Patents Examined by Steve D Agosta
  • Patent number: 8565837
    Abstract: The described invention provides a method and system for allowing subscribers of a telematics service provider (TSP) to make hands-free phone calls within their vehicles through a telematics unit over a network or hardware-based pre-pay system, wherein the telematics unit or a wireless network provider associated with the TSP controls the ingoing and outgoing hands-free calling (HFC) processes. The wireless network provider, through its system at a remote call center or through the telematics unit, may determine whether the subscriber has subscribed to the TSP's HFC service, whether the subscriber has a sufficient remaining balance to initiate, receive or continue a call, and whether a user of the telematics unit is “roaming.” When a user attempts to make or receive a call through the telematics unit, the wireless network provider or the telematics unit may handle the incoming or outgoing call processing, and may further provide subscriber account balance notifications to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventors: Ki Hak Yi, Sethu K. Madhavan, Lawrence D. Cepuran, David A. Holt
  • Patent number: 8565704
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating an oscillator in a location-enabled wireless device is described. In an example, a mobile device includes a wireless receiver for receiving wireless signals and a GPS receiver for receiving GPS signals. The mobile device also includes an oscillator having an associated temperature model. A frequency error is derived from a wireless signal. The temperature model is adjusted in response to the frequency error and a temperature proximate the oscillator. Frequency error of the oscillator is compensated using the adjusted temperature model. In another example, a frequency error is derived using a second oscillator within the wireless receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Global Locate, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles Abraham
  • Patent number: 8554288
    Abstract: A front case at a display section side of frame shape is formed of metal material having strength and a bathtub-shaped draw frame formed by drawing metal plate is fixed at the external side of the front case at the display section side by heat adhesive to be integral with the front case at the display section side. Two L-shaped frames formed by bending metal plate materials are fixed at the internal side of the front case at the display section side by two heat adhesives to be integral with the front case at the display section side. The front case at the display section side, the two L-shaped frames, and the bathtub-shaped draw frame are integral with each other to have sandwich structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Junichi Nakao, Yasuyuki Honma
  • Patent number: 8548471
    Abstract: A user apparatus in a mobile communication system includes: a unit configured to receive a downlink control signal using a frequency of a residing cell; and a unit configured to perform cell search using a frequency different from the frequency of the residing cell during an interval between reception timings of the downlink control signal in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event for different frequency measurement in the user apparatus or a base station apparatus. When the reception timing interval of the downlink control signal is not longer than the threshold reported from the base station apparatus, and when the predetermined event for different frequency measurement occurs in the user apparatus or the base station apparatus, different frequency measurement is performed in a cycle, different from the reception timing interval, reported from the base station apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikio Iwamura, Minami Ishii, Atsushi Harada
  • Patent number: 8548426
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to facilitate online transactions via mobile communications. In one aspect, a system includes a data storage facility to store an account identifier of a user and a phone number of the user and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the common format processor in a common format and to communicate with the controllers in different formats. The interchange uses the converters to communicate with the mobile phone of a user to confirm the identity of the user using a user terminal separate from the mobile phone for subsequent payment requests from the user terminal to be fulfilled using the account identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Boku, Inc.
