Management of mobile device communication sessions to reduce user distraction

• US 8,738,005 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aegis Mobility Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aegis Mobility Incorporated
• Inventors: Williams, Stephen J., Featherstone, Peter A., Chan, Mandy, Wright, Andrew S., Geyer, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/040,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20080305780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 4554121-4144, 455/445, 455/67.11, 455/557, 455/345, 455/419, 4554561-457, 455/238.1, 455/404.2, 455/422.1, 455436-444, 455/428, 455/567, 701 1-302
• US Class Current: 455/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, methods and interfaces are disclosed for managing communications associated with a mobile communication device. Mobile communication devices process environmental inputs and transmit mobile communication device context information to a communication management system. The context information may, for example, reflect the motion and/or geographic location of the mobile device, and may reflect the risk associated with using the device to handle a call or other communications session. The communication management system uses the context information, optionally in combination with communication device profiles, to determine how to manage incoming and/or ongoing calls or other communication sessions. Mobile device users may also be inhibited from initiating communication sessions.

Claims

1. An automated method of managing a mobile communications device based on usage conditions, the method comprising:

assessing at least a motion-based context of the mobile communications device while a voice call is in progress between the user of the mobile communications device and an additional party, wherein said motion-based context is assessed via an automated analysis of sensor data on the mobile communications device, and is reflective of a level of user risk associated with using the mobile communications device;

in response to detecting a change in said motion-based context while the voice call is in progress, sending a context change notification message reflective of the change in said motion-based context from the mobile communications device to a communication management system, wherein management by the communication management system of at least one of incoming requests for communication to the mobile communications device, outgoing requests for communication from the mobile communications device, and ongoing communications including the mobile communication device is defined in terms of a most recently received context change notification message, without requiring the communication management system to communicate with the mobile communications device, and wherein a context change notification message is transmitted only upon detecting a change in said motion-based context; and

determining, at said communication management system, whether a precautionary action should be taken in response to the change in the motion-based context of the mobile communications device to protect said user, wherein the result of said determining corresponds to the management defined in terms of the received mobile communication device context state, and wherein the precautionary action does not cause a modification of at least one of communication reception functionality and a power state of the mobile communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a profile of the user to select a particular precautionary action to be taken in response to the change in the motion-based context of the mobile communications device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing said precautionary action to be taken in response to the change in the motion-based context of the mobile communications device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the precautionary action is termination of the voice call.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising automatically causing said user and said party to be reconnected after a motion-based context that gave rise to termination of the voice call ceases to exist.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the precautionary action playing of an audible warning message on a voice channel of said voice call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition from a non-transit context to a transit context.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition from a first transit context to a second transit context.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition of the mobile communications device into a geospatial zone, said geospatial zone being a bounded geographic region defined in the mobile communications device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, at said communication management system, using a rule defined for said geospatial zone and mobile communications device to determine whether a precautionary action should be taken in response to the transition into the geospatial zone.

11. An automated method of managing a mobile communications device based on usage conditions, the method comprising:

assessing at least a motion-based context of the mobile communications device while a voice call is in progress between the user of the mobile communications device and an additional party, wherein the motion-based device context corresponds to processing, at the mobile communications device, a set of inputs associated with a current mobile communication device environment;

in response to detecting a change in said motion-based context while the voice call is in progress, sending a context change notification message reflective of the change in said motion-based context from the mobile communications device to a communication management system, wherein management by the communication management system of at least one of incoming requests for communication to the mobile communications device, outgoing requests for communication from the mobile communications device, and ongoing communications including the mobile communications device is defined in terms of a most recently received context change notification message, without requiring the communication management system to communicate with the mobile communications device, and wherein a context change notification message is transmitted only upon detecting a change in said motion-based context; and

determining, at said communication management system, whether a precautionary action should be taken in response to the context change notification message, wherein the result of said determining corresponds to the management defined in terms of the received mobile communication device context state, and wherein the precautionary action does not cause a modification of at least one of communication reception functionality and a power state of the mobile communication device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using a profile of the user to select a particular precautionary action to be taken in response to the context change notification message.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing said precautionary action to be taken in response to the context change notification message.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the precautionary action is termination of the voice call.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically causing said user and said party to be reconnected after a motion-based condition that gave rise to termination of the voice call ceases to exist.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the precautionary action playing of an audible warning message on a voice channel of said voice call.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition from a non-transit context to a transit context.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition from a first transit context to a second transit context.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in motion-based context is a transition of the mobile communications device into a geospatial zone, said geospatial zone being a bounded geographic region defined in the mobile communications device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising, at said communication management system, using a rule defined for said geospatial zone and mobile communications device to determine whether a precautionary action should be taken in response to the transition into the geospatial zone.