Patents Examined by Danh Le
  • Patent number: 9529073
    Abstract: A determining method executed by a processor includes obtaining distance information that indicates a distance between monitoring apparatuses disposed to encompass a given area in which wireless communications apparatuses are scattered; causing a wireless signal to be transmitted and received between the monitoring apparatuses by multi-hop communication among the wireless communications apparatuses; calculating an estimated distance between the monitoring apparatuses, based on a hop count of the wireless signal multi-hop communicated among the monitoring apparatuses; and making a determination concerning a vacant area in which none of the wireless communications apparatuses is present, based on a result of comparison of the distance indicated by the obtained distance information and the calculated estimated distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Toshiya Otomo, Koichiro Yamashita, Takahisa Suzuki, Hiromasa Yamauchi, Koji Kurihara, Yuta Teranishi
  • Patent number: 9531865
    Abstract: A system for restricting operation of wireless devices, for example cell phones, comprises a controller and a plurality of sensors. The system restricts device usage, while permitting emergency phone calls, for example 911 calls. The sensors receive transmissions from devices, and use the transmissions for identification and determining whether a device is within a restricted zone. One disclosed method is triangulation, using time of arrival of transmissions at the sensors. If the device is within the zone, the controller sends device identification, and possibly a customized restriction request, to a remote node, for example a control node of a cell phone network operator. The operator then uses its network resources to implement the requested restrictions. Communication between the controller and the remote node is secure, possibly encrypted, to minimize malicious interference. A wireless control can define vertices of the zone and exempt certain devices from restrictions. Jamming is not required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Inventors: Kristine A. Wilson, Kelce S. Wilson, Edward A. Wilson
  • Patent number: 9525970
    Abstract: A tracking device can securely communicate with a secondary device by generating a hash value based on the identity of the tracking device. If the secondary device cannot resolve the hash value, the hash value can be provided to a tracking server, such as a cloud server, for resolving the hash value. Upon resolving the hash value, the tracking server can store a location of the tracking device in association with the identity of the tracking device. To preserve power, the secondary device can activate location-detection functionality (such as a GPS receive) only in response to the detection of movement of the tracking device, can obtain location information, and can de-activate the location-detection functionality upon providing the location information to the tracking server. The tracking server can associate one or both of a previous location and the current location information based on movement of the tracking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Tile, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael George Farley, Nicholas George Evans
  • Patent number: 9521533
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for providing emergency messages to a mobile device. In an exemplary embodiment, a system for communicating emergency messages is provided comprising a mobile device comprising an emergency message application and a personal emergency message transceiver, an emergency message control center, wherein the emergency message application is enabled to receive a plurality of emergency messages generated by the emergency message control center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: SIPCO, LLC
    Inventor: Thomas David Petite
  • Patent number: 9521607
    Abstract: A home base station registration request message includes data identifying whether or not the home base station comprises an open access mode or a closed access mode home base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vivek Jha, Robert Arnott, Suresh Ganapathy
  • Patent number: 9521519
    Abstract: A mobile communication device including a positioning unit and a processing unit is provided. The processing unit provides position information of the mobile communication device. The processing unit detects an approach to a first geofence according to one or more contexts associated with the mobile communication device, turns off the positioning unit when not detecting the approach to the first geofence, and turns on the positioning unit when detecting the approach to the first geofence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Tsung-Yu Chiou, Chih-Hsiang Hsiao
  • Patent number: 9509830
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for controlling a mobile device. The method includes, during use of the mobile device, interpreting at least one item, the at least one item corresponding to data or events detectable on the mobile device. At least action may then be determined, which are associated with the at least one item, each action capable of preemptively executing at least a portion of a task using features available on the mobile device. At least one of the actions may then be executed and a result associated with the execution of the at least one action provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventor: Phillip James Prociw
  • Patent number: 9510130
    Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure enables an access point (AP) to conveniently provision multiple wireless devices. In an embodiment, the AP may normally operate in a secure mode to disregard non-secure provisioning requests from wireless devices. However, upon receipt of a request to accept provisioning requests from multiple wireless devices, the AP permits multiple wireless devices to be provisioned via the AP, in response to corresponding provisioning requests received from the respective wireless devices. The request to accept may be generated upon pressing of a push button provided on the AP, which may be referred to as a group provisioning button since multiple wireless devices are provisioned in response to pressing of that button.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: GAINSPAN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prashant Viswanathan, Vishal Batra, Pankaj Vyas
  • Patent number: 9503854
    Abstract: A content item may be associated with criteria that are to be performed to unlock the content items. In response to a user action, a determination as to whether the user action satisfies the criteria may be made. In response to determining that a user satisfied the criteria, the content item may be unlocked with respect to that user, meaning that the content item may become available to that user, such as via a corresponding user device. If it is determined that the criteria is not satisfied, the content item will remain unavailable to the user. Either a service provider or a user may associate the criteria with the content item, which may include video content, audio content, textual content, or image content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Vincent Kulfan, Christopher Charles Battey, Brian Scott Cripe, Geoffrey Eric Endresen, Bala Anirudh Kurakula
  • Patent number: 9503848
    Abstract: A wireless tracking device can operate in two or more modes in connection with determining location of the wireless tracking device. In one mode, the wireless tracking device can determine location by establishing communication with an alarm panel using a short-range transceiver. The alarm panel can have a location that is known at the alarm panel or at a remote server, for example. In another mode, the wireless tracking device can utilize a location detector, such as a GPS receiver or a short-range receiver, to determine location of the wireless tracking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Numerex Corp.
