Patent Issued for Systems and methods for handling communications during user operation of a motor vehicle (USPTO 11943691): State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company

2024 APR 17 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- According to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx journalists, a patent by the inventors Lockenour, Frankie (Bloomington, IL, US), filed on May 1, 2023, was published online on March 26, 2024.

The assignee for this patent, patent number 11943691, is State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (Bloomington, Illinois, United States).

Reporters obtained the following quote from the background information supplied by the inventors: “An increasing number of motor vehicle accidents occur each year as a result of drivers using their mobile devices. Drivers frequently talk on their cellular phones or send and receive text messages while driving. Such behaviors pose significant hazards to the drivers themselves, as well as nearby drivers of other motor vehicles, passengers, pedestrians, and sometimes property.

“This problem has been recognized and, to an extent, addressed on several fronts. The auto industry continues to develop features in vehicles to enable hands-free use of mobile devices. Many laws, rules, regulations, and policies are in force to discourage use of mobile devices while operating a motor vehicle. The communications industry similarly encourages users: “don’t text and drive.” The common sentiment toward the problem is that while mobile devices are ubiquitous in daily life, drivers’ attention should be on the road, not their mobile device.

“In the auto insurance industry, insurance policies are crafted with a variety of considerations in mind, including, the risk a given driver (i.e., the insured) represents to an auto insurance company (i.e., the insurer). A driver represents risk to an auto insurance company in terms of, for example, the likelihood the driver will be involved in a collision. The auto insurance industry carries a portion of the risk posed by drivers who use their mobile devices while they drive. An auto insurance company may consider various other factors in quantifying the risk a given driver represents, including, for example, age, vehicle, occupation, and place of residence.

“An insurance company may be more or less likely to offer certain policy features to a driver based upon their risk. For example, an insurance company may be unwilling to offer low-deductible policies to high-risk drivers. Insurance companies often determine policy premiums according to a given driver’s risk. A driver considered a low risk of collision may be offered lower premiums for a collision policy than another driver considered a higher risk of collision. Similarly, a driver who insures an expensive sports car is likely to pay higher premiums for a collision policy than another driver who insures an economy-class, four-door sedan.”

In addition to obtaining background information on this patent, NewsRx editors also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “The present embodiments may relate to systems and methods for handling communications to and from a user’s mobile device while that user is operating a motor vehicle. Many mobile devices utilize BLUETOOTH® for connecting to various other devices, including BLUETOOTH devices associated with motor vehicles. (BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Special Interest Group, located in Kirkland, WA). When a mobile device for a user connects to a vehicle’s native BLUETOOTH system, or to a BLUETOOTH beacon, an application running on the mobile device may determine the user has entered the vehicle and may be embarking on a trip. Based upon this determination, communications destined for the mobile device, such as voice calls and text messages, may be blocked, or suppressed. More specifically, notifications associated with the communications are suppressed so the user is not distracted while driving the motor vehicle.

“In one aspect, a system for receiving communications while a user operates a motor vehicle may be provided. The system may include (1) a BLUETOOTH interface configured to establish a connection to a BLUETOOTH device associated with the motor vehicle, (2) a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless communication from a remote device, and (3) a processor coupled to the wireless communication interface and the BLUETOOTH interface, and configured to: (a) determine the user is operating the motor vehicle based upon the connection to the BLUETOOTH device, and (b) suppress a notification of the user of receipt of the wireless communication while the user is operating the motor vehicle.

“In another aspect, a method of handling communications to a mobile device while a user operates a motor vehicle may be provided. The method may include (1) establishing a BLUETOOTH connection between the mobile device and a BLUETOOTH device associated with the motor vehicle using a BLUETOOTH interface, (2) recognizing, by a processor, the user is operating the motor vehicle based upon the BLUETOOTH connection, (3) receiving a wireless communication from a remote device at a wireless communication interface, and (4) suppressing a notification of the user of receipt of the wireless communication.

