Safety control system for vehicles
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method for controlling a telematic device in a vehicle operated by a driver, the telematic device having at least one of an input accessible from within the vehicle and at least one output communicated within the vehicle, the output having an original format and a format different than the original format, the method comprising:
- sensing movement of the telematic device;
comparing movement of the telematic device to a threshold;
preventing said at least one output from being communicated within the vehicle in the original format of said at least one output when movement of the telematic device is at or above the threshold;
providing said at least one output to the driver in the format different than the original format when movement of the telematic device is at or above the threshold; and
permitting the driver to access said input or providing said output to said driver in the original format when movement of the telematic device is below the threshold.
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Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
According to one aspect of one embodiment of the present invention, a safety control system for vehicles, includes, a communication device having at least one of an input accessible from within the vehicle and an output communicated within the vehicle, at least one sensor operable to sense at least one condition related to vehicle operation, and a controller communicated with the sensor and the communication device to selectively suppress at least one of said input and said output in response to a sensed parameter of said at least one condition being outside of a threshold. When an input is suppressed, the driver is prevented from accessing or inputting information into the communication device. When an output is suppressed, communication between the device and the driver of a vehicle is suppressed to, among other things, avoid distracting the driver during certain driving situations or conditions relating to the driver, vehicle and/or environment.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a telematic device in a vehicle operated by a driver, the telematic device having at least one of an input accessible from within the vehicle and at least one output communicated within the vehicle, the output having an original format and a format different than the original format, the method comprising:
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sensing movement of the telematic device; comparing movement of the telematic device to a threshold; preventing said at least one output from being communicated within the vehicle in the original format of said at least one output when movement of the telematic device is at or above the threshold; providing said at least one output to the driver in the format different than the original format when movement of the telematic device is at or above the threshold; and permitting the driver to access said input or providing said output to said driver in the original format when movement of the telematic device is below the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method for controlling a cell phone in a vehicle operated by a driver, the cell phone having at least one display screen, the display screen having an original format and a format different than the original format, the method comprising:
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determining the movement of the cell phone or the vehicle; comparing the movement of the cell phone or the vehicle to a threshold; changing said display screen to the format different than the original format when the movement of cell phone or vehicle is at or above the threshold; and changing said display screen to the original format when the movement of the cell phone or vehicle is below the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method for controlling a cell phone in a vehicle operated by a driver, the cell phone having at least one audible tone and at least one display screen, the output having an original format and a different format, the method comprising:
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determining the speed of the cell phone; determining whether the speed of the cell phone is within a threshold; preventing said audible tone from being provided to the driver when the speed of cell phone is above the threshold; providing said display screen to the driver in the different format when the speed of cell phone is above the threshold; and providing said audible tone and display screen to said driver when the speed of the cell phone is within the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for controlling a telematic device in a vehicle operated by a driver, the telematic device having at least one of an input interface accessible from within the vehicle, the input interface having an original input interface and an alternative input interface different than the original input interface, the method comprising:
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determining movement of the telematic device or vehicle; comparing the movement of the telematic device to a threshold; changing said input interface to the alternative input interface when the movement of the telematic device or vehicle is at or above the threshold; and changing said input interface to the original input interface when the movement of the telematic device or vehicle is below the threshold.
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Specification