Patents Examined by Raymond Dean
  • Patent number: 9936461
    Abstract: A communication device, which performs wireless communication according to an adaptive modulation scheme, includes a modulator that modulates data to be transmitted to generate a transmission signal, and a transmission power control unit that controls a transmission power of the transmission signal, wherein, when the modulation level increases according to the adaptive modulation scheme, the transmission power control unit starts control of the transmission power before the modulator increases the modulation level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Adachi
  • Patent number: 9929796
    Abstract: A satellite system includes a satellite operating in an orbit around the Earth and a satellite operating in another orbit around the Earth. The satellite points a fixed beam at least temporarily to a zone above the Earth's surface through which the satellite passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space SAS
    Inventors: Laurent Renouard, Martin Agnew, Francis Kinsella, Akos Hegyi
  • Patent number: 9924470
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a media-player device, authentication information from a client system that is within range of at least one antenna of the media-player device. In response to receiving the authentication information, the media-player device may set a power level of each of the antennas to a maximum power level and may broadcast, by at least one antenna, broadcast signals. The media-player device may receive, from the client system, instructions to adjust a power level of each antenna. The instructions may be determined based on broadcast signals received at the client system and on the respective position of the client system that is associated with each received broadcast signal. The media-player device may adjust the power levels of each of the antennas of the plurality of antennas to define a range of broadcast based on the received instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventor: Mateusz Marek Niewczas
  • Patent number: 9924333
    Abstract: A device provides a user interface that includes a list of push-to-talk contacts, and receives, via the user interface, a gesture indicating a request to establish a push-to-talk call with a particular contact in the list of push-to-talk contacts. The device initiates the push-to-talk call with another device associated with the particular contact, and the push-to-talk call is initiated with the other device based on the gesture and directly from within the user interface. The device provides for display a visual indicator associated with the push-to-talk call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Howard G. Hammer, Adam J. Simon, Nishanth Vontela
  • Patent number: 9923624
    Abstract: A communication system is disclosed. In an embodiment, the communication system includes a user node for receiving data from a remote application program, the data including message data for communication to a central application program operatively associated with the remote application program; plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; one or more access nodes for receiving the message data from the user node via a first communications interface, and communicating the message data via a second communications interface to one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes; and a hub for communicating with the one or more of the plurality of geographically distributed gateway nodes to receive the message data for communication to the central application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: University of South Australia
    Inventors: David Victor Lawrie Haley, John Lawrence Buetefuer, Alexander James Grant, William George Cowley, Gottfried Lechner, Ingmar Rudiger Land, Robert George McKilliam, Andre Pollok, Linda Mary Davis, Ricky Rocco Luppino, Sorin Adrian Barbulescu
  • Patent number: 9923662
    Abstract: A method for masking communication signals, particularly for masking terrestrial RF communication signals on board of an aircraft, includes parallelizing a first information data stream to be transmitted on a first LTE transmission channel, the first LTE transmission channel having a first channel transmission bandwidth and at least one guard band adjacent to the channel transmission bandwidth; spreading the first information data stream over a plurality of mutually orthogonal data subcarriers within the first channel transmission bandwidth; generating a CAZAC sequence; spreading the generated CAZAC sequence over guard band subcarriers within the at least one guard band; and transmitting the first information data stream over the data subcarriers in parallel to the CAZAC sequence over the guard band subcarriers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Erhard Bassow, Roberto Lambiase
  • Patent number: 9918277
    Abstract: An approach is provided for receiving and transmitting data over a wireless network, while minimizing power consumption. A determination is made, as part of a discontinuous communication mechanism defining an on-period for permitting transmission of data over a network, whether a resource allocation has been made to a user equipment for communicating over the network. If the resource allocation has been made, generating a keep-awake message to instruct the user equipment to extend the on-period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Troels Kolding, Lars Dalsgaard, Frank Frederiksen, Jarkko J. Koskela, Mika P. Rinne
  • Patent number: 9917935
    Abstract: Disclosed is a housing for a portable handheld electronic device such as a cellphone. The device has a housing, having a left side and right side. The housing can be layered, such as in a sandwich configuration. The layers can be secured together via one or more fasteners that extend through at least front and rear plates of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Houdinix LLC
    Inventors: Stephen G. Pizzo, Peter Jarred Land, James H. Jannard, Hector Ortega
  • Patent number: 9913158
    Abstract: There are disclosed measures for enhancing network performance monitoring. Such measures may for example comprise receiving a report on measurements of terminal-related network performance parameters from a terminal, acquiring information of access network-related network performance parameters, and combining the received terminal-related network performance parameters and the acquired access network-related network performance parameters into a combined network performance report.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
    Inventors: Antti Anton Toskala, Malgorzata Tomala
  • Patent number: 9912423
    Abstract: A system for and method of implementing mobile commerce in a satellite radio broadcasting system. A unique program identifier is associated with each program segment of a broadcast. When a listener hears a program segment of interest, the listener causes the associated program identifier to be captured and thereafter to be transferred to a central location or hub. The transferring operation can be accomplished manually, via a media link or via a wireless network. Upon receipt of the program identifier at the central hub, the program identifier is used to determine information about the listener, obtain additional information regarding the program segment associated with the program identifier for the listener and/or initiate an e-commerce transaction involving the listener and/or other parties including merchandisers and advertisers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Sirius XM Radio Inc.
