At&t Mobility II LLC

AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP

Jay Daryl Rector

John Potts Davis, Iii

Justin Michael Anthony McNamara

Stephen Thomas Hardin

Marcel Theodore Rivard

David Wrobleski

Jeanne Nicole Janoulis

David Hilliard Williams

Quetia Arzu

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for altering permitted settings of a vehicle according to a driver identified through short range wireless communication. The vehicle captures a unique identifier from a wireless communication device of the driver of the vehicle. This unique identifier is used to reference a database to determine the identity of the driver as well as settings for the driver created by a controlling authority. The controlling authority may be, for instance, a parent or employer of the driver. The settings may limit certain devices within the vehicle and/or the vehicle itself. Speed control settings, radio settings, wireless communication device settings, and various other settings are all possible to limit distractions to the driver. Further, the settings may be influenced by the number or identities of passengers within the vehicle.

Devices, systems and methods for controlling permitted settings on a vehicle

The disclosure provides devices, systems, and methods for approximating the location of a mobile communication device. A base station transceiver (BTS) broadcasts assistance data across a control channel. The assistance data is received by a mobile communication device in communication with the BTS. The assistance data includes location information for the BTS, and Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) information associated with the BTS. The assistance data can be broadcast by incorporating these fields in a control channel between the BTS and the mobile communication device. A-GPS devices correlate the received assistance data with a GPS almanac in order to connect to a set of positioning satellites. Devices without a GPS receiver or devices unable to connect to a satellite correlate the received assistance data to a known approximate location, by referring to a database stored on the device or on the network.

Devices, systems and methods for providing location information over a cellular network

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for identifying a driver versus a passenger within a smart vehicle. This involves a determination of the relative positions of the wireless communication devices within the smart vehicle using near-field communication (NFC) or GPS, AGPS, etc. The wireless communication device detected closest to the driver seat is assumed to be the device owned by the driver. Once identified, the driver can be billed for tolls and other road services, based on the location of the smart vehicle. For instance, as the smart vehicle approaches a toll, a notification can be sent to all of the wireless communication devices. A response from a particular wireless communication device will result in the corresponding user's account being billed for the toll. Further, the smart vehicle can communicate with near-field transceivers placed, for instance, alongside a High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane. A driver of the vehicle can be billed, fined, or ticketed based upon a determination of an absence of passengers in the smart vehicle.

Devices, systems and methods for identifying and/or billing an individual in a vehicle

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for identifying a driver within a vehicle using short range wireless communication in order to ticket or alert the driver in response to a traffic infraction by the driver. In exemplary embodiments, a short range wireless communication device registers drivers of vehicles at a certain location. The registration captures a unique identifier for each driver at the location from the driver's wireless communication device. When a vehicle commits a traffic infraction, the unique identifier is used to reference a database to determine the identity and address of the driver. The driver may then be sent a notification of the infraction as well as payment options directly to the wireless communication device of the driver. In some embodiments, a smart vehicle acts as a proxy to capture the unique identifier from the driver's wireless communication device and communicates with the short range wireless communication device.

Devices, systems and methods for detecting a traffic infraction

The disclosure provides devices, systems, and methods for determining a position of a mobile communication device by communicating with the device via a Short Messaging System (SMS). A location query is submitted to an SMS center, which formats a first SMS message for delivery to the device. The first SMS message is delivered to a designated SMS port on the device. A location logic on the device receives the SMS via the SMS port, extracts the location query, and attempts to calculate a location from received satellite signals. The calculated location is submitted back to the SMS server, either to be forwarded to the location server, or to a network element or device that submitted the location query to the SMS center in the first place. Assistance data may additionally be delivered to the mobile communication device via the SMS port.

Devices, systems and methods for SMS-based location querying

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to billing users of a telecommunication network. A billing server is in communication with a geo-fence database. The geo-fence database contains a plurality of geo-fences. Some geo-fences are associated with a single mobile communication devices, such as a home geo-fence, work geo-fence, etc., while other geo-fences are global, such as a stadium geo-fence, toll geo-fence, etc. When a mobile communication device enters the perimeter of a geo-fence, a billing server changes the billing rate at which connections are billed to the user account or bills another user account. The mobile communication device may send a ticket code to the billing server for a reduced billing rate while within a geo-fence. If a mobile communication device enters a toll geo-fence, then the billing server charges the user account for the toll.

Devices, systems and methods for location based billing

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which authorize applications to access location-determining technologies on user devices and on service provider networks. An A-GPS agent resident on the device acts as an interface between applications requesting access to the user's location from the A-GPS chipset and helps to coordinate connections between the A-GPS chipset and the Assistance Server. Introduced into the network maintained by the service provider is a verification server running an application identification engine which determines if the request for preliminary location information engendered by the requesting application is approved.

Devices, systems and methods for location assistance verification

A method, computer readable medium and apparatus for providing mobile social networking privacy are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a third party application for location information of a mobile endpoint device user, determines whether the third party application is a multiple user application and provides the location information of the mobile endpoint device user to the third party application in accordance with a privacy setting pre-defined by an authorized user if the third party application is a multiple user application.

Method and apparatus for providing mobile social networking privacy

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for identifying a driver within a vehicle using short range wireless communication in order to ticket or alert the driver in response to a traffic infraction by the driver. In exemplary embodiments, a short range wireless communication device registers drivers of vehicles at a certain location. The registration captures a unique identifier for each driver at the location from the driver's wireless communication device. When a vehicle commits a traffic infraction, the unique identifier is used to reference a database to determine the identity and address of the driver. The driver may then be sent a notification of the infraction as well as payment options. This notification may be sent directly to the wireless communication device of the driver. In embodiments of the present invention, a smart vehicle acts as a proxy to capture the unique identifier from the driver's wireless communication device and communicates with the short range wireless communication device.

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed which relate to implementing location-based quality of service (QoS) for applications running over a mobile communications network. A user sets up one or more 'geofenced area(s)' delimited by position coordinates and associated with their mobile computing device. Also associated with each geofenced area is a 'QoS Profile' listing a plurality of requested QoS attributes for traffic going to/from the user's mobile computing device or specific applications running on his/her mobile computing device over the mobile communications network. When the user enters a particular geofenced area associated with their mobile computing device, the QoS Profile associated with that geofenced area is loaded as the active QoS Profile for the mobile computing device. Additionally, as part of their QoS Profiles, a user optionally sets up other conditions which trigger changes in requested QoS attributes for their traffic over the mobile communications network. In embodiments of the present invention, the motion of the user is a condition which triggers changes in requested QoS attributes for their traffic over the mobile communications network.

Growing community of inventors

Loganville, GA, United States of America

Jay Daryl Rector