Patents Issued in August 1, 2017
  • Patent number: 9723409
    Abstract: A vehicle audio system includes a vehicle panel having an inner surface and an outer surface defining an exterior surface of the vehicle. A transducer is mounted to the vehicle panel being configured to be connected to and operated by an amplifier. The transducer has a base mounted to the vehicle panel and causes the vehicle panel to vibrate and create an audio output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Matthew Adam Smearcheck, Andrew T. Goeppner, David Bryant
  • Patent number: 9723410
    Abstract: A speaker assembly includes a shellpot for receiving a speaker motor, the shellpot including an upstanding rim on an upper portion of the shellpot, and speaker basket including a base portion having an opening therein for receiving the shellpot. An insert member is disposed adjacent the speaker basket and the rim, wherein a plurality of sections of the rim are displaced to abut the insert member and couple the shellpot to the speaker basket. A method of assembling the speaker assembly is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: David J. Sell
  • Patent number: 9723411
    Abstract: A piezoelectric speaker driving system includes a band splitter, a plurality of gain producers, an adder, a piezoelectric speaker, a sound compensator and a gain-adjusting device. The band splitter receives a first audio signal and splits the first audio signal into band signals. The gain producers gain the band signals respectively. The adder receives the gained band signals to generate a second audio signal. The piezoelectric speaker outputs a sound according to the second audio signal. The sound compensator analyzes a sound pressure level of the sound to generate a control signal. The gain-adjusting device adjusts the gains of the gain producers according to the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Jin-Chern Chiou, Tzu-Sen Yang, Yuan-Chen Liu
  • Patent number: 9723412
    Abstract: The present invention provides a speaker system comprising: an electroacoustic converter film composed of a polymeric composite piezoelectric body in which piezoelectric body particles are dispersed in a viscoelastic matrix formed of a polymer material that exhibits viscoelasticity at normal temperature, and thin film electrodes formed on both surfaces of the polymeric composite piezoelectric body; and a driving circuit that attenuates signal intensity of an input signal from a signal source at a rate of 5 dB to 7 dB per octave and supplies the attenuated input signal to the electroacoustic converter film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tetsu Miyoshi
  • Patent number: 9723413
    Abstract: A binaural hearing aid system includes: a first hearing aid having a first microphone, a first processing unit, a first receiver, and a first communication unit; and a second hearing aid having a second microphone, a second processing unit, a second receiver, and a second communication unit; wherein the first communication unit of the first hearing aid is configured to transmit a filtered signal for reception by the second communication unit of the second hearing aid in response to a signal associated with a phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: GN Hearing A/S
    Inventors: Andrew Burke Dittberner, Erik Cornelis Diederik Van Der Werf
  • Patent number: 9723414
    Abstract: A method performs signal processing in a binaural hearing device that has first and second hearing aids with first and second microphones producing first and second signals and with first and second sound generators. The first and second signals ascertain a direction of a main sound source. A deviation in the direction from a frontal direction prompts the hearing aid that is closer to the main sound source to be defined as the local hearing aid and the hearing aid that is more remote from the main sound source to be a remote hearing aid. The local hearing aid, in one frequency band, filters the first signal using an angle-dependent first filter factor, and thus produces a first filtered signal. The first signal, the second signal and/or the direction of the main sound source is used for determining an adaptation coefficient, a first adapted signal and a local directional characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Homayoun Kamkar-Parsi, Eghart Fischer
  • Patent number: 9723415
    Abstract: A new hearing aid system is provided that facilitates determination of listening performance of a user of the hearing aid system and adjustment of a hearing aid for improved listening performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventors: Karl-Fredrik Johan Gran, Aalbert De Vries
  • Patent number: 9723416
    Abstract: A hearing assistance device including a housing, a user manipulatable control element, and a printed circuit board having a flexible substrate, sound processor circuitry on the flexible substrate, and a variable resistor that is an integral part of the printed circuit board and/or is secured to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Advanced Bionics AG
    Inventor: John Y. Babico
  • Patent number: 9723417
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for inputting audiogram using a touch input are provided. An audiogram input apparatus includes: an input receiver configured to receive a touch input from a user; a data processor configured to generate an audiogram corresponding to the touch input; and a display unit configured to display the generated audiogram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong Min Choi, Yun Seo Ku, Jun Il Sohn, Dong Wook Kim, Jun Whon Uhm, Sang Wook Kim, Jong Jin Kim, Jong Hee Han
