October 6, 2003 – Anti auto theft patent

On this day in 2003 an inventor named Young Ill Choi received patent #US7108178 for a device designed to stop a stolen vehicle using  barcode reader and one of three methods for bringing the vehicle to a halt. The idea is that a police officer could scan a barcode located on the back window of a potentially stolen vehicle. Once brought up on the computer the officer would be able to send an radio or other type of air carried code to a device on the car that would then activate a method of stopping the car. According to the inventor there are three possible ways of stopping the vehicle. The first method is of electronic means, a computer device would shut off electricity to the engine, thus rendering the engine inoperable. The second device included short barreled “guns” built until the fenders that would fire a bullet into the back tires upon code activation. The third method involved a mechanical device that would puncture the rear tires. While the first method seems plausible, this device has yet to be implemented by any auto manufacturer or aftermarket producer. Would you install it on your vehicle?