Patent 7471013 was granted and assigned to Hyundai Motor Company on December, 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A smart-key-start-up device for an automobile includes a control module configured to receive signals about an operation state of the automobile; a lock-preventing circuit controlled by the control module; a knob housing; a user-operable start-up knob disposed in the knob housing; and a slidable projection on the start-up knob, controlled by the lock prevention circuit based on the operation state of the automobile.