U.S. patent application number 14/930197 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-05 for control of device features based on vehicle state.
The applicant listed for this patent is AutoConnect Holdings LLC. Invention is credited to Christopher P. Ricci.
Application Number | 20160127887 14/930197 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48430173 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160127887 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ricci; Christopher P. |
May 5, 2016 |
CONTROL OF DEVICE FEATURES BASED ON VEHICLE STATE
Abstract
Methods and systems for a controlling device features based on
vehicle state and device location are provided. Specifically, the
device may be any type of electrical device capable of transmitting
and/or receiving a signal (such as a phone, tablet, computer, music
player, and/or other entertainment device). In some instances, the
device may be associated with one or more vehicles. Although the
device may be configured to run one or more applications, the
functionality of the one or more applications may be controlled by
a system associated with the vehicle. In some cases, this control
may depend on the device application type, device location (either
inside or outside of a vehicle), law, operator state, and/or
vehicle state.
Inventors: |
Ricci; Christopher P.;
(Saratoga, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AutoConnect Holdings LLC |
Wellesley |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
48430173 |
Appl. No.: |
14/930197 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13679676 |
Nov 16, 2012 |
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14930197 |
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61560509 |
Nov 16, 2011 |
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61637164 |
Apr 23, 2012 |
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61646747 |
May 14, 2012 |
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61653275 |
May 30, 2012 |
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61653264 |
May 30, 2012 |
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61653563 |
May 31, 2012 |
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61663335 |
Jun 22, 2012 |
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61672483 |
Jul 17, 2012 |
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61714016 |
Oct 15, 2012 |
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61715699 |
Oct 18, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/418 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K 2370/1472 20190501;
G08G 1/0112 20130101; B60K 2370/21 20190501; G06F 11/3065 20130101;
G06F 21/121 20130101; G06F 2203/04808 20130101; G06Q 30/0265
20130101; G06Q 40/08 20130101; G06F 3/017 20130101; G08G 1/0129
20130101; G08G 1/096827 20130101; B60K 2370/566 20190501; B60R
21/01512 20141001; G06F 9/44505 20130101; G07C 5/0825 20130101;
G08G 1/0133 20130101; B60K 35/00 20130101; B60K 2370/164 20190501;
B60K 37/02 20130101; B60R 16/037 20130101; G06F 3/0484 20130101;
G06K 9/00355 20130101; G08G 1/0116 20130101; G08G 1/012 20130101;
H04L 41/14 20130101; B60K 2370/1438 20190501; G06K 9/00362
20130101; G08G 1/096716 20130101; G08G 1/096775 20130101; H04W 4/40
20180201; H04W 4/48 20180201; B60K 2370/5894 20190501; B60K 37/06
20130101; B60K 2370/691 20190501; G07C 5/006 20130101; G08G
1/096725 20130101; H04N 21/4331 20130101; B60W 50/0098 20130101;
G08G 1/0141 20130101; B60W 2040/0872 20130101; G06F 3/04817
20130101; G06N 5/02 20130101; G07C 5/008 20130101; G06F 3/04842
20130101; B60W 50/08 20130101; G06F 3/04883 20130101; G06F 8/61
20130101; G07C 5/02 20130101; B60W 40/09 20130101; G06F 9/54
20130101; G06K 2009/00939 20130101; H04L 67/125 20130101; H04W 8/22
20130101; G06F 21/10 20130101; G06K 9/00832 20130101; G08G 1/0137
20130101; H04W 84/12 20130101; B60K 2370/146 20190501; G06F 16/29
20190101; G08G 1/096783 20130101; G08G 1/096791 20130101; B60K
2370/1464 20190501; B60K 2370/166 20190501; B60W 2540/22 20130101;
B60W 2540/043 20200201; G06F 3/04847 20130101; B60W 2050/0095
20130101; G06F 16/24 20190101; G06F 21/629 20130101; G06N 5/048
20130101; G08C 19/00 20130101; G08G 1/096844 20130101; B60W 30/182
20130101; B60W 40/04 20130101; G06F 11/2023 20130101; G08G 1/017
20130101; H04N 21/482 20130101; B60K 37/00 20130101; B60W 2540/26
20130101; H04L 51/36 20130101; H04W 4/50 20180201; G01C 21/20
20130101; G06F 3/0481 20130101; G06Q 50/26 20130101; G08G 1/143
20130101; H04L 63/10 20130101; H04W 4/90 20180201; B60W 2555/60
20200201; G02B 27/0101 20130101; G06T 19/006 20130101; G07C 5/085
20130101; G06F 11/3013 20130101; G06F 11/328 20130101; G07C 5/0833
20130101; B60K 2370/11 20190501; G01S 19/13 20130101; B60K 2370/81
20190501; G06F 3/0482 20130101; G07C 5/08 20130101; G06F 13/364
20130101; B60K 2370/5899 20190501; B60W 40/08 20130101; B60W
2040/0881 20130101; G06F 3/0488 20130101; G06F 13/14 20130101; G06F
17/00 20130101; G06F 3/0486 20130101; G08G 1/16 20130101; B60K
2370/1476 20190501; H04L 67/02 20130101; H04L 67/12 20130101; H04N
21/41422 20130101; H04W 4/80 20180201; B60R 7/04 20130101; B60W
2540/221 20200201; G06F 21/335 20130101; G06F 2221/0724 20130101;
G08G 1/09 20130101; H04W 84/005 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 8/22 20060101
H04W008/22; H04W 4/04 20060101 H04W004/04; H04W 4/22 20060101
H04W004/22; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08; H04L 12/58 20060101
H04L012/58 |
Claims
1-20. (canceled)
21. A method of controlling access to one or more features of a
communication device associated with a vehicle, comprising:
establishing, by a microprocessor executable feature control
module, a connection with the communication device, wherein the
feature control module is configured to receive input from at least
one sensor of the communication device; determining, by the feature
control module, a location of the communication device relative to
the vehicle; controlling, via the feature control module and based
at least partially on the location of the communication device,
user access to one or more features of the communication device;
receiving, at the feature control module, emergency state
information associated with a user of the communication device from
the at least one sensor of the communication device, wherein the
emergency state information corresponds to a health emergency
suffered by the user; and overriding, in response to receiving the
emergency state information associated with the user of the
communication device, the control of user access to the one or more
features of the communication device, wherein the overriding at
least allows for messaging between the communication device and
another device.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the connection between the
communication device and feature control module is established via
manually registering the communication device with the feature
control module.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the connection between the
communication device and feature control module is established via
automatically registering the communication device with the feature
control module.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein automatically registering the
communication device further comprises storing in a memory an
identifier associated with the communication device.
25. The method of claim 21, wherein the location of the
communication device is determined to be inside the vehicle.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the inside of the vehicle is
arranged into one or more areas, and wherein the communication
device is located in a specific area of the one or more areas.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the specific area is associated
with an operating area of the vehicle, and wherein the feature
control module restricts access to the one or more features of the
communication device.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein the specific area is associated
with a passenger area of the vehicle, and wherein the feature
control module allows unrestricted access to the one or more
features of the communication device.
29. The method of claim 21, further comprising: referring to one or
more rules relating to operating the communication device while
operating the vehicle; and wherein user access to the one or more
features of the communication device is controlled based at least
partially on the one or more rules.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the one or more rules
correspond to laws associated with a geographical region, and
wherein the laws are stored in a memory.
31. The method of claim 21, further comprising: referring to one or
more settings associated with the communication device; and wherein
user access to the one or more features of the communication device
is controlled based at least partially on the one or more
settings.
32. The method of claim 21, further comprising: determining a state
of the vehicle associated with the communication device, wherein
determining the vehicle state further comprises: receiving input
from the at least one sensor; and interpreting whether the input
received indicates an emergency state associated with the vehicle;
wherein user access to the one or more features of the
communication device is controlled based at least partially on the
determined state of the vehicle.
33. The method of claim 32, wherein the vehicle is determined to be
in an emergency state, and wherein unrestricted user access to the
one or more features of the communication device is allowed.
