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Pair of Apple Patents Aims to Answer: 'Where'd I Park My Car?' iPhones might soon be able to determine when and where a car has been parked, and then guide absentminded drivers back to their vehicles.

By Geoff Weiss

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Does there really have to be an app for everything?

A pair of patents initially filed in February 2013 by Apple suggests that the storied tech company is seeking to answer a question asked by absentminded drivers through the ages: Where'd I park my car?

The patents, first noted by AppleInsider, could theoretically determine when and where a car has been parked, and then navigate users back to their vehicles without requiring a data connection.

For instance, an iPhone might establish a Bluetooth connection with a car in order to watch for certain triggers -- such as open doors or shuttered ignitions -- to determine that it has been parked.

Related: Want to Text and Walk and Still See Where You're Going? Apple Has a Patent for That.

Then, using GPS when a signal is available and the iPhone's own onboard sensors and accelerometer data when it's not, the technology could purportedly tracks a driver's whereabouts by dropping digital breadcrumbs in relation to that parking spot.

To activate directions, Apple imagines that users might initiate a vocal command to Siri -- upon which an audio and/or visual navigation would appear.

The patents would seem to bolster Apple's marked play for car integration -- including its CarPlay system, which syncs users' iPhones with a built-in dashboard display and whose launch was recently pushed into next year.

Related: Apple's Latest Patent Tracks Temperature, Perspiration and Heart Rate -- in Your Headphones

Geoff Weiss

Former Staff Writer

Geoff Weiss is a former staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

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