Mobile device accessory with separate component for control or alert

• US 10,111,079 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2017
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Katana Safety, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Katana Safety, Inc.
• Inventors: Baldree, Todd W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/642,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20180014172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 4555756, 4554041, 4554042, 455521, 4554141, 455 412, 4555751
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1463 Physical arrangements, e.g. housings devices to prevent theft or loss of purses, luggage or hand carried bags A45C13/18
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0213 System disabling if a separation threshold is exceeded disabling electrical appliances in case of unplugging G08B13/1409
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0286 Tampering or removal detection of the child unit from child or article
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3861 carried in a hand or on fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a mobile device accessory includes a housing defining an attachment surface that is configured to engage a mobile device, a wearable component configured to be worn by a user of the mobile device, a separation detector configured to detect separation of the wearable component relative to the housing, and provide a signal when the wearable component becomes separated from the housing, and an alarm device configured to activate in response to the signal. Alternatively, the mobile device accessory may be a standalone device not designed to be attached to a mobile device.

Claims

1. A mobile device accessory, comprising:

a housing defining an attachment surface that is configured to mechanically engage a mobile device;

a connectivity sensor comprising a removable connector and configured to indicate a loss of connectivity when the removable connector is at least partially removed by pulling an attached tether or by using a fingernail slot in the removable connector; and

,

an alarm device disposed in the housing and configured to activate in response to an indication, by the connectivity sensor, of a loss of connectivity, wherein activation of the alarm device causes an audible alert to be emitted from the mobile device accessory, and a software application to be executed on the mobile device.

2. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the user activation mechanism is configured to at least partly release from the housing when the user input mechanism exceeds a predetermined separation distance from the housing.

3. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the attached tether has a predetermined length configured to mechanically attach to the removable connector, and configured to mechanically open the removable connector, at least in part, when a distance between the user activation mechanism and the removable connector exceeds the predetermined length.

4. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, further comprising a wearable component having a wireless transmitter configured to transmit a wireless tether signal, and the connectivity sensor further comprises a wireless receiver configured to receive the wireless tether signal at a received signal strength that is representative of a distance between the wireless transmitter and the housing, and detect separation of the wearable component from the housing based on a comparison of the received signal strength to a predetermined signal strength defining a predetermined separation distance.

5. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the software application comprises instructions stored in a memory device of the mobile device, that when executed by a data processing apparatus of the mobile device cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

sending, in response to the detection that the connectivity sensor has been activated, a communication to one or more recipients.

6. The mobile device accessory of claim 5, the operations further comprising determining, by the mobile device, a location of the mobile device, wherein the communication includes location data that is descriptive of the determined location.

7. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, further comprising a user activation mechanism configured to be activated by a user of the mobile device accessory, wherein the alarm device is further configured to activate in response to movement of the user activation mechanism along a predefined non-linear path.

8. The mobile device accessory of claim 7, wherein the user activation mechanism comprises a button integrated with the housing.

9. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the removable connector comprises a component that is at least partially separable from the mobile device accessory.

10. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein a surface of the housing defines a groove formed about the periphery of the housing and sized to accommodate storage of the attached tether.

11. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the housing defines a recess sized to accommodate the removable connector, and the removable connector is configured to be substantially flush with the housing when the removable connector is inserted.

12. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the attachment surface comprises an adhesive pad configured to adhesively engage the housing to the mobile device.

13. The mobile device accessory of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises four or more slanted sides extending between the attachment surface and an outer surface of the housing, and four or more rounded corners, wherein the slanted sides and the rounded corners provide an angular profile.

14. A mobile device accessory comprising:

(a) a housing defining an attachment surface that is configured to engage a mobile device, the engagement including both a physical attachment to the mobile device and a communications connection to the mobile device for controlling operation of the mobile device;

(b) a connectivity sensor comprising a removable connector and configured to indicate a loss of connectivity when the removable connector is opened by pulling an attached tether or using a fingernail slot; and

(c) control circuitry to control operation of the mobile device accessory, the control circuitry configured to perform operations comprising;

(i) detect an indication, by the connectivity sensor, of a loss of connectivity; and

(ii) in response to the detection, cause an audible alert to be emitted from the mobile device accessory, and a software application to be executed on the mobile device.

15. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein the communications connection to the mobile device comprises a wireless connection.

16. The mobile device accessory of claim 15, wherein the wireless connection comprises a BLUETOOTH connection.

17. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein controlling operation of the mobile device comprises communicating with a software application executing on the mobile device.

18. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein the control circuitry comprises a processor and a memory containing machine instructions to be executed by the processor.

19. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, further comprising a user activation mechanism configured to be activated by a user of the mobile device accessory and comprising a pull tab component physically connected to the mobile device accessory and configured to at least partly release from the housing by the user of the mobile device accessory, wherein the alarm device is further configured to activate in response to user activation of the user activation mechanism.

20. The mobile device accessory of claim 19, wherein the user activation mechanism comprises a button integrated with the housing.

21. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein detecting that the user activation mechanism has been activated comprises detecting at least partial opening of the removable connector.

22. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein the attached tether is mechanically coupled to the removable connector.

23. The mobile device accessory of claim 22, wherein detecting that the user activation mechanism has been activated comprises detecting that the removable connector has been at least partly opened when a wearable component of the tether has moved away from the removable connector by distance that exceeds a length of the tether.

24. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein the software application, when executed on the mobile device, causes the mobile device to perform one or more of the following operations:

initiating a communication with another communication device, activating a camera on mobile device, activating a microphone on the mobile device, emitting an audible sound, or turning on location detector.

25. The mobile device accessory of claim 24, wherein initiating a communication with another communication device comprises sending one or more predetermined messages to one or more predetermined recipients.

26. The mobile device accessory of claim 25, wherein the predetermined message comprises one or more of:

a distress message, positioning coordinates, audio captured by mobile device, and video captured by the mobile device.

27. The mobile device accessory of claim 24, wherein initiating a communication with another communication device comprises initiating one or more of:

a telephone call, an email, and a text message.

28. The mobile device accessory of claim 14, wherein removable connector comprises a component that is at least partially separable from the mobile device accessory.

29. A mobile device accessory comprising:

(a) a communication mechanism configured to physically engage a mobile device configured to maintain a wireless communications connection between the mobile device accessory and the mobile device for controlling operation of the mobile device;

(b) a connectivity sensor comprising a removable connector and configured to indicate a loss of connectivity when the removable connector is opened by pulling an attached tether or using a fingernail slot; and

(c) a control circuit configured to control operation of the mobile device accessory, the control circuit at least partly disposed within the communication mechanism and configured to perform operations comprising;

(i) detect an indication, by the connectivity sensor, of a loss of connectivity; and

(ii) in response to the detection, cause an audible alert to be emitted from the mobile device accessory, and a software application to be executed on the mobile device.

30. The mobile device accessory of claim 29 further comprising an alarm mechanism configured to provide the audible alert as a human-perceptible alarm in response to a detection that the user has activated the alarm mechanism.

31. The mobile device accessory of claim 29 further comprising an activation mechanism integrated with the housing and configured to be activated by a user of the mobile device accessory and comprising a button that is pressable by the user, or a user activation mechanism that is configured to be activated by the user, or both, and wherein the activation mechanism is caused to be activated upon either of a button press or at least a partial physical release of the user activation mechanism from the mobile device accessory and the alarm device is further configured to activate in response to user activation of the user activation mechanism.