  • Patent number: 9723418
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for providing media content based on playback zone awareness. In one aspect a server associated with a service provider may be configured to receive zone data identifying a name of a zone associated with a playback device, identify, based on the zone data, media content based on the zone data, and provide the media content to the playback device. In another aspect, a playback device may be configured to associate the playback device with a zone, and provide to a service provider zone data identifying a name of the zone associated with the playback device. In yet another aspect, a controller device may be configured to receive an input identifying a playback zone, and sending to a service provider, a message including zone data identifying the playback zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Kristen Bender, Ron Kuper
  • Patent number: 9723419
    Abstract: Provided are a system and method for evaluating sound system performance, comprising: representing an audience space is represented on a surface of a sphere. The sphere has a center that is substantially collocated with a center of a sound system. An efficiency of the sound system is calculated by determining an amount of energy produced by the sound system that reaches the audience space projected onto the sphere relative to a total amount of energy produced by the sound system. A metric is generated for a function by normalizing the efficiency by a ratio of an area of the audience space relative to a total area of the sphere to produce a score for the performance of the sound system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Michael Monks
  • Patent number: 9723420
    Abstract: A system and method for measuring the performance of a plurality of transducers integrated in one or more loudspeakers is described. The method simultaneously drives each transducer to emit sounds corresponding to distinct orthogonal test signals. A listening device senses sounds produced by the orthogonal test signals and analyzes the sensed audio signal to determine the performance of each transducer. By using orthogonal test signals, the multiple transducers may be measured and/or characterized simultaneously and with limited affect from extraneous noises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Afrooz Family, Tom-Davy Saux, Martin E. Johnson
  • Patent number: 9723421
    Abstract: A method for controlling an electronic device is provided. The method for controlling an electronic device includes operating a first microphone and a second microphone; receiving a first voice signal picked up by the first microphone and a second voice signal picked up by the second microphone; selecting at least one voice signal; storing the selected at least one voice signal; and sending the second voice signal picked up by the second microphone to a communication module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Sooji Hwang, Kyungtae Kim
  • Patent number: 9723422
    Abstract: The application relates to an audio processing system and a method of processing a noisy (e.g. reverberant) signal comprising first (v) and optionally second (w) noise signal components and a target signal component (x), the method comprising a) Providing or receiving a time-frequency representation Yi(k,m) of a noisy audio signal yi at an ith input unit, i=1, 2, . . . , M, where M?2; b) Providing (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Jesper Jensen, Adam Kuklasiński
  • Patent number: 9723423
    Abstract: An acoustic transducer has a back plate having a fixed electrode, a diaphragm that is opposed to the back plate with a gap interposed therebetween and that serves as a movable electrode, and a stopper protruding from a face of the back plate or the diaphragm, which is on a side of the gap. The stopper includes a conductive section electrically isolated from the fixed electrode and the movable electrode. The conductive section comes in contact with a front face of the fixed electrode or the movable electrode opposed to the stopper through deformation of the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: OMRON Corporation
    Inventor: Yuki Uchida
  • Patent number: 9723424
    Abstract: Audio signals are recorded with microphones receiving acoustic information from one or more directions. The corresponding audio signals can be pre-listened to in production studios. However, Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) audio signals are matrixed in such a way that the matrixing prevents listening to the matrixed sound signals without dematrixing the matrixed sound signals. For enabling a sound engineer to listen to such a matrixed signal without full HOA decoding, an informative audio signal is added together with related side information data at encoding side to a selected part of the matrixed signal. This informative audio signal is removed before the inverse matrixing process at decoding side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventor: Jens Spille
  • Patent number: 9723425
    Abstract: Improved methods and devices for processing low-frequency audio data are provided. A bass extraction process may involve applying low-pass filters to received audio object signals, to produce extracted low-frequency audio signals. The bass extraction process may be performed prior to a process of rendering audio objects into speaker feed signals. A bass management process may involve routing the extracted low-frequency audio signals to the one or more speakers capable of reproducing low-frequency audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: David Matthew Fischer, Timothy James Eggerding, Eugene Edward Radzik, Adam Christopher Noel, David S. McGrath
  • Patent number: 9723426
    Abstract: A wireless communication device may include a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card configured to store a subscriber profile. The wireless communication device may further include logic configured to detect attachment to a wireless access network; detect a non-activated Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card; receive a Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) message from the wireless access network; retrieve subscription status information for the SIM card from the received PCO message; determine whether the SIM card has a valid subscription based on the retrieved subscription status information; and instruct the SIM card not to initiate an activation process with a SIM Over-the-air (OTA) system, in response to determining that the SIM card does not have a valid subscription.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventors: Taussif Khan, Zhengfang Chen, Warren Hojilla Uy, Ruben Cuadrat
  • Patent number: 9723427
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system including an audio playing apparatus which includes a memory, a wireless communication unit and a controller. The memory stores first data including at least one music information. The wireless communication unit receives, from an exterior, second data including at least one music information. The controller forms an integrated music list using the first and second data. In the audio playing apparatus, the controller performs a control method including comparing a plurality of music information constituting the first and second data; extracting overlapping music information included in the first and second data; and selecting one music information from the pair of overlapping music information. Thus, a user can more easily form a desired music list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Sangyeop Lee, Jooeun Lee, Pilyoung Noh, Jeanhee Jeon
  • Patent number: 9723428
    Abstract: An Internet-of-Things (IoT) system for public transportation service and a method of operating the same are disclosed. The IoT system includes on-vehicle devices, a management server, a plurality of bus stop access points (APs), and a wired/wireless bus stop access point (AP) communication network. The on-vehicle devices are mounted within a bus, i.e., a public transportation means. The management server is connected to the bus over an Internet, i.e., a wireless communication means. The plurality of bus stop APs are short distance communication APs, and are each provided in each bus stop at which the bus stops and configured to enable information to be exchanged between the bus stop and the bus. The wired/wireless bus stop AP communication network connects the plurality of bus stop APs. The management server performs Internet access processing to connect the bus stop AP communication network and an external terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Jung-Soo Park, Yong-Geun Hong, Myung-Ki Shin
  • Patent number: 9723429
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for processing notification messages in a machine-to-machine (M2M) system and devices for same, the method comprising the steps of: processing by an M2M device one or more notification messages; and transmitting the processed notification message(s), wherein: the one or more notification messages are generated as an originator device detects a change in the resources to subscribe to comprising, as a child resource, a subscription resource configured in the originator device; the one or more notification messages comprise implementation information configured based on the policy information configured in the originator device for the processing of the one or more notification messages; the one or more notification messages are processed based on the implementation information; the one or more processed notification messages are transmitted comprising the implementation information; and the subscription resource and the resources to subscribe to exhibit a data structure
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Heedong Choi, Seungkyu Park, Seongyun Kim, Hongbeom Ahn, Seungmyeong Jeong
  • Patent number: 9723430
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method, carried out by one or more processors, for vehicle to vehicle communication. In an embodiment, the method comprises the steps of receiving a first message selection, where the first message selection includes at least information associated with a road hazard. The method further comprises identifying a first directional RFID communicator of a first vehicle with a second directional RFID communicator of a second vehicle. The method further comprises, responsive to identifying the first directional RFID communicator of the first vehicle, sending the first message selection to the first directional RFID communicator from the second directional RFID communicator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James E. Bostick, John M. Ganci, Jr., Arvind Singh, Kimberly G. Starks
