INTRA-VEHICULAR MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT

• US 20160014265A1
• Filed: 09/18/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wilfred Ludick
• Original Assignee: Wilfred Ludick
• Inventors: Ludick, Wilfred
• Application Number:
  US14/858,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20160014265A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30268 Vehicle interior
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The illustrative embodiments described herein provide a computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for managing mobile device usage in a moving vehicle. In response to detecting that a user is traveling at a speed consistent with vehicular travel, optical data from an interior of the moving vehicle is detected. The optical data is analyzed to identify a set of vehicular markers. The user'"'"'s intra-vehicular location is determined in relation to the set of vehicular markers. If the user'"'"'s intra-vehicular location is the driver'"'"'s seat, then restricted use protocols are initiated.

Claims

1. A method for managing usage of a mobile device of a mobile device system, the mobile device having a forward-facing optical device and a reverse user-facing optical device, the method comprising:

responsive to the mobile device system detecting the mobile device is traveling at a speed consistent with vehicular travel, detecting optical data from the forward-facing and reverse user-facing optical devices from an interior of a moving vehicle;

analyzing the optical data with the mobile device system to identify a user and a set of vehicular markers, at least one of the identified vehicular markers being a vehicular marker from optical data detected from the reverse user-facing optical device;

determining with the mobile device system an intra-vehicular location of the user of the mobile device in relation to the set of vehicular markers; and

responsive to determining that the intra-vehicular location of the user is positioned within a driver'"'"'s seat, the mobile device system initiating restricted use protocols for selectively modifying functionality of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the speed of the mobile device is consistent with vehicular travel further comprises:

receiving, from a GPS component of the mobile device system, speed data that exceeds a speed threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reverse user-facing optical data is detected substantially concurrently with the forward-facing optical data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the intra-vehicular location of the user further comprises:

identifying, from forward-facing optical data, one or more markers in the set of vehicular markers are for operating the motor vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the user is located directly in front of the one or more markers, determining the intra-vehicular location of the user is the driver'"'"'s seat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

initiating restricted use protocols further comprises at least one of restricting gameplay and restricting texting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the forward-facing and reverse user-facing optical devices is a thermographic device for detecting thermo optical data.

7. A computer program product for managing usage of a mobile device having a forward-facing optical device and an reverse user-facing optical device, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable-type medium storing program instructions including the following;

first program instructions for detecting optical data of the forward-facing optical device and reverse user-facing optical devices from an interior of a moving vehicle in response to detecting the mobile device is traveling at a speed consistent with vehicular travel;

second program instructions for analyzing the detected optical data to identify a user and a set of vehicular markers, at least one of the identified vehicular markers being a vehicular marker from optical data detected from the reverse user-facing optical device;

third program instructions for determining an intra-vehicular location of the user of the mobile device in relation to the set of vehicular markers;

fourth program instructions for initiating restricted use protocols for selectively modifying functionality of the mobile device in response to determining that the intra-vehicular location of the user is positioned within a driver'"'"'s seat; and

wherein the first program instructions, the second program instructions, the third program instructions, and the fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable-type medium.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first program instructions further comprises:

fifth program instructions for receiving, from a GPS component of the mobile device, speed data that exceeds a speed threshold.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein:

the reverse user-facing optical data is detected substantially concurrently with the forward-facing optical data.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the third program instructions further comprises:

sixth program instructions for identifying, from forward-facing optical data, one or more markers in the set of vehicular markers are for operating the motor vehicle; and

seventh program instructions for determining the intra-vehicular location of the user is the driver'"'"'s seat in response to determining that the user is located directly in front of the one or more markers.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the third program instructions further comprises:

eighth program instructions for identifying a vehicular configuration of the moving vehicle from a geographic location of the user; and

ninth program instructions for determining, from reverse user-facing optical data, the intra-vehicular location of the user from a relative position of the user and the set of vehicular markers with reference to the vehicular configuration.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the fourth program instructions further comprises:

tenth program instructions for restricting at least one of gameplay and texting.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein:

the detected optical data is thermo optical data.

14. An apparatus for managing usage of a mobile device having a forward-facing optical device and a reverse user-facing optical device, the apparatus comprising:

a bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to detect optical data from the forward-facing and reverse user-facing optical devices from an interior of a moving vehicle in response to detecting the mobile device is traveling at a speed consistent with vehicular travel;

analyze the detected optical data to identify a user and a set of vehicular markers, at least one of the identified vehicular markers being a vehicular marker from optical data detected from the reverse user-facing optical device;

determine an intra-vehicular location of a user in relation to the set of vehicular markers; and

initiate restricted use protocols in response to determining that the intra-vehicular location of the user is positioned within a driver'"'"'s seat, initiating restricted use protocols for selectively modifying functionality of the mobile device.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to receive, from a GPS component of the mobile device, speed data that exceeds a speed threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the reverse user-facing optical data is detected substantially concurrently with the forward-facing optical data.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to identify, from forward-facing optical data, one or more markers in the set of vehicular markers are for operating the motor vehicle; and

determine the intra-vehicular location of the user is the driver'"'"'s seat in response to determining that the user is located directly in front of the one or more markers.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

the processing unit further executes the computer usable program code to identify a vehicular configuration of the moving vehicle from a geographic location of the user; and

determine, from reverse user-facing optical data, the intra-vehicular location of the user from a relative position of the user and the set of vehicular markers with reference to the vehicular configuration.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

at least one of the forward-facing optical device and the reverse user-facing optical device is a thermographic optical device and the processing unit executes computer usable program code to detect thermo optical data from the at least one of the forward-facing and reverse user-facing optical devices and analyzes the detected thermo optical data.