How Vehicles Send Data Without Revealing Who Is Driving
A system that separates a driver's personal identity from vehicle performance data by sending them to a server in separate, disconnected communication sessions.
Original patent title: “USRE48406E1 - Vehicle data collection system, vehicle data collection method, vehicle-mounted device, program, and recording medium”
A system that separates a driver's personal identity from vehicle performance data by sending them to a server in separate, disconnected communication sessions. Granted to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd in 2021 with 31 claims.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This system protects driver privacy by splitting vehicle data into two distinct streams. The first stream contains personal identification information (like a driver ID), while the second stream contains vehicle performance data (like speed or engine status) paired with an anonymous identifier. The system forces these streams into separate network sessions, ensuring the server handles them independently. By disconnecting the session after sending performance data and only sending personal data when necessary, the system prevents the server from easily linking a specific driver to every single moment of vehicle activity.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover systems that encrypt data within a single session without separating the transmission.
- Does not cover methods that use a single, persistent connection to send all data types simultaneously.
- Does not cover data collection that does not involve an individual identification component.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The invention uses the act of disconnecting and reconnecting network sessions as a privacy barrier, making it harder for a server to correlate anonymous performance logs with personal identity logs in a single database query.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Fleet management systems for commercial trucks
Usage-based insurance telematics
Connected vehicle diagnostic platforms
Why it matters
The bigger picture
As vehicles become rolling computers, they generate massive amounts of data about where we go and how we drive. This patent addresses the privacy tension between needing performance data for fleet management and protecting the individual driver's identity from being tracked in real-time.
Filed
November 12, 2013
Granted
January 26, 2021
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries remains the primary holder of this specific approach. Major automotive OEMs and fleet management providers like Geotab or Verizon Connect are actively developing similar data-handling architectures to comply with evolving global privacy regulations like GDPR.
Market impact
This patent provides a technical framework for balancing data utility with privacy compliance. It helps manufacturers avoid the legal and reputational risks associated with storing identifiable driver behavior data, effectively creating a standard for 'privacy-by-design' in vehicle telematics.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This system protects driver privacy by splitting vehicle data into two distinct streams. The first stream contains personal identification information (like a driver ID), while the second stream contains vehicle performance data (like speed or engine status) paired with an anonymous identifier. The system forces these streams into separate network sessions, ensuring the server handles them independently. By disconnecting the session after sending performance data and only sending personal data when necessary, the system prevents the server from easily linking a specific driver to every single moment of vehicle activity.
The clever bit
The invention uses the act of disconnecting and reconnecting network sessions as a privacy barrier, making it harder for a server to correlate anonymous performance logs with personal identity logs in a single database query.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover systems that encrypt data within a single session without separating the transmission.
- Does not cover methods that use a single, persistent connection to send all data types simultaneously.
- Does not cover data collection that does not involve an individual identification component.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
10/20
Granted 5–10 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$45K – $144K
Midpoint $90K · 7.4 yr remaining · industry ×1.5
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
31 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Mabuchi, Y., HYODO, J., & Hiura, R. (2021). How Vehicles Send Data Without Revealing Who Is Driving (U.S. Patent No. RE48,406). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/RE48406/cftr-corrector-compounds
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Vehicles Send Data Without Revealing Who Is Driving cover?
A system that separates a driver's personal identity from vehicle performance data by sending them to a server in separate, disconnected communication sessions.
Who owns patent US RE48406?
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Systems Co Ltd owns this patent, granted in 2021.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on January 26, 2041, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
As vehicles become rolling computers, they generate massive amounts of data about where we go and how we drive. This patent addresses the privacy tension between needing performance data for fleet management and protecting the individual driver's identity from being tracked in real-time.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover systems that encrypt data within a single session without separating the transmission.
Patent monitoring