Location based service restrictions for mobile applications

• US 7,194,273 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaudreuil, Gregory M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERRERA, DIEGO D
• Application Number:
  US10/778,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20050181808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.4, 455/419, 455/69
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• 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 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A cell phone system that controls the functionality of cell phones based upon their geographical locations. Functionality information stored in data bases located at and unique to each location. A local or low power transmitter at each location transmits functionality information from the data bases to cell phones currently at the locations. Alternatively, a single data base common to the entire network is used to store functionality information for a plurality of locations. The geographical location of active cell phones is monitored and when a cell phone enters a restricted location, cell phone location information is transmitted to the network data base to read it out and transmit the applicable functionality information to cell phones. The functionality information may represent voluntary restrictions displayed on the cell phones or they may be mandatory restrictions that inhibit cell phone functions defined by the restrictions.

Claims

1. A method of operating a cell phone network to control the functionality of cell phones having a plurality of possible cell phone geographical locations;

said method comprising the steps of;

creating a restriction data base stored in a restriction server defining restrictions associated with said plurality of geographical locations;

some of said geographical locations having an associated set of restrictions in said restriction data base;

each set of restrictions specifying one or more cell phone functions to be controlled;

creating a position data base stored in a position server separate from said restriction server and adapted to retrieve information regarding the present geographical position of a cell phone requiring service;

determining that said cell phone requiring service is in a restricted location;

coadjuvantely operating said restriction data base and said position server to determine the restrictions applicable to the present geographical location of said cell phone requiring service in a restricted location;

transmitting said determined restrictions to said cell phone requiring service in a restricted location; and

controlling the operation of each said cell phone in said restricted location to inhibit cell phone functions specified by said determined restrictions.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of causing said cell phone to indicate the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of selectively enabling or inhibiting the cell phone the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of controlling includes the step of:

displaying on said cell phone the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions, and

selectively enabling or inhibiting the cell phone functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of coadjuvantly operating said restriction database and said position server comprises the steps of:

receiving the telephone number representing they mobile ID of said cell phone requiring service in a restricted location;

operating said position server in response to said reception of said telephone number to determine the geographic coordinates of the present location of said cell phone;

applying said determined geographic coordinates to an address input of said restriction database; and

reading out said restriction database to determine the restrictions applicable to said restricted location of cell phone.

6. The method of claim 1 including the step of operating a triangulation apparatus to determine said cell phone location.

7. The method of claim 1 including the step of operating a global positioning system apparatus to determine said cell phone location.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said cell phone network has a plurality of possible geographical cell phone locations and a corresponding plurality of local restriction data bases each unique to one of said locations;

said method includes the further steps of;

entering into each local restriction data base the restrictions applicable to the location associated with said each local restriction data base;

operating a local or low power transmitter coupled to each said local restriction data base for transmitting restrictions to cell phones currently in the location associated with said local restriction data base; and

controlling each active cell phone in said location to enable/disable the features of said cell phone specified by said transmitted restrictions.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein said cell phone functions comprise one or more functions selected from the group of:

ringer control;

speaker phone control;

camera phone control;

call initiation control;

call receiving control;

dictation control;

recording control;

internet access control; and

cell phone activation control.

10. A cell phone network adapted to control the functionality of cell phones having a plurality of possible cell phone geographical locations;

said network comprising;

a restriction data base stored in a restriction server defining restrictions associated with said plurality of geographical locations;

some of said geographical locations having an associated set of restrictions in said restriction data base;

each set of restrictions specifying one or more cell phone functions to be controlled;

a position data base stored in a position server separate from said restriction server and adapted to retrieve information regarding the present geographical position of a cell phone requiring service;

apparatus that determines that said cell phone requiring service is in a restricted location;

said restriction data base and said position server are jointly effective to determine the restrictions applicable to the present geographical location of said cell phone requiring service in a restricted location;

apparatus that transmits said determined restrictions to said cell phone requiring service; and

apparatus that controls the operation of each said cell phone in said restricted location to inhibit cell phone functions specified by said determined restrictions.

11. The cell phone network of claim 10 including apparatus that causes said cell phone to indicate the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

12. The cell phone network of claim 10 including apparatus that controls said cell phone to selectively enable or inhibit the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

13. The cell phone network of claim 10 further including:

apparatus that controls said cell phone to display the functions specified by said transmitted restrictions; and

apparatus that selectively enables or inhibits the cell phone functions specified by said transmitted restrictions.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising:

apparatus that receives the telephone number representing the mobile ID of said cell phone requiring service in a restricted location;

apparatus responsive to the receipt of said telephone number for operating said position server to determine the geographic coordinates of the present location of said cell phone;

apparatus that applies said determined geographic coordinates to an address input of said restriction database; and

apparatus that reads out said restriction database to determine the restrictions applicable to said restricted location of cell phone.

15. The cell phone network of claim 10 including triangulation apparatus adopted to determine said cell phone location.

16. The cell phone network of claim 10 including a global positioning system apparatus adopted to determine said cell phone location.

17. The cell phone network of claim 10 further including:

a plurality of possible geographical cell phone locations and a corresponding plurality of local restriction data bases each unique to one of said locations;

apparatus that enters into each local restriction data base the restrictions applicable to the location associated with said each local restriction data base;

a local or low power transmitter coupled to each said local restriction data base and operable for transmitting restrictions to cell phones currently in the location associated with said local restriction data base; and

apparatus for controlling each active cell phone in said location to enable/disable the features of said cell phone specified by said transmitted restrictions.

18. The cell phone network of claim 12 wherein said cell phone functions comprise one or more functions selected from the group of:

ringer control;

speaker phone control;

camera phone control;

all initiation control;

call receiving control;

dictation control;

recording control;

internet access control; and

cell phone activation control.