  • Patent number: 9723431
    Abstract: A close proximity wireless connection is initiated between a first device and a second device, and a channel configuration module sends first data over the wireless connection to advertise one or more supported channel configurations of the first device to the second device, and receives second data over the wireless connection. The second data is to advertise one or more supported channel configurations of the second device to the first device. A particular one of a plurality of modes of the first device is determined to be used in communications with the second device over the close proximity wireless connection based on the first and second data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Sridharan Ranganathan
  • Patent number: 9723432
    Abstract: An information providing system provides delivery information using identification information of an object equipped with a wireless communication function. The information providing system includes a registering unit that registers in advance first link information linking the identification information of the object to the delivery information; a generating unit that generates second link information linking the identification information of the object to delivery information different from the delivery information of the first link information, based on the identification information of the object and identification information of a plurality of information terminals, acquired by communication with the information terminals, which can communicate with the object; and an information providing unit that delivers the delivery information linked by the second link information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Fujii, Tsutomu Kawase, Yoshiaki Nishizaki, Yuichiro Ueda
  • Patent number: 9723433
    Abstract: A medical monitoring and communication system for wireless communication between an implantable medical device, a mobile user device, and a remote server includes a sensor device coupled to the implantable medical device. The sensor device is configured to default to a master mode prior to pairing with the mobile user device, listen for a request to connect from the mobile user device, refrain from communicating with the mobile user device responsive to the request to connect from the mobile user device being invalid, and switch to a slave mode to allow cooperative pairing with the mobile user device responsive to the request to connect from the mobile user device being valid. The mobile user device facilitates communication between the sensor device and the remote server when the mobile user device and the sensor device are cooperatively paired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: SORIN CRM SAS
    Inventors: Javaid Masoud, David Amaoua
  • Patent number: 9723434
    Abstract: A portable information handling system multi-purposes a near field communication (NFC) antenna to detect object proximity of objects by interfacing a capacitive proximity processor with the NFC antenna and isolating the capacitive effects at the NFC antenna with a capacitive matching circuit disposed between the NFC antenna and an NFC transceiver. Comparison of the objects detected proximate the NFC antenna and proximate a conductive antenna provides a distinction of different types of objects, such as human forms versus a desktop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
    Inventors: Ching-Wei Chang, I-Yu Chen
  • Patent number: 9723435
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for transferring a file from a sending wireless device to a receiving wireless device in a short-range wireless system. A file to be sent to the receiving wireless device is selected on the sending wireless device. The sending wireless device has a device list of receiving wireless devices. If the receiving wireless device is absent on the device list, the sending wireless device searches and identifies new devices. A device among the identified new devices is selected as the receiving wireless device. A connection is established between the sending wireless device and the receiving wireless device; and the file is sent to the receiving wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: David Bukurak, Przemyslaw Abratowski, Kem-Laurin Kramer
  • Patent number: 9723436
    Abstract: A mobile device is associated with a mobile communications network. The mobile device comprises: a transmitter for sending a request, to the mobile communications network, for a secure location verification (LV) message; a receiver for receiving the requested LV message, wherein the LV message is digitally secured so as to enable a selected third party application program to verify an authenticity of the LV message, wherein the LV message comprises location data determined by the mobile communications network as representing a location of the mobile device and identification data for identifying the mobile device; and the transmitter for sending the received LV message to the third party application program so as to enable the third party application program to verify the location of the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bharat V. Bedi, Robert B. Nicholson
  • Patent number: 9723437
