Apparatus and method for inhibiting portable electronic devices

• US 9,749,764 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2014
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James Roy Bradley
• Original Assignee: James Roy Bradley
• Inventors: Bradley, James Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Amancio
• Application Number:
  US14/538,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20150086029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 455418, 455420, 381 59, 381 89
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/002 Loudspeaker arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed

Abstract

This accessory is apparatus capable of implementing a method that can affect one or more features of a portable electronic device when brought into a vehicle having a radio with a right and left speaker. The accessory has a sender for initiating transmission of an RF test signal at the portable electronic device. The RF test signal is arranged to cause the radio to produce a distinct pair of audio responses from the right and left speaker. The accessory has a discriminator for determining for the right and left speaker the corresponding return delay between transmission of the RF test signal and arrival of the distinct pair of audio responses at the portable electronic device.

Claims

1. An accessory for affecting one or more features of a portable electronic device that can be brought into a vicinity having a radio with a spaced pair of speakers, the accessory comprising:

a sender for initiating at a time reference transmission of an RF test signal at said portable electronic device, said RF test signal being arranged to cause said radio to produce a distinct pair of audio responses from the spaced pair of speakers; and

a discriminator for determining for the spaced pair of speakers the return delay between transmission of said RF test signal and arrival of the distinct pair of audio responses at said portable electronic device, said discriminator operable to use the return delay relative to the time reference to produce a pair of data corresponding to absolute distances of the portable electronic device from the spaced pair of speakers.

2. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said discriminator is operable to disable at least one of the one or more features of the portable electronic device based, at least in part, on the difference between the return delay of the pair of speakers.

3. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said discriminator is operable to disable at least one of the one or more features of the portable electronic device only if the return delay of one of the pair of speakers exceeds the return delay of the other one of the pair of speakers by a predetermined amount.

4. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said discriminator is operable to disable at least one of the one or more features of the portable electronic device if (a) the return delay of one of the pair of speakers exceeds the return delay of the other one of the pair of speakers by a predetermined amount, and (b) the return delay of at least one of the pair of speakers is less than a predetermined limit.

5. An accessory according to claim 4 wherein said portable electronic device is a cell phone and said discriminator is operable to disable telephonic communication and texting with said cell phone.

6. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said portable electronic device has an acoustic transducer, said discriminator being coupled to said acoustic transducer in order to detect arrival of the distinct pair of audio responses at said portable electronic device.

7. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said sender is operable to send an RF probe signal that changes frequency over time with a resolution sized to ensure arrival at a sensitive frequency to which the radio is tuned, said discriminator being operable to detect a change in sound from the pair of speakers caused by said RF probe signal, said sender being operable to initiate transmission of said RF test signal at said sensitive frequency.

8. An accessory according to claim 7 wherein said RF probe signal is arranged to mute said radio at said sensitive frequency, said discriminator being operable to detect a cessation of sound from the pair of speakers caused by said RF probe signal.

9. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein the vicinity is a vehicle, the accessory comprising:

a motion detector coupled to said sender for detecting motion of the vehicle and enabling said sender upon the vehicle moving in a predetermined manner.

10. An accessory according to claim 9 wherein said motion detector is an accelerometer.

11. An accessory according to claim 9 wherein said motion detector is a listening circuit for detecting sounds signifying vehicle motion.

12. An accessory according to claim 9 wherein said motion detector is a GPS system.

13. An accessory according to claim 9 wherein said motion detector is an RF listening circuit for detecting EM stray signals signifying vehicle motion.

14. An accessory according to claim 9 wherein said motion detector is operable to detect cessation of motion of the vehicle and disable said sender upon the vehicle ceasing movement for a predetermined interval.

15. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said RF test signal is a frequency modulated signal carrying information for a right and left channel.

16. An accessory according to claim 15 wherein said right and left channel are capable of carrying information representing sounds in the upper octave of human hearing, said right and left channel each carrying information representing a tone burst located in the upper octave of human hearing.

17. An accessory according to claim 16 wherein said right and left channel each carry information representing a tone burst with a frequency content centered at a frequency in the range of 14 to 15 kHz.

18. An accessory according to claim 15 wherein said right and left channel each carry information representing a tone burst at different times.

