Patents Examined by Frank Donado
  • Patent number: 9693208
    Abstract: Methods related to do-not-disturb modes activated by a mobile device are provided. An example method may include receiving a do-not-disturb notification by a mobile device indicating that the mobile device is in a do-not-disturb mode. The method may further include temporarily disabling, when the mobile device is in the do-not-disturb mode, causing at least one communications feature associated with the mobile device and one or more additional communications features associated with one or more ancillary devices to be temporarily disabled. Another example method may include detecting whether a mobile device is in one of a stationary display screen face down state or a moving display screen face down state, and, when the mobile device is in at least one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state, causing a first communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled and sending a do-not-disturb notification to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Andrew Martin Warr
  • Patent number: 9693206
    Abstract: A system, various methods, and a specific apparatus are provided for the purpose of supporting push-to-talk (PTT) service for a very large group featuring a significantly higher number of listeners than the number of potential talkers, as well as a constrained vocabulary in normal usage. The invention takes advantage of speech-to-text and text-to-speech conversion in end user devices for maximum utterance compression. The invention uses the Iridium Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) system and its Short Burst Data (SBD) service for unicast transmission of talker utterances to a PTT Server, and the same system's Global Data Broadcast (GDB) service for multicast retransmission of utterances from the PTT Server to an effectively unlimited number of listeners. The PTT Server provides priority ordering and preemption as necessary when multiple talkers provide near-simultaneous utterances, effectively managing the floor without interactive protocols among the talkers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: James William Bishop, Jr., Thomas Russell Topping
  • Patent number: 9654930
    Abstract: A method of determining a location of a mobile device includes: detecting, at the mobile device, at least one Radio Frequency transmitter; receiving information associated with a number of Radio Frequency transmitters located within a geographical area, the number of Radio Frequency transmitters being a subset of all Radio Frequency transmitters located within the geographical area, the information being decodable to provide global locations and identifiers of the number of Radio Frequency transmitters; comparing an identifier associated with the at least one detected Radio Frequency transmitter with the global locations and identifiers of the number of Radio Frequency transmitters; and determining the location of the mobile device within the geographical area; wherein the information is received in a reduced format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Rx Networks Inc.
    Inventors: Mohamed Youssef, Guylain Roy-Machabee, Ashkan Izadpanah
  • Patent number: 9628831
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention include method and systems or processing multimedia data exchanged between mobile devices. Initially, a transmitting mobile device attempts to send multimedia data formatted in a primary format even though a receiving mobile device cannot process the data. The multimedia data in the primary format is then uploaded to a multimedia communication server where the multimedia data can be transcoded on demand into a secondary format that the receiving mobile device can indeed process. To track the multimedia data, the transmitting mobile device receives a multimedia identifier associated with the multimedia data uploaded to the multimedia communication server. Instead of sending the multimedia data, the transmitting mobile device forwards the multimedia identifier to the receiving mobile device allowing the receiving mobile device to demand transcoding the multimedia data into a secondary format on the server that the receiving mobile device is capable of receiving and processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: WhatsApp, Inc.
    Inventors: Jan Koum, Brian Acton
  • Patent number: 9614965
    Abstract: A method of transmitting voice messages using a first electronic device includes receiving a phone number of a second electronic device using an input device of the first electronic device. A voice messages of a user is recorded, and based on the voice messages, an audio file is obtained by encoding the voice messages using voice encoding methods. A communication is established between the first electronic device and the second electronic device by dialing the phone number of the second electronic device. when the communication between the first electronic device and the second electronic device is established, audio communication signals of the audio file are acquired by encoding the audio file, and the audio communication signals are inserted into an input port of a voice communication channel of the first electronic device. The audio communication signals are transmitted to the second electronic device through the voice communication channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Chiun Mai Communication Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Mu-Ann Chen
  • Patent number: 9609614
    Abstract: Disclosed systems and methods relate to determining and optimizing a location of an access node within a network. In one aspect, a computing device may analyze information related to location, timing delays, and wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi) parameters such as signal strength to confirm and/or optimize the location of an access node. The location information may include global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the access node and user devices, and the timing delay information may include data associated with delays in transmitting a signal from a provider to a device associated with the access node and nearby devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Ivan Ong, David Urban, Clifton Lowery
  • Patent number: 9589189
    Abstract: A device is configured to determine a geographic location of a user device and determine, based on the geographic location of the user device, that the user device is within a threshold distance of a structure that includes a quantity of objects. The device is configured to receive, from the user device, an image of an object of the quantity of objects, and analyze, based on receiving the image of the object and based on the user device being within the threshold distance of the structure, the image to identify the object. The device is configured to receive user information associated with the user device, determine, based on the user information, object information associated with the object; and provide the object information for display on the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Cellco Partnership
    Inventors: Michael J. D'Argenio, Kristopher T. Frazier, Lonnie Katai
  • Patent number: 9585185
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable medium can include instructions for performing a method that includes, in response to an activation user input at a mobile device associated with a teleconference event, automatically joining the mobile device to the teleconference event. The mobile device can join the teleconference event by retrieving stored call-in details for the teleconference event, and sending, from the mobile device to a remote proxy, the call-in details for the teleconference event. The method can also include connecting the mobile device to the teleconference event via a call path that is established in response to the sending.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Shoretel, Inc.
