Automatic wireless utilization of cellular telephone devices

• US 8,014,752 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Morgan, Fabian F, Walker, Keith Raymond, Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Chen, Yen-Fu
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar; Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Magloire; Vladimir
• Application Number:
  US12/880,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/404.1, 455/41.2, 455/575.9, 455/99
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

Automatic utilization of cellular telephone device is achieved by a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range wireless communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability; responsive to an emergency notification message, pinging by the short-range wireless communicator a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device being physically detached from the vehicle; subsequent to the pinging, receiving a response message indicating that user authorization is required; responsive to the response message, sending by the short-range wireless communicator to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message; subsequent to a user responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receiving an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communication device; and responsive to the authorization, sending an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

providing a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the

short-range wireless communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability;

responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, pinging by the short-range wireless communicator a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication and being physically detached from the vehicle;

subsequent to the pinging, receiving a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

responsive to receipt of the response message, sending by the short-range wireless communicator

to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative

manner to the authorization request, receiving an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communication device; and

responsive to the authorization, sending an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of sending an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of the short-range wireless communicator selecting one or more multiple long-range communication devices contemporaneously found within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the long-range communication device has a capability for delivering the notification message to a specified party via the wireless network.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than the peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the request for authorization message comprises one or more messages selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.

7. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable, tangible storage devices associated with a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability;

first program instructions to, responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, ping by the short-range wireless communicator a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication and being physically detached from the vehicle;

second program instructions to, subsequent to the pinging, receive a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

third program instructions to, responsive to receipt of the response message, send by the short-range wireless communicator to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

fourth program instructions to, subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receive an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communication device; and

fifth program instructions to, responsive to the authorization, send an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party;

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth program instructions are stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable, tangible storage devices.

8. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 further comprising sixth program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage devices to send an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

9. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 further comprising sixth program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage devices to select one or more multiple long-range communication devices found contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability.

10. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the long-rage communication device has a capability for delivering the notification message to the specified party via a wireless network.

11. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than the peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

12. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the request for authorization message comprises one or more messages selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.

13. A system comprising:

a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability, the controller having hardware to perform a logical process;

a locator portion of the controller which, responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, pings a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication and being physically detached from the vehicle;

a first receiver portion of the controller which, subsequent to the pinging, receives a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

an authorization requester portion of the controller which, responsive to receipt of the response message, sends to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

a second receiver portion of the controller which, subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receives an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communication device; and

a message transmitter portion of the controller which, responsive to the authorization, sends an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the message transmitter portion of the controller sending an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the short-range wireless communicator selecting one or more multiple long-range communication devices found contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the long-range communication device has a capability for delivering the notification message to the specified party via a wireless network.

17. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than the peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

18. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the request for authorization message comprises one or more messages selected from the group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.