehicle management server 1 creates a message that contains at least one of the management target vehicle maintenance/consumable item information, associated repair shop information, maintenance/consumable item price information, and vehicle inspection information (for example, when the management target vehicle is to be regularly inspected) (S410). Preferably, used car price information may also be included in the message at regular intervals or at the request of the subscriber.

The vehicle management server 1 then transmits the created message to the wireless terminal 2 to notify the user of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to the replaced (S411). This notification method preferably includes at least one of a method in which the vehicle management server 1 notifies the wireless terminal 2 of the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced via a message containing a specific call back URL, a method in which the vehicle management server 1 provides a specific alarm, indicating replacement of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item, to the wireless terminal 2, or a method in which the vehicle management server 1 posts the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced on a specific web page.

The vehicle management server 1 extracts and updates the accumulated travel distance information of the vehicle from the response message that has been received from the wireless terminal 2 in response to transmission of the accumulated distance information request message to the wireless terminal 2.

When this procedure has been repeated several times so that a plurality of the information has been accumulated in the database 11, the vehicle management server 1 can estimate an approximate accumulated travel distance of the subscriber of a future time interval from the accumulated information with a certain level of accuracy.

When the vehicle management server 1 has failed to receive the response message corresponding to the accumulated travel distance information request message N or more times (S412), the vehicle management server 1 checks whether or not at least two past accumulated travel distances have been stored in the database 11 (S413).

When at least two past accumulated travel distances have been stored, the vehicle management server 1 takes statistics of the past accumulated travel distances to calculate an average travel distance during a specific period of time and to calculate an expected accumulated travel distance of the subscriber after a specific time interval based on the calculated average travel distance and then stores the calculated distances in the database 11 (S414).

For example, the past accumulated travel distance information may include accumulated travel distances that have been recorded on a monthly basis as described above. When at least two accumulated travel distances of past months have been stored, for example, when 20,000km was stored in January and

22,000km was stored in February, the difference between the accumulated travel distances of January and February, i.e., 2,000km, is an average travel distance per month. In this case, an expected accumulated travel distance of March

"24,000km" is obtained by adding the average travel distance "2,000km" per month to the accumulated travel distance of February "22,000km'^".

The average travel distance may vary depending on the number of times the subscriber transmits the response message to the accumulated travel distance information request message from the vehicle management server 1. The greater the number of transmissions of the response message is, the more accurate the average travel distance is. For example, when 15,000km was stored as an accumulated travel distance in December last year, 20,000km was stored in

January this year, and 22,000km was stored in February this year, the average travel distance per month is obtained by subtracting the accumulated travel distance of December last year from the accumulated travel distance of February this year and dividing the resulting value by 2 (i.e., (22,000- 15,000)/2 = 3,500km), and an expected accumulated travel distance of March this year "25,500km" is obtained by adding the average travel distance per month "3,500km" to the accumulated travel distance of February "22,000km".

The vehicle management server 1 checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is to be replaced according to the expected accumulated travel distance calculated as described above, is present (S408, S409), and automatically provides information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced to the wireless terminal of the subscriber (S410, S411).

When the wireless terminal 2 has replaced the maintenance/consumable item after receiving the message containing the management target vehicle maintenance/consumable item information from the vehicle management server 1 , the wireless terminal 2 may notify the vehicle management server 1 of the replacement through the call back URL and the vehicle management server 1 then may update and store the management target vehicle maintenance/consumable item information in the database 11. When the vehicle inspection information is present in the management target vehicle maintenance/consumable item information, the wireless terminal 2 may transmit a vehicle inspection agency service request back to the vehicle management server 1 through the call back URL in response to the presence of the vehicle inspection information.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating how vehicle maintenance information is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention. In the vehicle management method according to the present invention, the subscriber may access the vehicle management server 1 to update the vehicle information when the subscriber has repaired or inspected the vehicle arbitrarily or in response to the vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement information received through the wireless terminal 2 as described above. First, the wireless terminal 2 accesses the vehicle management server 1 and requests a vehicle maintenance information input interface (S500). The subscriber may also access the vehicle management server 1 using the client 14 on the network. Here, an ARS service can also be provided for the subscriber's convenience. The vehicle management server 1 transmits a specific vehicle maintenance information input interface, used to receive vehicle maintenance information, to the wireless terminal 2 or the client 14 (S501). Specific vehicle maintenance information is input to the wireless terminal 2 or the client 14 using the vehicle maintenance information input interface, and the wireless terminal 2 or the client 14 transmits the input vehicle maintenance information to the vehicle maintenance server 1 (S502). Instead of transmitting the vehicle maintenance information input interface to the subscriber in this manner, the vehicle management server 1 may provide an ARS service to the subscriber so that the subscriber easily inputs specific vehicle maintenance information according to the ARS guide.

