Patent Issued for Text message control system (USPTO 11963071): Allstate Insurance Company

2024 MAY 08 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- A patent by the inventors Biemer, Edward A. (Eastbourne, GB), Wilson, Thomas J. (Chicago, IL, US), filed on January 19, 2021, was published online on April 16, 2024, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents.

Patent number 11963071 is assigned to Allstate Insurance Company (Northbrook, Illinois, United States).

The following quote was obtained by the news editors from the background information supplied by the inventors: “In today’s society, many people carry mobile computing devices, such as cell phones, tablets, etc., with them. Use of such mobile computing devices continues to increase. Mobile computing devices are used by people in various places throughout much of their day. In particular, mobile computing devices are used by people when traveling in a vehicle, such as a car, truck, motorcycle, etc. At times, drivers of a vehicle may use a mobile computing device while driving. In some cases, use of mobile computing devices by drivers while driving has led to accidents because such use may be a distraction. Use of mobile computing devices to read or send text messages may especially be distracting to drivers and lead to accidents. Typically, sending and reading text messages requires a user to press keys/buttons on a keypad or touch-screen of a mobile phone. As such, drivers that send and read text messages while driving often take their eyes off the road and hands off the steering wheel to look at their mobile phone and type.

“In recent years, text messaging has become a popular way to communicate. As such, more and more drivers are sending and reading text messages, e.g., short message system (SMS) messages, multimedia messaging service (MMS) messages, etc., while driving and getting into accidents as a result. Recognizing that text messaging plays a role in causing accidents, many people and organizations have spoken out against “texting” while driving. Despite the warnings, some drivers continue to succumb to the temptation to use their mobile computing devices while driving. Little, if anything, has been done to prevent drivers from texting and/or incentivize drivers not to text. While asking drivers to turn off or refrain from using their mobile computing devices while driving is a step in the right direction, more practical solutions to address the problems with texting while driving are desired.

“Accordingly, new systems, devices, methodologies, and software are desired to limit or block access to text messaging capabilities by drivers while driving.”

In addition to the background information obtained for this patent, NewsRx journalists also obtained the inventors’ summary information for this patent: “In light of the foregoing background, the following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

“Aspects of the disclosure address one or more of the issues mentioned above by disclosing methods, computer readable storage media, software, systems, and apparatuses for providing a text messaging control system that may place restrictions on a user’s ability to send and/or receive text messages while driving. The system allows the restrictions to be modified on the fly in accordance with a current driving situation. The restrictions may also depend on a priority level of the sender or intended recipient of a text message. As such, important text messages may still be received or sent regardless of the current driving situation. Further, the restrictions may also depend on a priority level of the text message itself. Thus, high priority text messages may also be received or sent regardless of the current driving situation.

“Aspects of this disclosure provide a system comprising a mobile computing device (e.g., cell phone, tablet, personal digital assistant, etc.) associated with a vehicle and a network computing device (e.g., a server). The mobile computing device may comprise a cellular network interface configured to receive or send a text message over a cellular network. Meanwhile, the network computing device may comprise a network interface. The network computing device may be configured to obtain, from the mobile computing device or another network computing device, information indicating a driving situation related to the vehicle at a time at which the mobile computing device receives a particular text message. Further, the network computing device may be configured to determine an access level based on the obtained information, and to transmit the access level to the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device may be configured to determine a priority level of the particular text message or of a sender of the particular text message. The mobile computing device may also be configured to determine whether to output the particular text message based on the access level and the priority level.

“Aspects of the disclosure also provide the computing devices of the system as well as the computer readable media of those computing devices that store text message control programs. Specifically, aspects of the disclosure provide a computing device, comprising a network interface configured to communicate with a server and a mobile computing device while the mobile computing device is traveling within a vehicle. The computing device may also include at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to execute computer-executable instructions (e.g., a text message control program) stored on computer readable media. The at least one processor may also be configured to cause (or control) the computing device to obtain, from the server, information indicating a driving situation related to the vehicle at a time at which the mobile computing device receives a particular text message. Further, the at least one processor may be configured to cause the computing device to determine, based on the obtained information, an access level for controlling how the mobile computing device outputs the particular text message; and to transmit the access level to the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device may then restrict access to text messaging capabilities/features based on the received access level.

“Aspects of the disclosure further provide a method of determining whether a user is a driver of a vehicle; and determining a driving situation with respect to the vehicle based on information obtained from a device on the vehicle and information obtained from a server remote from the vehicle. Determining the driving situation may include calculating a score that quantifies a degree of safety of a current driving situation. The method may also include determining a priority level of a sender of an incoming text message or an intended recipient of an outgoing text message; determining, based on the driving situation and priority level, a level of access to text messaging capabilities of a mobile computing device associated with the driver of the vehicle; and controlling access to the text messaging capabilities of the mobile computing device in accordance with the level of access. Controlling access to the text messaging capabilities may include blocking the driver from typing the outgoing text message and allowing the driver to generate the outgoing text message by speaking. Additionally, or alternatively, controlling access to the text messaging capabilities may include converting the incoming text message into an audio message and playing the audio message for the driver to hear.”

