System And Method For Elective Call Termination To A Mobile Unit In A Moving Vehicle
A method for performing elective call termination to a mobile unit is provided. A call request is received a mobile unit. If the mobile unit is in a vehicle and traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold and is driving the car, selective call termination is provided. The call request is screened by playing an announcement to the caller that the intended call recipient is a mobile phone that is currently being used by the driver of a cat travelling at a speed greater than a speed threshold. The caller can then decide if the call is important enough to distract the driver, which could be the case, for example, in an emergency situation.
1 . A method for performing elective call termination to a mobile unit, comprising:
receiving a call request for a mobile unit;
determining that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold;
determining that the mobile unit is being used by the driver of the vehicle; and
screening the call request.
2 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold comprises determining the speed utilizing GPS.
3 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold comprises determining the speed utilizing Assisted-GPS.
4 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold comprises determining the speed utilizing a computer system located in the vehicle.
5 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 4 , the method further comprising the step of, prior to screening the call request, coloring a protocol to transmit the speed to a wireless network.
6 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than a speed threshold comprises taking successive location probes at fixed intervals in the mobile unit.
7 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the mobile unit is being used by the driver of the vehicle comprises utilizing a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver.
8 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the step of screening the call request comprises alerting the caller that the mobile unit is in a vehicle that is traveling at a speed greater than the speed threshold.
9 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the alert includes the speed of the vehicle.
10 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the alert includes how long the vehicle has been travelling at a speed greater than the speed threshold.
11 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 8 , wherein the alert includes the location of the vehicle.
12 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , the method further comprising the step of routing the caller to a voice mailbox associated with the mobile unit.
13 . A method for performing elective call termination in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the speed threshold is set to zero miles per hour.
14 . A vehicle comprising:
a passenger compartment;
a steering wheel including a near field communication (NFC) transceiver, the NFC transceiver defining a driver zone within the passenger compartment; and
wherein a mobile phone is not operable within the driving zone.
15 . A vehicle in accordance with claim 14 , the vehicle further comprising speed detection, and wherein the mobile phone is not operable within the driving zone when the speed is greater than a predetermined threshold.
16 . A steering wheel comprising a near field communication (NFC) transceiver that defines a driver zone, and wherein a cell phone is not able to receive calls when located within the driver zone.