Detecting, identifying, reporting and discouraging unsafe device use within a vehicle or other transport

• US 8,442,558 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adams Family Living Trust, Al Earnest Hewitt, Conrad Family Trust, David Glen Myers, David Heath Roberts, James A. Lombardi, James Scott Hendrix, Jeffrey Craton Giles, Joseph Thomas Mader, Lauri Lafon, Leigh Ann Myers, Luis G. Manon, Mark Gary Meehlhause, Mark G. Johnson, Mary Ann Hewitt, Matthew D. Page, Patrick D. Mccullough, Raymond Scott Mcveigh, Richardson Family Living Trust, Robert Lawrence Carr, Robert Todd Wilkinson, Stephanie Lynne Byrd, Stephen Wayne Wolaver, Steven Michael Wagers, Steven Richard Zemaitis, Terry Dean Seagrave, Thomas Edward Mader, Timothy Doud, Timothy R.G. Sear, Valerie Kay Kasmiersky, Warren Blake Jenkins, Young Family Living Trust
• Original Assignee: Guardity Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Mader, Joseph Thomas, Mader, Thomas Edward, McKown, Russell Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/267,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20120088462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 455/1, 455/456.4, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/422.1, 455/41.2, 455/456.1, 455/569.2
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• 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 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system, method and computer readable medium comprised of in-vehicle passive monitoring and information management system elements which together detect, identify, report and discourage unsafe wireless device use by the operator of a vehicle. An in-vehicle monitoring device determines the vehicle'"'"'s operational state and location, identifies wireless device transmitter emissions within the vehicle and communicates to a remote information management system using a wireless network, or after-the-fact, using a local network to a locally-installed software version of the information management system. The information management system collects information retrieved from in-vehicle devices and correlates this information with other database information to provide users with timely alerts, tracking, and records of unsafe wireless device use.

Claims

1. A method of processing in-vehicle communication signaling, the method comprising:

tuning a scanner receiver to a frequency of interest;

detecting whether at least one signal is transmitted at the frequency of interest;

activating a processing module to record the at least one signal and at least one vehicle operating condition;

estimating a signal timing interval and a center frequency based on the recorded at least one signal and storing the timing interval and center frequency in memory; and

determining whether the at least one signal matches a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record based on the timing interval and center frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frequency of interest is used by at least one in-vehicle wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-tuning the scanner receiver to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest if no signal is being transmitted at the frequency of interest, the frequency scan list being based on a current geographical area location of the vehicle; and

detecting at least one signal being transmitted at the next frequency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein recording the at least one vehicle operating condition comprises recording a vehicle speed received from an on-board diagnostics version 2.0 (OBDII) interface of the vehicle and a vehicle location and time the data was recorded.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein recording at least one signal further comprises recording a signal type, a signal protocol, and an on or off status of multiple signal transmissions associated with the at least one signal, and wherein if the recorded at least one signal is determined to be off for a pre-set time duration then re-tuning the scanner receiver to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the at least one signal matches a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record further comprises identifying a statistical match based on a difference between the timing interval and the center frequency of the at least one signal and the timing interval and center frequency of the pre-stored signal of the signal detection record.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining a statistical match further comprises linking at least one signal identifier of the at least one recorded signal to at least one signal identifier of the additionally recorded signal to indicate that the at least one recorded signal and the at least one additionally recorded signal are detected from a same in-vehicle wireless communication device.

8. An apparatus configured to process in-vehicle communication signaling, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a scanner receiver configured to be tuned to a frequency of interest;

a detector configured to detect whether at least one signal is transmitted at the frequency of interest; and

a processor configured to

activate a processing module to record the at least one signal and at least one vehicle operating condition,

estimate a signal timing interval and a center frequency based on the recorded at least one signal and storing the timing interval and center frequency in the memory, and

determine whether the at least one signal matches a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record based on the timing interval and center frequency.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the frequency of interest is used by at least one in-vehicle wireless communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the scanner receiver is re-tuned to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest if no signal is being transmitted at the frequency of interest, the frequency scan list being based on a current geographical area location of the vehicle, and wherein the detector is configured to detect at least one signal being transmitted at the next frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one vehicle operating condition is recorded to include a vehicle speed received from an on-board diagnostics version 2.0 (OBDII) interface of the vehicle and a vehicle location and time the data was recorded.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one signal is recorded to include a signal type, a signal protocol, and an on or off status of multiple signal transmissions associated with the at least one signal, and wherein if the recorded at least one signal is determined to be off for a pre-set time duration then re-tuning the scanner receiver to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one signal is determined to match a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record by identifying a statistical match based on a difference between the timing interval and the center frequency of the at least one signal and the timing interval and center frequency of the pre-stored signal of the signal detection record.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein a statistical match is determined by linking at least one signal identifier of the at least one recorded signal to at least one signal identifier of the additionally recorded signal to indicate that the at least one recorded signal and the at least one additionally recorded signal are detected from a same in-vehicle wireless communication device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform processing in-vehicle communication signaling, the processor being further configured to perform:

tuning a scanner receiver to a frequency of interest;

detecting whether at least one signal is transmitted at the frequency of interest;

activating a processing module to record the at least one signal and at least one vehicle operating condition;

estimating a signal timing interval and a center frequency based on the recorded at least one signal and storing the timing interval and center frequency in memory; and

determining whether the at least one signal matches a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record based on the timing interval and center frequency.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the frequency of interest is used by at least one in-vehicle wireless communication device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to perform:

re-tuning the scanner receiver to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest if no signal is being transmitted at the frequency of interest, the frequency scan list being based on a current geographical area location of the vehicle; and

detecting at least one signal being transmitted at the next frequency.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein recording the at least one vehicle operating condition comprises recording a vehicle speed received from an on-board diagnostics version 2.0 (OBDII) interface of the vehicle and a vehicle location and time the data was recorded.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein recording at least one signal further comprises recording a signal type, a signal protocol, and an on or off status of multiple signal transmissions associated with the at least one signal, and wherein if the recorded at least one signal is determined to be off for a pre-set time duration then re-tuning the scanner receiver to a next frequency of a frequency scan list that is different from the frequency of interest.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the at least one signal matches a pre-stored signal of a signal detection record further comprises identifying a statistical match based on a difference between the timing interval and the center frequency of the at least one signal and the timing interval and center frequency of the pre-stored signal of the signal detection record.