The claims supplied by the inventors are:

“1. A system, comprising: a mobile computing device configured to receive or send a text message over a cellular network; a server storing at least one of weather information, traffic information, or road condition information; and a network computing device configured to: obtain, from the mobile computing device, a first location of the mobile computing device, the mobile computing device being a first mobile computing device within a vehicle; communicate, with a second mobile computing device within the vehicle and associated with a passenger of the vehicle, to obtain information from the second mobile computing device indicating that a user of the first mobile computing device is driving the vehicle; transmit, to the server and based at least partly on the user of the mobile computing device driving the vehicle, the first location of the mobile computing device to retrieve at least one of specific weather information, specific traffic information, or specific road condition information indicating a first driving situation for the vehicle; determine a first access level based on at least one of the specific weather information, the specific traffic information, or the specific road condition information; and transmit the first access level to the mobile computing device; wherein the mobile computing device is configured to: receive an incoming text message during a drive; determine, based on a sender of the incoming text message, a sender priority level; and block, based on the first access level and the sender priority level, the incoming text message from being output to a user of the mobile computing device during the drive.

“2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device is further configured to: obtain, from the mobile computing device, a second location of the mobile computing device; transmit, to the server, the second location of the mobile computing device to retrieve at least one of updated weather information, updated traffic information, or updated road condition information; determine a second access level based on at least one of the updated weather information, the updated traffic information, or the updated road condition information; and transmit the second access level to the mobile computing device, and wherein the mobile computing device is further configured to: unblock, based on the second access level, the incoming text message to output the incoming text message to the user during the drive.

“3. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device is configured to: determine the first access level based on the specific traffic information indicating a first amount of traffic; determine a second access level based on updated traffic information indicating a second amount of traffic that is less than the first amount; and transmit the second access level to the mobile computing device to cause the mobile computing device to output the incoming text message.

“4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device is further configured to, in response to blocking the incoming text message, send a report of the blocking to the network computing device, and wherein the network computing device is further configured to determine that the user has earned a reward based on the report.

“5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network computing device is configured to determine the first access level further based on a driving history of a driver of the vehicle.

“6. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a first device being a mobile computing device, which is configured to receive or send a text message over a cellular network, to: transmit, to a network computing device, a first location of the mobile computing device to cause the network computing device to: transmit, to a server, the first location to retrieve at least one of specific weather information, specific traffic information, or specific road condition information indicating a first driving situation for a vehicle; determine a first access level based on at least one of the specific weather information, the specific traffic information, or the specific road condition information; transmit the first access level to the mobile computing device; and communicate, with a second device within the vehicle associated with a passenger, to obtain information from the second device indicating that a user of the mobile computing device is driving the vehicle; receive an incoming text message during a drive; determine, based on a sender of the incoming text message, a sender priority level; and block, based on the first access level and the sender priority level, and based on the information indicating that the user is driving the vehicle, the incoming text message from being output to the user of the mobile computing device during the drive.

“7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile computing device to, in response to determining to block the incoming text message from being output: automatically generate a response text message indicating that the user is driving; prompt the user for voice confirmation to send the response text message; and transmit the response text message to the sender.

“8. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile computing device to transmit, to the network computing device and in response to receiving the incoming text message, a request for the first access level comprising the first location.

“9. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile computing device to: periodically transmit, to the network computing device, a location of the mobile computing device; and receive an access level for each transmitted location.

“10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 6, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed, further cause the mobile computing device to: determine a message priority level associated with the incoming text message, and causing the mobile computing device to convert the incoming text message to the audio message is additionally in response to the message priority level.

“11. A method comprising: transmitting, by a first device being a mobile computing device to a network computing device, a first location of the mobile computing device to cause the network computing device to: transmit, to a server, the first location to retrieve at least one of specific weather information, specific traffic information, or specific road condition information indicating a first driving situation for a vehicle; communicate with a second device within the vehicle to obtain information from the second device indicating that a user of the mobile computing device is driving the vehicle; determine a first access level based on at least a driving behavior history associated with a driver of the vehicle; and transmit the first access level to the mobile computing device; receiving, by the mobile computing device, an incoming text message during a drive; determining, by the mobile computing device based on a sender of the incoming text message, a sender priority level; and blocking, by the mobile computing device based on the first access level and the sender priority level, the incoming text message from being output to a user of the mobile computing device during the drive.

“12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the mobile computing device to the network computing device, a second location of the mobile computing device to cause the network computing device to determine a second access level different from the first access level; and receiving, by the mobile computing device from the network computing device, the second access level; and in response to the receiving the second access level, unblocking the incoming text message to the user of the mobile computing device.

“13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the mobile computing device to the network computing device, a second location of the mobile computing device to cause the network computing device to determine a second access level different from the first access level, wherein the first access level is determined based on the specific traffic information indicating a first amount of traffic and the second access level is determined based on second traffic information indicating a second amount of traffic that is less than the first amount; receiving, by the mobile computing device from the network computing device, the second access level; and outputting, based on the second access level, a second incoming text message to the user of the mobile computing device.

“14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving a second access level; determining that the user is attempting to send an outgoing text message; determining, based on a recipient of the outgoing text message, a recipient priority level; and blocking, based on the second access level and the recipient priority level, the user from sending the outgoing text message.

“15. The method of claim 11, further comprising: prompting the user to record an audio message if the user attempts to create an outgoing text message while the user is driving; converting the audio message to create the outgoing text message; and sending the outgoing text message.

“16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to the blocking the incoming text message, determining that the user has earned a reward and outputting a notification informing the user that the user has earned the reward.”

There are additional claims. Please visit full patent to read further.

URL and more information on this patent, see: Biemer, Edward A. Text message control system. U.S. Patent Number 11963071, filed January 19, 2021, and published online on April 16, 2024. Patent URL (for desktop use only): https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/external.html?q=(11963071)&db=USPAT&type=ids

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