34. The method of claim 32, wherein the vehicle is determined to be
in a parked state, and wherein unrestricted user access to the one
or more features of the communication device is allowed.
35. The method of claim 32, wherein the vehicle is determined to be
in a moving state, and wherein user access to the one or more
features of the communication device is restricted.
36. A tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium having
instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor,
perform the method comprising: establishing a connection with a
communication device; receiving input from at least one sensor of
the communication device; determining a location of the
communication device relative to a vehicle; controlling based at
least partially on the location of the communication device, user
access to one or more features of the communication device;
receiving emergency state information associated with a user of the
communication device from the at least one sensor of the
communication device, wherein the emergency state information
corresponds to a health emergency suffered by the user; and
overriding, in response to receiving the emergency state
information associated with the user of the communication device,
the control of user access to the one or more features of the
communication device, wherein the overriding at least allows for
messaging between the communication device and another device.
37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36,
wherein the method further comprises: referring to one or more
rules relating to operating the communication device while
operating the vehicle, wherein the one or more rules correspond to
laws associated with a geographical region, and wherein the laws
are stored in a memory; and wherein user access to the one or more
features of the communication device is controlled based at least
partially on the one or more rules.
38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36,
wherein the method further comprises: referring to one or more
settings associated with the communication device; and wherein user
access to the one or more features of the communication device is
controlled based at least partially on the one or more
settings.
39. A system for controlling access to one or more features of a
communication device associated with a vehicle, comprising: at
least one sensor of the communication device; and a microprocessor
executable feature control module configured to control the
communication device via communication across a communication
network, the microprocessor executable feature control module
operable to: establish a connection with the communication device,
wherein the microprocessor executable feature control module is
configured to receive input from the at least one sensor of the
communication device; determine a location of the communication
device relative to the vehicle; control, based at least partially
on the location of the communication device, user access to one or
more features of the communication device; receive emergency state
information associated with a user of the communication device from
the at least one sensor of the communication device, wherein the
emergency state information corresponds to a health emergency
suffered by the user; and override, in response to receiving the
emergency state information associated with the user of the
communication device, the control of user access to the one or more
features of the communication device, wherein the overriding at
least allows for messaging between the communication device and
another device.
40. The system of claim 39, further comprising: a rules management
server, wherein the rules management server is configured to
control access to one or more rules relating to operating the
communication device while operating the vehicle; and wherein the
microprocessor executable feature control module is further
operable to: refer to one or more rules relating to operating the
communication device while operating the vehicle; and wherein user
access to the one or more features of the communication device is
controlled based at least partially on the one or more rules.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of and claims
priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/679,676, filed on
Nov. 16, 2012, of the same title, which claims the benefits of and
priority, under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e), to U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/560,509, filed on Nov. 16, 2011, entitled
"Complete Vehicle Ecosystem"; 61/637,164, filed on Apr. 23, 2012,
entitled "Complete Vehicle Ecosystem"; 61/646,747, filed on May 14,
2012, entitled "Branding of Electrically Propelled Vehicles Via the
Generation of Specific Operating Sounds"; 61/653,275, filed on May
30, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Application Store for Console";
61/653,264, filed on May 30, 2012, entitled "Control of Device
Features Based on Vehicle State"; 61/653,563, filed on May 31,
2012, entitled "Complete Vehicle Ecosystem"; 61/663,335, filed on
Jun. 22, 2012, entitled "Complete Vehicle Ecosystem"; 61/672,483,
filed on Jul. 17, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Climate Control";
61/714,016, filed on Oct. 15, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Middleware";
and 61/715,699, filed Oct. 18, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Middleware."
The entire disclosures of the applications listed above are hereby
incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for all that they
teach and for all purposes.
[0002] This application is also related to U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled,
"Configurable Vehicle Console"; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar.
14, 2012, entitled "Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console"; Ser.
No. 13/462,593, filed on May 2, 2012, entitled "Configurable Dash
Display"; Ser. No. 13/462,596, filed on May 2, 2012, entitled
"Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display"; Ser. No. 13/679,459, filed on
Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Comprising Multi-Operating System"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-228); Ser. No. 13/679,234, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Gesture Recognition for On-Board Display"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-229); Ser. No. 13/679,412, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Application Store for Console"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-230); Ser. No. 13/679,857, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Sharing Applications/Media Between Car and
Phone (Hydroid)" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-231); Ser. No.
13/679,878, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "In-Cloud Connection
for Car Multimedia" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-232); Ser. No.
13/679,875, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Music Streaming"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-233); Ser. No. 13/678,673, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Insurance Tracking" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-235); Ser. No. 13/678,691, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Law Breaking/Behavior Sensor" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-236); Ser.
No. 13/678,699, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Etiquette
Suggestion" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-237); Ser. No. 13/678,710,
filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Parking Space Finder Based on
Parking Meter Data" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-238); Ser. No.
13/678,722, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Parking Meter Expired
Alert" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-239); Ser. No. 13/678,726, filed
on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Object Sensing (Pedestrian
Avoidance/Accident Avoidance)" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-240); Ser.
No. 13/678,735, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Proximity Warning
Relative to Other Cars" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-241); Ser. No.
13/678,745, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Street Side Sensors"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-242); Ser. No. 13/678,753, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Car Location" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-243);
Ser. No. 13/679,441, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Universal
Bus in the Car" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-244); Ser. No.
13/679,864, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Mobile Hot
Spot/Router/Application Share Site or Network" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-245); Ser. No. 13/679,815, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Universal Console Chassis for the Car" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-246); Ser. No. 13/679,476, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Vehicle Middleware" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-247); Ser. No.
13/679,306, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Method and System for
Vehicle Data Collection Regarding Traffic" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-248); Ser. No. 13/679,369, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Method and System for Vehicle Data Collection" (Attorney Docket
No. 6583-249); Ser. No. 13/679,680, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,
entitled "Communications Based on Vehicle Diagnostics and
Indications" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-250); Ser. No. 13/679,443,
filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Method and System for Maintaining
and Reporting Vehicle Occupant Information" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-251); Ser. No. 13/678,762, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-252); Ser. No. 13/679,292, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Branding of Electrically Propelled Vehicles Via the Generation of
Specific Operating Output" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-258); Ser. No.
13/679,400, filed Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Vehicle Climate Control"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-313); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16,
2012, entitled "Improvements to Controller Area Network Bus"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-314); Ser. No. 13/678,773, filed on Nov.
16, 2012, entitled "Location Information Exchange Between Vehicle
and Device" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-315); Ser. No. 13/679,887,
filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "In Car Communication Between
Devices" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-316); Ser. No. 13/679,842, filed
on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Hardware Unit for Car
Systems" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-317); Ser. No. 13/679,204, filed
on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Feature Recognition for Configuring a
Vehicle Console and Associated Devices" (Attorney Docket No.
6583-318); Ser. No. 13/679,350, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled
"Configurable Vehicle Console" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-412); Ser.
No. 13/679,358, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Dash
Display" (Attorney Docket No. 6583-413); Ser. No. 13/679,363, filed
on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-414); and Ser. No. 13/679,368, filed on
Nov. 16, 2012, entitled "Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console"
(Attorney Docket No. 6583-415). The entire disclosures of the
applications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in
their entirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Whether using private, commercial, or public transport, the
movement of people and/or cargo has become a major industry. In
today's interconnected world, daily travel is essential to engaging
in commerce. Commuting to and from work can account for a large
portion of a traveler's day. As a result, vehicle manufacturers
have begun to focus on making this commute, and other journeys,
more enjoyable.
[0004] Currently, vehicle manufacturers attempt to entice travelers
to use a specific conveyance based on any number of features. Most
of these features focus on vehicle safety, or efficiency. From the
addition of safety-restraints, air-bags, and warning systems to
more efficient engines, motors, and designs, the vehicle industry
has worked to appease the supposed needs of the traveler. Recently,
however, vehicle manufactures have shifted their focus to user and
passenger comfort as a primary concern. Making an individual more
comfortable while traveling instills confidence and pleasure in
using a given vehicle, increasing an individual's preference for a
given manufacturer and/or vehicle type.
