US 6,202,008 · Granted 2001-03-13
Microsoft's 2001 Vision of the Connected Car Dashboard
Imagine a small computer built into your car's dashboard that can run any program—like checking your email, playing music, or diagnosing engine problems—all while staying connected to the internet wirelessly. Microsoft patented this idea in 2001, years before smartphones and modern infotainment systems became standard in cars.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a vehicle-mounted computer system inside a dashboard-mounted housing that runs a general-purpose, multi-tasking operating system capable of executing both vehicle-specific applications (like security, diagnostics, and communications) and everyday consumer applications (like entertainment or word processing), with wireless internet connectivity built in. What's protected is the combination of these elements—the idea of treating a car's computer like a consumer PC rather than a single-purpose device.
Why it matters
This patent represents an early vision of what would eventually become modern car infotainment and connected vehicle systems. Filed in 1999, it staked Microsoft's claim to the idea of bringing PC-like flexibility and internet access into vehicles, decades before Tesla, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto made this concept mainstream. The patent captures a fundamental shift: treating the vehicle computer as an open platform rather than a closed, manufacturer-locked system.
Real-world use
Today's car infotainment screens—the ones where you can run navigation apps, stream music, check email, and access vehicle diagnostics all from one touchscreen—trace their conceptual roots back to exactly this idea of a general-purpose computer mounted in the dashboard.
Original USPTO abstract
A vehicle computer system has a housing sized to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard or other appropriate location. A computer is mounted within the housing and executes an open platform, multi-tasking operating system. The computer runs multiple applications on the operating system, including both vehicle-related applications (e.g., vehicle security application, vehicle diagnostics application, communications application, etc.) and non-vehicle-related applications (e.g., entertainment application, word processing, etc.). The computer system has an Internet wireless link to provide access to the Internet. One or more of the applications may utilize the link to access content on the Internet.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,202,008
- Filing date
- 1999-09-10
- Grant date
- 2001-03-13
- Assignee
- Microsoft Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- BECKERT RICHARD D., MOELLER MARK M., WONG WILLIAM S.
- CPC class
- G01C21/3688
Want to file your own patent?
If you're designing the next generation of in-vehicle tech, check the patent landscape with our scanner to understand what's already claimed in automotive gadgets.
Free patentability scan