Automatic Wireless Utilization of Cellular Telephone Devices

• US 20110003578A1
• Filed: 09/13/2010
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Handy-Bosma, John Hans, Walker, Keith Raymond, Chen, Yen-Fu, Morgan, Fabian F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A system and method for notifying emergency responders, family, and other contact parties of an urgent vehicle condition such as a breakdown or crash, by using a short-range wireless communicator mounted on the vehicle to employ a peer-to-peer communications capability to find and co-opt a nearby long-range communication device, such as a Bluetooth enabled phone, which is not mounted on the vehicle, such as a passer'"'"'s-by telephone. The invention obtains authorization from the co-opted device to use it as a forwarding proxy, and transmits a notification message to one or more parties, such as emergency dispatchers, family members, etc., via the short-range link to the co-opted device, which then transmits the message to the recipient via the long-range network, such as via a telephone network.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

providing a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability;

responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, pinging by the short-range wireless communicator a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication being physically detached from the vehicle;

subsequent to the pinging, receiving a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

responsive to receipt of the response message, sending by the short-range wireless communicator to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receiving an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communications device; and

responsive to the authorization, sending an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising sending an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the short-range wireless communicator selecting one of multiple long-range communication devices found within range of the peer-to-peer communications contemporaneously.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the long-rage communication device has a capability for delivering the notification to a specified party via a wireless network.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than a peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the request for authorization message is selected from a group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.

7. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium associated with a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability;

first program instructions to, responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, ping by the short-range wireless communicator a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication being physically detached from the vehicle;

second program instructions to, subsequent to the pinging, receive a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

third program instructions to, responsive to receipt of the response message, send by the short-range wireless communicator to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

fourth program instructions to, subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receive an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communications device; and

fifth program instructions to, responsive to the authorization, send an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party;

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium.

8. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 further comprising sixth program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium to send an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

9. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 further comprising sixth program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium to select one of multiple long-range communication devices found within range of the peer-to-peer communications contemporaneously.

10. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the long-rage communication device has a capability for delivering the notification to a specified party via a wireless network.

11. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than a peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

12. The computer program product as set forth in claim 7 wherein the request for authorization message is selected from a group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.

13. A system comprising:

a controller and a short-range wireless communicator mounted on a vehicle, the short-range communicator having a peer-to-peer communications capability;

a locator portion of the controller which, responsive to a requirement to transmit an emergency notification message, pings a long-range communication device contemporaneously within range of the peer-to-peer communications capability, the long-range communication device having a long-range communication being physically detached from the vehicle;

a first receiver portion of the controller which, subsequent to the pinging, receives a response message indicating that user authorization is required;

an authorization requester portion of the controller which, responsive to receipt of the response message, sends to the long-range communication device a request for authorization message;

a second receiver portion of the controller which, subsequent to a user of the long-range communication device responding in an affirmative manner to the authorization request, receives an authorization message to co-opt the long-range communications device; and

a message transmitter portion of the controller which, responsive to the authorization, sends an emergency notification message from the short-range wireless communicator through the co-opted long-range communication device to a specified recipient party.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the transmitter sending an acknowledgment message by the co-opted long-range communication device to the short-range wireless communicator responsive to successful delivery of the notification message.

15. The system as set forth in claim 13 further comprising the short-range wireless communicator selecting one of multiple long-range communication devices found within range of the peer-to-peer communications contemporaneously.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the long-rage communication device has a capability for delivering the notification to a specified party via a wireless network.

17. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the long-range communication device has a communication range capability greater than a peer-to-peer communications capability of the short-range wireless communicator.

18. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein the request for authorization message is selected from a group consisting of a telephone call, a pager message, an instant message and an electronic mail message.