    Inventors: Yoganand Rajala, Jeffery O. Smith
  • Patent number: 9504087
    Abstract: Methods and arrangements for managing termination of a telephone call. A contemplated method includes: detecting a request by a first party to terminate a telephone call between the first party and a second party; detecting whether the second party is still speaking after detecting the request to terminate the call; and automatically forestalling termination of the call if the second party is still speaking, via affording the first party an opportunity to continue the call, via at least one of: sending a confirmation request to the first party, and sending an audio signal to the first party. Other variants and embodiments are broadly contemplated herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Bhide, Ajay Kumar Gupta
  • Patent number: 9503559
    Abstract: A mobile terminal and control method to share content with a device and control the device are provide. The mobile terminal includes a communication unit to communicate with a host and the device; a search unit to receive content information and device information; an input unit to receive a content selection signal and a device selection signal; and a control unit to control the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal receives content information from a host and selects content to be outputted to a device selected from device information from the host. The mobile terminal controls the selected device using control commands transmitted to the selected device based on a control mode. If the control mode is not stored in the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal may receive the control mode from the host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: Pantech Inc.
    Inventors: Tae Young Lee, Tae Yong Kim
  • Patent number: 9491589
    Abstract: In embodiments of mobile device safe driving, a mobile device can display a device lock screen on an integrated display device, and transition from the device lock screen to display a driving mode lock screen. The transition to display the driving mode lock screen occurs without receiving a PIN code entered on the device lock screen. The mobile device implements a safe driving service that is implemented to activate a safe driving mode of the mobile device, and disable features of the mobile device while the safe driving mode is activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph A. Schrader, Raman K. Sarin, Ted Tai-Yu Chen, Sharad Agarwal, Joseph H. Matthews, III, Shai Guday, Joseph Spencer King
  • Patent number: 9491688
    Abstract: A home base station registration request message includes data identifying whether or not the home base station comprises an open access mode or a closed access mode home base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Vivek Jha, Robert Arnott, Suresh Ganapathy
  • Patent number: 9485710
    Abstract: Provided is a method for a terminal controlling access in a wireless communication system. The method comprises: obtaining service-specific access control information; obtaining service group access control information; and controlling access to a specific type of service based on the service group access control information and the service-specific access control information. The service-specific access control information includes a service-specific barring factor parameter which is applied to the specific type of service. The service group access control information includes a service group barring factor parameter which is commonly applied to specific service groups that include at least one type of service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sunghoon Jung, Youngdae Lee, Sungjun Park, Seungjune Yi
  • Patent number: 9479903
    Abstract: A network node in a mobile network monitors vehicle speed based on the registered User Equipments (UEs)/Vehicles. The network node receives information of the moving UE/Vehicle from other network nodes in the mobile network, and determines the corresponding UE/Vehicle moving speed information based on the collected information. For each UE/Vehicle, the network node creates a speed information record indicating the UE/Vehicle moving speed information. The network node then transmits the speed information record to other messaging nodes in order to (i) send warning message to the moving UE/Vehicle when the speed is about to exceed or has exceeded the speed limit, and (ii) to deliver the speed information record to the responsible/ticketing authorities/entities when the moving UE/Vehicle has violated the speed limitation in a certain area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Inventors: Suliman Albasheir, Jad El-Najjar
  • Patent number: 9473349
    Abstract: A mobile device may receive updates, support and other data from a current data center agent platform. When the mobile device travels to another location the nearest data center agent may be different from the previous agent. A changeover determination must be performed prior to determining whether the new agent should be assigned to the mobile device. One example method of operation may include receiving current location information of the mobile device and identifying a present location of the mobile device and a current service center assigned to the mobile device. The method may also provide determining whether a new service center location at a remote location from the current service center location should be assigned to the mobile device based on predefined assignment criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: KASEYA LIMITED
    Inventor: Marco J. Bohórquez
  • Patent number: 9474007
    Abstract: Provided is an interested service-based cell reselection method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system. The method comprises checking that access to the current cell is blocked, determining whether the condition for receiving an interested service is satisfied, and selecting, if the condition for receiving an interested service is satisfied, the cell on the same frequency as the frequency of the current cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sunghoon Jung, Youngdae Lee, Seungjune Yi, Sungjun Park
  • Patent number: 9473915
    Abstract: A call verification system in mobile terminals, including a calling/called unit, and the calling unit includes: a verification code acquiring module, a packaging module, a transmitting module; the called unit comprises a receiving module, a storage module, an analysis module, a verification code module and a call control module. A method includes steps of acquiring and packaging the verification code; transmitting verification code while calling; parsing and acquiring the verification code at the called terminal; matching the verification code with the standard verification code and intercepting the mismatched call establishment request. The effects are achieved without configuration of a mobile network and the service of operators; no delay for the users no effect on existing communication business; intercepting crank calls without answering or hanging up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: SPREADTRUM COMMUNICATIONS (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Pengfei Zhao
  • Patent number: 9467548
    Abstract: A modular portable device interconnection system includes a magnetic attachment point on a first portable device and a corresponding magnetically responsive attachment point on a second portable device. The magnetic attachment point includes a plated annular magnet, an electrically conductive pin extending through the magnet and an electrically insulating layer insulating the electrically conductive pin from the magnet. The magnetically responsive attachment point includes a ferromagnetic annulus, plated or otherwise conductive, configured and located to mate with the annular magnet when the first and second devices are placed together. In this configuration, the electrically conductive pin and electrically insulating layer extend through both the magnet and the ferromagnetic annulus, forming a shielded electrically conductive pathway between the devices. This pathway is suitable for RF signals but may also be used for other AC signals or DC signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Joseph L Allore, Mohammed Abdul-Gaffoor, Paul Fordham, Michael J Lombardi