Upon receiving the specific vehicle maintenance information, the vehicle maintenance server 1 updates accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable items replacement time information, which has been stored in the database 11, based on the received information (S503). The vehicle management server 1 provides the vehicle information and the vehicle maintenance information to a specific web server (S504). The web server posts the information received from the vehicle management server 1 , as past maintenance history information, on a web page (S505). The web server may also provide an ARS service so that the subscriber can check the past maintenance history information at any time when necessary.

Upon receiving a request to provide the past maintenance history information of the vehicle from the wired or wireless terminal (S506), the vehicle management server 1 creates a maintenance certificate containing the past maintenance history information and transmits the maintenance certificate to the wired or wireless terminal (S507).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating how used car price information is managed using a wireless terminal in the vehicle management method according to the present invention.

In the vehicle management method according to the present invention, the vehicle management server 1 provides information of the management target vehicle such as information of used car prices and dealers at regular intervals or at the request of the subscriber.

With reference to the used car price information provided from the dealer server 12 that operates in conjunction with the vehicle management server 1 via the network, the vehicle management server 1 calculates used car price information of the management target vehicle based on vehicle information of the management target vehicle stored in the database 11 and accumulated travel distance information or vehicle maintenance information regularly provided from the wireless terminal (S500). Here, the vehicle information of the management target vehicle includes at least one of the vehicle number information, the accumulated travel distance information, the model year information, the color information, the vehicle option information, the past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and the past vehicle inspection information, which have been received through the wired or wireless terminal and then been stored in the database 11 during member registration of the subscriber as described above with reference to FIG. 2. The vehicle management server 1 then creates a message containing the calculated used car price information and transmits the message to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber, thereby notifying the subscriber of the used car price (S601). Upon receiving the message, the subscriber can determine whether to sell the management target vehicle based on the message (S602). When the subscriber has determined to sell the vehicle, the wireless terminal 2 creates a specific vehicle sale request message and transmits the message to the vehicle management server 1 through the call back URL (S603). The vehicle management server 1 creates specific used car sale information based on the vehicle sale request message and provides the used car sale information to at least one dealer server 12 that provides a used car sale service (S604). The dealer server 12 posts the used car sale information on a specific web page (S605). FIG. 7 illustrates how accumulated travel distance information is transmitted using a wireless terminal according to the present invention.

The vehicle management server 1 regularly transmits a message, requesting an accumulated travel distance of the management target vehicle of the subscriber, to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber (see (I) in FIG. 7). The subscriber activates "REPLY" in response to the accumulated travel distance request message and inputs current accumulated travel distance information to the wireless terminal 2 of the subscriber, and then activates "SEND" to transmit the accumulated travel distance information to the vehicle management server 1 (see (II) in FIG. 7). The vehicle management server 1 receives the accumulated travel distance information and checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, is present. If a vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is present, the vehicle management server 1 provides a message indicating the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced (see (III) in FIG. 7).

[Industrial Applicability]

The server regularly receives accumulated travel distance information of the vehicle from the wireless terminal and then notifies the subscriber in real time of information of the appropriate time to replace maintenance/consumable items, vehicle inspection information, parts price information, repair shop guide information, used car price information, and the like, based on the received information. Accordingly, the user can efficiently and cost-effectively perform vehicle maintenance such as replacement of maintenance/consumable items. The user also receives information such as maintenance history of each vehicle and thus the present invention is useful for sale of used cars.

Although novel and basic features of the present invention have been disclosed with reference to a variety of embodiments, the embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes to provide an overall understanding of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions can be made to the aspects and details of the invention as disclosed above, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and the modifications, additions and substitutions should be considered as included in the claims.

