Abstract: A customer is provided with a personalized retail experience using a retail kiosk or mobile device that is enabled for near-field communication (NFC). The kiosk is provided with customer identifying information through an NFC-based communication with a customer's user device. The kiosk authenticates the customer based on the identifying information, retrieves retail information associated with the customer from a back-end server, and provides the personalized retail experience using the retrieved information. In one example, the personalized retail experience is provided based on customer-input received through an NFC reader of the kiosk. Also, the mobile device can be provided with a retail store identifier through an NFC-based communication link with an NFC tag for the store. The personalized retail experience can then be provided through the mobile device based on retail information for the retail store that is retrieved by the mobile device based on the identifier obtained through NFC.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for providing a controlled software update to a group of computing devices. A server distributes a software update over the air to a first group of computing devices, through a wireless communication network. The first group of computing devices is monitored for successful installation of the software update. Upon determining that the software update is subject to a problem or potential problem, a second group of computing devices is identified based on the monitoring of the first group of computing devices. A software update cancellation message is sent through the wireless communication network to the second group of computing devices, instructing the second group of computing devices to cancel the software update in a way that is silent to the user of each respective computing device.

Abstract: A mobile device accessory includes an integrated non-volatile display (NVD) that uses substantially no power in order to maintain an image displayed thereon. A mobile device connected to the accessory controls the NVD by providing both image data for display on the NVD and power for powering of the NVD. In response to receiving a user-input command to display an image on the NVD, the mobile device transiently provides power to the accessory. While power is provided, the mobile device transmits the data for the image to the accessory. Once the image is displayed on the NVD, the mobile device substantially withdraws power provided to the accessory. Upon receiving a user-input command to update an image on the NVD, the mobile device again transiently provides power to the accessory for a limited period of time sufficient to provide and display the updated image on the NVD.

Abstract: A user interface setting of a computing device is automatically adjusted, based on a vision ability of a user of the device. In some examples, visual information output for a user of a computing device is presented via at least one user input/output element of the computing device. Responsive user input is received via the at least one user input/output element. The received responsive user input is analyzed to automatically determine a vision ability of the user. A setting of a user interface of the at least one user input/output element of the computing device is automatically adjusted based on the determined vision ability of the user.

Abstract: Systems and method for identifying and blocking short messaging service spam are disclosed. In some aspects, a first mobile messaging service message is received from a messaging source in a node of a mobile communication network, the first mobile messaging service message being addressed to a destination mobile device. The first mobile messaging service message is forwarded through the mobile communication network for delivery to the destination mobile device. Whether or not the first mobile messaging service message meets a spam messaging criterion is determined, where determining whether or not the first mobile messaging service message meets the spam messaging criterion occurs in parallel with forwarding the first mobile messaging service message through the mobile communication network. Information identifying the messaging source as a spam source is stored, upon determining that the first mobile messaging service message meets the spam messaging criterion.

Abstract: A datagrid loading system contains a device including a processor and a memory with a management application installed thereon. The instructions of the management application when executed by the processor cause the processor to accumulate data from a first database, the data configured to be and include an identifier that is particular to the first database, and distribute the data into buckets by an integrated heuristic of the management application, the integrated heuristic and the buckets configured according to database characteristics particular to a second database that is different from the first database, the integrated heuristic further configured to distribute the data based on the identifier.

Abstract: A system may include a platform manager device including a memory and a platform application installed thereon. The platform application may be configured to cause the platform manager device to identify a last known location of a tracked device according to a detection of a disconnection of the tracked device due to lack of receipt of presence indications; identify an owner communications device, among a plurality of communications devices, to receive a platform notification message indicative of the disconnection of the tracked device according to device associations of the tracked device and the communications devices; and send the platform notification message to the identified owner communications device informing of the detected disconnection.

Abstract: A mobile device includes a wireless transceiver, a host processor, a secure element (SE), and a near field communication (NFC) system having an NFC transceiver and an NFC controller implementing a contactless front end. The contactless front end routes a near field communication related to a payment transaction between the NFC system and the SE without going to or from the host processor. The contactless front end routes a near field communication not related to a payment transaction, but requiring a security function, between the NFC system and the SE without going to or from the host processor. The contactless front end routes a near field communication not related to a payment transaction, and not requiring a security function, between the NFC system and host processor without going to or from the SE.

Abstract: A distribution server is configured to receive from a web portal information about an order request for an accessory and digital content. The distribution server stores the digital content at the distribution server along with authentication information used to authenticate a retrieval request for the digital content from a mobile device. The authentication information includes a claim receipt for the digital content and a Mobile Directory Number (MDN) associated with the mobile device. The mobile device sends the retrieval request to the distribution server. Responsive to the retrieval request, the distribution server determines whether the mobile device is authorized to receive the digital content. Upon determining the mobile device is authorized to receive the digital content, the distribution server forwards the digital content over a communication network to the mobile device.

