US 6,333,759 · Granted 2001-12-25
The 360-Degree Car Camera That Saw Everything Before Dashcams Exploded
Back in 2001, someone patented a camera system that could record in all directions around a car—inside and outside at the same time. It's like having eyes everywhere in your vehicle, which is exactly what dashcam and security systems do today.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a video camera system designed to capture a full 360-degree range of footage both inside and outside an automotive vehicle. What's protected here is the specific configuration and method of positioning cameras to achieve continuous wraparound recording throughout the car's interior and exterior environment.
Why it matters
This patent predates the modern dashcam boom by nearly a decade, staking out early intellectual property ground in vehicle surveillance. While dashcams and 360-degree car camera systems eventually became mainstream, this patent represents an early attempt to lock down the concept of omnidirectional automotive video recording before the technology became commercially viable.
Real-world use
Modern Tesla vehicles and luxury cars with surround-view camera systems that let you see all angles of your car on the dashboard are direct descendants of this kind of thinking.
Original USPTO abstract
The present invention relates to a video camera system which has a 360° range for video recording inside and outside of an automotive vehicle.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,333,759
- Filing date
- 2000-01-28
- Grant date
- 2001-12-25
- Assignee
- Joseph J. Mazzilli
- Inventor(s)
- MAZZILLI JOSEPH J.
- CPC class
- G08B13/19673
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