Mobile communicator device including user attentiveness detector

A mobile communicator comprising:

• a default turned off state wherein at least one restricted functionality is in a turned off state unless at least one condition has been met;
• a speed detection system for determining whether the mobile communicator is moving slower than a threshold speed;
• a user attentiveness detector configured to determine whether a user is attentive;
• a sensor element configured to determine the orientation of the mobile communicator;
• and
• a circuit configured to enable the at least one restricted functionality of the mobile communicator when the speed detection system determines that the mobile communicator is moving slower than the threshold speed and the user attentiveness detector determines that the user is attentive and the sensor element determines that the mobile communicator is in a substantially horizontal position.

A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer-readable program code stored therein, said computer-readable program code containing instructions configured to be executed by a processor of a mobile communicator to implement a method of restricting the functionality of the mobile communicator, the method comprising:

• the processor determining whether the mobile communicator is moving faster than a threshold speed;
• the processor determining whether a user is inattentive;
• the processor determining whether the mobile communicator is in a vertical position and the processor disabling a functionality of the mobile communicator if the mobile communicator is moving faster than the threshold speed and at least one of:
• the user is inattentive;
• and the mobile communicator is in a substantially vertical orientation.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a computer-readable memory unit coupled to the processor, the memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method of restricting the functionality of the computer system, the method comprising:
• determining whether the mobile communicator is moving faster than a threshold speed;
• determining whether a user is inattentive;
• determining whether the mobile communicator is in a vertical position;
• and
• disabling a functionality of the mobile communicator if the mobile communicator is moving faster than the threshold speed and at least one of:
• the user is inattentive;
• and the mobile communicator is in a substantially vertical orientation.