Methods and apparatus to sense and protect against liquid in contact with a mobile electronic device

• US 10,200,074 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kreiner, Barrett M., Schaub, Ryan, Spell, Randall S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgdorf, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US15/432,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20170163307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 34053927
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/20 responsive to moisture
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/23 Indication means, e.g. displays, alarms, audible means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

Example methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable storage media are provided to sense and protect against liquid in contact with a mobile electronic device. An example method includes determining, with one or more of a plurality of liquid sensors, that liquid has come into contact with at least one of an internal surface of a mobile electronic device and an external surface of a mobile electronic device. In response to the determining that liquid has come into contact with the at least one of an internal surface of a mobile electronic device and an external surface of a mobile electronic device, the method includes informing a user of the mobile electronic device that the mobile electronic device has come into contact with the liquid, and sealing a port of the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining based on outputs of a plurality of liquid sensors that liquid has come into contact with an interior portion of a mobile electronic device and an exterior portion of the mobile electronic device, at least some of the plurality of liquid sensors disposed within the interior portion of the mobile electronic device and at least some of the plurality of liquid sensors disposed on the exterior portion of the mobile electronic device;

in response to the determining, based on one or more of the outputs of the plurality of liquid sensors, that liquid has come into contact with the interior portion of the mobile electronic device, informing a user, via a first notification, that the interior portion of the mobile electronic device has come into contact with the liquid;

in response to determining, based on one or more of the outputs of the plurality of liquid sensors, that liquid has come into contact with the exterior portion of the mobile electronic device, informing the user, via a second notification, that the exterior portion of the mobile electronic device has come into contact with the liquid, the first and second notifications being at least one of displayed messages or speaker-emitted messages; and

sealing a port of the mobile electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sealing of the port includes blocking the port with a material that swells, the material that swells included in the mobile electronic device and adjacent to the port of the mobile electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

shutting down the mobile electronic device in response to determining that the liquid has come into contact with the interior portion of the mobile electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, further including generating an alert notification indicating that the mobile electronic device is shutting down.

5. The method of claim 3, further including notifying a service provider that the mobile electronic device is shutting down.

6. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

a first liquid sensor to sense liquid at least one of adjacent to or in contact with an external surface of the mobile electronic device;

a second liquid sensor to sense the liquid at least one of adjacent to or in contact with an internal surface of the mobile electronic device;

a port;

a seal responsive to the liquid to seal the port;

a processor; and

a memory including machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

in response to liquid sensing data supplied by the first liquid sensor, the liquid sensing data supplied by the first liquid sensor indicating that the external surface is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing a user of the mobile electronic device, via a first notification, that the external surface of the mobile electronic device has been exposed to the liquid; and

in response to liquid sensing data supplied by the second liquid sensor, the liquid sensing data supplied by the second liquid sensor indicating that the internal surface is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing the user of the mobile electronic device, via a second notification, that the internal surface of the mobile electronic device has been exposed to the liquid, the first and second notifications being at least one of displayed messages or speaker-emitted messages.

7. The mobile electronic device of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

shutting down the mobile electronic device in response to determining that liquid is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with the internal surface of the mobile electronic device.

8. The mobile electronic device of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise generating an alert notification indicating that the mobile electronic device is shutting down.

9. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

a first liquid sensor to sense liquid that is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with an external surface of the mobile electronic device;

a second liquid sensor to sense the liquid at least one of adjacent to or in contact with an internal surface of the mobile electronic device;

a port;

a seal responsive to the liquid to seal the port, wherein the seal is a material that is to swell and is positioned adjacent the port;

a processor; and

a memory including machine readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

in response to liquid sensing data supplied by at least one of the first liquid sensor or the second liquid sensor, the liquid sensing data indicating that at least one of the external surface or the internal surface is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing a user of the mobile electronic device that the mobile electronic device has been exposed to the liquid.

10. A non-transitory tangible computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a mobile electronic device to perform operations comprising:

in response to liquid sensing data indicating that an external surface of the mobile electronic device is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing a user of the mobile electronic device, via a first notification, that the external surface of the mobile electronic device has come into contact with liquid;

in response to liquid sensing data indicating that an internal surface of the mobile electronic device is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing the user of the mobile electronic device, via a second notification, that the internal surface of the mobile electronic device has come into contact with liquid, the first and second notifications being at least one of displayed messages or speaker-emitted messages;

and

sealing a port of the mobile electronic device.

11. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the operations further include shutting down the mobile electronic device in response to determining that liquid is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with the internal surface of the mobile electronic device.

12. The non-transitory tangible computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further include generating an alert notification indicating that the mobile electronic device is shutting down.

13. A non-transitory tangible computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a mobile electronic device to perform operations comprising:

in response to liquid sensing data indicating that an external surface of the mobile electronic device and an internal surface of the mobile electronic device are at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing a user of the mobile electronic device that the internal surface and the external surface of the mobile electronic device have come into contact with liquid; and

sealing a port of the mobile electronic device wherein the sealing of the port includes causing a material adjacent the port to swell.

14. A non-transitory tangible computer readable medium including instructions which, when executed, cause a mobile electronic device to perform operations comprising:

in response to liquid sensing data indicating that at least one of an external surface of the mobile electronic device or an internal surface of the mobile electronic device is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with liquid, informing a user of the mobile electronic device that the mobile electronic device has come into contact with liquid;

sealing a port of the mobile electronic device;

generating an alert notification indicating that the mobile electronic device is shutting down in response to determining that liquid is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with the internal surface of the mobile electronic device, the alert notification transmitted to at least one of a service provider, an emergency responder or an emergency contact; and

after generating the alert notification, shutting down the mobile electronic device in response to determining that liquid is at least one of adjacent to or in contact with the internal surface of the mobile electronic device.