Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for remotely activating a flash at a determined time, where a camera and a flash are temporally synchronized using a time signal received from a GPS satellite. One embodiment includes a system having a camera that includes an image sensor, a GPS receiver configured to receive time information, a processor configured to determine an image capture time t1 for capturing the image of the scene, the image capture time t1 being a time indicative of a time derived from time information received from the GPS satellite, and a camera communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with an illumination system to transmit flash information to the illumination system, the flash information including the image capture time t1, and capture an image of the scene with the camera at the image capture time t1.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for altering the nature of a magnetic field at a location is presented, consisting of a placement of one or more static magnets, electromagnets or other magnetic field altering apparatus at strategic positions, in order to ensure that no two paths through the location present the same fluctuations and patterns in magnetic field intensity and heading. In a further embodiment a magnetic field in a location is modulated in a predetermined manner through the use of one or more electromagnets supplied with an equivalent modulated current or voltage. This prevents identical magnetic field patterns and provides a magnetic field measuring device with the possibility of determining an approximate location while stationary, and detecting whether materials capable of altering the magnetic field of the location have been added or removed from the location since magnetic mapping was conducted.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, devices, apparatuses, computer-/processor-readable media, and other implementations for data communication in which data is divided into multiple data blocks, with each of the multiple data blocks including a portion of a respective at least one other of the multiple data blocks to produce multiple corresponding resultant data blocks. Additionally, at least one validation code is generated based on the multiple corresponding resultant data blocks. At least the multiple corresponding resultant data blocks and the at least one validation code are communicated to a remote device.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for altering the nature of a magnetic field at a location is presented, consisting of a placement of one or more static magnets, electromagnets or other magnetic field altering apparatus at strategic positions, in order to ensure that no two paths through the location present the same fluctuations and patterns in magnetic field intensity and heading. In a further embodiment a magnetic field in a location is modulated in a predetermined manner through the use of one or more electromagnets supplied with an equivalent modulated current or voltage. This prevents identical magnetic field patterns and provides a magnetic field measuring device with the possibility of determining an approximate location while stationary, and detecting whether materials capable of altering the magnetic field of the location have been added or removed from the location since magnetic mapping was conducted.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for location sharing, consisting of sending a location report by a location determining device to a plurality of network enabled devices over a peer-to-peer network, the location determining device being associated with a first digital key pair. A first of the plurality of network enabled devices, associated with a second digital key pair, performs a validation computation on the location report and submits a validation computation result and the location report to a remainder of the plurality of network enabled devices for inclusion in a shared ledger. Including the location report creates commercially-valued credits associated with the public key of the second digital key pair recorded in the shared ledger. A transfer of commercially-valued credits from association with the first public key of the first digital key pair to the public key of the second digital key pair is also recorded in the shared ledger.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods, systems, devices, apparatuses, computer-/processor-readable media, and other implementations, including a method for data communication that includes dividing data into multiple data blocks, including, for each of the multiple data blocks, a portion of a respective at least one other of the multiple data blocks to produce multiple corresponding resultant data blocks, generating at least one validation code based on the multiple corresponding resultant data blocks, and communicating to a remote device at least the multiple corresponding resultant data blocks and the at least one validation code.

Abstract: Method, apparatus, and system for communicating location of a mobile device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of communicating location of a mobile device includes determining information, at the mobile device, from a radio frequency tag associated with an object, generating a location request in accordance with the determined information, comprising processing the information from the radio frequency tag to determine encoded data and generating a SET initiated location request in accordance with the encoded data, and communicating location information in response to the location request generated.

Abstract: A method for the crowdsourced detection of defective street lights includes receiving reporting data from a plurality of vehicles, where each reporting data includes: (i) at least one light intensity value measured by at least one sensor of a respective vehicle, (ii) a time that the light intensity value was measured by the respective vehicle, and (iii) a location of the respective vehicle at the time that the light intensity value was measured. The method also includes obtaining a baseline light intensity value for at least one street light at the location and combining the reporting data received from the plurality of vehicles to generate combined light intensity data for the location. An indication of a degradation of performance of the at least one street light is then generated in response to a comparison of the combined light intensity data to the baseline light intensity value.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is presented for reaching consensus on adding data to a distributed ledger system in which no central trusted authority is available, comprising sending an announcement message by a network connected device to a plurality of network connected devices over a peer-to-peer network, said message providing an identification of the network connected device using a public key of a public/private key pair, a unique address identifier, and a hash. Subsequently, after a waiting period measured in, for example, time or blocks of data, the network connected device may submit data for inclusion in the distributed ledger. If the announcement message and preceding data in the distributed ledger satisfy a predetermined condition, the plurality of network connected devices may include the data in the distributed ledger. If the network connected device fails to submit the data when the predetermined condition is satisfied, the announcement message may be canceled.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to providing a notification based on breaching a plurality of geo-fence perimeters. An embodiment detects a breach related to the plurality of geo-fence perimeters, the breach corresponding to a breach of one of the plurality of geo-fence perimeters, records the breach as one of a plurality of breaches, determines whether the plurality of breaches meet one or more conditions, and if the plurality of breaches meet the condition, issues a notification.

Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to techniques that may reduce power consumption and improve user experience when using a personal navigation device or other mobile device to navigate along familiar routes or road segments. In particular, in response to a current position associated with the device corresponding to a familiar road segment (e.g., based on an index indicating how often the road segment was previously traversed), voice assistance and a display may be disabled and/or a frequency at which a receiver acquires signals to determine the current position may be reduced. Furthermore, a navigation application executing on the device may be automatically exited if the familiar road segment further includes a route destination. In other use cases, road segment familiarity and travel histories may be used in route planning, managing incoming calls or messages, and media playback, among other things.

Abstract: Method, computer program product, and apparatus for providing navigation guidance to vehicles are disclosed. In some implementations, a navigation device can be configured to determine a dynamic speed limit for a vehicle based on the location of the vehicle in a road segment, and displays the dynamic speed limit in a display of the navigation device.

Abstract: Various embodiments include methods implemented on a mobile communication device for using a contact-based predictive response database on a communication device. The methods include determining communication context information from a communication exchange between a user using the communication device and a contact, selecting a predictive response database associated with the contact, determining a suggested communication element from the predictive response database based on a prior communication element identified from the communication exchange and the communication context information, and providing the suggested communication element to the user.

Abstract: Methods, devices, systems, and non-transitory process-readable storage media for a computing device to reversibly obfuscate contents of a digital file includes generating a binary string by applying a shared hash function to a public filename of the digital file. The method may include subdividing the digital file into a first plurality of data segments corresponding to one of a number of bits represented by the generated binary string and a file size of the digital file, shuffling the first plurality of data segments using a shared, looping shuffle algorithm. Each shuffling operation of the shared, looping shuffle algorithm may use a different bit of the generated binary string in a predefined first sequence. The shuffled first plurality of data segments may be combined to obtain a shuffled digital file. A reverse of the method may be performed to obtain the original digital file.

Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods employing embedded barcodes to convey supplemental information about an image, for example a motion picture. In some systems the barcodes may be subliminal because they are spliced, physically or digitally, into a movie frame shown too briefly to be consciously detectable to the human eye, but still detectable by camera sensors. Other described systems may display the barcodes in infrared or ultraviolet light, which is outside of the visible spectrum of light perceived by the human eye, but still detectable by camera sensors.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure are related to a method for verifying whether a message was digitally signed by a user. The example method comprises: receiving a public key of a public-key signature scheme and one or more pieces of plaintext identification information associated with the user; applying a hash scheme to a combination of the public key and the one or more pieces of plaintext identification information, the hash scheme yielding a hash result; determining whether the hash result satisfies one or more criteria; determining whether the public key is associated with the user based on the determination of whether the hash result satisfies the one or more criteria; and verifying a digital signature of the message with the public key.

Abstract: Aspects of the invention are related to a method for determining whether a transaction message of a digital currency system is valid. The exemplary method comprises: receiving the transaction message, the transaction message referencing in an input a previous output associated with a timeout value; determining whether a time as specified by the timeout value has passed; determining that the transaction message is valid in response to determining that the time as specified by the timeout value has not passed; and collecting the transaction message into a block of a block chain in response to determining that the transaction message is valid.

Abstract: Method, computer program product, and apparatus for providing navigation guidance to vehicles are disclosed. The method may include receiving crowdsourcing data from at least one vehicle, determining the parking information based on one or more locations visited by the at least one vehicle, after the at least one vehicle has reached a destination, and providing the parking information to the at least one vehicle. The crowdsourcing data includes on board diagnostics data (OBD) correlated with time stamps and GPS locations of the at least one vehicle, where the on board diagnostics data includes odometer information, speedometer information, fuel consumption information, steering information, and impact data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is presented for revoking cryptographic keys within a distributed ledger system in which no central trusted authority is available, consisting of sending a key revocation message by a network connected device to other network connected devices over a peer-to-peer network for inclusion in a ledger. In one embodiment the revocation message is signed using a private key of a public/private key pair to be revoked. In another embodiment an authorization for future revocation of the public/private key pair by a plurality of other public/private keys is sent for inclusion in the ledger, and subsequently the key revocation message is signed with one of the private keys of the plurality of public/private key pairs before sending the key revocation message. Once a valid key revocation message is included in the ledger, any future request to include a message signed by the revoked cryptographic key is rejected.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing and obtaining a geo-fence without a network download are disclosed. An embodiment generates geo-fence parameters and encodes the geo-fence parameters on a portable storage media, wherein the geo-fence parameters are transferred to a location-enabled mobile device when the location-enabled mobile device scans the portable storage media. An embodiment scans, by a location-enabled mobile device, a portable storage media, wherein the portable storage media stores geo-fence parameters, and wherein scanning the portable storage media transfers the geo-fence parameters to the location-enabled mobile device. An embodiment includes a non-transitory portable storage media comprising geo-fence parameters, including a perimeter of a geo-fence and one or more alert conditions associated with the perimeter of the geo-fence, wherein scanning the portable storage media transfers the geo-fence parameters to a location-enabled mobile device.