    Inventors: Bhawani Sapkota, Timothy S. Olson
  • Patent number: 9584972
    Abstract: An indoor positioning method includes: sending, by a client, a position request instruction to at least three access points; receiving, by the client, a response message sent by each access point in response to the request instruction; sending, by the client, a corresponding measurement report message to each access point, so that each access point obtains a radio signal flight time between itself and the client; and receiving, by the client, a position estimation result from a network side, where the network side performs a comparative calculation on the radio signal flight time received from each access point and a sampling time measured in advance between each access point and each of multiple sampling points, and the position estimation result is an obtained coordinate location of a sampling point whose corresponding sampling time has a minimum time difference from the radio signal flight time received from each access point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Huawei Device Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiandong Dong, Zhiming Ding
  • Patent number: 9571617
    Abstract: A method for controlling a mute function in a telephone device, and the telephone device and a computer program product that implements the method. The method includes: while the mute function is active, voice recognition software in the telephone device processes sound detected by a microphone in the telephone device to recognize and identify one or more specific words as having been spoken by a specific person and not by another person, and in response, the telephone device activates an alarm in the telephone device to communicate that the mute function is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roberto Battaglini, Brian P. Singer
  • Patent number: 9572174
    Abstract: A communication apparatus is provided. A processor is coupled to a first radio access technology (RAT) module, a second RAT module and a radio transceiver shared by the first and second RAT modules. The first RAT module camps on a first serving cell belonging to a first wireless network and is in a packet transfer mode to perform data transfer in the first wireless network via the radio transceiver. The second RAT module camps on a second serving cell belonging to a second wireless network. The processor schedules the second RAT module to receive at least one neighbor cell's information in a portion of a plurality of predetermined frames during the data transfer of the first RAT module via the radio transceiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: MEDIATEK INC.
    Inventors: Hung-Yueh Chen, Jui-Ping Lien, Chia-Yi Huang
  • Patent number: 9560499
    Abstract: Mobile device usage may be monitored and restricted by pushing enabling/disabling events from an administrator the device. The events impose a certain set of rules that can “lock” certain features provided by the device, according to permissions and pre-established policies, for a certain period of time. Such restricted periods may coincide with meetings or other events in which distractions should be kept to a minimum or be during regular, predetermined time periods. Preferably, the rules include conditional locks that allow a user to use a feature a reasonable number of times before the lock is activated to place the onus on the user for minimizing such distractions, while enabling the user to maintain access to such a vital communication tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Risvan Coskun, Daryl Joseph Martin, Ahmed E. Hassan, John Ferguson Wilson
  • Patent number: 9544042
    Abstract: Methods and devices are disclosed for implementing opportunistic mobile receive diversity (“OMRD”) on a multi-SIM wireless device. The wireless device may receive a request from a protocol stack associated with the first SIM to utilize the second RF resource for receive diversity, and determine whether a protocol stack associated with the second SIM currently has a lower priority than the protocol stack associated with the first SIM. Upon determining that the protocol stack associated with the second SIM currently has a lower priority than the protocol stack associated with the first SIM, the wireless device may grant control of the second RF resource to the protocol stack associated with the first SIM. Granting control may provide, to the protocol stack associated with the first SIM, a capability to enable and disable receive diversity using the first and second RF resources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Wenjun Li, Jun Hu, Huang Lou, Vansh Pal Singh Makh, Francis Ming-Meng Ngai, Ashish Gaonekar, Varsha Rao, Surekha Muralidharan
  • Patent number: 9532389
    Abstract: A radio base station provides user equipments with system information regarding a radio base station that does not broadcast the system information. The radio base station wirelessly communicating with user equipments does not have a function to broadcast system information including information necessary for user equipments to connect with the radio base station to user equipments. The radio base station transmits the system information to a neighboring radio base station in order to assist the user equipments to connect with the radio base station. The neighboring radio base station transmits the system information to the user equipments having connected with the neighboring radio base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
    Inventor: Yasufumi Morioka
  • Patent number: 9525951
