Vehicle speeding alert system for GPS enabled wireless devices

• US 7,397,365 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Shengqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr.; John
• Application Number:
  US11/283,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/901, 340/902, 340/905, 340/936, 701/117, 701/119
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle speeding alert system is implemented on a GPS enabled wireless device in communication with a wireless network. The alert system periodically determines the speed of a vehicle by determining the speed of the wireless device carried therein, using GPS signals received by the wireless device. For example, speed can be calculated by dividing a certain distance that the wireless device travels by the time it takes to travel that distance. The vehicle'"'"'s speed is then compared to the speed limit of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling. The speed limit is determined by comparing the wireless device'"'"'s location to map data relating to the geographic area around the location. The map data may be stored on the wireless device, or obtained from a map database accessible over the network. If the vehicle speed is above the speed limit, a notification or alert is issued.

Claims

1. A method for assessing the speed of an object, the method comprising the steps of:

determining the speed of a wireless device associated with the object, said wireless device being a first general purpose, global positioning system (GPS)-enabled mobile phone, wherein the speed is determined from at least one GPS signal received by the mobile phone; and

generating a notification relating to the speed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing the speed of the wireless device to speed information for a first location of the wireless device; and

determining whether to generate the notification based on said comparison.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the speed of the mobile phone is determined upon receiving a command from a third party individual over a public wide area wireless network in communication with the mobile phone.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

transmitting the notification over the wireless network to a speeding database, said speeding database being accessible by the third party through an Internet website, and said notification including data relating to;

the determined speed of the mobile phone, an identification of the mobile phone, and a time and date when the speed was determined.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein:

the command is transmitted from a second general purpose mobile phone, said second mobile phone being operated by the third party; and

the method further comprises transmitting the notification over the wireless network to the second mobile phone, said notification including data relating to;

the determined speed of the first mobile phone, an identification of the first mobile phone, and a time and date when the speed was determined.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

transmitting at least one of;

information relating to said comparison;

the speed and the first location; and

the notification to a wireless network in communication with the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the speed information comprises speed limit data retrieved from a map database containing information about the first location, said map database being stored on at least one of the wireless device and a wireless network in communication with the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein:

the map database is stored on the wireless device; and

the map database is periodically refreshed from a master database stored on the wireless network.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

determining a difference between the speed limit data and the speed of the wireless device; and

generating the notification if the difference is outside a designated range.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

transmitting the notification to at least one of the wireless device and a speeding database accessible over the wireless network.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

initiating an alarm on the wireless device if the notification is generated.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the speed of the mobile phone is periodically automatically determined at random or semi-random times.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein:

the speed information comprises speed limit data retrieved from a map database containing information about the first location, said map database being stored on at least one of the wireless device and a wireless network in communication with the wireless device; and

the method further comprises;

determining a difference between the speed limit data and the speed of the wireless device;

generating the notification if the difference is outside a designated range; and

transmitting the notification to at least one of the wireless device and a speeding database accessible over the wireless network.

14. A method for assessing the speed of an object, the method comprising the steps of:

determining the speed of a wireless device associated with the object; and

transmitting a notification relating to the speed to a speeding database, said notification being transmitted over a wireless network in communication with the wireless device, and said notification including data relating to;

the determined speed of the wireless device, an identification of the wireless device, and a time and date when the speed was determined,

wherein the speeding database is accessible to authorized third parties through an Internet website.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless device is general purpose, global positioning system (GPS)-enabled mobile phone, and wherein the speed is determined from at least one GPS signal received by the mobile phone.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the speed of the wireless device is periodically automatically determined at the wireless device at random or semi-random times.

17. A method for assessing the speed of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a command at a general purpose, global positioning system (GPS)-enabled mobile phone carried in the vehicle, said command originating from a third party individual and being received over a public wide area wireless network in communication with the mobile phone;

in response to said command, determining the speed of the mobile phone based at least in part on at least one GPS signal received by the mobile phone; and

transmitting a notification relating to the speed over the wireless network, wherein the notification is transmitted to or otherwise accessible to the third party, and wherein the notification includes data relating to;

the determined speed of the mobile phone, an identification of the mobile phone, and a time and date when the speed was determined.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the notification is transmitted over the wireless network to a speeding database, said speeding database being accessible to the third party through an Internet website.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the third party is an authorized party that owns the mobile phone, said mobile phone being carried by a user other than the third party but with the third party'"'"'s permission.