System and method for E911 location privacy protection

• US 20040203879A1
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gardner, Michael R., Merchant, Zaffer S., Ballantyne, Wayne W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3805 with built-in auxiliary receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking

Abstract

The invention relates to a system that enables power to be selectively applied to GPS circuitry in a cellular telephone or other mobile device only when a specific user input is detected. In one embodiment, power to the GPS circuitry may be enabled only when the user strikes the keys “9-1-l.” In other embodiments, other types of GPS enablement or disablement may be employed, such as selectively decoupling the GPS antenna. In another embodiment, the user may depress a privacy bypass button, which alternately enables and disables power to the GPS circuitry. Cellular telephones or other communication devices may therefore activate GPS location service during an emergency call, or when a user wishes to allow their location to be determined, but protect the privacy of that user'"'"'s location and movement at other times.

Claims

1. A method for enabling operation of GPS circuitry in a mobile wireless device, comprising the steps of:

detecting an input from a user comprising at least a predetermined sequence of key strokes; and

supplying power to the GPS circuitry based upon a detection of the predetermined sequence of key strokes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first key strokes of the predetermined sequence of key strokes comprise the key strokes “

9-1-1.”

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile wireless device comprises a cellular telephone.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the cellular telephone comprises an embedded GPS receiver.

5. A system for enabling a GPS circuitry, the system comprising:

a first user input;

a second user input;

a logic block; and

a physical switch;

wherein the first user input and the second user input are coupled to the logic block, and the logic block controls the operation of the physical switch to selectively enable the GPS circuitry.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the logic block comprises a Mealy machine.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the logic block comprises a Moore machine.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the logic block comprises control software.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control software is stored as firmware.

10. A system to control the transmission of GPS data, comprising:

GPS circuitry for processing GPS location data;

a transmission device;

a variable implemented in software; and

control logic to set the variable;

wherein at least one of the actions of;

generation of GPS location data by the GPS circuitry, and

transmission of the GPS data by the transmission device is enabled or disabled depending on whether the variable is set to a predetermined value.

11. A user interface system for enabling GPS circuitry in a communications device, the user interface system comprising:

a plurality of keys coupled to communications circuitry and GPS circuitry, at least one of the communications circuitry and the GPS circuitry being enabled by the detection of the action of the keys in a predetermined sequence.

12. The user interface system of claim 11, wherein the enablement of at least one of the communications circuitry and the GPS circuitry is controlled by at least one of software logic and a physical switch.

13. A switch system used to control power to GPS circuitry, the system comprising:

a first input;

a second input;

an arm bar;

a stopper; and

a switch;

wherein the second input comprises a mechanical input, the first input mobilizes the arm bar to make contact with the stopper, and the second input mobilizes the arm bar to make contact with the switch to enable operation of the GPS circuitry.

14. A system for enabling power to GPS circuitry, the system comprising:

a privacy bypass button; and

GPS circuitry;

wherein power to the GPS circuitry is enabled if the privacy bypass button is in a predetermined on state.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the system comprises a physical switch.

16. A method of obtaining location data from a GPS system, the method comprising the steps of:

executing a software application;

requesting, from a GPS system containing a physical switch, location data;

receiving location data from the GPS system if the switch is closed; and

transmitting the location data if received.

17. A method of obtaining location data from a GPS system, the method comprising the steps of:

executing a software application;

requesting, from a GPS system containing a software variable, location data;

receiving the location data from the GPS system if the software variable is set to a predetermined value; and

transmitting the location data if the location data is received.

18. The method of claim 18, further comprising a step of setting the software variable to a predetermined value according to user input.