DETECTING THE PRESENCE OF A HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE IN A VEHICLE
First Claim
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1. A method of determining whether a handheld communication device (HCD) is located inside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving at a central facility a request to locate the HCD;
(b) sending a message to the vehicle with an instruction to determine if the HCD is present in the vehicle;
(c) receiving a response from the vehicle that indicates whether or not the HCD is present in the vehicle; and
(d) transmitting a message to a user of the HCD indicating whether the HCD is located inside of the vehicle.
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Abstract
A system and method for determining whether a handheld communication device (HCD) is located inside a vehicle includes: receiving at a central facility a request to locate the HCD; sending a message to the vehicle with an instruction to determine if the HCD is present in the vehicle; receiving a response from the vehicle that indicates whether or not the HCD is present in the vehicle; and transmitting a message to a user of the HCD indicating whether the HCD is located inside of the vehicle.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of determining whether a handheld communication device (HCD) is located inside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a central facility a request to locate the HCD; (b) sending a message to the vehicle with an instruction to determine if the HCD is present in the vehicle; (c) receiving a response from the vehicle that indicates whether or not the HCD is present in the vehicle; and (d) transmitting a message to a user of the HCD indicating whether the HCD is located inside of the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of determining whether a handheld communication device (HCD) is located inside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at a central facility a request to locate the HCD; (b) sending a message to the vehicle with an instruction to begin listening for an acoustical signal that is generated by the HCD; (c) sending a message to the HCD with an instruction to generate the acoustical signal; (d) determining whether the acoustical signal is detected at the vehicle; and (e) transmitting a message to a user of the HCD indicating whether the HCD is located inside of the vehicle based on step (d). - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of determining whether a handheld communication device (HCD) is located inside a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving at the vehicle an instruction to begin listening for an acoustical signal generated by the HCD; (b) listening for the acoustical signal at the vehicle; (c) detecting the absence or presence of the acoustical signal generated by the HCD at the vehicle; and (d) transmitting a message to a central facility indicating whether the vehicle detected the acoustical signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification