Abstract: Light sources are affixed at appropriate positions in a multilevel structure or in an obstructed environment. The light sources generate modulated light signals, such as controlled light-emitting diodes, which identify the positions of the light sources by their three-dimensional global positioning coordinates and/or equivalent representation that specifies their in situ locations in the environment. Mobile communication devices, upon receiving the light signals, can derive spatial positioning information and transmit such information to a remote location, such as an emergency response system.

Abstract: An event-triggered pairing mechanism allows pairing wireless devices having short range interfaces (e.g., Bluetooth devices) by bumping the wireless devices together. A wireless device being paired with a connecting device detects a bump event, determines time information about the bump event, and then generates a private session key based on the time information. Once the devices are paired and the private session key is generated, user content can be securely exchanged between the devices.

Abstract: The control of an antenna tuner for a portable electronic device includes closed loop tuning when sufficient transmit power is present. The closed loop tuning commences using a predetermined antenna tuner configuration for an operational band and device state. The closed loop tuning may be constrained by a tuning range associated with the predetermined antenna tuner configuration for the operational band and device state. Also, when transmit power is low or when a transceiver is in a receive only state, open loop tuning may be conducted by placing the antenna tuner in the predetermined (or default) configuration for the operational band and phone state.

Abstract: A portable communication device (10) may send a service device locating request (42) including a position associated with the portable communication device to a service device locating device (12). The service device locating device (12) may determine at least one service device located close to the indicated position and respond to the request by sending a response (46) including at least one network identifier of a service device (16) capable of handling the desired service. The portable communication device may then directly contact (48) the service device (16).

Abstract: A coordinated signaling scheme for both uplink and downlink transmissions between a base station and a user terminal reduces the amount of time that the user terminal must turn on its receiver to listen for scheduling messages and ACK/NACK signaling. A scheduler at a base station aligns the transmission of downlink scheduling messages (e.g., downlink assignments) with uplink grants and ACK/NACK signaling for uplink transmissions. Aligning the downlink scheduling messages with uplink control signaling enables the user terminal to turn off its receiver for longer periods of time.

Abstract: A device may include an envelope detector to generate an envelope signal from the input signal, a drain bias controller to adjust a drain bias of the amplifier based on the envelope signal, a gate bias controller to adjust a gate bias of the amplifier based on the envelope signal, a predistortion controller to predistort the input signal based on the envelope signal, based on the adjusted drain bias, and based on the adjusted gate bias, and to output the predistorted signal, and an amplifier to receive the predistorted signal and to generate an amplified output signal from the predistorted signal. The device may be selectable to operate in a linear mode or a nonlinear mode. The nonlinear mode may be selected by applying a large gate offset bias.

Abstract: A transceiver circuit and a method in a wireless communication network are provided, where a signal power level for a signal received at the transceiver circuit is measured and compared to a predefined threshold power level. At least two groups of power amplifiers may be used, where one group is optimized for high efficiency above the predefined threshold power level, and one group is optimized for high efficiency below the predefined threshold power level. The amplifiers may be used to amplify the received signal depending on the signal power level in relation to the predefined power threshold level. The signal may then be filtered by duplex filters and forwarded to a diversity antenna or a main antenna where it is transmitted over an air interface.

Abstract: A mobile communication device comprises a base unit and a headset in the form of a small, inconspicuous earpiece. The base unit includes a fully functional cellular transceiver and can transmit audio signals over a low power, unidirectional radio link to the headset. The headset unit comprises a unidirectional receiver for receiving audio signals from the base unit and an earphone for converting the audio signals into audible sounds that can be heard by the user.

Abstract: Mobile terminals may connect to one another of dynamically formed local networks to exchange certain files, such as bandwidth intensive files. Licensing or payment information for these files may be exchanged via a wide-area network, such as the cellular network to which the mobile terminals normally connect. In one embodiment, a mobile terminal includes logic to join a local network in response to the mobile terminal coming into range of the local network; logic to request a file from the local network; logic to receive the file from the local network when the file is available from another mobile terminal in the local network; and logic to exchange payment or license information for the file over a cellular network.

Abstract: Degradation of the OFDM signal carrying DVB-H content, caused by GSM burst transmission, is overcome without the need for hardware to constrain the GSM transmission spectrum by the modulating of the OFDM signal and utilizing the interleaving and Forward Error Correction (FEC) defined in the DVB-H standard to correct the errors caused by GSM transmission interference. A pattern in time and frequency of the scattered pilots in the OFDM signal is detected during a period of no burst transmission. During burst transmissions from the transmitter, scattered pilots are inserted into the received OFDM signal according to the pattern. An FFT demodulator utilizes the inserted scattered pilots to perform frame synchronization when the OFDM signal is degraded by interference from the burst transmission. The demodulated signal is de-interleaved, and bit errors due to the burst transmission interference are corrected by FEC decoders.

