Patent ID: 8994492
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
1. A method for restricting a functionality of user equipment that exists within a particular zone within a vehicle, the method comprising: a processing unit configured to perform actions of: determining that a location of the user equipment is physically within a particular zone of a plurality of zones, each of the plurality of zones being defined to exist at least partially within a vehicle, wherein at least one of the plurality of zones is within a driver's region of interest and at least one of the plurality of zones is outside of the driver's region of interest, wherein one or more tags are positioned with each tag being associated with one of the plurality of zones and a reader is physically coupled to the user equipment and, the reader receiving one or more transmissions from one or more of the tags and applying signal analysis to the received transmissions to determine a physical proximity of the user equipment relative to the one or more tags associated with the received transmissions thus identifying the location of the user equipment as within a particular zone; identifying one or more conditions with regards to a state of the vehicle; determining restrictions on the user equipment based at least in part on the identified one or more conditions of the vehicle and the particular zone in which the user equipment is located; and imposing the restrictions on a functionality of the user equipment while the conditions exist and while the user equipment remains within the particular zone.