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for performing a positioning process utilizing wireless communication network reference signals. The method may include processing, by a mobile device with carrier aggregation, a voice call via a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), the processing of the call causing second RAT capabilities of the mobile device to go out of service. The method may also include obtaining assistance data that includes information for capturing reference signals of a wireless communications network suitable for performing a positioning process with the mobile device during the voice call over the first RAT. Furthermore, based on the obtained assistance data, the method may include searching for the reference signals using an available receiver of the mobile device to access the wireless communications network. The method may also include providing signal measurements generated from captured reference signals to a position determining entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Suresh Kumar Bitra, Arun Kumar Sharma Tandra, Ashwin Kumar Donthula, Bhaskara Batchu
  • Patent number: 9723438
    Abstract: Techniques for use in a wireless communication device for displaying a map are described. The device receives via a user interface a selection of a hypertext link object in an electronic file or message. The object is associated with a URL string which includes a server address and location data corresponding to a location. When a mapping application is installed in the device, the device executes the mapping application for rendering a map of the location in response to receiving the selection of the object. When the mapping application is not installed in the device, the device executes a web browser of the device for receiving and displaying a map image of the location in response to receiving the selection of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Jesse Boudreau, Ronald Anthony Dicke
  • Patent number: 9723439
    Abstract: Some demonstrative embodiments include apparatuses, systems and/or methods of Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) Geo-Fencing. For example, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to cause a Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN) device to process a plurality of geo-fencing parameters of a geofence from an application on the NAN device; and perform geo-fencing with another NAN device based on the geo-fencing parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: INTEL IP CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jonathan Segev, Emily H. Qi
  • Patent number: 9723440
    Abstract: An activity based, location aware content delivery system runs a content delivery process that operates to detect a current location of a mobile device user, and to identify a first instance of content corresponding to the current mobile device location. The instance of content is used to identify a priority activity the mobile device user was previously engaged in at another location that has a pointer to a second instance of media content that is sent to the mobile device user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: CUSEUM, Inc.
    Inventor: Brendan Ciecko
  • Patent number: 9723441
    Abstract: Location based on call detail record. The method includes: acquiring handover call detail record (HCDR) data and handover (HO) data corresponding to at least one cell transfer during a call; The HCDR data can include a start time, an end time, passed cells during the call; The HO data can include the HO time for each pair of adjacent cells among the passed cells during the call. The method can further include estimating the location of the subscriber based on the HCDR data and the HO data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Wei Shan Dong, Ning Duan, Min Gong, Yun Jie Qiu, Yu Wang, Chao Xue, Junchi Yan, Chao Zhang, Wei Zhao
  • Patent number: 9723442
    Abstract: Method and apparatus to analyze and present location information in an easy-to-digest manner are disclosed. In one embodiment, each piece of location information can include a piece of location-designating information and a piece of location-related information. Location-designating information is primarily for identifying location. Location-related information is information related to location-designating information. The location-designating information and the location-related information can be supplied by a mobile device. With the help of location-related information, each piece of location-designating information can be more accurately transformed into a label to help identify a location. The amount of location information can be reduced. All of the location-designating information pertaining to a given area can be consolidated into one piece of location-designating information related to the label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: IpVenture, Inc.
    Inventors: Chung Lau, Peter P. Tong, C. Douglass Thomas
  • Patent number: 9723443
    Abstract: Optimized delivery of locally applicable Internet content to users. A cache of locally applicable Internet content is maintained in a local content server, based upon a monitoring of locations of users requesting Internet content. Requests for Internet content are received from user equipment through a wireless network base station, and served from the local content server, which is logically proximate to the wireless network base station. The caching of locally applicable Internet content may be maintained on a layered basis. Secure action request receipt and corresponding performance, and item condition alerts are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Innovation Sciences Inc.