“In yet another aspect, a base station for delivering communications to a mobile device may be provided. The base station may include (1) a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless communication originating at a remote device and destined for the mobile device, and (2) a processor coupled to the wireless communication interface and configured to: (a) receive an indication a mobile device has established a BLUETOOTH connection with a BLUETOOTH device associated with a motor vehicle, (b) determine a user of the mobile device is operating the motor vehicle based upon the BLUETOOTH connection to the BLUETOOTH device, © initiate suppression of communications to the mobile device while the user is operating the motor vehicle, and (d) delay delivery of the wireless communication to the mobile device.

“Advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the preferred embodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the present embodiments may be capable of other and different embodiments, and their details are capable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A wireless server for delivering communications to a mobile device, the wireless server comprising: a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless communication originating at a remote device and destined for the mobile device; and a processor coupled to the wireless communication interface and configured to: receive, from the mobile device, telematics data associated with a motor vehicle; generate a delay notification instruction based upon the telematics data, the delay notification instruction generated in response to the wireless server having determined that a user of the mobile device has initiated a trip with the motor vehicle based upon speed and position data; and transmit the delay notification instruction to the mobile device, the delay notification instruction causing the mobile device to suppress notification of the wireless communication.

“2. The wireless server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to delay delivery of the wireless communication to the mobile device based upon the telematics data.

“3. The wireless server of claim 1, wherein the telematics data is collected by telematics devices installed on the motor vehicle configured to communicate with the mobile device.

“4. The wireless server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: generate a prompt enabling the user to bypass suppression of the notification; and transmit the prompt to the mobile device.

“5. The wireless server of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a bypass code from the mobile device to bypass suppression of the notification.

“6. The wireless server of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the user is operating the motor vehicle based upon the telematics data indicating that a communication channel between the mobile device and the motor vehicle is established.

“7. The wireless server of claim 6, wherein the communication channel is a universal serial bus (USB).

“8. The wireless server of claim 6, wherein the communication channel is a BLUETOOTH connection.

“9. A computer-implemented method for handling communications to a mobile device by a wireless server, the wireless server including a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless communication originating at a remote device and destined for the mobile device, the method comprising receiving, from the mobile device, telematics data associated with a motor vehicle; generating a delay notification instruction based upon the telematics data, the delay notification instruction generated in response to the wireless server having determined that a user of the mobile device has initiated a trip with the motor vehicle based upon speed and position data; and transmitting the delay notification instruction to the mobile device, the delay notification instruction causing the mobile device to suppress notification of the wireless communication.

“10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising delaying delivery of the wireless communication to the mobile device based upon the telematics data.

“11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the telematics data is collected by telematics devices installed on the motor vehicle configured to communicate with the mobile device.

“12. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising: generating a prompt enabling the user to bypass suppression of the notification; and transmitting the prompt to the mobile device.

“13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising receiving a bypass code from the mobile device to bypass suppression of the notification.

“14. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising determining that the user is operating the motor vehicle based upon the telematics data indicating that a communication channel between the mobile device and the motor vehicle is established.

“15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the communication channel is a universal serial bus (USB).

“16. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the communication channel is a BLUETOOTH connection.

“17. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by a processor of a wireless server including a wireless communication interface configured to receive a wireless communication originating at a remote device and destined for a mobile device, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to: receive, from the mobile device, telematics data associated with a motor vehicle; generate a delay notification instruction based upon the telematics data, the delay notification instruction generated in response to the wireless server having determined that a user of the mobile device has initiated a trip with the motor vehicle based upon speed and position data; and transmit the delay notification instruction to the mobile device, the delay notification instruction causing the mobile device to suppress notification of the wireless communication.

“18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to delay delivery of the wireless communication to the mobile device based upon the telematics data.”

For more information, see this patent: Lockenour, Frankie. Systems and methods for handling communications during user operation of a motor vehicle. U.S. Patent Number 11943691, filed May 1, 2023, and published online on March 26, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11943691)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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