METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED DETECTION OF MOBILE TELEPHONE USAGE BY DRIVERS OF VEHICLES

• US 20080036623A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas P. Ryan
• Original Assignee: Michael Rosen
• Inventors: Rosen, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,646,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/936
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automated detection of mobile telephone usage by drivers of vehicles is provided. The apparatus may include a detection system comprising at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, at least one image capturing device, and at least one computer. The mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle. The at least one image capturing device is operative to capture at least one image of the vehicle. The at least one computer is operative to store in a storage device, information associated with at least one of the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle; and the at least one image of the vehicle. The information stored in the storage device may be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) receiving a mobile phone signal from a mobile telephone device located in a moving vehicle;

b) capturing at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is received, using at least one image capturing device;

c) through operation of the at least one computer, enabling the at least one image to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

d) storing the at least one image captured in (b) and information associated with the mobile phone signal received in (a) in at least one storage device;

wherein (c) includes through operation of the at least one computer, enabling at least portions of the information and the at least one image stored in the at least one storage device to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one image includes at least one image of the license plate of the vehicle and at least one image of the driver of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

e) detecting with a sensor device further information associated with the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sensor device includes a vehicle velocity measuring device, wherein in (e) the further information includes a velocity associated with the vehicle, wherein (d) includes storing the further information in the storage device.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

f) through operation of the at least one computer, comparing characteristics of the mobile phone signal received in (a) to the velocity of the vehicle detected in (e) to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to the source of the mobile phone signal.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sensor device includes a vehicle presence detection device, wherein in (e) the further information includes a signal indicating the presence of the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one of (b) and (d) is carried out responsive to (e).

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

e) through operation of the at least one computer, comparing characteristics of the mobile phone signal received in (a) to characteristics of the signal indicating the presence of the vehicle detected in (e) to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to the source of the mobile phone signal.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

d) determining information included in the mobile phone signal, wherein the information includes at least one of a telephone number and a mobile phone identifier.

11. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:

e) determining at least one address associated with at least one of information included in the at least one image and information included in the mobile phone signal;

f) communicating at least one message to the address determined in (e), wherein the at least one message includes information regarding the usage of a mobile phone in the vehicle.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein (a) includes detecting at least two mobile phone signals respectively with at least two spaced apart antennas, further comprising:

d) through operation of the at least one computer, responsive to the at least two mobile phone signals detected in (a), determining whether the vehicle corresponds to the source of the mobile phone signal.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, wherein the mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle;

at least one image capturing device, wherein the at least one image capturing device is operative to capture at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is detected;

at least one storage device;

at least one computer in operative connection with the mobile phone signal receiving device, the at least one image capturing device, and the at least one storage device, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store in the at least one storage device, the at least one image of the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to enable at least portions of the data stored in the at least one storage device to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store in the at least one storage device, information associated with the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of image capturing devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of image capturing devices is operative to capture at least one image of a driver of the vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of image capturing devices is operative to capture at least one image of at least one license plate of the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store the images captured from the plurality of image capturing devices on the storage device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising at least one sensor device, wherein the at least one sensor device is operative to acquire further information associated with the vehicle.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor device includes a vehicle velocity measuring device, wherein the further information includes a velocity associated with the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to at least one of:

store the velocity of the vehicle in the at least one storage device; and

compare characteristics of the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle to the velocity of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the at least one sensor device includes a vehicle presence detector device, wherein the further information includes a signal indicating the presence of the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to at least one of:

i) trigger the capturing of the at least one image with the at least one image capturing device responsive to the signal indicating the presence of the vehicle; and

ii) compare characteristics of the mobile phone signal to characteristics of the signal indicating the presence of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal.

19. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one computer is operative to determine information included in the mobile phone signal, wherein the information includes at least one of a telephone number and a mobile phone identifier, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store the information determined from the mobile phone signal in the at least one storage device.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, comprising at least two spaced apart antennas, wherein each antenna is operative to produce a signal responsive to the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to compare the signals produced by the at least two antennas to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal.