Method and system for controlling a mobile communication device in a moving vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a method and system for detecting, monitoring and/or controlling one or more of mobile services for a mobile communication device (also referred to herein as a Controllable Mobile Device or CMD), and in particular, when the device is being used and the vehicle, operated by the user of the device, is moving. The present method and system determines whether the vehicle is being operated by a user that may also have access to a mobile communication device which, if used concurrently while the vehicle is in operation, may lead to unsafe operation of the vehicle. If the mobile services control system determines that a vehicle operator has potentially unsafe access to a mobile communication device, the mobile services control system may restrict operator access to one or more services that would otherwise be available to the operator via the mobile communication device.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A method for restricting an interactive service of a controllable mobile device, comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving a wireless location estimate of a controllable mobile device that has been registered and associated with a vehicle;   (b) receiving a wireless location estimate of the vehicle;   (c) receiving one or more characteristics of the vehicle indicative of an operational state of the vehicle;   each of the receiving steps is dependent an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move;   determining the controllable mobile device is in the vehicle during an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move; and   restricting an interactive service provided by the controllable mobile device.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of unrestricting the interactive service provided by the controllable mobile device that has been restricted when it is determined the operational state of the vehicle is not in operation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of overriding the restricted interactive service provided by the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the overriding step comprises initiating the override on the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of reporting on the use of the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of generating an alert message indicative of use of the overriding step on the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the wireless location estimate of the controllable mobile device is determined by a global positioning system (GPS) system. 
     
     
         25 . A method for restricting an interactive service of a controllable mobile device, comprising the steps of:
 (a) first transmitting, to a wireless service provider, a first request for a first wireless location estimate of a first controllable mobile device;   (b) second transmitting, to the wireless service provider, a second request for a second wireless location estimate of a second controllable mobile device;   wherein each of the first and second transmitting steps is dependent upon a movement of a vehicle able to contain one or more of the first controllable mobile device and second controllable mobile device;   wherein the first controllable mobile device and second controllable mobile device have been identified by a subscriber for performing the first and second transmitting steps;   receiving the first wireless location estimate and second wireless location estimate from the service provider;   first determining the first controllable mobile device is in the vehicle during operation thereof;   second determining that the second controllable mobile device station is not in the container during operation thereof; and   restricting an interactive service provided by the first controllable mobile device.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein each of the first wireless location estimate and the second wireless location estimate is determined by one of a network centric wireless location and a controllable mobile device centric wireless location. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein each of the first wireless location estimate and second wireless location estimate is determined by triangulation and calculation of multiple cell tower signals received from one or more of the vehicle, the first controllable mobile device, and the second controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the steps of overriding the restricted interactive service of the first controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step of reporting on the use of the first controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the restricting an interactive service provided by the first controllable mobile device comprises the service provider restricting the interactive service. 
     
     
         31 . A method for restricting an interactive service of a controllable mobile device, comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving a wireless location estimate of a controllable mobile device that has been registered and associated with a vehicle;   (b) receiving a wireless location estimate of the vehicle;   (c) receiving one or more characteristics of the vehicle indicative of an operational state of the vehicle;   each of the receiving steps is dependent an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move;   determining the controllable mobile device is in the vehicle during an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move;   determining a user of the controllable mobile device is the vehicle operator in the vehicle during an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move; and   restricting an interactive service provided by the controllable mobile device when the controllable mobile device is in the vehicle during an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move and the user of the controllable mobile device is the vehicle operator in the vehicle during an operational state of the vehicle that is moving or about to move.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein each of the first wireless location estimate and the second wireless location estimate is determined by one of a network centric wireless location and a controllable mobile device centric wireless location. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the wireless location estimate of the controllable mobile device is determined by one of a network centric wireless location and a controllable mobile device centric wireless location. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the wireless location estimate of the controllable mobile device is determined by triangulation and calculation of multiple cell tower signals received from the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising the step of overriding the restricted interactive service of the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising the step of reporting on the use of the controllable mobile device. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising the step of unrestricting the interactive service provided by the controllable mobile device that has been restricted when it is determined the operational state of the vehicle is not in operation.