Safe use of electronic devices in an automobile

• US 7,006,793 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spinac, Clifford Jay, Rodriguez, Herman, Smith, Newton James Jr., Himmel, Maria Azua
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, LANA N
• Application Number:
  US10/046,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20030134660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/41.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/550.1, 455/575.9, 455/334, 455345-346, 455566-567, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455410-411, 455/517, 340/825.08, 713200-201
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724098 Interfacing with an on-board device of a vehicle for hands-free speaking in vehicles H04M1/6075
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device

Abstract

The present invention presents a method and computer program product for operating a mobile electronic device having a wireless transceiver within an automobile having an on-board computer. The method includes: receiving a wireless information message from the mobile electronic device within the automobile to the on-board computer, establishing a wireless communication link between the on-board computer and the mobile electronic device; communicating instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device to disable a one or more features within the mobile electronic device; and then communicating reconfiguration instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device, whereby the mobile electronic device reconfigures itself to become a slave device to the on-board computer. The motorist may then utilize the mobile electronic device through the input and output devices of the on-board computer.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile electronic device within an automobile having an on-board computer, comprising:

transmitting a discovery signal on a discovery frequency from the on-board computer;

receiving, at the on-board computer, a wireless identification message from the mobile electronic device located within the automobile, wherein the message contains information describing the mobile electronic device, an address for the mobile electronic device, and an address for each of one or mare features within the mobile electronic device;

storing, within the on-board computer, the address for the mobile electronic device, and the address for each of one or more features within the mobile electronic device;

communicating reconfiguration instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device,

wherein the reconfiguration instructions instruct the mobile electronic device to reconfigure as a slave device to the on-board computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device is selected from a mobile telephone, a handheld personal computer, a personal organizer, a palmtop computer, a computerized notepad, a global positioning system (GPS), an electronic video game, a video player, a personal digital assistant or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless signals selected from radio frequency and infrared signals.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the discovery signal at the mobile electronic device; and

interpreting the discovery signal to be an identification request from the on-board computer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

monitoring by the mobile electronic device for messages to the address for the mobile electronic device;

monitoring byte on-bard computer for messages from the address forte mobile electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features within the mobile electronic device are selected from transceiver, speaker, microphone, keypad, video display,joystick, memory, transmitter, receiver, antenna or combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising utilizing one or more features within the on-board computer instead of the one or more disabled features within the mobile electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

obtaining data, using the on-board computer, about the status of conditions affecting the automobile; and

determining, using the on-board computer, which of the one or more features within the on-board computer to make available to a motorist.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the conditions are measured conditions selected from weather outside the automobile, speed of the automobile, braking frequency, distance to other vehicles, engine RPM, engine coolant level and temperature, steering wheel movement, automobile'"'"'s acceleration and braking, frequency of automobile'"'"'s acceleration and braking, time of day, time period of driving without a rest stop or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the conditions are deduced conditions selected from traffic density, presence of a passenger, motorist fatigue or combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of determining the features to make available to the motorist further comprises:

defining a normal value for each of the conditions and combinations of the conditions;

storing the normal value in a database of the on-board computer;

storing instructions in the database of the on-board computer for removing availability of the features based upon a variance between the normal condition and an actual condition and combinations of actual conditions;

determining a variance between the normal conditions and the actual conditions; and

removing availability of the features based upon the instructions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the mobile electronic device is a mobile telephone and wherein the stored instructions are selected from refusal to accept a mobile telephone call, refusal to place a mobile telephone call, placing only emergency mobile telephone calls, limiting the duration of a mobile telephone call, limiting the frequency of mobile telephone calls, limiting motorist input only to voice commands, blocking output to the automobile'"'"'s visual display device or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining data, using the on-board computer, about the status of conditions affecting the automobile, further comprises:

accessing a driving history database to obtain data about driving conditions.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining the vehicle location using a global positioning system; and

obtaining driving conditions from the driving history database associated with the vehicle location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the driving conditions are selected from road hazards, accident frequency, propensity for accidents, visibility, curves, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allowing the mobile telephone to simultaneously use features of the mobile telephone and features of the automobile.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device to disable one or more features within the mobile electronic device.

18. A system for operating a mobile electronic device within an automobile having an on-board computer, comprising:

an on-board computer comprising memory and a digital transceiver mounted in an automobile, wherein the transceiver transmits a discovery signal on a discovery frequency and receives a wireless identification message from, the mobile electronic device located within the automobile and wherein the message contains information describing the mobile electronic device, an address for the mobile electronic device, and an address for each of one or more features within the mobile electronic device;

the address for the mobile electronic device stored in the memory,

the address for each of the one or more features within the mobile electronic device stored in the memory, wherein the transceiver further transmits reconfiguration instructions to the mobile electronic device to instruct the mobile electronic device to reconfigure itself as a slave device to the on-board computer.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile electronic device is selected from a mobile telephone, a handheld personal computer, a personal organizer, a palmtop computer, a computerized notepad, a global positioning system (GPS), an electronic video game, a video player, a personal digital assistant or combinations thereof.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless signals selected from radio frequency and infrared signals.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the one or more features within the mobile electronic device are selected from transceiver, speaker, microphone, keypad, video display, joystick, memory, transmitter, receiver or combinations thereof.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising utilizing one or more features within the on-board computer instead of the one or more disabled features within the mobile electronic device.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a database in a memory of the on-board computer containing normal values for conditions and combinations of conditions affecting the automobile and