Claims

[CLAIMS]

[Claim 1 ] A vehicle management system using wireless terminals, the system comprising: a server for transmitting a message, inquiring about accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network, receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal, checking whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the received accumulated travel distance information, is present, and notifying the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced; and the wireless terminal for receiving the message inquiring about the accumulated travel distance information from the server and transmitting the current accumulated travel distance information.

[Claim 2] A vehicle management system using wireless terminals, the system comprising: a server for transmitting a message, inquiring about accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network and receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal; and the wireless terminal for receiving the message inquiring about the accumulated travel distance information from the server and transmitting the current accumulated travel distance information, wherein the server records the accumulated travel distance information as respective accumulated travel distances of time intervals of a specific period, takes statistics of the respective accumulated travel distances to estimate an expected accumulated travel distance of a next time interval, checks whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the expected accumulated travel distance, is present, and notifies the wireless terminal of information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced.

[Claim 3] The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2. wherein the server includes: a database for storing information of vehicle maintenance/consumable items to be replaced according to specific accumulated travel distances; a receiver for receiving accumulated travel distance information transmitted from the wireless terminal; a checking unit for checking whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the received accumulated travel distance information, is present, with reference to the database; an information provider for creating a message containing the checked vehicle maintenance/consumable item information; and an information transmitter for notifying the wireless terminal of the message.

[Claim 4] The vehicle management system according to claim 3, wherein the information provider further provides a menu structure or a program required for the wireless terminal to access the server.

[Claim 5] The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the message contains a call back URL that is required for the wireless terminal to access the server.

[Claim 6] The vehicle management system according to claim 3, wherein the database updates and stores at least one of: an accumulated travel distance-based maintenance information data file including at least one of information of vehicle maintenance/consumable items for replacement structured according to accumulated travel distances, vehicle maintenance/consumable price information, and repair shop information; a vehicle information data file including at least one of vehicle number information, accumulated travel distance information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, past vehicle inspection information of the vehicle; and a membership information data file including personal information of a subscriber, wherein the information data files are structured to be associated with each other such that at least one information element of each of the information data files is associated with at least one information element of each other.

[Claim 7] The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the server further includes a member registration unit that operates in conjunction with the wireless terminal to perform specific member registration.

[Claim 8] The vehicle management system according to claim 6, wherein the server further includes a price calculator that calculates used car price information of the vehicle based on the vehicle information data file.

[Claim 9] The vehicle management system according to claim 8, wherein the server further includes a record unit that records the vehicle on a used car dealer web server based on the calculated used car price information.

[Claim 10] The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced includes at least one of vehicle maintenance/consumable item information, repair shop information, vehicle maintenance/consumable item price information, vehicle inspection information, used car price information, and dealer information.

[Claim 11 ] The vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the wireless terminal includes a portable/mobile communication terminal, a wireless data communication terminal, a portable Internet terminal, an auto-PC, or an automotive telematics unit.

[Claim 12] A vehicle management method using wireless terminals, the method comprising the steps of: storing accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement information in a database in a server; transmitting a message, requesting accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, from the server to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network; transmitting accumulated travel distance information, as a response to the message, from the wireless terminal; checking, by the server, whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, is present, with reference to the database, upon receiving the accumulated travel distance information; and if the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is present, notifying the wireless terminal of the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced.

[Claim 13] The vehicle management method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of performing member registration of the subscriber.

[Claim 14] The vehicle management method according to claim 13, wherein the step of performing the member registration includes the steps of: by a wired or wireless terminal of the subscriber, accessing the server to register membership information and vehicle information; processing, by the server, the membership information and the vehicle information to be associated with each other and storing the processed information in the database; and providing, by the server, a menu structure or a program required for the wireless terminal of the subscriber to access the server.

[Claim 15] The vehicle management method according to claim 14, wherein the step of providing the menu structure or the program includes the steps of: transmitting a message, containing a specific call back URL for accessing the server, from the server to the wireless terminal; and by the wireless terminal, accessing the server through the call back URL contained in the message to download the menu structure or the program.

[Claim 16] The vehicle management method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: by a wired or wireless terminal of the subscriber, accessing the server to provide vehicle information to the server; and updating and storing, by the server, vehicle information, membership information, and accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement information, which have been stored in the database, based on the vehicle information.