[0005] One way to instill comfort in a vehicle is to create an
environment within the vehicle similar to that of an individual's
home or place of comfort. Integrating features in a vehicle that
are associated with comfort found in an individual's home can ease
a traveler's transition from home to vehicle. Several manufacturers
have added comfort features in vehicles such as the following:
leather seats, adaptive and/or personal climate control systems,
music and media players, ergonomic controls, and in some cases
Internet connectivity. However, because these manufacturers have
added features to a conveyance, they have built comfort around a
vehicle and failed to build a vehicle around comfort.
SUMMARY
[0006] There is a need for a vehicle ecosystem that can integrate
both physical and mental comforts while seamlessly operating with
current electronic devices to result in an intuitive and immersive
user experience. These and other needs are addressed by the various
aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations of the present
disclosure. Also, while the disclosure is presented in terms of
exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual
aspects of the disclosure can be separately claimed.
[0007] A method of controlling access to one or more features of a
communication device associated with a vehicle is described. In
some embodiments, the method comprises: establishing a connection
between the communication device and a feature control module,
wherein the feature control module is configured to receive input
from at least one of a vehicle sensor and a non-vehicle sensor;
determining a location of the communication device; and
controlling, via the feature control module and based at least
partially on the location of the communication device, user access
to one or more features of the communication device.
[0008] The present disclosure can provide a number of advantages
depending on the particular aspect, embodiment, and/or
configuration. Currently, drivers and other vehicle operators can
operate their vehicles while texting, talking, surfing the
Internet, streaming video, and generally using their mobile phones
and/or other connected devices. Using these devices while operating
a vehicle may not only be considered unsafe, but may also
contradict local, state, federal, and other laws. Moreover, the use
of devices, especially communication devices, while driving causes
greater distraction and is a leading cause of accidents among
teenage drivers.
[0009] Among other things, the present disclosure is directed to an
intelligent system that is capable of recognizing a user and device
and determining to allow or deny the user access to device
features. In particular, the system may recognize one or more
characteristics associated with a user and/or device and limit
access to device features at least partially based on the one or
more characteristics. These characteristics may include but are not
limited to location of the user and/or device, user profile
settings, user preferences, registration status of the device,
device settings, programmed conditions, and the like. For example,
a user may be operating a device in the passenger seat of an
automobile. Moreover, the user may have established a connection
between the device and the vehicle (e.g., via Bluetooth, direct
electrical connection, wireless, radio frequency (RF), infrared
(IR), etc.). In this example, the vehicle feature control system
may utilize one or more of the vehicle/device sensors to determine
the location of the device user. These sensors may include cameras,
weight sensors, IR detectors, temperature sensors, GPS,
triangulation and/or position sensors, and combinations thereof.
Many vehicles, especially cars, utilize sensors of this type to
activate and/or deactivate airbag and/or safety restraint system
components. Upon detecting that the user and/or device in this case
is located in a passenger seat, a feature control module may
determine that feature access should not be controlled. On the
other hand, if the user was seated in a vehicle operation seat
(e.g., driver's seat) the feature control module may determine to
limit access to one or more features of the device.
[0010] It is anticipated that the feature control module may refer
to other factors when determining to allow or deny a user access to
a device's features. Among these other factors are jurisdictional
and/or federal laws, contractual rules/obligations, programmed
conditions, vehicle state, emergency contingencies, and
combinations thereof. Contractual rules/obligations may include but
are not limited to contract limitations associated with employment
contracts, insurance contracts, general agreements, governmental
contracts, and the like. These rules and/or laws may be used in
determining feature control of a device. For instance, a vehicle
may be detected to be "in motion" by the feature control module and
various vehicle/device sensors. Moreover, the feature control
module may be configured to communicate to a database to determine
laws governing the use of communication devices in the current
geographical location of the vehicle. For the sake of example, a
local law may prohibit the use of communication devices by a driver
of a vehicle while that vehicle is in motion. Based on the vehicle
state (i.e., in motion), the location of the user (i.e., driver's
seat), and the local law (i.e., prohibiting use of devices by
drivers of a moving vehicle) the feature control module may
determine to deny access to device features. In some embodiments,
the feature control module may communicate with the device to
deactivate the features of the device. This deactivation may be
coupled with a presented warning in the form of a visual and/or
audible alert on the device and/or vehicle dash display.
Additionally, it is anticipated that the feature control module may
reactivate these deactivated features once the vehicle is in a
state of rest and/or parked.
[0011] In some embodiments, the feature control module may itself
receive from a satellite positioning system receiver in the vehicle
or from a satellite positioning system receiver in the
communication device satellite location information alone or in
conjunction with vehicle-related state, configuration, and/or
operation information (speed, parking sensors, etc.) to determine
the current vehicle state, configuration, and/or operation.
Exemplary on-board vehicle sensors that may be accessed by the
feature control module include a wheel state sensor to sense one or
more of vehicle speed, acceleration, deceleration, wheel rotation,
wheel speed (e.g., wheel revolutions-per-minute), wheel slip, and
the like, a power source energy output sensor to sense a power
output of an on-board power source (e.g., an engine or energy
storage device) by measuring one or more of current engine speed
(e.g., revolutions-per-minute), energy input and/or output (e.g.,
voltage, current, fuel consumption, and torque), and the like, a
switch state sensor to determine a current activation or
deactivation state of a power source activation/deactivation
switch, a transmission setting sensor to determine a current
setting of the vehicle transmission (e.g., gear selection or
setting), a gear controller sensor to determine a current setting
of a gear controller, a power controller sensor to determine a
current setting of a power controller (e.g., throttle), a brake
sensor to determine a current state (braking or non-braking) of a
vehicle braking system, a seating system sensor to determine a seat
setting and current weight of seated occupant, if any, in a
selected seat of the vehicle seating system, a safety system state
sensors to determine a current state of a vehicular safety system
(e.g., air bag setting (deployed or undeployed) and/or seat belt
setting (engaged or not engaged)), a light setting sensor (e.g.,
current headlight, emergency light, brake light, parking light, fog
light, interior or passenger compartment light, and/or tail light
state (on or off)), a brake control (e.g., pedal) setting sensor,
an accelerator pedal setting sensor, a clutch pedal setting sensor,
an emergency brake pedal setting sensor, a door setting (e.g.,
open, closed, locked or unlocked) sensor, a window setting (open or
closed) sensor, and other sensors known to those of skill in the
vehicle art. When, for example, a vehicle is in motion, the feature
control module can disallow/deactivate use of texting, video
streaming, and other applications. Once the vehicle is determined
to be in a "parked" condition (e.g., in "Park"), or otherwise
motionless, the applications may be allowed and activated. As
previously stated, these features may be controlled in accordance
with local/state/federal laws as well as administrative agency
laws, insurance contract, governmental contracts, general
agreements, and/or employment contracts.
[0012] In another embodiment, communication modes, such as texting,
tweeting, email, and the like may be enabled or disabled based on
vehicle location. Vehicle location may be mapped against applicable
laws of a governmental entity, such as a city, municipality,
county, province, state, country, and the like. Alternatively,
capabilities of the device may be enabled or disabled based on
contract requirements, employer rules or policies, etc.
[0013] In yet another embodiment, a feature control module may be
programmed to control a specific device, or group of devices, based
on settings associated with a user. During a registration process
between a device and a vehicle, via the feature control module, the
registering party may be prompted to input specific information via
a control panel, the device, and/or a dash display interface. The
registration of devices may be password-protected and even
associated with a master key or pass. In some embodiments, the
registration process will grant the feature control module
permission to control one or more features of the device. In other
embodiments, the feature control module may be configured to
control one or more communication features of the device regardless
of registration permission. This unauthorized control of device
communication features may be achieved by affecting the
transmission of signals sent to and/or from the device.