Abstract: An exemplary system comprises a device including a memory with an audio injection application installed thereon. The application comprises an equalizer module that analyzes sound characteristics of individual digital audio samples including a discrete signal, a selector module that applies a selection heuristic to select the discrete signal from the individual digital audio samples based on the sound characteristics, and an audio module that supplies to an output an insert signal generated according to the discrete signal selected by the selection heuristic.

Abstract: A system includes a gateway and a verification server. The gateway is configured to receive a first message from a client over a network; send a request to a verification server to generate a first credential based on the first message; and route the first message toward a remote device. The verification server is configured to receive the request from the gateway; generate the first credential in response to the request; store the first credential; receive a second message from the remote device, the message requesting the verification server to validate a second credential; determine whether the second credential is valid based on the first credential; and send a notification to the remote device indicating whether the second credential is valid.

Abstract: Disclosed techniques limit or reduce the amount of data for which a subscriber may be charged that may not actually be received at the subscriber's mobile device. A counter may be started when a node has data to be delivered to a mobile device. The node may send the data through a radio access network for delivery to the mobile device and record an amount of the data sent for the mobile device through the radio access network for data usage billing purposes while running the counter, until the counter reaches a predetermined value. When the counter reaches the predetermined value, if no traffic channel has been set up with the mobile device, the node will stop recording the amount of the data sent for the mobile device through the radio access network for data usage billing purposes.

Abstract: A vending machine includes a product dispensing unit and a transceiver configured to communicate via a network. The vending machine further includes a first user interface disposed at a first location on a face of the vending machine and configured to permit users to engage in vending operations so as to cause the dispensing unit to dispense products from the vending machine, and a second user interface disposed at a second location on the face of the vending machine and configured to display information received via the transceiver. The transceiver may include a wireless transceiver and the network may include a cellular network.

Abstract: A method and system are provided for blocking data packets that are not desired or capable of being received. One or more data packets are received from a data server. The data packets that are addressed to a wireless device are transmitted via a gateway server. The error messages generated by either the wireless device or the gateway server are forwarded to the data server and their number also counted. When the number of error messages meets a predetermined criterion, additional data packets from the data server that are addressed to the wireless device are blocked, for example, preventing tolling the user account of the wireless device for data packets sent by the data server when the device is not available or the user no longer wants to receive the data.

Abstract: A network performance measurement relies on the transmission of a verifiable, single-use, highly-entropic file across the network. Upon receiving a network performance measurement query from a user equipment (UE) device communicating through a mobile communication network, a test utility (TU) server generates a test file having high entropy such that it does not reduce substantially in size when compressed using standard compression algorithms. The test file is assigned a filename including a variable component, and the file is transmitted to the UE device. Information relating to the transmission of the test file is logged, and a network performance measurement value for the transport of the high-entropy test file to the UE device is computed based on the logged information. In one example, hash-value computations are used to verify that the test file received in the UE device is complete and accurate.

Abstract: Systems and techniques for providing a near field communication (NFC) based key control service and automated notification system are provided for automatically reporting unauthorized or restricted uses of an NFC-enabled physical key to the primary user or owner of the key via a communication network. An NFC reader is configured to communicate with a server of the NFC based key control service via a network in order to report attempted violations of one or more use restrictions defined for the key, as detected by the NFC reader when the NFC tag embedded within the key is located near a third-party device associated with a restricted use of the key.

Abstract: The exemplary live voicemail functionality offers a user of a mobile station the ability to listen to a voicemail message, as the message is being recorded in a voicemail platform. The mobile communication network serving the user directs an incoming call intended for the mobile station to the voicemail platform, which records the audio for the incoming message. The network infrastructure also duplicates the audio and directs the duplicate audio to the mobile station for monitoring of the incoming message by the user, as the platform is recording the voicemail message.

Abstract: A wireless mobile communication device may include a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit MMS messages over a wireless network communication system. The device may also include a plurality of user applications. Each user application may be of a different type and configured to generate content for an MMS message based on input to the wireless mobile communication device. The mobile communication device may include an MMS client configured to generate MMS messages based on content supplied by the user applications. The MMS client may be configured to generate a value for a field of information within each MMS message that is indicative of the type of user application which supplies content for the MMS message. The value may be different for each different type of user application.

Abstract: An integrated cellular/Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone system including a flexible alerting system, which in response to an inbound call placed to a pilot telephone number, routes a first call leg to a cellular telephone assigned to the pilot telephone number and a second call leg to a telephone number. The telephone system includes a VoIP server configured to establish an inbound call to a VoIP client and establish an outbound call setting caller identification data corresponding to the pilot telephone number, responsive to an outbound call by the VoIP client. An outbound call from the VoIP client to the pilot telephone number is automatically routed to a voice mail system unless otherwise indicated. Based on an indication to not use a pilot telephone number for caller identification, an outbound call is established from the VoIP client to the cellular telephone, without being automatically directed to the voice mail system.

Abstract: Techniques and equipment for enabling a cross-channel real time awareness framework for capturing and sharing transaction data in real time for a user via an interface of a channel of an enterprise are disclosed. The captured transaction data are made accessible to other channels of the enterprise for processing transactions initiated by the user via an interface of the one of the other channels.