1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates generally to mobile communication devices and communication management systems and to systems, methods and interfaces for management of mobile communication devices utilizing communication profiles and mobile communication device contexts.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally described, mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones, facilitate audio and data communications for users. In one aspect, users can utilize a mobile communication device for audio and data communication without reference to the particular environment in which they are attempting to utilize the mobile communication device. For example, a stationary user can utilize a mobile phone in an area in which use of the phone does not necessarily pose a safety issue to the user or other individuals in the nearby area. In another aspect, however, the particular environment surrounding the user and/or use of the mobile communication device in the particular environment can impact the use of the mobile communication device, the safety of the specific users, and/or the safety of other individuals.
By way of example, driver distraction can be responsible for a large and growing number of road traffic accidents. One increasing cause of driver distraction is the operation of a mobile communication device while driving, such as for the purposes of audio conversation. As applied to driving (and other activities), the distraction associated with operation of a mobile communication device can be characterized in terms of the mechanical operation of the device (e.g., dialing numbers on a keypad to initiate a call) and/or the cognitive load of the subsequent communication session (voice communications and/or operation of the device). Additionally, the continued evolution of mobile communication devices into multifunctional components, such as for text messaging, image and video capture, handheld gaming, etc., will only continue to increase the potential for operator distraction and/or additional cognitive load on users during operation of the mobile communication device.
One approach to limit the operation of mobile communication devices relates to the utilization of control algorithms in vehicles to limit the use of cellular phones or cellular components. In an illustrative embodiment, a control algorithm can allow or deny communication based on monitoring various environmental sensors, such as the placement of a parking brake, the detection of a vehicle in gear, vehicle velocity and/or a distance traveled. This approach, however, can be inefficient in that the sensor information, such as vehicle velocity and/or distance traveled by itself, is not necessarily indicative of the appropriateness of use of a mobile communication device. For example, urban or city driving conditions in which there is heavy traffic can oftentimes result in low traveled distance and/or low velocities with frequent stops. Under a pure measured velocity approach, the mobile device may be allowed to operate if the vehicle is stopped, although use of a mobile communication device for such city driving conditions may not be preferable. Thus, the traditional velocity/distance approaches may be inefficient in distinguishing urban driving conditions from a person in a parked car by measuring velocity and/or distance traveled.
Another approach to limit the operation of mobile communication devices relates to the utilization of control algorithms that utilize third party information sources, such as software calendaring programs, to determine an availability of a user to receive communications. In an illustrative embodiment, a control algorithm can intercept, or otherwise, receive, a request from a third party to initiate an audio communication with a mobile communication device. The control algorithm can then poll the mobile communication device and/or additional third party information sources to determine the availability for establishing the audio communication. For example, if the control algorithms polls a third party calendaring software application and determines that the user associated with the mobile communication devices is at an appointment, the control algorithm may prevent the audio communication from being established. These approaches, however, can become inefficient by increasing communication initiation latencies by requiring a synchronous polling of the mobile communication device for availability. Additionally, these approaches generally do not facilitate management of outgoing communications by a user of a mobile device and/or the continued management of the mobile communication device once a communication channel has been established.