Alerts based on vehicle and device telematics

• US 9,467,825 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Slay, Harold Rex Jr., Varlakov, Jivko, White, Carl T., Kneusel, Robert, Rangarajan, Jagannath K., Sharma, Nityanand
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US14/314,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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 4/48 for in-vehicle communication

Abstract

A computer device may include logic configured to obtain vehicle telematics data relating to a vehicle operated by a user and to obtain device telematics data relating to a user device operated by the user. The logic may be further configured to determine that a distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a first distance threshold, based on the obtained vehicle telematics data and based on the obtained device telematics data; and send an alert to a mobile communication device associated with the user, in response to determining that the distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than the first distance threshold.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a computer device, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the computer device, vehicle telematics data relating to a vehicle operated by a user, wherein the vehicle telematics data is received via a base station and includes information identifying a location of the vehicle;

obtaining, by the computer device, device telematics data relating to a user device associated with the user, wherein the device telematics data is received via a base station and includes information identifying a location of the user device;

calculating, by the computer device, a distance between the user device and the vehicle based on the information identifying the location of the vehicle and the information identifying the location of the user device;

determining, by the computer device, that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified first distance threshold; and

sending, by the computer device, an alert to a mobile communication device associated with the user, in response to determining that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than the specified first distance threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert includes the information identifying the location of the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert is sent via at least one of a Short Message Service message, a Multimedia Message Service message, or an email message.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an instruction to the user device to lock the user device based on determining that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified first distance threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified second distance threshold, wherein the specified second distance threshold is greater than the specified first distance threshold; and

sending an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than the specified second distance threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the vehicle is not reachable for a duration of a first time period; and

sending an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the vehicle is not reachable for the duration of the first time period.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user device is not reachable for a duration of a first time period; and

sending an alert to the mobile communication device associated with the user, in response to determining that the user device is not reachable for the duration of the first time period.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the user device is not reachable for a duration of a second time period, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period; and

sending an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the user device is not reachable for the duration of the second time period.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an instruction to the user device to display a message to call the mobile communication device.

10. A computer device comprising:

logic configured to;

obtain vehicle telematics data relating to a vehicle operated by a user, wherein the vehicle telematics data is received via a base station and includes information identifying a location of the vehicle;

obtain device telematics data relating to a user device associated with the user, wherein the device telematics data is received via a base station and includes information identifying a location of the user device;

calculate a distance between the user device and the vehicle based on the information identifying the location of the vehicle and the information identifying the location of the user device;

determine that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified first distance threshold; and

send an alert to a mobile communication device associated with the user, in response to determining that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than the specified first distance threshold.

11. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the alert includes the information identifying the location of the user device.

12. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the alert is sent via at least one of a Short Message Service message, a Multimedia Message Service message, or an email message.

13. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured to:

send an instruction to the user device to lock the user device based on determining that the calculated distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified first distance threshold.

14. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine that the distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than a specified second distance threshold, wherein the specified second distance threshold is greater than the specified first distance threshold; and

send an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the distance between the user device and the vehicle is greater than the specified second distance threshold.

15. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine that the vehicle is not reachable for a duration of a first time period; and

send an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the vehicle is not reachable for the duration of the first time period.

16. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine that the user device is not reachable for a duration of a first time period; and

send an alert to a mobile communication device associated with the user, in response to determining that the user device is not reachable for the duration of the first time period.

17. The computer device of claim 16, wherein the logic is further configured to:

determine that the user device is not reachable for a duration of a second time period, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period; and

send an alert to a supervisor of the user, in response to determining that the user device is not reachable for the duration of the second time period.

18. The computer device of claim 10, wherein the logic is further configured to:

send an instruction to the user device to display a message to call the mobile communication device.

19. A method performed by a mobile communication device, the method comprising:

obtaining, by the mobile communication device, a first wireless identifier associated with a vehicle operated by a user;

obtaining, by the mobile communication device, a second wireless identifier associated with a user device operated by the user;

detecting, by the mobile communication device, the first wireless identifier during a time period;

determining, by the mobile communication device, that the vehicle is within a range during the time period based on detecting the first wireless identifier;

determining, by the mobile communication device, that the second wireless identifier is not detected during the time period;

determining, by the mobile communication device, that the user device is not within range during the time period based on determining that the second wireless identifier is not detected; and

generating, by the mobile communication device, an alert informing a user to retrieve the user device, in response to determining that the user device is not within range during the time period.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining that the mobile communication device is moving faster than a speed threshold during the time period; and

wherein generating the alert informing the user to retrieve the user device is further based on determining that the mobile communication device is moving faster than the speed threshold.