Suffering through public transport journeys with inconsiderate* commuters talking loudly on phones, teenagers playing music and children blaring out the shrill tones of a video game may thankfully soon be a thing of the past.

A company is working on technology which would fit signal blockers to trains, buses and underground stations to force a phone, and its user, to act with some decorum*.

Cubic Corporation has patented* technology which can remotely control some hardware inside a handset.

It has the potential to automatically* activate a pre-installed, but rarely used, quiet mode as well as turning off certain features and forcing a device off.

It was filed in the United States and would have a multitude* of detectors* dotted around a station or vehicle.

The patent states the exact location can then be pinpointed and be forced into a range of different options.

Use of headphones or other accessories would be taken into account and the action most deemed appropriate to prevent disruption would be implemented, according to the patent.

It remains unknown if the technology will ever be implemented* as the company claims it is merely a proof-of-concept patent.

If the technology was to progress in Britain, there would need to be refining of it to meet U.K. law. Currently, it is a criminal offense* to use any apparatus, including jammers, for the purposes of deliberately interfering with wireless telegraphy* in Britain.(SD-Agencies)