Automatic electronic device detection

• US 7,460,023 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Harris Technology LLC
• Inventors: Harris, Scott C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Walk, Samuel J
• Application Number:
  US11/697,407
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.4, 340/539.13, 340/988, 340/686.6, 455/411, 348/143, 348148-150, 348152-156, 348/159, 382/189, 382/203, 382/209
• US Class Current: 340/686.6
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 7/3236 relating to electrostatic charges
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/16 Combustible gas alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/22 including jamming detection and monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/68 using passive jamming, e.g. by shielding or reflection shielding of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic field H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/84 related to preventing electromagnetic interference in petrol station, hospital, plane or cinema
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/90 related to allowing or preventing navigation or positioning, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system that detects cellular telephone and other electronic use within an unauthorized locations. The location can be detected by GPS or triangulation, and once detected can automatically produce certain operations.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a combustible material pump, having a first portion that allows dispensing combustible material;

a camera, associated with said combustible material pump, and having a lens of a type that enables imaging a user who is standing within range of the combustible material pump; and

a connection to a security part, that sends an image obtained by said camera to said security part, wherein said connection includes a connection to a processor that automatically detects use of a communication device at the combustible material pump, wherein said processor looks for known cellular telephone images, and matches items in said image to said known cellular telephone images.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said combustible material pump is a gasoline pump.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said connection sends the image to an attendant to individually view said images.

4. A system as in claim 3, wherein the attendant also includes the ability to disable the combustible material pump.

5. A system as in claim 1, further comprising storing a database of a plurality of known cellular telephone images, and comparing said known cellular telephone images with images within a field of view of said camera.

6. A method comprising:

associating a camera with a device for dispensing combustible material, the camera having a lens, and the lens being sufficiently wide angle to enable obtaining images of users who are within the field of view of the dispensing device; and

sending the image to a security part, that carries out at least one function related to security associated with the dispensing device wherein said sending comprises sending the image to a processor that automatically processes the image to determine security aspects thereof, wherein said processor automatically processes the image to find images of cellular telephones therein.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein said security device includes sending the image to an attendant who also includes the ability to manually turn off the pump.

8. A method as in claim 6, wherein the dispensing device is a device for dispensing gasoline.

9. A method as in claim 6, further comprising storing images of a plurality of known cellular telephones, wherein said automatically processes comprises comparing said images of known cell phones with images from said camera.

10. A method as in claim 6, wherein said the dispensing device is a device for dispensing propane.