[0014] To better illustrate the concept of controlling device
features based on settings, the example of a teenage driver is
provided. In this example, a teenage driver may own a particular
communication device. This device may have a unique media access
control (MAC) address or other unique hardware/software identifier.
In one embodiment, the device may be registered with the feature
control module by an authorized user (e.g., a parent, guardian, or
governmental entity). During the registration process, the
authorized user may configure the settings associated with the
device and teenage driver to be especially strict. In other words,
the authorized user may determine to disable all communication
functions of the device while the vehicle is in motion. On the
other hand, the authorized user may determine to allow telephonic
connections while in motion but disable other features such as
texting, emailing, and surfing the Internet (e.g., disable the
browser capability). Additionally or alternatively, an authorized
user may determine that communication devices inside a vehicle
(associated with any person, and even in any area), shall be
controlled by the feature control module. In this instance, the
feature control module may prevent the exchange of communication
signals to and from one or more device inside a vehicle.
[0015] In some embodiments, the feature control module may
determine to control one or more features based on vehicle state
and/or condition. In one embodiment, access to features of a device
may be overridden. This overriding control may be beneficial in the
case of an emergency. For instance, the feature control module may
determine that a vehicle and/or one or more users are in a state of
emergency. If a vehicle has been involved in a collision or
accident, one or more sensors associated with the vehicle are
configured to report the incident. In accordance with the present
disclosure, the feature control module may receive input from the
multiple sensors to determine appropriate device feature control.
For example, a car may be involved in a roll-over accident.
Although the wheels of the car may still be moving, and the vehicle
is not in "park," the presence of the accident may be reported by
the sensors and therefore functionality of device features may be
returned to the one or more devices associated with the vehicle.
Alternatively, a user in a vehicle may have suffered a seizure, or
illness, that causes the user to shake uncontrollably. This
movement and/or condition may be detected by the device associated
with that user and as such signal an emergency event associated
with the user. The feature control module may receive this input
and return device feature functionality for a period of time.
[0016] The phrases "at least one", "one or more", and "and/or" are
open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in
operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A,
B and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, and
C", "one or more of A, B, or C" and "A, B, and/or C" means A alone,
B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, or A, B and C together.
[0017] The term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that
entity. As such, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more" and "at
least one" can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be
noted that the terms "comprising", "including", and "having" can be
used interchangeably.
[0018] The term "automatic" and variations thereof, as used herein,
refers to any process or operation done without material human
input when the process or operation is performed. However, a
process or operation can be automatic, even though performance of
the process or operation uses material or immaterial human input,
if the input is received before performance of the process or
operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input
influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human
input that consents to the performance of the process or operation
is not deemed to be "material."
[0019] The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to
any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate in
providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium
may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile
media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media
includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks.
Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common
forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy
disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other
magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other
optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium
with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a
solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or
cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other
medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to
e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of
archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a
tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is
configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database
may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,
object-oriented, and/or the like. Accordingly, the disclosure is
considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution
medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in
which the software implementations of the present disclosure are
stored.
[0020] The term "module" as used herein refers to any known or
later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial
intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software
that is capable of performing the functionality associated with
that element.
[0021] The term "satellite positioning system receiver" refers to a
wireless receiver or transceiver to receive and/or send location
signals from and/or to a satellite positioning system, such as the
Global Positioning System ("GPS") (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo
positioning system (EU), Compass navigation system (China), and
Regional Navigational Satellite System (India).
[0022] The terms "determine," "calculate," and "compute," and
variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and
include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or
technique.
[0023] It shall be understood that the term "means" as used herein
shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance
with 35 U.S.C., Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim
incorporating the term "means" shall cover all structures,
materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents
thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the
equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the
summary of the invention, brief description of the drawings,
detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.
[0024] The term "vehicle" as used herein includes any conveyance,
or model of a conveyance, where the conveyance was originally
designed for the purpose of moving one or more tangible objects,
such as people, animals, cargo, and the like. The term "vehicle"
does not require that a conveyance moves or is capable of movement.
Typical vehicles may include but are in no way limited to cars,
trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles, trains, railed
conveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarine
conveyances, airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-powered
conveyances, and the like.
[0025] The terms "dash" and "dashboard" and variations thereof, as
used herein, are used interchangeably and include any panel and/or
area of a vehicle disposed adjacent to an operator, user, and/or
passenger. Typical dashboards may include but are not limited to
one or more control panel, instrument housing, head unit,
indicator, gauge, meter, light, audio equipment, computer, screen,
display, HUD unit, and graphical user interface.
[0026] The terms "communication device," "smartphone," and "mobile
device," and variations thereof, as used herein, are used
interchangeably and include any type of device capable of
communicating with one or more of another device and/or across a
communications network, via a communications protocol, and the
like. Exemplary communication devices may include but are not
limited to smartphones, handheld computers, laptops, netbooks,
notebook computers, subnotebooks, tablet computers, scanners,
portable gaming devices, phones, pagers, GPS modules, portable
music players, and other Internet-enabled and/or network-connected
devices.
[0027] The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to
provide an understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This
summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the
disclosure and its various aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations. It is intended neither to identify key or critical
elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of the
disclosure but to present selected concepts of the disclosure in a
simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description
presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possible
utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set
forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a feature control system
in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting areas and zones
associated with a vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0030] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a first feature control
system method in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0031] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a second feature control
system method in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0032] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a third feature control
system method in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure; and
[0033] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a fourth feature control
system method in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0034] In the appended figures, similar components and/or features
may have the same reference label. Further, various components of
the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label
by a letter that distinguishes among the similar components. If
only the first reference label is used in the specification, the
description is applicable to any one of the similar components
having the same first reference label irrespective of the second
reference label.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] Presented herein are embodiments of a feature control
system. The feature control system can comprise one device or a
compilation of devices. Furthermore, the feature control system may
include one or more communications devices, such as cellular
telephones, or other smart devices. This device, or devices, may be
capable of communicating with other devices and/or to an individual
or group of individuals. Further, this device, or these devices,
can receive user input in unique ways. As described herein, the
device(s) may be electrical, mechanical, electro-mechanical,
software-based, and/or combinations thereof.
[0036] For purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
invention. It should be appreciated, however, that the present
invention may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific
details set forth herein.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown depicting a
feature control system 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure. In general the feature control system 100
comprises a feature control module 104 in communication with one or
more of a communication device 108, sensor 136, 140, user 112,
memory 106, 120, 124, server 122, and communication network 116. In
some embodiments, the feature control module 104 is configured to
control one or more device 108 features based on rules and/or input
received. It is anticipated that the input received may be from one
or more device 108, sensor 136, 140, and or user 112. Moreover,
rules may be stored in one or more memory 106, 120, 124 of the
feature control system 100. For example, the feature control module
104 may detect the presence of a device 108 by a physical or
wireless connection. Upon detecting the device 108, the feature
control module 104 may determine to control features of the device
108 based on the stored rules. These stored rules may direct a
course of action based on input detected at the sensors 136, 140
and/or device 108. If the sensors 136, 140 report that the device
108 and user 112 are in the driver's seat of the vehicle, the rules
may determine to limit access to device 100 features.
[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle comprises the feature
control module 104 in its software and/or hardware implementation.
However, the feature control module 104 may be located remotely
from a vehicle and substantially perform all of the functions and
operations as described herein. For example, the feature control
module 104 may be integrated into the device 108. Additionally or
alternatively, the feature control module 104 and/or its
functionality could be split between the device 108 and an
in-vehicle representation. For instance, the split embodiment may
further control the device 108 by limiting the device's 108 ability
to perform specific functions while coupled and/or decoupled from
the feature control module 104 of the vehicle. Although it can be
appreciated that the location of the feature control module 104 may
vary, for the purposes of this disclosure, the feature control
module 104 will be described as residing locally within a
vehicle.
