SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR LIMITING USAGE OF A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20150237195A1
• Filed: 02/14/2014
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Artifex Software Inc.
• Original Assignee: Artifex Software Inc.
• Inventors: Jones, Miles, Vrhel, Michael J., Sackett, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

A system and method is provided for limiting, disabling and/or activating a wireless communication device during operation of a vehicle or participation in an activity. In one embodiment of the present invention, the system includes a wireless transmission device and a wireless communication device. The wireless transmission device, which includes at least one wireless transmitter, a processor, and a memory device, is configured to transmit a first wireless signal toward a first designated region, and a second wireless signal toward a second designated region. The wireless communication device, which includes at least one wireless receiver, a processor, a memory device, a keypad, and a display, is configured to receive the first wireless signal and, in response thereto, limit or disable certain features of the wireless device. This can be done by disabling certain features (e.g., cellular service, Bluetooth™, telephone calls, text messaging, emailing, its antenna, its keyboard, and/or its display) or disabling (e.g., powering down, etc.) the entire cell phone. The wireless communication device is further configured to receive a second wireless signal and, in response thereto, enable the features that have been disabled or limited via the first wireless signal. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first wireless signal is a Bluetooth signal, and the second wireless signal is an IR signal.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a display;

at least one wireless detection circuit for receiving a plurality of wireless signals; and

a processor in communication with the at least one wireless detection circuit, the processor being configured to receive information from the at least one wireless detection circuit, to disable at least one feature of the wireless communication device if the information indicates that a first one of the plurality of wireless signals has been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit, and to enable said at least one feature of the wireless communication device if the information subsequently indicates that the first one of the plurality of wireless signals and a second one of the plurality of wireless signals have been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one wireless detection circuit includes at least a Bluetooth detection circuit and an infrared (IR) detection circuit.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the Bluetooth detection circuit is configured to receive the first one of the plurality of wireless signals and the IR detection circuit is configured to receive the second one of the plurality of wireless signals.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising a memory device for storing at least one program, wherein the at least one program is executed by the processor to at least disable said at least one feature if the first one of the plurality of wireless signals has been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit and enable said at least one feature if the first and second ones of the plurality of wireless signals has been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to disable a plurality of features of the wireless communication device if the information indicates that a first one of the plurality of wireless signals has been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit, and to enable at least one of said plurality of features of the wireless communication device if the information indicates that the first and second ones of the plurality of wireless signals have been received by the at least one wireless detection circuit.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature is one that creates a sound.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature is one that produces an image on the display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device further includes a keyboard, and the at least one feature is one that receives information from the keyboard.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is one of a computer, a tablet, a cellular telephone, and a camera.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of disabling at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal and enabling said at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals further comprises:

disabling a sound-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal; and

enabling said sound-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals, wherein said sound-related feature is one that produces a sound on the wireless communication device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of disabling at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal and enabling said at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals further comprises:

disabling an image-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal; and

enabling said image-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals, wherein said image-related feature is one that produces an image on a display of the wireless communication device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of disabling at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal and enabling said at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals further comprises:

disabling a keyboard-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal; and

enabling said keyboard-related feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals, wherein said keyboard-related feature is one that uses information received from a keyboard of the wireless communication device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is one of a computer, a tablet, a cellular telephone, and a camera.

10. A method for limiting usage of a wireless communication device comprising:

receiving a first wireless signal from at least one wireless transmission device;

disabling at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal;

receiving a second wireless signal from said at least one wireless transmission device; and

enabling said at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one wireless transmission device includes at least a Bluetooth transmission device and an infrared (IR) transmission device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of receiving a first wireless signal from said at least one wireless transmission device further includes receiving a Bluetooth signal from said Bluetooth transmission device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of receiving a second wireless signal from said at least one wireless transmission device further includes receiving an IR signal from said IR transmission device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps of disabling at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal and enabling said at least one feature of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals further comprises:

disabling a plurality of features of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first wireless signal; and

enabling at least one of said plurality of features of the wireless communication device in response to receiving said first and second wireless signals.

19. A wireless communication device comprising:

at least one wireless detection circuit for receiving at least two wireless signals; and

a processor in communication with the at least one wireless detection circuit, the processor being configured to disable at least one feature of the wireless communication device if the processor is in a first state and to allow use of the at least one feature of the wireless communication device if the processor is in a second state;

wherein the first state is defined as the reception of only a first one of the at least two wireless signals and the second state is defined as the reception of both the first one of the at least two wireless signals and a second one of the at least two wireless signals;

wherein the first one of the at least two wireless signals indicates that the wireless communication device is in a first designated region and the second one of the at least two wireless signals indicates that the wireless communication device is in a second designated region, wherein the second designated region is a subset of the first designated region.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 19, wherein the first designated region is one of an interior of an automobile, an interior of a building, and an interior of an airplane.