US 5,699,044 · Granted 1997-12-16
The Patent That Put a Garage Door Opener in Your Car's Visor
Before smartphones, cars needed a way to control stuff outside the vehicle—like garage doors and mirrors. This patent covers the electrical guts that let a single visor-mounted device learn and remember commands for different drivers, then trigger garage door openers and adjust mirrors automatically.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers an integrated electrical control system mounted in a vehicle that combines multiple functions: a trainable transmitter (one that learns garage door codes), an electronic compass display, and an electronically adjustable mirror that stores position preferences per driver. What's protected here is the specific way these accessories talk to each other through a shared electrical architecture, plus the ability to train the transmitter to send signals that open garage doors.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early consolidation of vehicle convenience features into a single smart control point. Rather than adding separate modules for each gadget, Prince Corporation designed a system where one trained transmitter could handle multiple tasks and remember settings for different drivers. This kind of integration became a blueprint for modern automotive infotainment and driver-preference systems that are now standard in most vehicles.
Real-world use
When you press a button on your car's sun visor to open the garage, or when your rearview mirror adjusts automatically after the car recognizes which driver is in the seat, you're benefiting from the electrical architecture this patent locked down.
Original USPTO abstract
A vehicle structural accessory includes one or more electronic accessories. One electrical accessory which may be provided is an electronically trainable transmitter which is trainable to generate a control signal which will actuate a garage door opening mechanism. Another electronic accessory which may be included is an electronic compass. Yet another device is an electronically adjustable mirror having parameters set for each driver of a vehicle. The electronically adjustable rearview mirror and the electronically trainable garage door opener may be advantageously provided with a keyless entry system.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,699,044
- Filing date
- 1995-01-31
- Grant date
- 1997-12-16
- Assignee
- Prince Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- VAN LENTE; PAUL S., SUMAN; MICHAEL J., ZEINSTRA; MARK L., DEVREE; WILLIAM S.
- CPC class
- G07C9/00817
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