Patents by Inventor Nicholas Patrick Alfano

Nicholas Patrick Alfano has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230050239
    Abstract: A method at a network element for monitoring user plane traffic for a user equipment, the method including configuring a set of characteristics and a range of values for each of the set of characteristics for user plane traffic between the user equipment and the network element; monitoring user plane traffic for the user equipment at the network element, the monitoring determining whether at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside of the configured range of a values, resulting in a characteristic violation; and if the at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside the configured range of a values, performing an action resulting from the characteristic violation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Publication date: February 16, 2023
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick ALFANO, Axel FERRAZZINI, Dake HE
  • Patent number: 11496496
    Abstract: A method at a network element for monitoring user plane traffic for a user equipment, the method including configuring a set of characteristics and a range of values for each of the set of characteristics for user plane traffic between the user equipment and the network element; monitoring user plane traffic for the user equipment at the network element, the monitoring determining whether at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside of the configured range of a values, resulting in a characteristic violation; and if the at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside the configured range of a values, performing an action resulting from the characteristic violation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Axel Ferrazzini, Dake He
  • Publication number: 20220068120
    Abstract: A method at an infrastructure unit of signaling a presence of a vulnerable road user, the method including receiving at least one report from a sensor unit, the at least one report indicating the presence of the vulnerable road user; composing a message indicating the presence of the vulnerable road user; and transmitting the message to road users proximate the infrastructure unit on a channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Publication date: March 3, 2022
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Michael Peter Montemurro, James Randolph Winter Lepp, Leonard Charles Layton, Stephen McCann
  • Patent number: 10885781
    Abstract: A method at a computing device for the computing device to act as an intelligent transportation system (ITS) station for a vehicle, the method including detecting that the computing device is proximate to the vehicle; determining whether ITS messages are being sent on behalf of the vehicle; and if the determining finds ITS messages are not being sent on behalf of the vehicle, the computing device acting as the ITS station for the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Ian Christopher Drummond Doig, Stephen John Barrett, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, James Randolph Winter Lepp, Roland Emlyn Williams
  • Publication number: 20200259853
    Abstract: A method at a network element for monitoring user plane traffic for a user equipment, the method including configuring a set of characteristics and a range of values for each of the set of characteristics for user plane traffic between the user equipment and the network element; monitoring user plane traffic for the user equipment at the network element, the monitoring determining whether at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside of the configured range of a values, resulting in a characteristic violation; and if the at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside the configured range of a values, performing an action resulting from the characteristic violation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick ALFANO, Axel FERRAZZINI, Dake HE
  • Patent number: 10681072
    Abstract: A method at a network element for monitoring user plane traffic for a user equipment, the method including configuring a set of characteristics and a range of values for each of the set of characteristics for user plane traffic between the user equipment and the network element; monitoring user plane traffic for the user equipment at the network element, the monitoring determining whether at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside of the configured range of a values, resulting in a characteristic violation; and if the at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside the configured range of a values, performing an action resulting from the characteristic violation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Axel Ferrazzini, Dake He
  • Patent number: 10493909
    Abstract: Vehicle communication systems and methods of operating the same. The vehicle communication system includes one or more microphones and one or more loudspeakers positioned about a vehicle. The system includes processor executable instructions for determining that the vehicle is operating in an emergency mode and, in response, activating a first microphone and a first loudspeaker for enabling communication between a first acoustic zone within the vehicle and a second acoustic zone exterior to the vehicle. The system may detect, from one of the first acoustic zone and the second acoustic zone, a first acoustic input and generate a second signal from the detected first acoustic input. The system may transmit the second signal to the first loudspeaker for producing sound waves that are audible in the other of the first acoustic zone and the second acoustic zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignees: BlackBerry Limited, 2236008 Ontario Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Rodney Dwight Rempel
  • Publication number: 20190359127
    Abstract: Vehicle communication systems and methods of operating the same. The vehicle communication system includes one or more microphones and one or more loudspeakers positioned about a vehicle. The system includes processor executable instructions for determining that the vehicle is operating in an emergency mode and, in response, activating a first microphone and a first loudspeaker for enabling communication between a first acoustic zone within the vehicle and a second acoustic zone exterior to the vehicle. The system may detect, from one of the first acoustic zone and the second acoustic zone, a first acoustic input and generate a second signal from the detected first acoustic input. The system may transmit the second signal to the first loudspeaker for producing sound waves that are audible in the other of the first acoustic zone and the second acoustic zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2018
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick ALFANO, Rodney Dwight REMPEL
  • Publication number: 20190228789
    Abstract: An audio or speech enhancement system for a vehicle includes a location-determining subsystem configured to determine a first location of the vehicle and to generate location data representing the first location of the vehicle and an audio/speech-enhancement processor for processing an audio/speech signal wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the location-determining subsystem for receiving the location data. The processor is configured to predict expected noise at a second location corresponding to a predicted location of the vehicle. The processor is further configured to suppress at least some of the expected noise when the vehicle is at the second location to thereby enhance the audio/speech signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick ALFANO, Rodney Dwight REMPEL
  • Publication number: 20190096243
    Abstract: A method at a computing device for the computing device to act as an intelligent transportation system (ITS) station for a vehicle, the method including detecting that the computing device is proximate to the vehicle; determining whether ITS messages are being sent on behalf of the vehicle; and if the determining finds ITS messages are not being sent on behalf of the vehicle, the computing device acting as the ITS station for the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Ian Christopher Dummond Doig, Stephen John Barrett, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, James Randolph Winter Lepp, Roland Emlyn Williams
  • Publication number: 20190068625