[Claim 17] The vehicle management method according to claim 14 or 16, wherein the vehicle information includes at least one of vehicle number information, accumulated travel distance information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information of the vehicle.

[Claim 18] The vehicle management method according to claim 12, wherein a method for notifying the wireless terminal of the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced includes at least one of a method in which the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is transmitted via a specific message, a method in which the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is provided via a specific alarm, and a method in which the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is posted on a web page.

[Claim 19] The vehicle management method according to claim 12, wherein, when the subscriber has replaced the vehicle maintenance/consumable item after receiving the information of the vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced, the vehicle management method further comprises the steps of: notifying, by the wireless terminal, the server of information that the vehicle maintenance/consumable item has been replaced; and receiving, by the server, the information that the vehicle maintenance/consumable item has been replaced, and updating and storing, in the database, information indicating whether or not the vehicle maintenance/consumable item has been replaced.

[Claim 20] The vehicle management method according to any one of claims 12, 16, and 18, wherein the vehicle maintenance/consumable item replacement information includes at least one of vehicle maintenance/consumable item information, repair shop information, vehicle maintenance/consumable item price information, vehicle inspection information, used car price information, and dealer information.

[Claim 21 ] The vehicle management method according to claim 17, wherein the past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item is provided from a dealer server that operates in conjunction with the server via a network.

[Claim 22] The vehicle management method according to claim 12, wherein the step of checking whether or not any vehicle maintenance/consumable item, which is required to be replaced according to the accumulated travel distance information, is present includes the steps of: by the server, receiving and storing the accumulated travel distance information in the database, producing information of respective past accumulated travel distances of time intervals of a specific period based on the received accumulated travel distance information, and storing the information of the respective past accumulated travel distances in the database; and comparing the accumulated travel distance information with the accumulated travel distance-based vehicle maintenance/consumable item information and determining whether or not a corresponding vehicle maintenance/consumable item to be replaced is present.

[Claim 23] The vehicle management method according to claim 12 or 22, wherein the step of receiving the accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal includes the steps of: awaiting, by the server, a response corresponding to the accumulated travel distance information request message from the wireless terminal and retransmitting the message to the wireless terminal at least once unless the response is received; checking, by the server, whether or not at least two past accumulated travel distances have been stored in the database when the server has failed to receive the response a predetermined number of times or more; and calculating, by the server, an average travel distance of each of the time intervals based on the past accumulated travel distance information and calculating, by the server, an expected accumulated travel distance of a next time interval from the calculated average travel distance.

[Claim 24] The vehicle management method according to claim 20, wherein, when the vehicle maintenance/consumable item information includes the vehicle inspection information, the vehicle management method further comprises the step of requesting, by the wireless terminal, that the server provide a vehicle inspection agency service.

[Claim 25] A vehicle management method using wireless terminals, the method comprising the steps of: storing vehicle information received from a wired or wireless terminal of a subscriber in a database in a server, the vehicle information including at least one of vehicle number information, model year information, color information, vehicle option information, past maintenance information of each maintenance/consumable item, and past vehicle inspection information of a vehicle; transmitting a message, requesting accumulated travel distance information of a vehicle, from the server to a wireless terminal of a subscriber present on a network and receiving current accumulated travel distance information from the wireless terminal in response to the message; calculating, by the server, used car price information according to the accumulated travel distance information; and notifying, by the server, the wireless terminal of the used car price information.

[Claim 26] The vehicle management method according to claim 25, wherein the step of calculating the used car price information according to the accumulated travel distance information includes calculating the used car price information based on the vehicle information and the accumulated travel distance information and with reference to used car price information provided from a dealer server that operates in conjunction with the server.

[Claim 27] The vehicle management method according to claim 25 or 26, wherein, when the subscriber desires to sell the vehicle based on the used car price information, the vehicle management method further comprises the steps of: transmitting vehicle sale request information from the wireless terminal to the server; and recording, by the server, the vehicle in a dealer server based on the vehicle sale request information.

[Claim 28] The vehicle management method according to claim 12 or 25, wherein the wireless terminal includes a portable/mobile communication terminal, a wireless data communication terminal, a portable Internet terminal, an auto-PC, or an automotive telematics unit.