Method and system for automated detection of mobile telephone usage by drivers of vehicles

• US 7,646,312 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Issued: 01/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomas P. Ryan
• Original Assignee: Michael Rosen
• Inventors: Rosen, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US11/678,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 340/907, 340/933, 340936-937, 340988-989
• US Class Current: 340/937
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server

Abstract

A method and apparatus for automated detection of mobile telephone usage by drivers of vehicles is provided. The apparatus may include a detection system comprising at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, at least one image capturing device, and at least one computer. The mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle. The at least one image capturing device is operative to capture at least one image of the vehicle. The at least one computer is operative to store in a storage device, information associated with at least one of the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle; and the at least one image of the vehicle. The information stored in the storage device may be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) receiving at least two mobile phone signals respectively with at least two spaced apart antennas from a mobile telephone device located in a moving vehicle;

b) capturing at least one image of the vehicle from which the at least two mobile phone signals are received, using at least one image capturing device;

c) through operation of at least one computer responsive to the at least two mobile phone signals received in (a), determining whether the vehicle corresponds to the source of the at least two mobile phone signals;

d) through operation of the at least one computer, enabling the at least one image to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

2. A method comprising:

a) monitoring a roadway to detect a transmission of a mobile phone signal from a location of the roadway;

b) monitoring the roadway to detect a presence of a vehicle in the location of the roadway;

c) through operation of at least one processor, determining that the mobile phone signal detected in (a) was transmitted from the location in the roadway when the vehicle detected in (b) was present in the location in the roadway; and

d) responsive to (c) through operation of the at least one processor, storing in at least one data store at least one image of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising capturing a plurality of images of the vehicle through operation of at least one image capturing device, wherein the plurality of images include at least one image of the license plate of the vehicle and at least one image of the driver of the vehicle, wherein (d) includes storing the at least one image of the license plate of the vehicle and the at least one image of the driver of the vehicle in the at least one data store.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein (d) includes through operation of the at least one processor, storing in the at least one data store the at least one image in correlated relation with data representative of the mobile phone signal detected in (a).

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein prior to (c) further comprising measuring a velocity of the vehicle, wherein (c) includes determining that a source of the mobile phone signal was moving with a velocity that corresponds to the velocity of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein (b) includes monitoring the roadway to detect the presences of the vehicle in the location of the roadway through operation of a sensor device operative to provide information indicating the presence of the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein (a) includes detecting the mobile phone signal with at least two spaced apart antennas;

wherein (c) includes, through operation of the at least one processor, determining whether the vehicle corresponds to the source of the mobile phone signal, responsive to respective signals provided by the at least two spaced apart antennas.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

e) determining information included in the mobile phone signal, wherein the information includes at least one of a telephone number and a mobile phone identifier.

11. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

e) determining at least one address associated with at least one of information included in the at least one image and information included in the mobile phone signal;

f) through operation of the at least one processor, enabling the at least one address determined in (e) to be used to communicate at least one message to the at least one address determined in (e), wherein the at least one message includes information regarding the usage of a mobile phone in the vehicle.

6. A method comprising:

a) receiving a mobile phone signal from a mobile telephone device located in a moving vehicle;

b) detecting with a sensor device further information associated with the vehicle, wherein the sensor device includes a vehicle velocity measuring device, wherein the further information includes a velocity associated with the vehicle;

c) through operation of at least one computer, comparing characteristics of the mobile phone signal received in (a) to the velocity of the vehicle detected in (b) to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal;

d) capturing at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is received, using at least one image capturing device;

e) storing the at least one image captured in (d), information associated with the mobile phone signal received in (a), and the further information detected in (b) in at least one storage device; and

f) through operation of the at least one computer, enabling the at least one image and portions of the information stored in the at least one data store to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

9. A method comprising:

a) receiving a mobile phone signal from a mobile telephone device located in a moving vehicle;

b) detecting with a vehicle presence detection device, information indicating a presence of the vehicle;

c) through operation of at least one computer, comparing characteristics of the mobile phone signal received in (a) to characteristics of the information indicating the presence of the vehicle detected in (b) to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal;

d) capturing at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is received, using at least one image capturing device;

e) storing the at least one image captured in (d) and information associated with the mobile phone signal received in (a) in at least one storage device; and

f) through operation of the at least one computer, enabling at least portions of the information and the at least one image stored in the at least one storage device to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, wherein the mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle in a location of a roadway;

at least one device operative to detect a presence of the vehicle in the location of the roadway and to capture an image of the vehicle in the roadway;

at least one storage device;

at least one computer, wherein the at least one computer is operative to determine that the mobile phone signal was transmitted from the location in the roadway when the at least one device indicates that the vehicle was present in the location in the roadway, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store in the at least one storage device, the at least one image of the vehicle.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store, in the at least one storage device, information associated with the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one device comprises a plurality of image capturing devices, wherein at least one of the plurality of image capturing devices is operative to capture at least one image of a driver of the vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of image capturing devices is operative to capture at least one image of at least one license plate of the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store the images captured from the plurality of image capturing devices on the storage device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one device comprises at least one vehicle presence detection device and at least one image capturing device.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the at least one computer is operative to determine information included in the mobile phone signal, wherein the information includes at least one of a telephone number and a mobile phone identifier, wherein the at least one computer is operative to store the information determined from the mobile phone signal in the at least one storage device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, comprising at least two spaced apart antennas, wherein each antenna is operative to produce a signal responsive to the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle, wherein the at least one computer is operative to compare the signals produced by the at least two antennas to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, wherein the mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle;

at least one image capturing device, wherein the at least one image capturing device is operative to capture at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is detected;

a vehicle velocity measuring device operative to measure a velocity associated with the vehicle;

at least one storage device;

at least one computer in operative connection with the mobile phone signal receiving device, the at least one image capturing device, the vehicle velocity measuring device, and the at least one storage device;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to store the velocity of the vehicle and at least one image of the vehicle in the at least one storage device;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to compare characteristics of the mobile phone signal transmitted from the vehicle to the velocity of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal; and

wherein the at least one computer is operative to enable at least portions of the data stored in the at least one storage device to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.

17. An apparatus comprising:

at least one mobile phone signal receiving device, wherein the mobile phone signal receiving device is operative to detect a mobile phone signal transmitted from a vehicle;

at least one image capturing device, wherein the at least one image capturing device is operative to capture at least one image of the vehicle from which the mobile phone signal is detected;

a vehicle presence detection device operative to determine information indicating a presence of the vehicle;

at least one storage device;

at least one computer in operative connection with the mobile phone signal receiving device, the at least one image capturing device, the vehicle presence detection device, and the at least one storage device;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to store, in the at least one storage device, the at least one image of the vehicle;

wherein the at least one computer is operative to compare characteristics of the mobile phone signal to characteristics of the information indicating the presence of the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle corresponds to a source of the mobile phone signal; and

wherein the at least one computer is operative to enable at least portions of the data stored in the at least one storage device to be used to determine if a person associated with the vehicle should be prosecuted for illegal use of a mobile phone while driving the vehicle.