# US 2013/0157640 A1 · Safe Vehicular Phone Usage

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- Number: US 2013/0157640 A1
- Document ID: US20130157640A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/544,126
- Filed: 2012-07-09
- Published: 2013-06-20
- Earliest claimed: 2011-07-15
- Inventors: William Edward Aycock
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157640A1

## CPC

- H04W 4/40: for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
- H04M 1/72463: to restrict the functionality of the device
- H04M 1/724634: {With partially locked states, e.g. when some telephonic functional locked states or applications remain accessible in the locked states}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

The present invention discloses a system comprising a vehicular unit and a cellular phone application, which, after a series of digital security confirmations, communicate freely. Using the application to start the automobile notifies the phone that the cellular user is the driver. When this information is conveyed along with velocity information from the vehicular unit, the application will proceed to restrict access to the phone. As such, the phone will perform a predetermined number of actions ranging from complete cellular communication disablement to activation of a hands-free communication mode. Upon stopping the vehicle, full phone functionality will resume. The phone could also act as an interface with the vehicle allowing method for locking and unlocking doors, opening and closing windows, and engaging the vehicular alarm remotely.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for restricting access to a mobile cellular device comprising:
A vehicular data unit permanently affixed to an automobile with means of wireless communication, capable of transmitting vehicular velocity data, and capable of receiving commands for a variety of automobile functions;
A proprietary software application installed on said mobile cellular device allowing the cellular device to communicate with said vehicular data unit, capable of receiving data from vehicular data unit and exerting control over cellular device functionality based on data values.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system as set forth in claim 1, in which the vehicular data unit further has the capability to communicate with multiple cellular devices simultaneously.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system as set forth in claim 1, in which the vehicular data unit has the capability of initiating and verifying completion of automotive tasks comprising:
Starting and stopping of the automobile's engine;
Locking and unlocking of the automobile's doors;
Opening of the automobile's trunk;
Opening and closing of the automobile's windows and sunroof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system as set forth in claim 1 in which said software application operates continuously while cellular device is in a “powered-on” state comprising:
The ability to operate in a standby mode until a vehicular data unit is recognized;
The ability to securely transmit and receive authentication credentials to verify authorization to communicate with vehicular data unit;
The ability to transmit commands for automotive tasks;
The ability to receive confirmation of completion of automotive tasks;
The ability to restrict functionality of cellular phone based upon transmitted automotive task commands;
The ability to restrict functionality of cellular phone based upon combination of transmitted automotive task commands and vehicular motion data received from vehicular data unit.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system as set forth in claim 1, which restricts access to cellular device functionality based upon designation as the driver of the automobile as determined by transmission of command to start the automobile engine from the cellular device and termination of functional restriction based upon transmission of a command to stop the automobile engine.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system as set forth in claim 1, which restricts mobile device functionality based on local regulations comprising:
A method for the mobile device to determine geographic location;
The mobile device sending said location to a remote database containing geographic mobile device restriction information;
The mobile device implementing restrictions on device functionality based upon said database values.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The system as set forth in claim 2, which in the presence of a physical ignition key and physical engine ignition, will restrict cellular device functionality on all mobile devices communicating with vehicular data unit, unless a cellular device is designated as the automobile driver's device.