[0039] In some embodiments, the feature control module 104 may be
configured to receive one or more inputs. These one or more inputs
may be used to determine whether to control features associated
with a device such as device 108. In general, a device in wireless
and/or physical communication with the feature control module 104
may be controlled. The feature control module 104 may affect the
control of a device's features via control of one or more of the
device display, communications, state, applications, and/or
combinations thereof. In one embodiment, a feature control module
104 may receive permission to control a device 108. This permission
may be granted upon a registration of the device 108 with the
feature control module 104. Furthermore, this type of registration
may be achieved via the installation and/or operation of an
application on the device 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the
application may at least facilitate communications between the
device 108 and the feature control module 104, control the state of
the device 108 at the direction of the feature control module 104,
and/or control a user's 112 access to one or more features of the
device 108. However, it is an aspect of the present disclosure that
the feature control module 104 may affect the communications
ability of any device 108 within a specific area of the vehicle
based on signal attenuation and/or interference techniques.
[0040] The device 108 may include a global positioning system (GPS)
receiver. In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure,
the GPS receiver may further comprise a GPS module that is capable
of providing absolute location information to other components of
the device 108 and/or the feature control module 104. An
accelerometer(s)/gyroscope(s) may also be included. In some
embodiments, the accelerometer/gyroscope may comprise at least one
accelerometer and at least one gyroscope. For example, a signal
from the accelerometer/gyroscope can be used to determine an
orientation of the device 108. This orientation may be used by the
feature control module to determine a state of the device 108.
[0041] It is anticipated that the device 108 may include a
dual-screen phone, smartpad, and/or vehicle console as described in
respective U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,921, filed Aug.
31, 2011, entitled "DESKTOP REVEAL EXPANSION," and Ser. No.
13/247,581, filed Sep. 28, 2011, entitled "SMARTPAD ORIENTATION,"
and Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed Mar. 14, 2012, entitled "REMOVABLE,
CONFIGURABLE VEHICLE CONSOLE." Each of the aforementioned documents
is incorporated herein by this reference in their entirety for all
that they teach and for all purposes.
[0042] The device 108 may be associated with one or more user 112.
In some embodiments, a user 112 may be identified by one or more of
characteristics, preferences, identification, and usage. In
addition, historical data relating to the one or more user 112 may
be stored by the device 108 in a memory 106, 120, 124. As can be
appreciated the memory may be local 120, remote 106, 124, and/or
combinations thereof.
[0043] The communication network 116 may be any type of known
communication medium or collection of communication mediums and may
use any type of protocols to transport messages between endpoints.
The communication network 116 may include wired and/or wireless
communication technologies. The Internet is an example of the
communication network 116 that constitutes an IP network consisting
of many computers and other communication devices located all over
the world, which are connected through many telephone systems and
other means. Other examples of the communication network 116
include, without limitation, a standard Plain Old Telephone System
(POTS), an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), the Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a
Wide Area Network (WAN), a cellular communication network, a cable
communication network, a satellite communication network, any type
of enterprise network, and any other type of packet-switched or
circuit-switched network known in the art. It can be appreciated
that the communication network 116 need not be limited to any one
network type, and instead may be comprised of a number of different
networks and/or network types. In some embodiments, the
communication network 116 may comprise a controller area network,
or CANbus, associated with vehicle, automotive, and/or automation
communications. Moreover, it is anticipated that communications
between various components of the feature control system 100 can be
carried by one or more busses.
[0044] The server 122 may comprise a general purpose programmable
processor or controller for executing application programming or
instructions. In accordance with at least some embodiments, the
server 122 may include multiple processor cores, and/or implement
multiple virtual processors. In accordance with still other
embodiments, the server 122 may include multiple physical
processors. As a particular example, the server may comprise a
specially configured application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)
or other integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a
controller, a hardwired electronic or logic circuit, a programmable
logic device or gate array, a special purpose computer, or the
like. The server 122 generally functions to run programming code or
instructions implementing various functions of the feature control
system 100 and/or feature control module 104.
[0045] The vehicle sensors 132 may include but are not limited to
one or more of a throttle position sensor, accelerator pedal angle
sensor, speed sensor, speedometer, vehicle speed sensor, wind
speed, radar, brake position sensor, brake wear sensor,
steering/torque sensor, transmission sensor, oxygen sensor,
headlight sensor, ambient lighting sensor, vision system sensor,
ranging sensor, parking sensor, heating venting and air
conditioning (HVAC) sensor, turbine speed sensor, input speed
sensor, water sensor, air-fuel ratio meter, blind spot monitor,
crankshaft position sensor, engine temperature sensor, cabin
temperature sensor, hall effect sensor, manifold absolute pressure
sensor, mass flow sensor, microphone, camera sensor, crash
detection sensor, safety restraint sensors, weight sensor, radio
frequency (RF) sensor, infrared sensor (IR), vehicle control system
sensors, location and/or position sensors, Wi-Fi sensor, cellular
data sensor, Bluetooth sensor, and the like. In some embodiments,
the one or more vehicle sensors 132 may be located in different
areas or zones of a vehicle. For instance a first sensor 136a may
be located in a proximal portion of a vehicle, while a second
sensor 136b may be located in a distal portion of the vehicle. As
can be appreciated the number of vehicle sensors 132 may vary
according to vehicle type and/or vehicle control system complexity.
In an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle sensors 132 may be
configured to communicate across a communication network 116 and/or
directly with the feature control module 104. One example of a
communication network in a typical automotive application may
include utilizing the CANbus and associated protocol.
[0046] In some embodiments, the feature control module 104 may
employ the use of one or more non-vehicle sensors 140. The
non-vehicle sensors 140 may include one or more type of vehicle
sensor 132 described herein. However, the non-vehicle sensors 140
may be separated from the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively,
the non-vehicle sensors 140 may comprise sensors associated with
one or more other devices. For instance, the non-vehicle sensors
140 may be associated with at least one device 108. These sensors
may include but are not limited to one or more of an
accelerometer/gyroscope, GPS, compass, camera, microphone, audio
input/output, temperature sensor, health monitoring sensors, and
the like.
[0047] FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting areas and zones
associated with a vehicle 204 in accordance with one embodiment of
the present disclosure. In general, a vehicle 204 may comprise one
or more areas 208, 216, 220. The areas 208, 216, 220 may in fact be
a volume of space and/or a point location (e.g., a docking
location, holder, power port, signal port, and so on). These one or
more areas 208, 216, 220 may be located inside (208) or outside
(216, 220) of a vehicle 204. It is an aspect of the present
disclosure that the one or more areas 208, 216, 220 of a vehicle
204 may occupy different, overlapping, or substantially similar
physical positions in and/or about the vehicle 204. For instance,
the inside of a vehicle 204 may comprise a first area 208a and a
second area 208b. As depicted, the first area 208a may occupy a
different physical location of the vehicle 204 than the second area
208b. In some embodiments, the areas 208 may be subdivided into one
or more zones 212. The one or more zones 212 may completely occupy
an area 208 of the vehicle 204. Additionally or alternatively, the
one or more zones 212 may occupy a portion of an area 208 of the
vehicle 204. It is anticipated that the one or more areas 208 of a
vehicle 204 may comprise different zone 212 to area 208 ratios. For
example, a vehicle 204 may comprise a first area 208a including a
first zone 212a and a second zone 212b. This first area 208a may
correspond to the proximal portion of a vehicle 204. The first zone
212a may represent a driver/operator seat of a vehicle 204, while
the second zone 212b may represent a proximal passenger seat of a
vehicle 204. Continuing the example above, a second area 208b may
include a third zone 212c, a fourth zone 212d, and a fifth zone
212e. This second area 208b may represent a passenger area of a
vehicle 204. The third zone 212c, fourth zone 212d, and fifth zone
212e may represent individual passenger seats, and/or areas, in the
passenger area of the vehicle 204.
[0048] In some embodiments, each area 208, 216, 220 and/or zone 212
associated with a vehicle 204 may comprise one or more sensors to
determine a presence in and/or adjacent to each area 208, 216, 220
and/or zone 212. The sensors may include vehicle sensors 132 and/or
non-vehicle sensors 140 as described herein. It is anticipated that
the sensors may be configured to communicate with a vehicle
controls system and/or the feature control module 104. Additionally
or alternatively, the sensors may communicate with a device 108.
