Tracking warning, and blocking unsafe texting in moving vehicles including telematics systems
First Claim
1. A process for preventing texting while driving, wherein the process utilizes:
- one or more mobile communication devices used by persons travelling in a vehicle;
one or more cellular service providers supplying cellular infrastructure and services;
a wide area communications network such as the Internet; and
a telematics system optionally installed in the vehicle;
wherein the process comprises;
tracking positions of cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems in communication with at least a first service provider;
determining at least a position of each tracked cell phone and GPS-enabled telematics system, utilizing at least a GPS function contained in each of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems;
determining that one or more of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems are in a first envelope;
if a cell phone determined to be in the first envelope has been registered by its user as a master phone and is determined to be travelling in excess of a specified threshold velocity, preventing texting for that master phone wherein texts are communicated by any of the following;
a) via a cellular network of the at least a first service provider;
b) via a telematics system determined to be in the first envelope;
orc) via a hotspot of another phone within the first envelope;
wherein texting communicated solely by voice may be optionally allowed for the registered master phone;
allowing texting for passengers whose mobile communication devices are determined to be in the first envelope as long as the master phone remains registered;
preventing texting for all mobile communication devices determined to be in the first envelope when it is determined that there is no registered master phone within the first envelope, and the velocity of the first envelope exceeds the specified threshold velocity; and
if any of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems determined to be in the first envelope are determined to communicate via a second cellular provider, then determining that the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems communicating via the second cellular provider are in the first envelope by comparing at least time-stamped position information for each of the tracked cell phones and telematics systems.
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Accused Products
Abstract
System and methods are described to track and warn a person suspected of texting while driving, or alternately to block texting for drivers of moving vehicles. The position and speed of cell phones, and a GPS-enabled telematics system if present, are compared with those of other GPS-enabled devices in the vicinity. If the position and speed of a phone track that of one or more neighboring phones or a telematics system, it is assumed that a cell phone user may under certain conditions be texting while driving. For circumstances where persons suspected to be in the same vehicle utilize different service providers, parameters such any of cell phone position, velocity, and direction of travel are time-stamped and then compared. Texting is detected emanating directly from cell phones, or from a telematics system in a vehicle, or via a WiFi hotspot of a cell phone in the vehicle.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A process for preventing texting while driving, wherein the process utilizes:
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one or more mobile communication devices used by persons travelling in a vehicle; one or more cellular service providers supplying cellular infrastructure and services; a wide area communications network such as the Internet; and a telematics system optionally installed in the vehicle; wherein the process comprises; tracking positions of cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems in communication with at least a first service provider; determining at least a position of each tracked cell phone and GPS-enabled telematics system, utilizing at least a GPS function contained in each of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems; determining that one or more of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems are in a first envelope; if a cell phone determined to be in the first envelope has been registered by its user as a master phone and is determined to be travelling in excess of a specified threshold velocity, preventing texting for that master phone wherein texts are communicated by any of the following; a) via a cellular network of the at least a first service provider; b) via a telematics system determined to be in the first envelope;
orc) via a hotspot of another phone within the first envelope; wherein texting communicated solely by voice may be optionally allowed for the registered master phone; allowing texting for passengers whose mobile communication devices are determined to be in the first envelope as long as the master phone remains registered; preventing texting for all mobile communication devices determined to be in the first envelope when it is determined that there is no registered master phone within the first envelope, and the velocity of the first envelope exceeds the specified threshold velocity; and if any of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems determined to be in the first envelope are determined to communicate via a second cellular provider, then determining that the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems communicating via the second cellular provider are in the first envelope by comparing at least time-stamped position information for each of the tracked cell phones and telematics systems. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A process for tracking and warning of texting while driving, wherein the process utilizes:
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one or more mobile communication devices used by persons travelling in a vehicle; one or more cellular service providers supplying cellular infrastructure and services; a wide area communications network such as the Internet; and a telematics system installed in the vehicle; wherein the process comprises; tracking at least positions of cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems in communication with at least a first service provider; determining at least a position of each tracked cell phone and GPS-enabled telematics system, utilizing at least a GPS function contained in each of the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics systems; determining that one or more of the tracked cell phones and a GPS-enabled telematics system are in a first envelope, and that the tracked cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics system are travelling at a velocity in excess of a specified threshold velocity; for all cell phones thus determined according to the at least their position information to be within the first envelope, accessing a database to determine which cell phones in the envelope belong to licensed drivers and which do not; analyzing communications between the at least a first service provider and the cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics system determined to be within the first envelope to determine whether any mobile communication device contained within the first envelope is texting; warning a vehicle occupant of probable unsafe texting under the following conditions; (i) the vehicle occupant is determined to be a licensed driver; and (ii) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be within the envelope; and (iii) an activity for the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device falls into one of the following categories; (a) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be the only device within the first envelope that is texting; (b) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be texting, and any other mobile communication devices in the first envelope that are determined to be texting belong to users with no drivers license; and (c) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be texting and the mobile communication devices of all other licensed drivers within the first envelope are determined to be texting; and if any of the cell phones and the GPS-enabled telematics system determined to be in the first envelope are determined to communicate via a second cellular provider, then determining that the cell phones and GPS-enabled telematics system are in the first envelope by comparing at least time-stamped position information for each of the cell phones and the GPS-enabled telematics system. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A process for tracking and warning of texting while driving, wherein the process utilizes:
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one or more mobile communication devices used by persons travelling in a vehicle; one or more cellular service providers supplying cellular infrastructure and services; and a wide area communications network such as the Internet; wherein the process comprises; tracking at least positions of GPS-enabled cell phones in communication with at least a first service provider; determining at least a position of each tracked cell phone, utilizing at least a GPS function contained in each of the tracked cell phones; determining that one or more of the tracked cell phones are in a first envelope; for all cell phones thus determined according to the at least their position information to be within the first envelope, accessing a database to determine which cell phones in the envelope belong to licensed drivers and which do not; analyzing communications between the at least a first service provider and the cell phones determined to be within the first envelope to determine whether any mobile communication device contained within the first envelope is texting; warning a vehicle occupant of probable unsafe texting under the following conditions; (i) the vehicle occupant is determined to be a licensed driver; and (ii) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be within the envelope; and (iii) an activity for the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device falls into one of the following categories; (a) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be the only device within the first envelope that is texting; (b) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be texting, and any other mobile communication devices in the first envelope that are determined to be texting belong to users with no drivers license; and (c) the vehicle occupant'"'"'s mobile communication device is determined to be texting and the mobile communication devices of all other licensed drivers within the first envelope are determined to be texting; and if any of the cell phones determined to be in the first envelope are determined to communicate via a second cellular provider, then determining that the tracked cell phones are in the first envelope by comparing at least time-stamped position information for each of the tracked cell phones; and wherein determining whether a mobile communication device contained within the first envelope is texting further comprises determining that the mobile communication device is texting via a hotspot of a cell phone within the first envelope. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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Specification