Cellular telephone safety system

• US 20060040640A1
• Filed: 07/20/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Mobile Satellite Corporation
• Original Assignee: Demetrius Thompson
• Inventors: Thompson, Demetrius, Butcher, Derek A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,308,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.200
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system for increasing the safety of using cellular telephones stores the geographic coordinates of intersections and other traffic features of a local area in a server. The server is interfaced to the cellular telephone network. A programmable GPS enabled telephone handset determines its location upon start-up and transmits that location to through the cellular network to the server. The server responds by transmitting the coordinates of intersections and traffic features surrounding the present location of the telephone handset. As the handset changes location, it determines its new location and compares it to the coordinates provided by the server. If the telephone handset is within a moving vehicle (as determined by the rate of motion of the handset), an audible alarm is issued when the handset comes within a set distance of one of the intersections or traffic features. In this manner a driver speaking on the telephone is alerted before driving into an intersection or other significant traffic feature.

Claims

1. A method for improving the safety of cellular telephone use comprising the steps of

providing a server computer system in data communication with a cellular telephone network;

storing the geographical feature coordinates of a plurality of traffic features within a memory of the server computer;

providing a computer program to operate within the server which computer program executes the steps comprising;

responding to reception of geographical coordinates from the cellular telephone network by selecting from the plurality of traffic features a neighborhood of at least one set of geographical feature coordinates positionally related to the geographical coordinates; and

transmitting the neighborhood through the cellular telephone network;

providing a programmable cellular telephone hand set in data communication with a GPS receiver; and

providing a computer program to operate within the cellular telephone hand set which computer program executes the steps comprising;

querying the GPS receiver to obtain a current location for the hand set in the form of geographical coordinates;

transmitting the current location through the cellular telephone network to the server;

receiving the neighborhood from the server;

storing the neighborhood;

periodically updating the current location to create the then current location;

comparing the geographical coordinates of the then current location to the geographical coordinates in the neighborhood;

determining when the then current location is within a predetermined distance of one of the traffic features in the neighborhood; and

issuing an alarm through the cellular telephone hand set in response to determining that the then current location is within the predetermined distance, whereby a user of the telephone is warned of proximity to the traffic feature.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of issuing an alarm is not executed unless it is determined that the cellular telephone hand set is in a moving vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic features include intersections.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the server transmits information indicative of a state of a traffic signal at an intersection.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the step of issuing an alarm is responsive to the state of the traffic signal.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the computer program to operate within the cellular telephone hand set further comprises a step of ensuring that an additional alarm is not issued when the cellular telephone hand set passes through an intersection.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the GPS receiver uses network assistance in obtaining a location for the hand set.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of issuing an alarm issues an audible alarm.