The communication of sensors with the vehicle 204 may initiate
and/or terminate the control of device 108 features. For example, a
vehicle operator may be located in a second outside area 220
associated with a vehicle 204. As the operator approaches the first
outside area 216 associated with the vehicle 204, the feature
control module 104 may determine to control features associated
with one or more device 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the
feature control module 104 may determine to control features
associated with the device 108 of the vehicle operator. In this
scenario, the feature control module 104 may determine to control a
vehicle status application on the device 108. Once the vehicle
operator enters the vehicle 204, the sensors 132, 140 may determine
that the vehicle operator is in an area 208 and/or zone 212. As is
further described herein, the feature control module 104 may
utilize the device 108, and/or user 112, location information to
control features of the device 108 based on rules.
[0049] FIGS. 3-6 depict multiple methods of the feature control
system 100 operation. In some embodiments, the feature control
system 100 methods may be controlled manually via user input and/or
automatically via a processor.
[0050] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a first feature control
system method 300 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. The method 300 begins at step 304 by detecting one or
more devices 108 associated with the vehicle 204. Detection may
include a voluntary registration and/or communication between a
vehicle 204 and a device 108. Among other things, this type of
registration and/or communication may be facilitated via the
installation of an application on the device 108. In some
embodiments, the application may provide one or more of a
communication protocol, use permissions, and access to the feature
control module 104. For example, a user may turn on a newly
presented device 108 inside a vehicle 204, and as a result may be
prompted to register the device 108 with the vehicle 204. This
registration prompt process may be effected automatically and/or
manually. In some embodiments, the feature control module 104,
utilizing one or more sensors 132, 140, may detect the presence of
a device 108 and send a signal to the device 108 in the form of an
installation prompt.
[0051] In other embodiments, the feature control module 104 may
communicate with a device 108 via a physical electrical connection.
For instance, the feature control module 104 may include an
electrical interconnection configured to facilitate communications
between the feature control module 104 and at least one device 108.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure the electrical
interconnection may provide power to the device 108 via this
electrical interconnection.
[0052] In yet another embodiment, the feature control module 104
may communicate with a device 108 via one or more wireless
protocol. It is anticipated that the wireless protocol may include,
but is not limited to, one or more existing communications
protocols and/or equivalents thereof. Common device 108
communications protocols may include Bluetooth.RTM., Wi-Fi (IEEE
802.11 standards), RF, IR, and variations thereof. In some
instances, a device 108 may be paired with one or more sensors used
by the feature control module 104 to allow persistent and/or
reestablishing communications between the device 108 and the
feature control module 104.
[0053] The method 300 continues at step 312 by determining the
location of the one or more detected devices 108. In accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the location of a
device 108 may be found using vehicle sensors 132 and/or
non-vehicle sensors 140. For example, a device 108 may be detected
using sensors 132, 140 found inside a vehicle 204. The location of
the device 108 inside the vehicle 204 may be obtained via the use
of triangulation, sensing, and/or ranging techniques (e.g.,
measuring signal strength from different points, ping and response,
and/or similar position detecting procedures). The procedure of
determining a location associated with a device 108 becomes more
streamlined upon the physical connection to a known port/electrical
connection of the vehicle 204. Moreover, if the device 108 is
registered to a particular user 112, the location of the device 108
may be interpreted using stored preferences and/or settings. It is
an aspect of the present disclosure that the device 108 itself may
report a position/location. This location may be provided via
typical device 108 location services such as GPS, Wi-Fi data,
and/or cellular data.
[0054] In some embodiments, different locations of a device 108 may
provide different responses from the feature control module 104.
For example, a device 108 may be determined to be in a location
where use of a device 108 is considered to be highly-restricted.
The driver's seat and/or pilot area may be an example of such a
highly-restricted use location. As such, the feature control module
104 may limit access to the device 108 and/or features of the
device 108 based on rules assigned to this zone 212 and/or area
208. In accordance with the present disclosure, another location of
the vehicle 204 may be classified as a restricted location. In such
locations, the feature control module 104 may determine to control
access to the device 108 and/or features of the device 108 based on
less restrictive rules than those used for the highly-restricted
location. In some embodiments, a device 108 may be used in an
unrestricted location. This unrestricted location may allow a user
112 complete access to a device 108 based on rules defined for the
unrestricted location. As can be appreciated, different areas 208
and/or zones 212 of a vehicle 204 may be classified as various
levels of restricted use. Although the highly-restricted,
restricted, and unrestricted locations have be presented herein, it
is an aspect of the present disclosure that may levels of
restricted and/or unrestricted use may be utilized by the feature
control module 104.
[0055] In some embodiments, the method 300 continues by determining
one or more vehicle-device use laws (step 312). These
vehicle-device use laws may be provided by an organization,
governmental entity, group, individual, and/or combinations
thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the laws may be created in
response to detected input and/or conditions monitored by the
feature control module 104, device 108, and/or sensors 132, 140.
The laws may be stored in local memory 106 by the feature control
module 104, or the laws may be retrieved from another stored data
memory 120, 124. In some cases, the feature control module may
refer to a remote memory 120, 124 to determine laws and/or rules
associated with a specific locality, region, user 112, and/or
device 108.
[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the laws may be statutes and/or
regulations that are enforced by a government entity. These laws
may define vehicle, traffic, transportation, and/or safety rules
associated with a given geographical region. Moreover, these laws
may be stored locally and/or remotely as described herein.
Furthermore, the laws may be updated from time to time to, among
other things, account for changes in the laws. For example, the
State of Idaho may ban the use of texting (i.e., sending a text
message via some device 108) while driving, but may allow the use
of a handheld mobile phone (e.g., device). In contrast, the State
of Oregon may completely ban the use of handheld devices. While the
user 112 is traveling in Idaho, the feature control module 104 may
refer to the laws of Idaho and determine to control the device 108
in accordance with Idaho law. However, once the user 112 is
detected as being in Oregon, the feature control module 104 may
control the device 108 based, at least in part, on the laws of
Oregon. This procedure will be described further herein, however,
it should be noted that the vehicle sensors 132 and/or other
sensors 140 may determine at least one location of the device 108,
and refer to laws associated with that at least one location to
control the device 108 accordingly.
[0057] The method continues at step 316 by determining settings of
the one or more associated devices 108. These settings may include
data relating to the feature control module 104, communications,
permissions, device 108 control, methods, user preferences,
historical data, and the like. As can be appreciated, a device 108
may have multiple power states associated with its operation. Most
devices, including smartphones, tablets, handheld computers, and
the like, do not have simple "On/Off" states. To differentiate
between these power states, the following terminology will be used
to better define the multiple power states of a device 108. "Device
Off" is used to indicate that the device 108 is completely turned
off; in other words, virtually no power is being used by the
communication device 108 in this state. When "Device Off" the
device 108 cannot receive or transmit typical communications,
signals, alerts, and the like. "Device On" is used to indicate that
the device 108 is turned on, capable of receiving and transmitting
communications, signals, and alerts, and power is directed to the
device 108 display and all recruited components. In some
embodiments, "Device On" may indicate that the device 108 display
is fully powered. In another embodiment, a fully powered display
may indicate that the device 108 is in a condition to detect input
received at all areas of the display (e.g., touch-screen). "Device
Lock" is used to indicate that power to the communication device
108 display is limited, but the device 108 is capable of receiving
and transmitting communications, signals, alerts, and the like.
Device Lock saves battery power by reducing power supplied to the
display while allowing applications to present an alert to the
display or other indicator upon direction of the feature control
module 104 and/or an application. In an embodiment where the
display may comprise a touch-screen, a Device Lock state may cause
reduced power to be directed to the display (e.g., in a limited
area or section of the display). In accordance with some
embodiments of the present disclosure, the feature control module
104 and/or application may transition the device 108 from a Device
On state to a Device Lock state and vice versa.
