IBM wants to ensure drivers don’t make reckless cellphone calls on the move (WO 02/074584). It has designed a phone that responds to infrared or Bluetooth signals beamed from the car dashboard.
The signals, triggered by a sensor, are emitted whenever the car moves faster than a preset threshold speed, which may be zero. If the driver is using the phone and it picks up the trigger signal, the handset interrupts the call with the message: “This call will be terminated in 15 seconds unless the automobile is stopped.”
The phone is programmed with a list of emergency numbers…
