Location based service restrictions for mobile applications

• US 20050181808A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaudreuil, Gregory M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.300
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A cell phone system that controls the functionality of cell phones based upon their geographical locations. Functionality information stored in data bases located at and unique to each location. A local or low power transmitter at each location transmits functionality information from the data bases to cell phones currently at the locations. Alternatively, a single data base common to the entire network is used to store functionality information for a plurality of locations. The geographical location of active cell phones is monitored and when a cell phone enters a restricted location, cell phone location information is transmitted to the network data base to read it out and transmit the applicable functionality information to cell phones. The functionality information may represent voluntary restrictions displayed on the cell phones or they may be mandatory restrictions that inhibit cell phone functions defined by the restrictions.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cell phone network to control the functionality of cell phones of said network;

said method comprising the steps of;

creating a restriction data base defining restrictions associated with at least one possible geographical location of a cell phone in said cell phone network, each restriction specifying one or more cell phone functions;

transmitting restrictions applicable to said cell phone currently in said at least one location; and

controlling the operation of said cell phone in said one location in response to the receipt of said restrictions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of causing said cell phone to indicate the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of selectively enabling or inhibiting the cell phone the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of:

displaying on said cell phone the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions, and

selectively enabling or inhibiting the cell phone functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said cell phone network includes a plurality of possible cell phone locations each having an associated set of restrictions in said restriction data base;

said method including the further steps of;

determining the current location of each cell phone currently in an active state;

detecting the receipt of a service request for an active cell phone;

reading out from said restriction data base the restrictions applicable to said active cell phone based upon its determined current location; and

controlling the operation of said active cell phone to inhibit or enable the cell phone function specified by the restrictions associated with said one location.

6. The method of claims 5 including the steps of:

entering the determined location of each cell phone in a position data base; and

reading out said determined positions of said active cell phones to said restriction data base to obtain the restrictions applicable to each currently active cell phone.

7. The method of claim 6 including the step of operating a triangulation apparatus to determine said cell phone location.

8. The method of claim 1 including the step of operating a global positioning system apparatus to determine said cell phone location.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said cell phone network has a plurality of possible geographical cell phone locations and a corresponding plurality of local restriction data bases each unique to one of said locations;

said method includes the further steps of;

entering into each local restriction data base the restrictions applicable to the location associated with said restriction data base;

operating a local or low power transmitter connected to each restriction data base for transmitting restrictions to cell phones currently in the location associated with said local restriction data base; and

controlling each active cell phone in said location to enable/disable the features of said cell phone specified by said transmitted restrictions.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein said cell phone functions comprise one or more functions selected from the group of:

ringer control;

speaker phone control;

camera phone control;

call initiation control;

call receiving control;

dictation control;

recording control;

internet access control; and

cell phone activation control.

11. A cell phone network adopted to control the functionality of cell phones of said network;

said network comprising;

a restriction data base adopted to store restrictions associated with at least one possible geographical location of a cell phone in said cell phone network, each restriction specifying one or more cell phone functions;

apparatus adopted to transmit restrictions applicable to said cell phone currently in said at least one location; and

apparatus that controls the operation of said cell phone in said one location in response to the receipt of said restrictions.

12. The cell phone network of claim 11 including apparatus that causes said cell phone to indicate the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

13. The cell phone network of claim 11 including apparatus that controls said cell phone to selectively enable or inhibit the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

14. The cell phone network of claim 11 further including:

apparatus that controls said cell phone to display the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions; and

apparatus that selectively enabling or inhibiting the cell phone functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

18. The cell phone network of claim 11 including a global positioning system apparatus adopted to determine said cell phone location.

19. The cell phone network of claim 11 further including:

a plurality of possible geographical cell phone locations and a corresponding plurality of local restriction data bases each unique to one of said locations;

apparatus that enters into each local restriction data base the restrictions applicable to the location associated with said restriction data base;

a local or low power transmitter connected to each restriction data base and operable for transmitting restrictions to cell phones currently in the location associated with said local restriction data base; and

apparatus for controlling each active cell phone in said location to enable/disable the features of said cell phone specified by said transmitted restrictions.

20. The cell phone network of claim 13 cell phone functions comprise one or more functions selected from the group of:

ringer control;

speaker phone control;

camera phone control;

call initiation control;

call receiving control;

dictation control;

recording control;

internet access control; and

cell phone activation control.

15. The cell phone network of claim 111 further including:

a plurality of possible cell phone geographical locations each having an associated set of restrictions in said restriction data base;

apparatus that determines the current location of each cell phone currently in an active state;

apparatus that detects the receipt of a service request for an active cell phone;

apparatus that reads out from said restriction data base the restrictions applicable to said active cell phone based upon its determined current location; and

apparatus for controlling the operation of said active cell phone to inhibit or enable the cell phone function specified by the restrictions associated with said one location.

16. The cell phone network of claims 15 further including:

apparatus that enters the determined location of each cell phone in a position data base; and

apparatus that reads out said determined positions of said active cell phones and applies said determined positions to said restriction data base to obtain the restrictions applicable to each currently active cell phone.

17. The cell phone network of claim 16 including triangulation apparatus adopted to determine said cell phone location.