[0058] The settings of a device 108 may be configured to lock the
device 108, or operate the device 108 in a Device Lock state, when
controlled by the feature control module 104. For instance, a
parent/guardian may configure a child's device 108 to be controlled
in accordance with strict settings and/or preferences. In this
instance, the parent/guardian may determine that a device 108 may
be a distraction to a child, while driving, in any state other than
the Device Lock state. As such, the parent/guardian can set the
device 108 to respond to feature control module 104 controls by
operating the device in a Device Lock state. In contrast, a
parent/guardian may wish to configure the settings of a device 108
to be less strict and allow access to other features of the device
108. In this case, a parent/guardian may configure a device 108 to
only lock specific features associated with the device 108. In any
event, the device 108 may be controlled at higher levels of
strictness than provided by the vehicle-device laws determined in
step 312. These higher levels of strictness may be provided by user
preferences and/or device 108 settings. In some cases, the device
108 state may override settings, laws, and/or preferences.
[0059] The method continues by determining the state of the device
108 (step 320). States of the device 108 may include one or more
power state (on, off, and/or locked), orientation (vertical,
horizontal, angle, etc.), operation (e.g., input type, running
and/or background applications), sensor states, and the like. Among
other things, specific device 108 states may indicate one or more
conditions related to the user 112, vehicle 204, and/or the device
108 itself. For example, a device 108 may be in an unpowered, or
Device Off, state and as such the condition may preclude control by
the feature control module 104. On the other hand, the state
information of the device 108 may indicate that the device 108 is
operating in a Device On state and may be subject to control via
the feature control module 104. It is an aspect that sensor
information received from a device 108 may determine control via
the feature control module 104. For instance, one or more sensors
on a device 108 may detect an impact, shock, and/or other tactile
input and may correlate the data (in some instances in combination
with other data) to determine a response by the feature control
module 104.
[0060] The vehicle state is determined at step 324. This vehicle
state may include but is not limited to vehicle motion (driving,
stopped, etc.), position (geographically), speed, acceleration,
deceleration, transmission state (in-park, engaged drive, engaged
reverse, in-gear, neutral), component status (parking brake,
airbag, safety restraint system, engine control unit (ECU) output,
CANbus activity), occupants (number, position, weight, and the
like), sensor information (temperatures, pressures, etc.), and
combinations thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, a user 112 may be
driving a vehicle 204 while attempting to simultaneously operate an
associated device 108. Upon detecting that the vehicle 204 is
moving, the feature control module 104 may control the device 108
and/or features of the device 108 accordingly. Additionally or
alternatively, when the vehicle 204 is determined to be in a
stationary state (i.e., not moving), and even in-park, the feature
control module 104 may determine to cease controlling the device
108.
[0061] In some embodiments, the vehicle 204 state may indicate an
emergency condition. For example, the vehicle 204, via one or more
sensors 132, 140 may indicate that the vehicle 204 has been
subjected to substantial amounts of impact force, the airbag
deployed, the anti-lock braking system engaged, the vehicle 204
instantaneously moved in a direction contrary to historical data
collected over time, the speed of the vehicle reduced dramatically,
and more. These exemplary sensor responses may be indicative of an
accident. In any event, the feature control module 104 may be
configured to address emergency scenarios, especially with respect
to the control of one or more devices 108. In one embodiment, an
emergency state may cause the feature control module 104 to provide
unfettered access to the device 108 and/or its features. In another
embodiment, an emergency state may cause the feature control module
104 to present an emergency message to the one or more devices 108.
This emergency message may be sent to emergency services personnel
and/or a third party. Furthermore, the emergency message may
include details regarding the emergency, the state of the vehicle
204, the state of a user 112, and/or the state of the device
108.
[0062] The feature control module 104 is configured to control one
or more devices 108 based at least in part on rules (step 328). In
general, the feature control module may utilize any one or more of
the steps presented herein in determining control of the one or
more devices 108. In some embodiments, the rules may direct that
all of the steps disclosed herein be considered before the specific
control of a device 108 is initiated. These rules may include at
least one algorithm to provide a controlling action response from
the feature control module 104. The rules may use sensor
information collected, settings, laws, and more in determining a
control action.
[0063] Control of a device 108 may take a number of forms. In some
embodiments, control of a device 108 may include restricting access
to specific applications, programs, and/or features of the device
108. For example, a user 112 whose device is being controlled by a
feature control module 104 may be allowed to access the home screen
of a device 108 to check the time and/or date. However, this user
112 may be restricted, by the feature control module 104, from
accessing a communications interface (e.g., telephone, texting,
SMS, MMS, email, web browsers, and the like). Additionally or
alternatively, the user may be restricted from accessing programs
that require physical input at the device 108. For instance, a user
112 may be allowed to use the device 108 to send some form of
communication and/or interface with the device 108 using voice
commands and/or visual input.
[0064] In some embodiments, the control of a device 108 may include
transitioning the device 108 from one state to another. Among other
things, various device 108 states may include Device On, Device
Off, and Device Lock. In accordance with the present disclosure,
and as previously stated, the rules may refer to location of the
device 108 to activate and/or deactivate a control action.
Additionally or alternatively, a control message may be presented
to an interface associated with the device 108 to indicate that the
device 108 is controlled or released from control.
[0065] In other embodiments, the control of a device 108 may
include blocking communications to and/or from the device 108. This
type of communications control may be activated in one or more of
an area 208, a zone 212, and a device 108. For instance, if one or
more devices 108 are detected in a given area 208, the feature
control module 104 may determine to control all of the devices 108
together. This control may include interfering with the devices'
108 communication abilities.
[0066] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a second feature control
system method 400 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. In general, the method 400 is directed to detecting a
device 108 and any associated settings for the control of the
device 108. The method begins at step 404 and proceeds by detecting
one or more device 108 (step 408). As disclosed above, detection
may be achieved through physical and/or wireless techniques.
Moreover, the disclosed detection techniques may be automatically
performed and/or manually initiated. If no device 108 is detected,
the method ends (step 442).
[0067] Upon detecting a device, however, the method 400 continues
by determining whether any settings are associated with the device
108 (step 412). These settings may include data associated with a
user, device, application, and/or feature control module 104.
Typical settings may be stored in device data 120, at the feature
control module 104 system data 106, and/or remotely in stored data
124. If no settings are detected, the user 112 may be prompted to
enter settings, and/or configure the device 108 (step 416).
[0068] At this point, the user 112 may enter settings as prompted
(step 420). In other words, the user 112 may enter settings
information at one or more of the device 108, interface to the
feature control module 104, and/or at a server 122. The settings
may be prompted via at least one application running on the device,
a server, and/or running as part of the feature control module 104.
If the user fails to enter settings as prompted, the method 400 may
continue by optionally controlling the device 108 based on default
settings (step 424) and/or end the method (step 442).
[0069] If settings are available, or if the user 112 enters
settings as prompted, the method 400 may continue by controlling
the device 108 based at least in part on the settings and on rules
stored in memory (step 428). In an exemplary embodiment, the
feature control module 104 may control one or more behavior of the
device 108. For example, rules may dictate that while a vehicle 204
is in motion, the device 108 should be controlled for all
communications applications. Additionally or alternatively, a user
112 may enter settings directing that, when controlled by a feature
control module 104, the device 104 should be transitioned to a
Device Lock state. Moreover, the user 112 may wish to have an
alert/notification pushed to the device 108 interface to indicate
that the device 108 is being controlled. This alert/notification
may be provided in the form of a message. It is anticipated that
vehicle 204 and/or device 108 conditions may be continually
monitored by the feature control module 104 to modify the control
method 400. Once a device 108 is controlled, the method may return
to detecting any available devices 108 (step 408). If no device 108
is found, the method ends (step 442).
[0070] Referring to FIG. 5, a flow diagram is shown depicting a
third feature control system method 500 in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure. Among other things, the
method 500 discloses a feature control module 104 utilizing device
108 and/or vehicle 204 location to determine at least one control
action. The method begins at step 504 and proceeds by detecting one
or more device 108 (step 508). If no device is found, the method
ends (step 520).
