Systems and methods for vehicle policy enforcement

Abstract

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for vehicle policy management and enforcement. In certain embodiments, a method for enforcing a policy may include receiving policy information at a device including one or more conditions relating to a policy-managed location in a vehicle. A determination may be made whether the device is within the policy-managed location based on signals received by a short-range communication system included in the device and/or the vehicle. The received policy information may be evaluated to determine and implement one or more device actions associated with the one or more conditions.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving one or more short-range communication signals at a short range communication system included in a mobile device;   determining that the device is within a policy-managed location in a vehicle based on the short-range communication signals;   evaluating policy information, the policy information including one or more conditions relating to the policy-managed location in the vehicle, to determine one or more responsive device actions; and   implementing the one or more device actions on the device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more device actions comprise disabling a feature of the device. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more device actions comprise disabling an application of the device. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more device actions comprise changing an operating mode of the device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the policy information further comprises one or more exceptions associated with the one or more conditions. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the policy-managed location in the vehicle comprises a driver's seat location in the vehicle. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a mobile phone. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the signals received by the short-range communication system included in the device are generated by a short-range communication system included in the vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein evaluating the policy information is further based on sensor information from one or more sensors included in the device. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving contextual information from the vehicle,   wherein evaluating the policy information is further based on the contextual information.   
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 determining that a device is within a policy-managed location in the vehicle based on signals received by a short-range communication system included in the vehicle;   evaluating, using a policy management system in the vehicle, policy information, the policy information comprising one or more conditions relating to the policy-managed location in the vehicle, to determine one or more vehicle actions associated with the one or more conditions; and   implementing the one or more vehicle actions on the vehicle.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more vehicle actions comprise disabling a feature of the vehicle. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more vehicle actions comprise storing event information relating to the presence of the device within the policy-managed location in the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more vehicle actions comprise providing one or more notifications. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more notifications comprise audible notifications. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more notifications comprise visual notifications. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the policy information further comprises one or more exceptions associated with the one or more conditions. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the policy-managed location in the vehicle comprises a driver's seat location in the vehicle. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving sensor information from one or more sensors included in the vehicle,   wherein evaluating the policy information is further based on the sensor information.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving contextual information from the device,   wherein evaluating the policy information is further based on the contextual information.