Patent Application
20200137217
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to lock box devices and more particularly pertains to a new lock box device for inhibiting texting while driving.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a vehicle that has an ignition system and an audio system, and the audio system includes a transceiver. A lock box is positioned within the vehicle and the lock box is in electrical communication with the ignition system. An electronic device is provided that has a transceiver and the electronic device is manipulated to place phone calls and for texting. The electronic device is positionable within the lock box and the lock box is placed in electrical communication with the electronic device when the electronic device is positioned within the lock box. The ignition system is inhibited from being turned on when the transceiver in the vehicle senses the transceiver in the electronic device and the electronic device is not positioned within the box. In this way the electronic device is inhibited from being manipulated for texting while driving.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
An electronic device 26 is included that has a transceiver 28 and a docking port 30, and the electronic device 26 is positionable within the lock box 20. The docking port 30 on the electronic device 26 is placed in electrical communication with the docking port 24 on the lock box 20 when the electronic device 26 is positioned within the lock box 20. The electronic device 26 may be a Smartphone and the docking port 30 on the electronic device 26 may be a usb docking port, a firewire docking port or other docking port common to Smartphones. Additionally, the transceiver 28 in the electronic device 26 may be a radio frequency transceiver or the like and the transceiver 28 may employ Bluetooth communication protocols.
The transceiver 28 in the electronic device 26 is in synched with the transceiver 18 in the vehicle 12 when the electronic device 26 is positioned within the vehicle 12. Moreover, the ignition system 14 receives a first input when the transceiver 28 in the electronic device 26 is in electrical communication with the transceiver 18 in the vehicle 12. The ignition system 14 receives a second input when the docking port 30 on the electronic device 26 is in electrical communication with the docking port 24 in the lock box 20. The ignition system 14 is inhibited from being turned on when the ignition system 14 receives the first input but does not receive the second input. In this way the ignition system 14 inhibits the electronic device 26 to be used for texting while driving. The ignition system 14 is permitted to be turned on when the ignition system 14 receives both the first and second inputs. Moreover, any phone calls placed or received on the electronic device 26 are routed through the audio system 16 in the vehicle 12 when the electronic device 26 is positioned in the lock box 20.
In use, the transceiver in the vehicle 12 detects the transceiver 28 in the electronic device 26 when the electronic device 26 is brought into the vehicle 12. Thus, the ignition system 14 receives the first input. The electronic device 26 is placed in the lock box 20 and the docking port 30 on the electronic device 26 is mated to the docking port 24 in the lock box 20. Thus, the ignition system 14 receives the second input. The ignition system 14 cannot be turned on when the ignition system 14 receives only the first input. In this way the vehicle 12 is inhibited from being driven when the electronic device 26 could potentially be used for texting. The ignition system 14 can be turned on when the ignition system 14 receives both the first and second inputs. In this way the vehicle 12 can be drive while the electronic device 26 is not available for texting.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