a database of instructions for removing the availability of the features based upon a variance between the normal values and an actual condition and combinations of actual conditions, wherein the variance is determined and wherein a motorist is denied access to the one or more features based upon the instructions.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the conditions are measured conditions selected from weather outside the automobile, speed of the automobile, braking frequency, distance to other vehicles, engine RPM, engine coolant level and temperature, steering wheel movement automobile'"'"'s acceleration, frequency of automobile'"'"'s acceleration, time of day, time period of driving without a rest stop or combinations thereof.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the conditions are deduced conditions selected from traffic density, presence of a passenger, motorist fatigue or combinations thereof.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the mobile electronic device is a mobile telephone and wherein the instructions are selected from refusal to accept a mobile telephone call, refusal to place a mobile telephone call, placing only emergency mobile telephone calls, limiting the duration of a mobile telephone call, limiting the frequency of mobile telephone calls, limiting motorist input only to voice commands, blocking output to the automobile'"'"'s visual display device or combinations thereof.

27. A computer program product including instructions embodied on a computer readable medium, the instructions comprising:

transmitting instructions for transmitting a discovery signal on a discovery frequency from the on-board computer;

receiving instructions for receiving, at the on-board computer, a wireless identification message from the mobile electronic device located within the automobile, wherein the message contains information describing the mobile electronic device, an address for the mobile electronic device, and an address for each of one or more features within the mobile electronic device;

storing instructions for storing, within the on-board computer, the address for the mobile electronic device, and the address for each of one or more features within the mobile electronic device;

communicating instructions for communicating reconfiguration instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device,

wherein the reconfiguration instructions instruct the mobile electronic device to reconfigure as a slave device to the on-board computer.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the mobile electronic device is selected from a mobile telephone, a handheld personal computer, a personal organizer, a palmtop computer, a computerized notepad, a global positioning system (GPS), an electronic video game, a video player, a personal digital assistant or combinations thereof.

29. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the mobile electronic device system comprises a wireless transceiver and for transmitting and receiving wireless signals selected from radio frequency and infrared.

30. The computer program product of claim 27, comprising:

receiving instructions for receiving the discovery signal by the mobile electronic device;

interpreting instructions for interpreting the discovery signal to be an identification request by the on-board computer.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

monitoring instructions for monitoring at the mobile electronic device for messages to the address for the mobile electronic device; and

monitoring instructions for monitoring at the on-board computer for messages from the assigned address for the mobile electronic device.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the one or more features within the mobile electronic device are selected from transceiver, speaker, microphone, keypad, video display, joystick, memory, transmitter, receiver or combinations thereof.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein one or more features within the on-board computer provide substitute functions of the one or more disabled features within the mobile electronic device.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising:

obtaining instructions for obtaining data, using the on-board computer, about the status of conditions affecting the automobile; and

determining instructions for determining, using the on-board computer, which of the one or more features within the on-board computer to make available to a motorist.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the conditions are measured conditions selected from weather outside the automobile, speed of the automobile, braking frequency, distance to other vehicles, engine RPM, engine coolant level and temperature, steering wheel movement, automobile'"'"'s acceleration, frequency of automobile'"'"'s acceleration, time of day, time period of driving without a rest stop and combinations thereof.

36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the conditions are deduced conditions selected from traffic density, presence of a passenger, motorist fatigue and combinations thereof.

37. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the determining instructions for determining of the features to make available to the motorist further comprises:

defining instructions for defining a normal value for each of the conditions and combinations of the conditions;

storing instructions for storing the normal value in a database of the on-board computer

storing instructions for storing application instructions in a database of the on-board computer for removing the availability of the features based upon a variance between the normal conditions and an actual condition and combinations of actual conditions;

determining instructions for determining the variance between the normal conditions and the actual conditions; and

removing instructions for removing the availability of the features based upon the application instructions.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the mobile electronic device is a mobile telephone and wherein the application instructions are selected from refusal to accept a mobile telephone call, refusal to place a mobile telephone call, placing only emergency mobile telephone calls, limiting the duration of a mobile telephone call, limiting the frequency of mobile telephone calls, limiting motorist input only to voice commands, blocking output to the visual display device or combinations thereof.

39. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

communicating instructions for communicating instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile electronic device to disable one or more features within the mobile electronic device.

40. A method for controlling operation of a mobile telephone within an automobile having an on-board computer, comprising:

transmitting a wireless discovery signal from a transmitter controlled by the on-board computer;

receiving a wireless identification message from the mobile telephone, wherein the wireless identification message contains information describing the mobile telephone, and address for the mobile telephone, and an address for each of the one or more features within the mobile telephone;

establishing a wireless communication link between the on-board computer and the mobile telephone;

communicating instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile telephone to disable one or more features within the mobile telephone; and

communicating reconfiguration instructions from the on-board computer to the mobile telephone, whereby the mobile telephone reconfigures itself to become a slave device to the on-board computer.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more features disabled within the mobile telephone are selected from a speaker, a microphone, a display, a keypad, antenna or combinations thereof.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising utilizing one or more features within the on-board computer to provide substitute functions for the one or more disabled features of the mobile telephone.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising:

obtaining data, using the on-board computer, about the status of conditions affecting the automobile; and

determining, using the on-board computer, which of the one or more features within the on-board computer to make available to a driver of the automobile.