    Inventor: Glyn Barry Smith
  • Patent number: 8548432
    Abstract: Aspects relate to authorizing mobile devices for PBX-based voice services. A mobile device calls a PBX over a voice channel, and phone number identifier information is obtained and matched to identifier information for devices that known (authorizeable) to use the PBX. If there is one incoming call that matches to a given device, and an authentication token provided over a data channel matches an authentication token associated with that device, then the device is authorized for voice services. Where there are multiple matching calls, those devices are instructed to provide authentication tokens over their voice channels. The devices can detect absence of a data channel and provide authentication tokens over the voice channels; the devices also can wait to receive a call connected response and in the absence of such provide their authentication tokens over the voice channel. Tokens can be requested and downloaded for storage at the devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Blackberry Limited
    Inventors: Liam John Keast, Bradford Lawrence Spencer, Manvinder Singh
  • Patent number: 8543084
    Abstract: Prepaid services include associating a plurality of users with a prepaid services account. The account is configured to track a prepaid balance associated with the account as well as to allow at least a subset of the plurality of users associated with the account to draw down the prepaid balance at least generally at the same time. Drawing down the prepaid balance includes allocating a portion of the prepaid balance to each respective user, monitoring a provision of service, and repeating, selectively, the allocating and monitoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory L. Mumford, Jon E. Abel, David A. Fitzgerald, Radhika Gunasekar, Anna Marie Appleby, John M. Leslein
  • Patent number: 8538384
    Abstract: A method and device for setting or maintaining a preferential condition for a mobile terminal. The method includes determining if the base station associated with the mobile terminal is involved in an inter cell interference coordination procedure, setting the preferential condition for the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is in a communication through a base station not associated with the mobile terminal, if the base station associated with the mobile terminal is involved in an ICIC procedure, and not setting the preferential condition for the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is in a communication with the remote telecommunication device through a base station not associated with the mobile terminal if the base station associated with the mobile terminal is not involved in an ICIC procedure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Mourad Khanfouci, Herve Bonneville, Nicolas Gresset, Loic Brunel, David Mottier
  • Patent number: 8532673
    Abstract: Data related to a subscriber in a communications network is to be retrieved. A first Generic User Profile (GUP) server receives an incoming request for the subscriber related data from a data consumer in a first communication domain and determines that the data is located in a second communication domain. An outgoing request for the data is then transmitted to a second GUP server in the second communication domain via an interface. The second GUP server then retrieves the requested subscriber related data from a network repository and transmits the requested data to the first GUP server, which forwards the requested data to the data consumer. Service access to subscriber data located in other domains than the GUP Server is enabled, for example when the subscriber is roaming. The subscriber related data can also be distributed in both the first and second communication domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ)
    Inventors: John Michael Walker, Jorge Hernandez Vazquez, Zdravko Jukic
  • Patent number: 8520627
    Abstract: An apparatus and method relates to transmission of media independent (MIH) handover protocol information, the access point includes a wired interface module to receive, through a wired network, indication information indicating whether an access point that manages a neighboring heterogeneous subnet supports a protocol to conduct a media independent handover (MIH), a storage module to store the received indication information, a frame generating module to generate a frame including the stored indication information, and a wireless interface module to transmit the generated frame to a mobile node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Soo-hong Park
  • Patent number: 8515423
    Abstract: A method and system automatically activates a mobile station in a wireless communications network. The system includes an over the air activation function (OTAF) processor in the network that initiates an activation process in response to receiving a registration message from a mobile switching center serving the mobile station requesting the activation. Each mobile station has a unit of information stored into it at the time of its manufacture to enable it to request over the air activation. That unit of information is either the network routing address of the OTAF processor, or alternately, it is a value that is translatable into that address, either an OTAF ID number that is the same value for every mobile station or it is a sequentially serialized dummy value for the mobile identification number (a dummy MIN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC
    Inventors: Arun K. Chatterjee, Brian Kevin Daly, David William James Holmes, Ileana A. Leuca
  • Patent number: 8515435
    Abstract: An adaptive transmission scheme provides multiple levels of adaptation. At a first level, a selection is made between a limited feedback or limited feedback scheme and a rich feedback scheme. At a second level of adaptation, a diversity mode is selected. Additional levels of adaptation could be employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Leonid Krasny, Karl Molnar, Jung-Fu Thomas Cheng, Stephen Grant, Yi-Pin Eric Wang
  • Patent number: 8509157
