In-vehicle device location determination and enforcement of usage thereof

• US 9,078,116 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2014
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cellepathy Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Cellepathy Ltd.
• Inventors: Kashtan, Yuval, Kolin, Andrei, SOFFER, Guy, Abramson, Dan, Pomerantz, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAHEED, KHALID W
• Application Number:
  US14/298,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20140287738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 394 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6091 including a wireless interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• 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 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for computing various determinations at one or more mobile devices and/or central machines. In part, such determinations are computed based on analysis of one or more inputs originating at one or more sensors of one or more devices. Such determinations include determining an in-vehicle role, an in-vehicle location, a handheld state, and a vehicle class. Various transformations, modifications, and outputs can result from such determinations. Also disclosed are systems and methods for restricting operation of a mobile device, including restrictions that impede operation by a driver moreso than operation by a passenger. Also disclosed are systems and methods for orienting a coordinate system of a mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first acceleration input from a mobile device;

comparing, by a processor, the first acceleration input with a second acceleration input received from a device that is present within a vehicle to determine an in-vehicle location of the mobile device; and

based on the in-vehicle location of the mobile device, transforming at least one operation state of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device that is present within the vehicle comprises at least one of:

a vehicle data system, an on board diagnostic (OBD) device, an engine control unit (ECU), a roll system, an airbag system, a seat-weight sensor system, a seat-belt sensor system, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a tablet computer, a mobile device, or an in-vehicle computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first acceleration input with the second acceleration input comprises measuring a variation between the first acceleration input and the second acceleration input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first acceleration input or the second acceleration input comprises at least one of a lateral acceleration input or a forward acceleration input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first acceleration input comprises tracking the in-vehicle location of the first device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first acceleration input with the second acceleration input to determine the in-vehicle location of the mobile device comprises determining that the mobile device is located on at least one of the left side of the vehicle, the right side of the vehicle, the front of the vehicle, or the rear of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first acceleration input with the second acceleration input to determine the in-vehicle location of the mobile device comprises determining that the mobile device is not definitively located on at least one of the left side of the vehicle, the right side of the vehicle, the front of the vehicle, or the rear of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first acceleration input or the second acceleration input is received via a communications interface, the communications interface comprising at least of:

a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a Bluetooth transmitter, a Bluetooth receiver, a cellular transmitter, a cellular receiver, a near field communications (NFC) transmitter, an NFC receiver, a satellite communication transmitter, a satellite communication receiver, or a data port.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle location of the mobile device comprises a relative in-vehicle location of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein transforming at least one operation state of the mobile device comprises modifying an employment of a restriction with respect to the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first acceleration input with the second acceleration input comprises comparing a change in one or more first acceleration inputs with a change in one or more second acceleration inputs.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first acceleration input comprises one or more changes in one or more first acceleration inputs.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the second acceleration input comprises one or more changes in one or more second acceleration inputs.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first acceleration input or the second acceleration input comprises a multi-axis acceleration input.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first acceleration input or the second acceleration input is transformed with respect to a coordinate system of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein an in-vehicle location of the device that is present within the vehicle has been determined.

11. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to;

receive a first input from at least one of;

an engine control unit (ECU), a roll system, an airbag system, or an anti-lock braking system (ABS);

process the first input to determine an aspect of an in-vehicle location of a first device; and

transform, based on the aspect of the in-vehicle location of the first device, at least one operation state of the first device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein to transform at least one operation state of the first device is to at least one of:

disable at least a first feature of the first device, provide a notification, transmit a notification, provide an instruction, or disable an application on the first device.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first input comprises at least one of a lateral acceleration input or a forward acceleration input.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein to process the first input is to compare the first input with a second input to determine the in-vehicle location of the first device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second input comprises at least one of a lateral acceleration input or a forward acceleration input.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a lateral acceleration input;

compare the lateral acceleration input with a forward acceleration input to determine an in-vehicle location of a first device; and

based on the in-vehicle location of the first device, transform an operation state of the first device.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the lateral acceleration input is received from a second device.