Apparatus and method for vehicle safety for hands free SMS capability in a moving vehicle

• US 10,182,143 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Original Assignee: Tara Chand Singhal
• Inventors: Singhal, Tara Chand
• Primary Examiner(s): Cai, Wayne H
• Application Number:
  US14/745,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20150289119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6083 by interfacing with the vehicle audio system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• 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 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A vehicle safety function is installed and operative in the vehicle electronics. The vehicle function is implemented via a texting-safety logic inside the vehicle electronics. The texting-safety logic when the vehicle exceeds a threshold speed outputs an RF signal with a texting-safety code. The texting-safety code is picked up by a smart phone in the vehicle to alert the driver about the danger of texting and/or disable the texting feature in the phone while the vehicle is being driven.

Claims

1. A system of safety for using a hands and eyes free SMS feature in a smart phone, when the smart phone is positioned inside a vehicle, the system of safety comprising:

a phone-logic stored in a memory of the smart phone and operating in a CPU of the smart phone, wherein the phone logic is automatically activated when the smart phone is paired with vehicle electronics using a short distance wireless interface;

the phone logic, when activated is automatically configured to periodically receive and receives via the short distance wireless interface, from the vehicle electronics, a digital code and stores the digital code in the memory of the smart phone, wherein the digital code is embedded with a vehicle mode flag;

the smart phone receives a SMS text message, wherein the phone logic, on detecting a receipt of the SMS text message, stores the text message in the memory of the smart phone; and

the phone logic then reads the vehicle mode flag, and if the vehicle mode flag is set, the phone-logic transmits via the short distance wireless interface an SMS received alert to the vehicle electronics, wherein the transmission to the vehicle electronics of the SMS received alert includes at least the data fields of an alert tone and a sender identification in a format “

SMS alert tone”

followed by “

SMS from name or number”

;

thereby the data fields enables the vehicle electronics to audio annunciate the SMS alert and the SMS sender identification to a driver of the vehicle;

the phone logic then awaits from the driver, via the vehicle electronics, a response to the transmission of the SMS alert before transmitting the SMS text message to the vehicle electronics for the vehicle electronics to audio annunciate the text message.

2. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

the phone-logic awaits for a user response, via the short distance RF protocol, from the vehicle electronics to read the SMS.

3. The system as in claim 2, further comprising:

the phone-logic, on receiving the user response, converts the SMS text to speech, using a text to speech conversion algorithm, and forwards the speech to the vehicle audio system via the vehicle electronics.

4. The safety system as in claim 3, comprising:

the phone-logic awaits for a speech response from the vehicle electronics and temporarily stores the received speech response and inputs the speech response to a speech to text conversion algorithm.

5. The safety system as in claim 4, comprising:

the phone-logic sends a SMS reply using the text from the algorithm, thereby providing a hands and eyes free SMS capability to receive and reply to an SMS while in the vehicle.

6. The safety system as in claim 1, comprising:

a. the phone-logic periodically detects a digital code transmission from the vehicle electronics and parses the content of the digital code;

b. if the digital code indicates vehicle not in motion, sets the vehicle mode flag as disabled and if the digital code indicates the vehicle is in motion sets the vehicle mode flag as enable.

7. A method of safety for using a hands and eyes free SMS feature in a smart phone, when the smart phone is positioned inside a vehicle, the method of safety comprising the steps of:

providing a phone-logic stored in a memory of the smart phone and operating in a CPU of the smart phone, activating automatically the phone logic in the smart phone when the smart phone is paired with vehicle electronics using a short distance wireless interface;

configuring the phone logic to periodically receive and receiving via the short distance wireless interface, from vehicle electronics, a digital code and storing the digital code in the memory of the smart phone, wherein the digital code is embedded with a vehicle mode flag;

receiving by the smart phone a SMS text message, detecting a receipt of the SMS text message by the phone logic and storing the text message in the memory of the smart phone;

reading by the phone logic then the vehicle mode flag, and if the vehicle mode flag is set, transmitting by the phone-logic, via the short distance wireless interface, an SMS received alert to the vehicle electronics, wherein the transmission to the vehicle electronics of the SMS received alert includes at least the data fields of an alert tone and a sender identification in a format “

SMS alert tone”

followed by “

SMS from name or number”

;

thereby the data fields enable the vehicle electronics to audio annunciate the SMS alert and the SMS sender identification to a driver of the vehicle;

awaiting then by the phone logic from the driver, via the vehicle electronics, a response to the transmission of the SMS alert before transmitting the SMS text message to the vehicle electronics for the vehicle electronics to audio annunciate the text message.

8. The method as in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

awaiting by the phone-logic for a response, via the short distance RF protocol, from the vehicle electronics to route or not route the text of the SMS to the vehicle electronics.

9. The method as in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

receiving by the phone-logic a response to route from vehicle electronics converts the SMS text to speech, using a text to speech conversion algorithm, and routes the speech to the vehicle audio system via the vehicle electronics.

10. The method as in claim 9, comprising the steps of:

awaiting by the phone-logic for a speech response from the vehicle electronics and if received temporarily stores the speech response and inputs the speech response to a speech to text conversion algorithm.

11. The method as in claim 10, comprising the steps of:

sending by the phone-logic a SMS reply using the text from the algorithm, thereby providing a hands and eyes free SMS capability to receive and reply to an SMS while in the vehicle.

12. The method as in claim 7, comprising the steps of:

a. detecting periodically by the phone-logic a digital code transmission from the vehicle electronics and parses the content of the digital code;

b. indicating by the digital code if the vehicle not in motion, sets a vehicle mode disable flag and if the digital code indicating the vehicle is in motion sets the vehicle mode enable flag.