    Inventors: Patricia Kesling, Richard Michalski, Paul Marko, Craig Wadin, Stelios Patsiokas
  • Patent number: 9912399
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for managing satellite communications through the deployment of a fleet of multi-beam satellites serving overlapping and non-overlapping spot beams. In these methods, systems, and devices, a first communication service associated with a relatively wider spot beam of a first satellite is provided to a first coverage area having multiple terminals. A second communication service associated with a relatively narrower spot beam (e.g., high-gain spot beam) of a second satellite is provided to a second coverage area located within the first coverage area. A subset of terminals located within the second coverage area is identified, and the terminals of the identified subset are transitioned from the first communication service of the wide spot beam of the first satellite to the second communication service of the high-gain spot beam of the second satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: VIASAT, INC.
    Inventor: Mark Dankberg
  • Patent number: 9907023
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A station (STA) capable of supporting multiple power modes may monitor traffic on a channel. The STA may, based on the monitoring, detect an ongoing voice call between the STA and an access point (AP). Upon detection of the ongoing voice call, the STA may switch power modes from a power mode that does not support power collapse to a power mode that does support power collapse. The STA may also prompt the AP to send a downlink voice packet, if available. After a downlink transmission opportunity corresponding to the prompt occurs, the STA may enter power collapse. The STA may remain in power collapse until a subsequent uplink transmission opportunity occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Sandip HomChaudhuri, Pradeep Kumar Yenganti
  • Patent number: 9906924
    Abstract: A system and method of wirelessly communicating voice conversations between a plurality of vehicles includes: initiating at a host vehicle a voice communication group that facilitates voice communications between a plurality of vehicles; identifying one or more client vehicles for inclusion with the voice communication group; transmitting a broadcast identifier or a vehicle identifier for the host vehicle and each client vehicle to a vehicle telematics service provider via a wireless carrier system; and communicating voice data between the host vehicle and each client vehicle included in the voice communication group via the wireless carrier system and the vehicle telematics service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventor: Syed K. Azmat
  • Patent number: 9907022
    Abstract: A method to track a movable asset which uses a device attachable to the movable asset, whereby the device includes a transceiver adapted to communicate over a wireless wide area network. The device operates from battery power stored in a battery attachable within the device. The device is configured to conserve the battery power and a datum which pertains to the asset is logged. While the transceiver is powered off, an ambient radio frequency signal of the wireless wide area network is monitored. Upon the ambient radio frequency signal being detected above a threshold, the transceiver associated with the available mobile network channel is powered up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: LOGINNO LOGISTIC INNOVATION LTD
    Inventor: Shachar Tal
  • Patent number: 9877204
    Abstract: Systems and methods for determining a multi-layer tracking area code assignment in a wireless communication network are disclosed. A controller node is configured assign a first code to a first group of access nodes located in a geographic area. A signal load of updates for the first group of access nodes is monitored by the communication network. The controller node determines a set of criteria for assigning a second code to at least one access node in a second group of access nodes. The second group of access nodes are located in the same geographic area as the first group of access nodes. The controller node assigns the second code to the at least one access node for a predetermined period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Daniel Vivanco, Krishna Sitaram, Chunmei Liu, Hemanth Pawar
  • Patent number: 9871900
    Abstract: Disclosed is a housing for a portable handheld electronic device such as a cellphone. The device has a housing, having a left side and right side. At least one of the left side and right side is provided with integral surface features or surface structures to enhance gripping the cellphone, preferably along the entire length of the phone or within about the top half or one third of the phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: Houdinix LLC
    Inventors: James H. Jannard, Peter Jarred Land
  • Patent number: 9871570
    Abstract: Embodiments include a beam determining unit intended to be connected to a wireless heterogeneous network and a beam-searching method for a wireless heterogeneous network. In the context of a millimeter wave heterogeneous network, it is proposed to do away with the conventional exhaustive beam-searching procedure which is both time and power consuming. Instead, it is proposed a two-step procedure where a line of sight path is determined between a user equipment and a small cell of the millimeter wave heterogeneous network based on positioning information of the user equipment and the small cell. Then, it is determined an optimal antenna beam pair comprising antenna beams at the user equipment and the small cell based on the determined line of sight path and the antenna beam directions available at the user equipment and the small cell level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Samuel Kerhuel
  • Patent number: 9866671
    Abstract: A set of wearable devices, each paired with a companion device, are configured to cumulatively maintain data about physical activities even though a user may switch between wearing them over a period of time. For example, a streak of workouts over many days can be maintained while the user switches between two watches over that period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron P. Thompson, Brian R. Drell, Todd A. Shortlidge
  • Patent number: 9853716
    Abstract: Multibeam coverage for a high altitude platform (“HAP”) is disclosed. An example method to provision a HAP includes determining an altitude range at which the HAP will operate and determining a minimum elevation angle from the ground to the HAP. The method also includes determining a coverage area of the HAP based on the altitude range and the minimum elevation angle and partitioning the coverage area into substantially equal-sized cells. The method further includes assigning an antenna to each of the cells and determining a beamwidth and an elevation angle for each antenna to provide communication coverage to the corresponding cell. The method moreover includes determining an aperture for each of the antennas based on the beamwidth and the elevation angle to provide the substantially equal-sized cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Hughes Network Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Robert Noerpel, Stanley Edward Kay
  • Patent number: 9853750
    Abstract: Examples disclosed herein control radiation exposure for a wireless computing device. In one example, the wireless computing device monitors for instances of upload transmissions from a wireless communications module of the wireless computing device, performs a running average of the instances of upload transmissions over a period of time, and determines whether the running average exceeds a threshold value. If the running average exceeds the threshold value, the wireless computing device adjusts upload transmissions from the wireless communications module to control the radiation exposure for the wireless computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Isaac Lagnado, Shih Huang Wu, Mats Anders Krister Luckman