System and method for controlling mobile services using sensor information

• US 9,635,545 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2015
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensoriant, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensoriant, Inc.
• Inventors: Naqvi, Shamim A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, DANH C
• Application Number:
  US14/920,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 455419, 455418, 4555501, 340500
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• 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 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• 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

A system includes a database of image data associated with a vehicle; and control logic configured to cause a user device to capture one or more images and compare data associated with the one or more images with the image data to determine if a user is present in a vehicle and disable a text messaging function at least in part responsive to the determination using the image data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

monitoring an environment in which a user device operates using one or more environmental sensors associated with the user device to obtain environmental sensory data, wherein the environmental sensory data includes one or more images that are captured by an image capture device associated with the user device;

reporting the environmental sensory data to a server; and

responsive to the server, the user device performing a specified action if the environmental sensory data is satisfied based on a matching between the environmental sensory data that is reported and pre-defined matching rules, wherein the matching between the environmental sensory data and the predefined matching rules includes comparing the one or more captured images with representative images of vehicle driving environments.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action includes denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device if the environmental sensory data indicates that the user device is located within a predefined physical environment.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the predefined physical environment includes a vehicle driver operator environment.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the one or more functions includes a texting function.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more functions includes a texting function.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action includes denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device if the environmental sensory data indicates that the user will be distracted from driving.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the environmental sensory data includes an orientation of the user device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the environmental sensory data includes a speed or acceleration of the user device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the specified action includes denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device when the matching indicates that the speed of the user device is above a threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more functions includes a texting function.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising triggering initiation of the monitoring when a specified application is launched.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the triggering includes triggering user agent logic associated with the user device and further comprising causing the monitoring to be initiated in accordance with a predefined policy.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the user agent logic consults a policy database to retrieve the predefined policy and further wherein causing the monitoring to be initiated is performed by the user agent logic.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the specified application is a communication application.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the communication application is a texting application.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action includes allowing or denying access to an external resource available to the user device.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action includes generating a warning message that is transmitted to the user device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the specified action includes disabling execution of an application available to the user device.

19. A mobile phone, comprising:

one or more monitors monitoring an environment in which a user device operates using one or more environmental sensors associated with the user device to obtain environmental sensory data, wherein the one or more monitors includes an image capture device;

a transceiver reporting the environmental sensory data to a server; and

control logic, responsive to the server, performing a specified action if the environment sensory data is satisfied based on a matching between the environmental sensory data that is reported and pre-defined matching rules, wherein the environmental sensory data includes one or more images that are captured by the image capture device, the control logic performing the matching between the environmental sensory data and the predefined matching rules by comparing the one or more captured images with stored images of the predefined physical environment.

20. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the specified action includes denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device if the environmental sensory data indicates that the user device is located within a predefined physical environment.

21. The mobile phone of claim 20 wherein the predefined physical environment is a vehicle operator environment.

22. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the one or more functions includes a texting function.

23. The mobile phone of claim 19 wherein the environmental sensory data includes an orientation of the user device.

24. A method, comprising:

monitoring an environment in which a user device operates using one or more environmental sensors associated with the user device to obtain environmental sensory data;

reporting the environmental sensory data to a server, wherein the environmental sensory data includes a speed or acceleration of the user device; and

responsive to the server, the user device performing a specified action if the environmental sensory data is satisfied based on a matching between the environmental sensory data that is reported and pre-defined matching rules, the specified action including denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device if the environmental sensory data indicates that the user device is located within a predefined physical environment.

25. A method, comprising:

monitoring an environment in which a user device operates using one or more environmental sensors associated with the user device to obtain environmental sensory data;

reporting the environmental sensory data to a server; and

responsive to the server, the user device performing a specified action if the environmental sensory data is satisfied based on a matching between the environmental sensory data that is reported and pre-defined matching rules, wherein the specified action includes allowing or denying access to an external resource available to the user device.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the environmental sensory data includes data reflective of a location of the user device.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein reporting the environmental sensory data to a server includes reporting the environmental sensory data to the server over a cellular network.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein reporting the environmental sensory data to a server includes reporting the environmental sensory data to the server over the Internet.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the environmental sensory data further includes data indicative of a speed or acceleration of the user device.

30. The method of claim 25 wherein the environmental sensory data includes data indicative of an orientation of the user device.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein the environmental sensory data includes data indicative of a speed or acceleration of the user device.

32. A method, comprising:

monitoring an environment in which a user device operates using one or more environmental sensors associated with the user device to obtain environmental sensory data;

reporting the environmental sensory data to a server, wherein the environmental sensory data includes data indicative of a speed or acceleration of the user device; and

responsive to the server, the user device performing a specified action if the environmental sensory data is satisfied based on a matching between the environmental sensory data that is reported and pre-defined matching rules, the specified action including denying access to one or more functions provided by the user device if the environmental sensory data indicates that the user device is located within a predefined physical environment.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the predefined physical environment includes a vehicle environment.

34. The method of claim 32 wherein reporting the environmental sensory data to a server includes reporting the environmental sensory data to the server over a cellular network.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein reporting the environmental sensory data to a server includes reporting the environmental sensory data to the server over the Internet.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the environmental sensory data further includes data indicative of an orientation of the user device.