    Abstract: A method at a network element for monitoring user plane traffic for a user equipment, the method including configuring a set of characteristics and a range of values for each of the set of characteristics for user plane traffic between the user equipment and the network element; monitoring user plane traffic for the user equipment at the network element, the monitoring determining whether at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside of the configured range of a values, resulting in a characteristic violation; and if the at least one characteristic of the user plane traffic falls outside the configured range of a values, performing an action resulting from the characteristic violation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick ALFANO, Axel FERRAZZINI, Dake HE
  • Patent number: 9876904
    Abstract: A method of communicating information describing a voice call from a caller device to a recipient device. Call subject information describing the call is obtained from the caller device and sent to the recipient device to inform the recipient about the subject of the call. The call subject information is can be presented as a subject line displayed to on the recipient device to inform the recipient about the nature of the call and/or its urgency, thereby enabling the recipient to better determined whether to answer the call. The call subject information can be input by the caller or extracted automatically from an application from which the call was initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, William David Castell, David Lloyd Heit, Douglas Michael Gisby, Jan Hendrik Lucas Bakker, Richard John George, Ian James McDonald
  • Patent number: 9712377
    Abstract: An example network device includes a processor configured to execute an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) server, the OMA DM server to perform operations of: participating in mutual authentication with a second OMA DM server; sending a notification to the second OMA DM server for notifying the second OMA DM server to proceed with a delegation process; and sending, to a DM client, information for modifying an access control list (ACL).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Douglas Michael Gisby, Axel Ferrazzini, Jason Lee Carter, John Francis Holmes, Thomas Owen Parry, Richard Enrique Lopez
  • Patent number: 9642030
    Abstract: Some aspects of what is described here relate to systems, devices, and computer-implemented methods for capturing data related to a mobile device in a wireless network. In one example, a method may include receiving, at a mobile device, data capture configuration information from a wireless network, the data capture configuration information indicating a data type to be captured from the mobile device in an off-network environment. Thereafter, in response to detecting the off-network environment at the mobile device, a data element is stored in a local memory of the mobile device. The data element corresponds to the data type indicated by the data capture configuration information. The data element is sent to the wireless network, for instance, when the mobile device has access to the wireless network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Claude Jean-Frederic Arzelier, Adrian Buckley, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Eswar Vutukuri
  • Patent number: 9591466
    Abstract: A portable communication device comprises a radio frequency signal transceiver configured to receive an instruction signal; and control electronics configured to detect that the instruction signal has been received; and cause the portable communication device to transmit a beacon signal responsive to the instruction signal being detected by the control electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: John Barry Fenn, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Gordon Peter Young
  • Patent number: 9532217
    Abstract: A method for controlling access to a conference call, the method comprising authenticating a mobile device in accordance with access requirements for the conference call rejecting the mobile device if the participant does not comply with the access requirements in response to the rejection, determining by a processor based on information other than said access requirements that the mobile device is legitimate and overriding the rejection to allow connection to the conference call if it is determined that the mobile device is legitimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Douglas Michael Gisby, Brian Edward Anthony McColgan, Christopher Labrador, Kevin W. Andrewin, Nicholas Patrick Alfano
  • Patent number: 9525779
    Abstract: A method of managing communications services begins with a communications platform receiving a request for a communications service to be provided to a communications device by a source other than the communications platform. The communications platform determines an authorization of the communications device to receive the communications service. The authorization comprises a permission of the communications device to receive the communications service during a lifetime of a communications session maintained with the communications device. The communications network authorizes delivery of the communications service to the communications device during the lifetime of the communications session, in accordance with the authorization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Christopher Labrador, Brian Alexander Oliver, Douglas Michael Gisby, Susan Elizabeth Simon Daniels, Brian Edward Anthony McColgan, Adrian Michael Logan, Eric Allan Fritzley, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Richard John George
  • Publication number: 20160360435
    Abstract: Some aspects of what is described here relate to systems, devices, and computer-implemented methods for capturing data related to a mobile device in a wireless network. In one example, a method may include receiving, at a mobile device, data capture configuration information from a wireless network, the data capture configuration information indicating a data type to be captured from the mobile device in an off-network environment. Thereafter, in response to detecting the off-network environment at the mobile device, a data element is stored in a local memory of the mobile device. The data element corresponds to the data type indicated by the data capture configuration information. The data element is sent to the wireless network, for instance, when the mobile device has access to the wireless network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Applicant: BLACKBERRY LIMITED
    Inventors: Claude Jean-Frederic Arzelier, Adrian Buckley, Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Eswar Vutukuri
  • Patent number: 9467338
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses relating to Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) are provided. An embodiment provides a method in which a mobile device is configured for: accumulating delta records on the mobile device; and pushing delta records to a DM server when a threshold for the delta records is met or exceeded. The delta records relate to changes made to an Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) device management (DM) tree. The delta records may be purged after the pushing operation. Other embodiments provide a mobile device and computer-readable medium for performing or facilitating the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, Thomas Owen Parry
  • Publication number: 20160234381
    Abstract: A method of communicating information describing a voice call from a caller device to a recipient device. Call subject information describing the call is obtained from the caller device and sent to the recipient device to inform the recipient about the subject of the call. The call subject information is can be presented as a subject line displayed to on the recipient device to inform the recipient about the nature of the call and/or its urgency, thereby enabling the recipient to better determined whether to answer the call. The call subject information can be input by the caller or extracted automatically from an application from which the call was initiated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Applicant: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Nicholas Patrick Alfano, William David Castell, David Lloyd Heit, Douglas Michael Gisby, Jan Hendrik Lucas Bakker, Richard John George, Ian James McDonald