    Inventors: Tiehong Wang, Ximing Wang, Tiejun Wang
  • Patent number: 9723444
    Abstract: A position-determining apparatus, such as a GPS receiver, determines the position of the mobile device based on the time of flight of a transmitted probe signal using a method in which sections of the received signal is classified into two or more categories and accumulated according to categories before being used to compute the convolutions familiar in the context of a matched filter. Using the method of the present invention to compute the convolutions, and optionally applying additional time-saving techniques described herein, a position determination is achieved using a number of arithmetic operations that is significantly reduced from that required in prior art methods to compute the convolutions. The reduced number of arithmetic operations can reduce significantly the power consumption required of a device carrying out a method of the present invention, and thereby realizing a significant advantage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Inventor: Wensheng Hua
  • Patent number: 9723445
    Abstract: Interactions between users on mobile devices can be facilitated by making the users aware when other users have performed similar searches. In one embodiment, when two users executing a mapping application on a mobile device each perform a similar search in a similar geographic area, the server that receives and performs the search request can make each user aware of the other's presence, for example by displaying an icon indicating the other user on the mapping application. The search results may be refined to indicate search results in a geographic area common to the geographic search areas of each user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
    Inventor: David Gerard Ledet
  • Patent number: 9723446
    Abstract: Site location determination using crowd sourced propagation delay and location data is provided. A propagation delay component receives a set of propagation delay measurements for communications between a mobile device and an access point. A user equipment location component receives a location of the mobile device, and a combination component combines the set of propagation delay measurements and the location into a set of location data. An access point location component determines a set of intersecting locations between the set of location data and additional sets of location data, and determines a location of the access point based on the set of intersecting locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: AT&T MOBILITY II LLC
    Inventors: Jeremy Fix, Larry Fix, Sheldon Kent Meredith
  • Patent number: 9723447
    Abstract: A method for safely and efficiently requesting transportation services through the use of mobile communications devices capable of geographic location is described. Individual and package transportation may be provided. New customers may be efficiently serviced, and the requester and transportation provider locations may be viewed in real time on the mobile devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: airsMobile Inc.
    Inventors: Olaf Martin Lubeck, John H. Hall
  • Patent number: 9723448
    Abstract: A tracking device, a battery charger, and a tracking method thereof are provided. The method, adopted by a tracking device, includes: upon being attached to a battery charger, scanning, by the tracking device, for a first radio environment; and transmitting, by the tracking device, a request for setting the scanned first radio environment as a home zone to a monitoring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: AthenTek Incorporated
    Inventor: Chun-Nan Chen
  • Patent number: 9723450
    Abstract: A system to infer place data is disclosed that receives location data collected on a user's mobile electronic device, recognizes when, where and for how long the user makes stops, generates possible places visited, and predicts the likelihood of a user to visit those places.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Placed, Inc.
    Inventors: David Shim, Brad Bicknell, George Varghese, Nick Gerner, Weilie Yi
  • Patent number: 9723451
    Abstract: The present application relates to a method for providing location information of a terminal (30) and in a communication network (10). According to the method, a location information indicating a location of the terminal (30) in the communication network (10) is determined by the terminal (30). Furthermore, a time information indicating a time at which the terminal (30) is located at the location indicated by the location information is determined by the terminal (30). The location information and time information is transmitted by the terminal (30) to a base station (20) or to another terminal (30) of the communication network (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Rickard Ljung, Daniel Lönnblad
  • Patent number: 9723452
    Abstract: A method for predicting crowd formation based on movement of a plurality of mobile devices is provided. The method may include collecting a plurality of location data snapshots based on the plurality of mobile devices and a plurality of cell towers. The method may include determining a plurality of device positions based on the collected plurality of location data snapshots. The method may include determining a device movement direction based on the determined plurality of device positions. The method may include determining a device velocity based on the determined plurality of device positions. The method may include identifying a mobile device subset, whereby the mobile device subset converges on a convergence area. The method may include determining if the mobile device subset converging on the convergence area exceeds a threshold value. The method may include triggering a convergence response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: James C. Fletcher
  • Patent number: 9723453
