Sensor-based determination of user role, location, and/or state of one or more in-vehicle mobile devices and enforcement of usage thereof

• US 8,750,853 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellepathy Ltd., Daa Trading Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cellepathy Ltd.
• Inventors: Abramson, Dan, Pomerantz, Itzhak, Kashtan, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US13/825,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20130295901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/456.4, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• 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

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for computing various determinations at one or more mobile devices and/or central machines. In part, such determinations are computed based on analysis of one or more inputs originating at one or more sensors of one or more devices. Such determinations include determining an in-vehicle role, an in-vehicle location, a handheld state, and a vehicle class. Various transformations, modifications, and outputs can result from such determinations. Also disclosed are systems and methods for restricting operation of a mobile device, including restrictions that impede operation by a driver moreso than operation by a passenger. Also disclosed are systems and methods for orienting a coordinate system of a mobile device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to;

receive one or more inputs;

analyze the one or more inputs to identify one or more user determination characteristics and one or more vehicle determination characteristics, the one or more vehicle determination characteristics comprising a signature reflected by at least one of the one or more inputs;

compute, based on the one or more user determination characteristics, at least one of (a) a probability that an in-vehicle role of a user of a mobile device is a driver or (b) a probability that the in-vehicle role of the user of the mobile device is a passenger;

compute, based on the one or more vehicle determination characteristics, a vehicle class; and

transform at least one operation state of the mobile device based on the probability and the vehicle class.

2. A method comprising:

receiving a first input, the first input corresponding to one or more keystrokes;

analyzing the first input to identify one or more keystroke patterns;

computing, by one or more processors and based on the one or more keystroke patterns, at least one determination factor, the at least one determination factor pertaining to an in-vehicle role of a user; and

at least one of;

(a) transforming, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one operation state of a mobile device, (b) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one operation state, (c) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one in-vehicle role of the user, (d) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one in-vehicle location of a mobile device, or (e) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one result.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises analyzing the first input to identify one or more time intervals occurring between the one or more keystrokes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the one or more time intervals are above a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a driver.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the one or more time intervals are substantially consistent, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a passenger.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises analyzing the first input to identify an average time interval occurring between the one or more keystrokes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the average time interval occurring between the one or more keystrokes is above a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a driver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the average time interval is below a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a passenger.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises analyzing the first input to identify a variability among one or more time intervals occurring between the one or more keystrokes.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the variability is above a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a driver.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the variability is below a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a passenger.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises analyzing the first input to identify a frequency at which typing errors occur.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein analyzing the first input to identify a frequency at which typing errors occur comprises analyzing the first input to identify a frequency at which typing errors occur relative to a quantity of text being typed.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the frequency at which typing errors occur is above a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a driver.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on an identification that that the frequency at which typing errors occur is below a defined threshold, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a passenger.

16. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises analyzing the first input to identify one or more time intervals occurring between a start and a completion of at least one of (a) a word, (b) a phrase, or (c) a sentence.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the first input comprises comparing the first input with one or more values to identify a deviation from the one or more values.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises:

based on the deviation, computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be at least one of (a) a driver or (b) a passenger.

19. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving at least a second input; and

analyzing the second input to identify one or more vehicle movement patterns;

wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises computing a correspondence between (a) one or more aspects of the one or more keystroke patterns and (b) one or more aspects of the one or more vehicle movement patterns.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein computing a correspondence comprises computing a correspondence between

one or more time intervals occurring between the one or more keystrokes and

one or more changes in the one or more vehicle movement patterns.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein computing a correspondence comprises computing a correspondence between

one or more time intervals during which no keystrokes are received and

one or more changes in the one or more vehicle movement patterns.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first input, the first input corresponding to one or more user initiated movements;

receiving a second input, the second input corresponding to one or more vehicle initiated movements;

analyzing, by the processor, the first input and the second input to identify a correlation whereby the receiving of the first input precedes the receiving of the second input;

computing, based on the correlation, at least one determination factor, the at least one determination factor pertaining to an in-vehicle role of a user; and

at least one of;

(a) transforming, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one operation state of a mobile device, (b) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one operation state, (c) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one in-vehicle role of the user, (d) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one in-vehicle location of the mobile device, or (e) outputting, based on the at least one determination factor, at least one result.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein analyzing the first input and the second input comprises analyzing the first input and the second input to identify a correlation whereby a first movement is identified as being chronologically proximate to a change in acceleration;

and

wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a driver.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein analyzing the first input and the second input comprises analyzing the first input and the second input to identify that a first movement is not chronologically proximate to a change of acceleration;

and

wherein computing at least one determination factor comprises computing that the in-vehicle role of the user is likely to be a passenger.