[0071] Upon detecting a device 108, the method 500 continues by
determining the location of the device 108 (and/or vehicle
204)(step 512). The location of the device 108 may refer to
physical location of the device 108 inside or outside of a vehicle
204. In the event that a device 108 is determined to be located
inside a vehicle 204, a specific location of the device 108 may be
determined. Additionally or alternatively, the device 108 may be
determined to be in a general location inside the vehicle 204.
Depending on the rules and/or state of the vehicle 204, the
specific location of the device 108 may be important to the feature
control module 104 in determining to control the device 108 or its
features. For example, a device 108 detected in the driver's seat
of a vehicle 204 may be controlled differently than a device 108
detected in the rear passenger seat of a vehicle 204. As one
example, a device 108 in the driver's seat may be controlled to
more strict conditions. On the other hand, a device 108 found in
the rear passenger location may be unrestricted or minimally
restricted.
[0072] In some embodiments, the location of the device 108 may
include a location of the vehicle 204. In other words, a location
of the device 108 detected inside a vehicle 204, may be provided by
a GPS or other location service of the vehicle and/or the device
108 itself. This geographical location of the vehicle 204 may be
used by the feature control module 104 in initiating a control
action. In particular, the feature control module 104 may refer to
laws associated with the geographical location of the vehicle 204
in controlling the device 108. In some instances, these laws may be
related to traffic and/or vehicle-device use statutes created by a
government or third party.
[0073] When the device 108 is location is determined, the method
500 continues by controlling the device 108 based at least
partially on the location of the device 108 and stored rules (step
516). As provided in an example above, a device 108 may be
controlled in accordance with laws based on the location of the
device 108 in the vehicle 204. The method 500 may continue by
returning to the step of detecting devices (step 508). If no device
is found, the method ends (step 520).
[0074] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a fourth feature control
system method 600 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. In general, the method 600 is directed to determining a
state of a vehicle 204 to provide control action guidance for the
feature control module 104. In some embodiments, the feature
control module 104 may be configured to cease control of a device
and/or its applications based on a number of states associated with
a vehicle 204. One of these overriding control states is an
emergency detected by the feature control module 104.
[0075] The method 600 begins at step 604 and proceeds by
determining whether one or more devices 108 have been detected
(step 608). If no device is found, the method ends (step 628).
However, upon detecting a device 108, the method 600 continues by
determining a state of the vehicle 204 (step 612). A vehicle state
may be determined by one or more inputs provided via the vehicle
sensors 132, non-vehicle sensors 140, device 108, and a user
112.
[0076] In some embodiments, the method 600 may interpret the nature
of the vehicle state determined in step 612. In particular, the
feature control module 104 may determine whether the vehicle is in
a state of emergency or not (step 616). As described above, an
emergency state may be determined from a number of vehicle 204
inputs. For example, various vehicle sensors 132 may indicate that
an oil line associated with the vehicle 204 is losing pressure, the
engine is reaching an unusually high predetermined temperature, and
the safety restraint sensors detect impact at the front of the
vehicle 204. This combination of sensor inputs may be enough to
qualify as an emergency. In some embodiments, the user 112 may
input an override command to indicate an emergency state. This
override command may be in the form of video, voice, tactile, or
other input.
[0077] Upon detecting an emergency state of the vehicle 204, the
feature control module 104 may be directed to override specific
controlled features of the device 108 (step 620). In other words,
the feature control module 104 may allow access to all, or less
than all, of the features of the device 108. For example, in the
event of an emergency, a user's 112 access to the communications
applications of a device 108 may be considered important if not
critical. Therefore, a detected emergency state may prevent the
restricted control of the device's communication hardware and/or
software.
[0078] In the event that the vehicle state is not determined to be
an emergency, the method 600 continues by controlling the device
108 based at least partially on the vehicle state and stored rules
(step 624). For example, one or more sensors 132, 140 may indicate
that a vehicle 204 has reduced speed in a short amount of time.
However, the feature control module 104 may determine that this
type of scenario is not an emergency. As such, the device 108 may
be controlled in accordance with the current vehicle state and
rules. For instance, the vehicle state may indicate that the
vehicle 204 is stopped and in-park. In this case, the feature
control module 104 may allow access to features of the device 108.
Upon detecting a state change of the vehicle 204, the feature
control module 104 may control the device 108 differently (e.g.,
restricting access to features of the device 108). The method 600
may continue by returning to the step of detecting devices (step
608). If no device is found the method ends (step 628).
[0079] The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have
been described in relation to a feature control module 104 and
associated devices 108. As suggested by this disclosure, features
may be shared between a feature control module 104 and a device
108. However, to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present
disclosure, the preceding description omits a number of known
structures and devices. This omission is not to be construed as a
limitation of the scopes of the claims. Specific details are set
forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It
should however be appreciated that the present disclosure may be
practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth
herein.
[0080] Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments,
and/or configurations illustrated herein show the various
components of the system collocated, certain components of the
system can be located remotely, at distant portions of a
distributed network, such as a LAN and/or the Internet, or within a
dedicated system. Thus, it should be appreciated, that the
components of the system can be combined in to one or more devices,
such as a Personal Computer (PC), laptop, netbook, smart phone,
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., or collocated on a
particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or
digital telecommunications network, a packet-switch network, or a
circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from the preceding
description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, that the
components of the system can be arranged at any location within a
distributed network of components without affecting the operation
of the system. For example, the various components can be located
in a switch such as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more
communications devices, at one or more users' premises, or some
combination thereof. Similarly, one or more functional portions of
the system could be distributed between a telecommunications
device(s) and an associated computing device.
[0081] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links
connecting the elements can be wired or wireless links, or any
combination thereof, or any other known or later developed
element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or communicating data
to and from the connected elements. These wired or wireless links
can also be secure links and may be capable of communicating
encrypted information. Transmission media used as links, for
example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical signals,
including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and may
take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated
during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.
[0082] Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and
illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it
should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to
this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation
of the disclosed embodiments, configuration, and aspects.
[0083] A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure
can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of
the disclosure without providing others.
[0084] In some embodiments, the systems and methods of this
disclosure can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose
computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and
peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other
integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired
electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a
programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA,
PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like.
In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the
methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various
aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can be used for
the disclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includes
computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internet
enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware
known in the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a
single or multiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage,
input devices, and output devices. Furthermore, alternative
software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed
processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel
processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed
to implement the methods described herein.
[0085] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or
object-oriented software development environments that provide
portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or
workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be
implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic
circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to
implement the systems in accordance with this disclosure is
dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the
system, the particular function, and the particular software or
hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being
utilized.
[0086] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage
medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the
cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer,
a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and
methods of this disclosure can be implemented as program embedded
on personal computer such as an applet, JAVA.RTM. or CGI script, as
a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a
routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system
component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by
physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software
and/or hardware system.
[0087] Although the present disclosure describes components and
functions implemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations with reference to particular standards and
protocols, the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations are not
limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards
and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are
considered to be included in the present disclosure. Moreover, the
standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar
standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically
superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having
essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and
protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents
included in the present disclosure.
[0088] The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments,
and/or configurations, includes components, methods, processes,
systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described
herein, including various aspects, embodiments, configurations
embodiments, subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of
skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed
aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations after understanding the
present disclosure. The present disclosure, in various aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations, includes providing devices and
processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described
herein or in various aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations
hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been
used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving
performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of
implementation.
[0089] The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to
limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the
foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the
disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects,
embodiments, and/or configurations for the purpose of streamlining
the disclosure. The features of the aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate
aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than those
discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted
as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features
than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following
claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of
a single foregoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or
configuration. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated
into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own
as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure.
[0090] Moreover, though the description has included description of
one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain
variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and
modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may
be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after
understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain
rights which include alternative aspects, embodiments, and/or
configurations to the extent permitted, including alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly
dedicate any patentable subject matter.
* * * * *