    Abstract: Method, systems and devices for determining for performing enhanced location based trilateration include receiving location information (e.g., waypoints) from one or more external devices, determining the validity of the received location information, performing normalization operations to normalize the received location information, assigning an overall ranking and a device-specific ranking to the location information, and storing the validated and normalized location information in memory. The enhanced location based trilateration may also include selecting four locations (e.g., waypoints) from the memory based on a combination of the overall ranking and the device-specific ranking, and generating a final location value or waypoint based on a result of applying the four selected waypoints to a kalman filter. The output of the kalman filter may also be reported and/or used as the device's current location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Rivada Research, LLC
    Inventors: Clint Smith, Purnima Surampudi
  • Patent number: 9723454
    Abstract: A method for freight vehicle monitoring includes obtaining historical telecommunications data, performing vehicle location identification using the historical telecommunications data, wherein performing the vehicle location identification comprises using a machine learning based algorithm to determine one or more meaningful vehicle locations, identifying, based on the one or more meaningful vehicle locations, if one or more telecommunications devices are those of a freight vehicle occupant, and tracking a location of the one or more telecommunications devices identified as those of a freight vehicle occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ming Li, Milind R. Naphade, Sambit Sahu
  • Patent number: 9723455
    Abstract: A method of transmitting a multicast signal and a unicast signal simultaneously for a network of a wireless communication system comprises transmitting the multicast signal to at least one first communication device in the wireless communication system during a time interval via at least one first antenna of the network; transmitting the unicast signal to a communication device in the wireless communication system during the time interval via at least one second antenna of the network; and reducing interference caused by at least one of the multicast signal and the unicast signal, when transmitting the multicast signal and the unicast signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: ACER INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Hung-Yu Wei
  • Patent number: 9723456
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a broadcast signal transmitter. A broadcast signal transmitter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input formatting module configured to perform baseband formatting and to output the data of at least one Physical Layer Pipe (PLP), a BICM module configured to perform error-correction processing on the PLP data, a framing and interleaving module configured to interleave the PLP data and to generate a signal frame, and a waveform generation module configured to insert a preamble into the signal frame and to generate a broadcast signal by performing OFDM modulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jaehyung Kim, Woosuk Ko, Chulkyu Mun, Sungryong Hong
  • Patent number: 9723457
    Abstract: A vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication device manages a cluster including the V2V communication device and at least one of other V2V communication device. The V2V communication device determines a cluster description specifying one or more characteristics of the cluster indicates the cluster description over a cellular network to a network node. The network node receives the cluster description and, on the basis of the received cluster description, assigns to the cluster a set of resources for V2V communication. The network node sends a resource assignment over the cellular network to the V2V communication device. The resource assignment indicates the assigned set of resources. The V2V communication device receives the resource assignment and assigns resources from the set of resources to the V2V communication devices of the cluster. Further, the V2V communication device indicates the assigned resources to the at least one further V2V communication device of the cluster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
    Inventors: Nadia Brahmi, Shehzad Ali Ashraf
  • Patent number: 9723458
    Abstract: A method and system to provide ad-hoc push-to-talk calls between a plurality of users in a wireless packet data telecommunications network are described. The system may include: a wireless communication network including push-to-talk (PTT) functionality, with a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Proxy Server; a SIP Registrar and Location Server operable to store contact addresses of active mobile devices; a Realtime Transport Protocol (RTP) Media Gateway (PTT Server) operable to function as a call endpoint for each of a plurality of mobile devices wherein the plurality of mobile devices may be segmented into membership groups, the PTT Server further operable to multicast a communication from one member of the group to the other members of the group; and an Internet Protocol (IP) network interconnecting the SIP Proxy server, the SIP Registrar and Location Server, and the PTT Server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Denman, Sriram Parameswar, Barbara Derryberry
  • Patent number: 9723459
    Abstract: Architecture that enables alerts and notifications to have priorities and time/space durations. Non-critical alerts can be displayed in a non-obtrusive manner and alert/notifications coalesced. Alerts/notifications can be assigned priorities, thereby enabling the alerts/notifications to be non-intrusive to the user. Methods include detecting when the user is using a mobile phone (or other suitable device) and then sending the alert/notification in response to the detected use based on threshold criteria relative to an accumulated sum of alerts/notifications, and an importance level (e.g., of each). Additionally, alert/notification priority can be changed (e.g. elevated, lowered) according to time (when) and space (where), thereby enabling the user to be intrusively notified based on the level, even if not previously signaled. Time and space bounds (criteria) can be assigned to alerts/notifications for merger/grouping and/or set to be auto-dismissed if no longer applicable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Eran Yariv, Yair E. Geva, Fadi Haik