    Abstract: A hearing aid function provision method and apparatus is provides a hearing-impaired person with the audio enhanced based on the hearing-impaired information shared through Social Network Service (SNS). A user device operates in an environment-adaptive hearing-aid mode. The hearing aid function method includes receiving, at the device, audio input by a device owner; enhancing the audio based on hearing impairment information of a hearing impaired person; and outputting the enhanced audio. The audio may be enhanced a number of ways that include amplification, shifting, spreading, and division that can be based on an audiogram performed by the device or such information provided to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin Park
  • Patent number: 9521701
    Abstract: Handling conflicts between radio access technologies (RATs) in a device configured to operate according to multiple RATs. The device may be operated in a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode according to each of a first RAT and a second RAT using a shared radio. It may be determined that a conflicting wakeup time is scheduled according to DRX cycles of the first and second RATs. The radio may be operated according to the first RAT at the conflicting wakeup time. The second RAT may not use the radio at the conflicting wakeup time. A next wakeup time for the second RAT may be determined from multiple possible next wakeup times. The radio may be operated according to the second RAT at the determined next wakeup time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Li Su, Ziv Wolkowicki
  • Patent number: 9497605
    Abstract: A short message processing method and a relevant system. In one embodiment, a short message service (SMS)-submit message sent by a calling terminal to a mobile switching center (MSC) or service general packet radio service (GPRS) carries an indication that a called terminal does not have an MSISDN, and the SMS-submit message carries a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI) of the called terminal, so that the calling terminal is capable of sending the indication and the SIP URI of the called terminal to an SMS-service center (SMS-SC) via the MSC or SGSN and an SMS-interworking MSC (SMS-IWMSC), and the SMS-SC implements short message communications with the called terminal via an SMS-GMSC and an Internet protocol (IP) short message-gateway (IP-SM-GW).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Huawei Device Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Xiaoyan Duan
  • Patent number: 9485694
    Abstract: A radio access device includes a controller signal processing unit (RNSAP unit) that processes a signal exchanged with a radio network controller (RNC); and a switching center signal processing unit (RANAP unit) that processes a signal exchanged with a switching center. The RNSAP unit requests to establish a communication path between the radio access device and the RNC and a communication path between the RNC and a BTS by transmitting a request signal to the RNC. Subsequent to receiving an acknowledgement signal corresponding to the request signal from the RNC, the RANAP unit requests to establish a communication path between the switching center and the RNC. Subsequent to receiving, by the RANAP unit, an acknowledgement signal corresponding to the request signal from the switching center, a communication path between the radio access device and the UE is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Hosono, Takeshi Okamoto
  • Patent number: 9462438
    Abstract: Methods related to do-not-disturb modes activated by a mobile device are provided. An example method may include receiving a do-not-disturb notification by a mobile device indicating that the mobile device is in a do-not-disturb mode. The method may further include temporarily disabling, when the mobile device is in the do-not-disturb mode, causing at least one communications feature associated with the mobile device and one or more additional communications features associated with one or more ancillary devices to be temporarily disabled. Another example method may include detecting whether a mobile device is in one of a stationary display screen face down state or a moving display screen face down state, and, when the mobile device is in at least one of the stationary display screen face down state or the moving display screen face down state, causing a first communications feature associated with the mobile device to be temporarily disabled and sending a do-not-disturb notification to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventor: Andrew Martin Warr
  • Patent number: 9462408
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an information processing method. The method comprises: obtaining a control operation for the first application indicating N applications are to be installed on a second electronic device; controlling the wireless communication module to serve as a wireless Access Point (AP) having a signal coverage that covers at least the second electronic device; obtaining response information from the second electronic device and establishing a direct communication channel with the second electronic device at a radio link layer; and transmitting installation data packages associated with the N applications to the second electronic device via the communication channel. The present invention also discloses an electronic device. With the present invention, the efficiency of content transfer from an old mobile phone and a new mobile phone can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignees: BEIJING LENOVO SOFTWARE LTD., LENOVO (BEIJING) LIMITED
    Inventor: Hui Wang