PATRICK KENNEDY

1952 - 2022

KENNEDY--Patrick. Pat Kennedy, 69, Led the Invention of the Internet-Connected Car. Patrick J. Kennedy, a technology visionary, inventor, and entrepreneur who led the company that created the first internet-connected car, died on July 20, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. Kennedy was founder and CEO of Cellport Systems, a research lab he established in 1993 to design novel ways for mobile devices to communicate with automobiles. In just a few years they patented a vehicle server that made it possible to converge wireless networking and the internet with the internal systems of any car. The invention paved the way for today's multi-billion-dollar telematics industry and the plethora of automotive safety, navigation, and entertainment features that are now commonplace. "Over time, this revolutionized the industry, making software the most important part of a car and enabling cars, like the Tesla, to be like devices with updatable software," said Axel Fuchs, an executive in the automotive technology industry. "But this was 1996, easily 10 years ahead of its time." The vehicle server was just one of many pioneering patents in Cellport's prolific portfolio. Kennedy, the visionary and force behind the innovation, is a named inventor on all the company's 23 patents. Four of these patents, each cited in hundreds of other inventions, are considered essential in the field and have been adopted by almost all car companies. OnStar, BMW Assist, and Audi Connect platforms use Cellport technologies to access vehicle performance analytics for safety, warranty, and maintenance services. "His patents were new, pathbreaking ideas that later became true and are standard nowadays in the automotive industry," said Peter Kitzenmaier, former CTO at Peiker Acustic, a leading connected- car technology company. When asked how he approached the inventive process to come up with so many transformational ideas, Kennedy said, "I considered what would be needed in the future from a gestalt perspective. I encouraged my team to think broadly and imaginatively and use art-of- the-possible invention methods. That was my theme." Kennedy was also "really good at pulling diverse individuals together for a really great common outcome," said Ralph Poplawsky, who was vice president for engineering at Cellport. "His enthusiasm was infectious and made him really likeable to a lot of people." He forged partnerships with major customers around the world in the communications and automotive industries, but he continuously battled major U.S. and international automotive companies that openly violated Cellport's patents and counterfeited its products. Kennedy recounted these stories in a book, IdeaJacked (2009), which he wrote to expose the issue of patent theft and call for more ethical trade. "Many startup- up companies, unfortunately, do not make it through these substantial difficulties, but Cellport is one of the fortunate ones," Kennedy wrote in his book. Kennedy was born October 27, 1952, in Buffalo, New York, to Andrew Kennedy, a plant manager, and Edna Kennedy, a homemaker. His grandparents, Bertha and William Seaman, were closely involved in his upbringing and strongly influenced his early life and education. He graduated from the University of Buffalo with degree in international economics. Kennedy is survived by his three children, Erin, Matt, and Brian, as well as two grandchildren.