    Abstract: A method for managing radio resources allocated by a radio network controller of a UTRAN radio access network, where the resources support a plurality of service requests identified by a radio access bearer service request sent by the core network and describing the required QoS as a set of RAB parameters defined by mapping with corresponding QoS parameters of the core network, the controller is provided to distribute the resources amongst the bearer services and to modulate the allocation of the resources according to the priority level associated with each of the bearer services, and the priority level is defined by the “priority level” sub-parameter of the “Allocation Retention Priority” RAB parameter, with a value determined by taking into account the value of the “Allocation Retention Priority” QOS parameter of the core network and the value of at least one QoS parameter associated with the type of service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: France Telecom
    Inventors: Nathalie Beziot, Borja Jimenez Aldama
  • Patent number: 8509780
    Abstract: The present application describes embodiments of a method and apparatus for determining handover parameters in a wireless overlay network. One embodiment includes modifying a bias value used to determine when to handover user equipment between a macrocell and a femtocell that overlays the macrocell. The bias value is modified in response to a change in one or more handover frequencies associated with the user equipment. Handovers of user equipment are triggered when a sum of the bias value and a measured value of the femtocell signal strength exceed a measured value of the macrocell signal strength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Kamakshi Sridhar, Hajo Bakker
  • Patent number: 8498676
    Abstract: A terminated call alert process involves detecting, via a processor, that a voice connection initially established between a vehicle-dedicated communications device disposed inside a vehicle and a facility has been terminated and identifying a method used to terminate the initial voice connection. Via the vehicle-dedicated communications device, the method further involves transmitting a data message to the facility, where the data message includes information pertaining to the method used to terminate the initial voice connection. Also disclosed herein is a system for accomplishing the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: General Motors LLC
    Inventors: James Doherty, Michael J. Blanck
  • Patent number: 8472945
    Abstract: Embodiments are concerned with method and a system for event processing in a communications network, and are suited to coordinating the provision of services in response to service initiation triggers. Embodiments are particularly applicable for use in controlling operation of service nodes, each of which is arranged to provide a particular service in a mobile network, or a fixed network or a combination of the two.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: France Telecom SA
    Inventors: Dominic O'Neill, Mike Eales, George Piyiakis, Benomy Tutcher, Mark Evans
  • Patent number: 8463333
    Abstract: A mobile telephone has a rendering functionality for rendering media stored in storage, and a user interface for user control. A host processor controls the communication functionality and the user interface. The co-processor controls the rendering of the media. The host processor has high power consumption in an active mode and low power consumption in a sleep mode. The co-processor conditionally supplies wake-up signals to the host processor. Upon receipt of a particular wake-up signal, the host processor switches from the sleep mode into the active mode. In the active mode, the host processor transfers a particular media segment to the co-processor before switching back to the sleep mode. The co-processor buffers the segment before rendering it. Upon detecting a low buffer level the co-processor supplies a next wake-up signal to the host processor for initiating transfer of a next media segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: ST-Ericsson SA
    Inventor: Armand Stuivenwold
  • Patent number: 8463251
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method of modifying policy settings in a network having a plurality of subscriber devices. An embodiment includes a plurality of base stations, each capable of wirelessly transmitting across a geographic region and a server. A cell-phone, capable of roaming between regions, is operable to establish a wireless link with the base stations and through the base stations, with the server. The network contains a communication policy determining from which other communication devices a subscriber device can receive voice calls. The communication policy is updated, by the server, based on requests from the subscriber devices. Once a request is received from a subscriber device, the determination whether to update the communication policy can be based on a record of rejections respective to the caller requested to be blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Ian Michael Patterson, Sean Arthur Daniel Carlos Goggin, Marc Plumb
  • Patent number: 8463315
    Abstract: A handheld wireless communication device cradleable in one hand by an operator during text entry. A display, key field and trackball are all located on a front face of the device. Alphanumeric input keys include several alphabetic keys with letters arranged in a traditional (QWERTY), but non-ITU Standard E.161 telephone letter layout. A microprocessor is provided that receives operator commands from the keys and the trackball navigation tool and which affects corresponding changes to the display based on user input. The keys of the key field are arranged in rows and columns and at least one of the rows and columns is arranged with a long axis thereof radially oriented relative to the trackball navigation tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: Jason T. Griffin, Steven Fyke
  • Patent number: 8463236
    Abstract: A paging signal transmitting method includes a step of allowing each of mobile stations (UE) to receive security data from a network node (1) via a channel specified by a paging signal, a step of allowing each mobile station (UE) to calculate a third set of security information by using an open first set of security information and a second set of security information managed by each mobile station, a step of allowing each mobile station (UE) to compare the third set of security information with a fourth set of security information included in the received security data to verify the validity of the paging signal, and a step of allowing each mobile station (UE) to output a signal corresponding to the paging signal when the validity of the paging signal is verified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Wuri Andarmawanti Hapsari, Minami Ishii, Alf Zugenmaier, Julien Laganier