19. An accessory according to claim 15 wherein said right and left channel each carry information representing an encoded signal.

20. An accessory according to claim 15 wherein said discriminator creates a delayed replica of the distinct pair of audio responses.

21. An accessory according to claim 20 wherein said discriminator correlates the delayed replica of the distinct pair of audio responses with the distinct pair of audio responses actually arriving at said portable electronic device, said delayed replica being delayed by a preprogrammed amount.

22. An accessory according to claim 20 wherein said discriminator performs a phase comparison between the delayed replica of the distinct pair of audio responses and the distinct pair of audio responses actually arriving at said portable electronic device, said delayed replica being delayed by a preprogrammed amount.

23. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said sender comprises:

a processor for producing a right and a left audio signal, and

an FM modulator for producing the RF test signal modulated to carry the right and the left audio signal.

24. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said sender comprises:

a processor for producing a pilot tone, a first audio signal on a subcarrier and a second audio signal;

a summing circuit for producing a sum signal signifying the sum of the pilot tone, the first audio signal and the second audio signal;

an FM modulator for producing the RF test signal modulated by the sum signal.

25. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said sender comprises:

a processor for producing sum signal signifying the summation of a pilot tone, a first audio signal on a subcarrier and a second audio signal;

an FM modulator for producing the RF test signal modulated by the sum signal.

26. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein said accessory is arranged to defeat deception with a handheld radio having a relatively reduced bass audio content, the accessory comprising:

an analyzer coupled to said discriminator for determining bass audio content of the distinct pair of audio responses at said portable electronic device, said analyzer being operable to nullify the discriminator if the distinct pair of audio responses has an audio bass content less than a predetermined standard.

27. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein the radio has four quadraphonic channels with an additional spaced pair of rear speakers, said RF test signal being arranged to cause said radio to produce a distinct pair of audio responses from the pair of speakers, and a distinguishable pair of audio returns from said additional spaced pair of rear speakers.

30. An accessory according to claim 1 wherein the sender is operable to transmit the RF test signal with a transmission scheme selected from one of (a) frequency modulation (FM), (b) X-modulation (XM), (c) amplitude modulation (AM), (d) quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), (e) bi-phase shift keying (BPSK), (f) quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), and (g) discrete sequence spread spectrum (DSSS).

28. A method for affecting one or more features of a portable electronic device that can be brought into a vicinity having a radio with a spaced pair of speakers, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating at a time reference transmission of an RF test signal at said portable electronic device, said RF test signal being arranged to cause said radio to produce a distinct pair of audio responses from the spaced pair of speakers;

determining for the spaced pair of speakers the return delay between transmission of said RF test signal and arrival of the distinct pair of audio responses at said portable electronic device; and

using the return delay relative to the time reference to produce a pair of data corresponding to absolute distances of the portable electronic device from the spaced pair of speakers.

29. A method according to claim 28 comprising the step of:

disabling at least one of the one or more features of the portable electronic device based, at least in part, on the difference between the return delay of acoustic signals at the pair of speakers.

31. An accessory for affecting one or more features of a portable electronic device that can be brought into a vicinity having a receiver associated with one or more electronic to audio transducers, the accessory comprising:

a sender for initiating a signal with a time reference that is associated with an RF test signal at said portable electronic device, said RF test signal being arranged to cause said receiver to produce a distinct audio response from the one or more electronic to audio transducers; and

a discriminator for determining for the one or more electronic to audio transducers the return delay between the reference time of said RF test signal and arrival of the audio response at said portable electronic device, said discriminator operable to use the return delay relative to the time reference to produce data corresponding to absolute distance of the portable electronic device from the one or more electronic to audio transducers.

32. A method for affecting one or more features of a portable electronic device that can be brought into a vicinity having a receiver with one or more electronic to audio transducers, the method comprising the steps of:

initiating an RF test signal with an associated time reference at said portable electronic device, said RF test signal being arranged to cause said receiver to produce a distinct audio response from the one or more electronic to audio transducers;

determining for the one or more electronic to audio transducers the return delay between the reference time of said RF test signal and arrival of the distinct audio response at said portable electronic device; and

using the return delay relative to the associated time reference to produce data corresponding to absolute distance of the portable electronic device from the one or more electronic to audio transducers.