Controlled text-based communication on mobile devices

• US 8,401,589 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Yali, Savoor, Raghvendra G., Sposato, Stephen Albert, Tisiker, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US12/853,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• Field of Search: 455/552.1, 455/456.1, 180/271
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/48 for in-vehicle communication
• 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

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for managing text-based services on mobile devices during the operation of a vehicle. Proactive service-controls use a time of day and location based services to determine that a mobile device is in a moving vehicle. Reactive position-awareness techniques use near-field communication (NFC) to determine that the mobile device is being operated by a user in a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle. Upon satisfying both these determinations, specific text-based services such as messaging, browsing, etc. can be disabled by either the mobile device itself or by a network entity. The present invention can also be extended to managing other mobile device'"'"'s usages in vehicles, including phone calls, online gaming, etc.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a cellular transceiver coupled to the processor to enable communication with a cellular network;

a near-field communication (NFC) transceiver coupled to the processor to enable communication with a private network; and

logic on the memory, the logic enabling the mobile device to determine that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle, determine that the mobile device is positioned near a driver'"'"'s seat in the moving vehicle, and disable one or more features of the mobile device;

wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is positioned near the driver'"'"'s seat by communicating with a plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle; and

wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle by referring to a time block defined by an authorized user and determining that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle when a current time is within the time block.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the time block is defined on the memory of the mobile device by the authorized user, and wherein the authorized user requires a password to define the time block.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the time block is defined on a user database on the cellular network via a user interface, and wherein the mobile device connects to the cellular network to refer to the time block.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle by monitoring a location and rate of movement of the mobile device.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the location and rate of movement of the mobile device is determined via using a Global Positioning System (GPS).

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the logic measures a received signal strength from the plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle, and uses one or more of triangulation, hyperbolic trilateration, or multilateration to determine that the mobile device is positioned within a minimum distance of the driver'"'"'s seat.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle include a plurality of directional antennas to measure the position of the mobile device inside the vehicle, and inform the mobile device that the mobile device is positioned near the driver'"'"'s seat.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the logic transmits a service activation report to a server on the cellular network, and wherein the server on the cellular network disables the one or more features in response to the service activation report.

9. A system for disabling features on a mobile device, the system comprising:

a mobile device being able to communicate with a cellular network and a near-field communications (NFC) network;

a server on the cellular network; and

a vehicle including a plurality of NFC transceivers to enable a determination that the mobile device is within a minimum distance of a driver'"'"'s seat of the vehicle,

wherein a logic on the mobile device determines that the mobile device is inside the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion,

wherein one or more features of the mobile device are disabled based upon the determination that the mobile device is inside the moving vehicle and that the mobile device is within said minimum distance of the driver'"'"'s seat; and

wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is positioned near the driver'"'"'s seat by communicating with the plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle; and

wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle by referring to a time block defined by an authorized user and determining that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle when a current time is within the time block.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the time block is defined on the memory of the mobile device by the authorized user, and wherein the authorized user requires a password to define the time block.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the time block is defined on a user database on the server via a user interface, and wherein the mobile device connects to the server via the cellular network to refer to the time block.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic determines that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle by monitoring a location and rate of movement of the mobile device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the logic transmits a service activation report to a server on the cellular network, and wherein the server on the cellular network disables the one or more features in response to the service activation report, the service activation report indicating that the mobile device is in a moving vehicle and within the minimum distance of the driver'"'"'s seat.

14. A method for disabling features on a mobile device, the mobile device being able to communicate over a cellular network and over a near-field communication (NFC) network, the method comprising:

determining that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle, the determination including referring to a time block defined by an authorized user and determining that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle when a current time is within the time block;

determining that the mobile device is positioned near a driver'"'"'s seat in the moving vehicle, the determination including measuring a signal and communicating between the mobile device and a plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle;

measuring a received signal strength from the plurality of NFC transceivers in the vehicle, and using one or more of triangulation, hyperbolic trilateration, or multilateration to determine that the mobile device is positioned within a minimum distance of the driver'"'"'s seat; and

disabling one or more features of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining that the mobile device is inside a moving vehicle further comprises monitoring a location and rate of movement of the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein disabling said one or more features further comprises transmitting a service activation report to a server on the cellular network, wherein the server on the cellular network disables the one or more features in response to the service activation report.