Abstract: Video distribution methods include providing a primary video data stream having a first image size and formatted in a first video display format. A transmission data stream is formed having a plurality of blocks of data including at least first and second data fields. The first data field includes a secondary video data stream extracted from the primary video data stream and is formatted for display in a second video format. The second data field includes supplemental data extracted from the primary video data stream and configured to provide, when combined with the data of the first data field, a tertiary video data stream formatted for display in a third video format. The transmission data stream is multicasted from a wireless communication transmitter to a plurality of wireless communication terminals. Wireless communication terminals and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A transceiver circuit and a method in a wireless communication network are provided, where a signal power level for a signal received at the transceiver circuit is measured and compared to a predefined threshold power level. At least two groups of power amplifiers may be used, where one group is optimized for high efficiency above the predefined threshold power level, and one group is optimized for high efficiency below the predefined threshold power level. The amplifiers may be used to amplify the received signal depending on the signal power level in relation to the predefined power threshold level. The signal may then be filtered by duplex filters and forwarded to a diversity antenna or a main antenna where it is transmitted over an air interface.

Abstract: A radio system includes a server connected to a network, at least one bi-directional radio connected to the network and at least one uni-directional radio not connected to the at least one bi-directional radio and not connected to the server. A mobile device is configured to receive data from at least one uni-directional radio and communicate with at least one bi-directional radio.

Abstract: A radio system may include a receiver configured for processing a received signal via a first path and a second path, wherein the first path may include a uni-directional radio receiver path and wherein the second path comprises a path that constitutes a receiver for a bi-directional radio. The first path and the second path may share one or more radio hardware components or may be separated components.

Abstract: A spread spectrum system may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to transmit a signal having at least one channel, where the signal may include a reference signal, an information signal and a frequency offset between the reference signal and the information signal. The receiver may receive the transmitted signal from the transmitter and mix the received signal in order to retrieve the information signal from the received signal. This allows the receiver to operate at low power (e.g., 10 uW-100 uW).

Abstract: A system, device and method for identifying, within a local area, a location of an electronic device, such as a mobile telephone, includes determining a signal characteristic of a wireless communication from one or more wireless devices in the local area to the electronic device, wherein determining is performed by the electronic device. Then, based on a comparison of the determined signal characteristic from the one or more wireless devices to a plurality of reference signal characteristics the location of the electronic device in the local area is determined.

Abstract: A system, methods, devices and computer program products for controlling the operation of at least one electronic appliance, e.g. a TV, a music system, a lighting system, a kitchen appliance or an alarm system, located within a local area. The system has a mobile terminal located within the local area, the mobile terminal being configured to transmit a short-range radio signal to one or more short-range devices located within the local area. Each short-range device of the plurality of short-range devices located within the local area is configured to receive a short-range radio signal from the mobile terminal, perform a signal measurement of signal delay, signal strength, or both signal delay and signal strength of said short-range radio signal received from the mobile terminal, and transmit information about said measurement to an electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus is configured to subsequently receive this information about the signal measurements from the plurality of short-range devices.

Abstract: A method of providing a toplist of neighboring base stations for a mobile station in a communications network can include determining a base station identifier code for a neighboring base station in a toplist at a rate that varies based on a quality indication of communications with the neighboring base station.

Abstract: A mobile terminal having a plurality of communication operation modes is operated by determining a current communication operation mode of the plurality of communication operation modes of the mobile terminal, determining a current voltage of a battery that powers the mobile terminal, comparing the current voltage of the battery with a battery voltage threshold associated with the current communication operation mode, and changing the current communication operation mode to another one of the plurality of communication operation modes based on the comparison of the current voltage of the battery with the battery voltage threshold associated with the current communication operation mode.

Abstract: Satellite positioning system information and/or other information is communicated to/from a mobile terminal by synchronizing satellite positioning system information that is communicated to/from the mobile terminal over a short-range, ad hoc wireless network relative to a feature of a protocol that is used for the short-range, ad hoc wireless network communications. The feature may be a header field in the short-range, ad hoc wireless network communications. Related methods, mobile terminals and short-range ad hoc wireless networks are described.