System for automatic wireless utilization of cellular telephone devices

• US 20070171854A1
• Filed: 01/25/2006
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yen-Fu, Handy-Bosma, John, Walker, Keith, Morgan, Fabian
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A system and method for notifying emergency responders, family, and other contact parties of an urgent vehicle condition such as a breakdown or crash, by using a short-range wireless communicator mounted on the vehicle to employ a peer-to-peer communications capability to find and co-opt a nearby long-range communication device, such as a Bluetooth enabled phone, which is not mounted on the vehicle, such as a passer'"'"'s-by telephone. The invention obtains authorization from the co-opted device to use it as a forwarding proxy, and transmits a notification message to one or more parties, such as emergency dispatchers, family members, etc., via the short-range link to the co-opted device, which then transmits the message to the recipient via the long-range network, such as via a telephone network.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a controller with one or more situation trigger inputs and a short-range wireless communicator, said controller and short-range communicator being mounted on a vehicle, said short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability requiring no network connectivity;

a first long-range communication device having a long-range communication capability for delivering a notification to a specified party via a wireless network, said device being physically detached from said vehicle, and being found by said controller to be within range of said peer-to-peer communications capability contemporaneously with receipt of one or more situation triggers;

an authorization communication exchange between said communicator and said device to establish authorization for said device to be commanded by said controller to deliver a notification message via said network; and

a notification message traversing from said controller, through said communicator, over said peer-to-peer communications, through said device, and over said network to a designated recipient.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising an acknowledgment message sent from said device to said controller responsive to successful delivery of said notification message.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a device selector cooperative with said controller for selection of one of multiple long-range communication devices within range of said peer-to-peer communications contemporaneously.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said selector comprises a selection factor selected from the group of a signal strength measurer, a location identifier, and a technology identifier.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a notification message handling service configured to receive said notification message from said device, and to forward said notification message to said recipient if no related notification messages have been previously delivered to said recipient.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a subsequent authorization communication exchange between said communicator and a second long-range communication device to establish authorization for said second device to be commanded by said controller to deliver a notification message via said network responsive to failure to receive authorization from said first device.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vehicle-mounted short-range communicator comprises a vehicle-mounted Bluetooth transceiver, wherein said short-range peer-to-peer communications comprises a Bluetooth communications link, and wherein said long-range communications device comprises a Bluetooth-enabled device.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device comprises a cellular telephone.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device comprises a portable computer.

10. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device comprises a two-way pager.

11. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein said device comprises a portable digital assistant device.

12. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vehicle-mounted short-range communicator comprises a vehicle-mounted Infra-red Data Arrangement transceiver, wherein said short-range peer-to-peer communications comprises an Infra-red Data Arrangement link, and wherein said long-range communications device comprises a Infra-red Data Arrangement-enabled device.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said device comprises a cellular telephone.

14. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said device comprises.a portable computer.

15. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said device comprises a two-way pager.

16. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein said device comprises a portable digital assistant device.

17. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, said short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability requiring no network connectivity;

receiving by a controller one or more situation trigger inputs;

finding within range of said peer-to-peer communications capability contemporaneously with receipt of said situation trigger input a first long-range communication device having a long-range communication capability for delivering a notification to a specified party via a wireless network, said device being physically detached from said vehicle;

exchanging an authorization communication between said communicator and said device to establish authorization for said device to be commanded by said controller to deliver a notification message via said network; and

sending a notification message from said controller, through said communicator, over said peer-to-peer communications, through said device, and over said network to a designated recipient.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising sending an acknowledgment message from said device to said controller responsive to successful delivery of said notification message.

19. The method as set forth in claim 17 further comprising selecting one of multiple long-range communication devices found within range of said peer-to-peer communications contemporaneously.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising:

at least one computer-readable medium selected from the group of a memory device, a computer disk, and a modulated computer-receivable signal;

a first computer program encoded in said computer-readable medium for execution by a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, said short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability requiring no network connectivity, causing said controller to;

(a) contemporaneously responsive to receipt of one or more vehicle situation trigger inputs, find within range of said peer-to-peer communications capability a long-range communication device having a long-range communication capability for delivering a notification to a specified party via a wireless network, said device being physically detached from said vehicle;

(b) to exchange an authorization communication between said communicator and said device establishing authorization for said device to be commanded by said controller to deliver a notification message via said network; and

(c) to send a notification message from said controller, through said communicator, over said peer-to-peer communications, through said device, and over said network to a designated recipient; and

a second computer program product encoded in said computer-readable medium for execution by said device to cooperatively deliver said notification message from said controller.