Granted Patent B2

US 8,890,673 · App. 13/012,660 · Granted Nov 18, 2014

Abstract

Claims (59)

1. A method for detecting wireless device use in a moving vehicle, comprising:

a computing system receiving data that indicates that a wireless device is being used in a moving vehicle;

the computing system determining that the wireless device is being used by a user of the moving vehicle;

the computing system, in response to determining that the wireless device is being used by the user of the moving vehicle, sending a command to a monitoring system that is communicatively coupled to the moving vehicle for operably causing an audible warning to be rendered by a speaker in the moving vehicle, the audible warning instructing the user to discontinue use of the particular mobile device in the moving vehicle, the audible warning being provided without disabling any use of the particular mobile device; and

determining whether the user has terminated use of the particular mobile device after a predetermined period of time subsequent to providing the audible warning to discontinue use of the particular mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining a speed associated with the moving vehicle; and

notifying the third party if the speed is greater than a predetermined threshold.

3. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the moving vehicle includes a radio frequency (RF) sensor mounted in the moving vehicle, the RF sensor operable to:

detect a signal associated with a wireless device, wherein the signal is in a wireless communication frequency band and comprises an address of the wireless device; and

wherein the moving vehicle further includes a vehicle monitoring system mounted in the moving vehicle, the vehicle monitoring system communicatively coupled to the RF sensor and comprising a processor operable to:

process data received from vehicle systems and sensors;

determine when the moving vehicle is moving based on the data received from vehicle systems and sensors; and

determine that the wireless device is associated with the moving vehicle based at least in part on the detected signal.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the processor or RF sensor is configured to identify a source or destination address for the detected signal in the wireless communication frequency band.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method further includes:

capturing radio frequency (RF) signals from the wireless device via an RF sensor mounted in the moving vehicle; and

evaluating the RF signals to identify a destination address, a routing data and message type associated with the RF signals.

6. The method recited in claim 1 , the method further comprising:

capturing radio frequency (RF) signals via an RF sensor mounted in the moving vehicle, wherein each radio frequency signal is in a wireless communication frequency band and comprises an address of a wireless device associated with the moving vehicle;

detecting motion of the moving vehicle using a vehicle, monitoring system mounted in the vehicle;

linking the captured radio frequency signals to the wireless device associated with the vehicle based at least in part on at least one captured radio frequency signal;

determining that the wireless device is being used by the driver of the moving vehicle in response to detecting the motion of the moving vehicle and the wireless device being associated with the vehicle; and

notifying the third party that the wireless device was in use while the vehicle was in motion.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the captured RF signals are linked to the wireless device associated with the moving vehicle using source or destination address data in the RF signals.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the captured RF signals are linked to the wireless device associated with the moving vehicle further based at least in part upon a signal strength of the captured RF signals.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the captured RF signals are linked to the wireless device associated with the moving vehicle further based at least in part upon a message type of the captured RF signals.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes using warning lights that are located in the moving vehicle to emit light in combination with the audible warning instructing the driver to discontinue use of the particular mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes controlling an operation of the moving vehicle in response to determining that the wireless device is being used by the driver of the moving vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further includes notifying a third party that the particular wireless device was in use in the moving vehicle if the user uses the particular wireless device for a time period exceeding the predetermined period of time after the user is provided the audible warning that provides instructions for discontining use of the particular mobile device.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling an operation of the moving vehicle includes controlling an engine of the moving vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further includes notifying the third party with a telephone message.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further includes notifying the third party with an email message.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the method further includes notifying the third party with a text message.

17. A computing system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one storage device having stored computer executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, implement method for detecting wireless device use in a moving vehicle, the method comprising:

the computing system receiving data that indicates that a wireless device is being used in the moving vehicle;

the computing system determining that the wireless device is being used by a user of the moving vehicle;

the computing system, in response to determining that the wireless device is being used by the user of the moving vehicle, sending a command to a monitoring system that is communicatively coupled to the moving vehicle for operably causing an audible warning to be rendered by a speaker in the moving vehicle, the audible warning instructing the user to discontinue use of the particular mobile device in the moving vehicle, the audible warning being provided without disabling any use of the particular mobile device; and

determining whether the user has terminated use of the particular mobile device after a predetermined period of time subsequent to providing the audible warning to discontinue use of the particular mobile device.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein determining that the particular wireless device is being used by the driver of the moving vehicle comprises:

the computing system identifying a user account associated with the particular wireless device; and

the computing system determining whether the user account links the particular wireless device with the moving vehicle in a stored account record, wherein the command is only sent to the monitoring system upon first determining that the user account associates the particular wireless device to the moving vehicle in the stored account record.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein receiving data that indicates that a wireless device is being used in the moving vehicle comprises:

receiving cellular network data that indicates activity of the particular wireless device with a first cellular network cite as well as with a second cellular network cite.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the cellular network data is received in a report that is generated in response to the cellular network detecting a handover of communications with the particular wireless device from the first cellular network cite to the second cellular network cite.

21. The system of claim 17 , wherein determining that the wireless device is being used by a driver of the moving vehicle comprises:

requesting use data of the particular wireless device from a network in response to detecting movement of the moving vehicle and upon identifying that the particular wireless device is associated with the moving vehicle in a stored user account, wherein the use data indicates use of the wireless device during the detected movement of the moving vehicle.

22. The system of claim 21 , wherein the method further includes requesting future use data from the network corresponding to future use of the particular wireless device occurring for a specified period of time in the future.

23. The system of claim 21 , wherein the use data is past use data corresponding to previous use of the particularly wireless device.

24. The system of claim 17 , wherein the user is a driver of the vehicle.

25. The system of claim 17 , wherein the method further includes notifying a third party that the particular wireless device was in use in the moving vehicle if the user uses the particular wireless device for a time period exceeding the predetermined period of time after the user is provided the audible warning that provides instructions for discontining use of the particular mobile device.

26. At least one storage device having stored computer executable instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, implement method for detecting wireless device use in a moving vehicle, the method comprising:

a computing system receiving data that indicates that a wireless device is being used in a moving vehicle;

the computing system determining that the wireless device is being used by a user of the moving vehicle;

the computing system, in response to determining that the wireless device is being used by the user of the moving vehicle, sending a command to a monitoring system that is communicatively coupled to the moving vehicle for operably causing an audible warning to be rendered by a speaker in the moving vehicle, the audible warning instructing the user to discontinue use of the particular mobile device in the moving vehicle, the audible warning being provided without disabling any use of the particular mobile device; and

determining whether the user has terminated use of the particular mobile device after a predetermined period of time subsequent to providing the audible warning to discontinue use of the particular mobile device.

27. The storage device of claim 26 , wherein the use of particular mobile device comprises texting.

28. The storage device of claim 26 , wherein the method further includes notifying a third party that the particular wireless device was in use in the moving vehicle if the user uses the particular wireless device for a time period exceeding the predetermined period of time after the user is provided the audible warning that provides instructions for discontining use of the particular mobile device.

Assignments (8)