Method and system for providing information about a communications device

• US 20050130666A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gray, Robert C., Barros, Mark A., Levy, Rami C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/14 between corresponding nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

The invention concerns a method (300) of providing information about a communications device. The method includes the steps of establishing (312) a communications connection between a first mobile communications unit (128) and at least a second mobile communications unit (130), transmitting (314) from the first mobile communications unit to the second mobile communications unit a condition of at least one operational parameter of the first mobile communications unit and informing (316) a user of the second mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit. The operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit can include a signal strength, a battery level, a location, an audio configuration, an alert configuration, a conference indicator and a phone type indicator.

Claims

1. A method of providing information about a communications device, comprising the steps of:

establishing a communications connection between a first mobile communications unit and at least a second mobile communications unit;

transmitting from the first mobile communications unit to the second mobile communications unit a condition of at least one operational parameter of the first mobile communications unit; and

informing a user of the second mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting from the second mobile communications unit to the first mobile communications unit a condition of at least one operational parameter of the second mobile communications unit; and

informing a user of the first mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the second mobile communications unit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit are at least one of a signal strength, a battery level, a location, an audio configuration, an alert configuration, a conference indicator and a phone type indicator.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting step comprises the step of selectively transmitting from the first mobile communications unit to the second mobile communications unit the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit such that the conditions of only selected operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit are transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said establishing step comprises the step of establishing the communications connection between the first mobile communications unit, the second mobile communications unit and a network, wherein the network selects the operational parameters whose condition is transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first mobile communications unit selects the operational parameters whose condition is transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said informing step comprises the step of informing the user of the second mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit by at least one of displaying at least one icon, broadcasting at least one audio tone and causing the second mobile communications unit to vibrate, wherein the icons, audio tones and vibrations correspond to the transmitted conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the icons, the audio tones and the vibrations are distinguishable from any second icons, audio tones and vibrations that are used to display, broadcast and inform a user of a condition of operational parameters of the second mobile communications unit.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters are transmitted over a control channel.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters are transmitted at periodic intervals and only if the conditions of the operational parameters have changed from a previous transmission.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of modifying the conditions of the operational parameters to enable the second mobile communications unit to process the conditions of the operational parameters.

12. A system for providing information about a communications device, comprising:

a first mobile communications unit having at least one operational parameter; and

a second mobile communications unit, wherein a communications connection is established between the first and second mobile communications units and at least one condition of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit is transmitted from the first mobile communications unit to the second mobile communications unit, wherein the second mobile communications unit has a user interface for informing a user of the second mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first mobile communications unit has a user interface and the second mobile communications unit has at least one operational parameter, wherein a condition of the operational parameters of the second mobile communications unit is transmitted from the second mobile communications unit to the first mobile communications unit, wherein the first mobile communications unit through the first mobile communications unit user interface informs a user of the first mobile communications unit of the conditions of the second mobile communications unit.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit are at least one of a signal strength, a battery level, a location, an audio configuration, an alert configuration, a conference indicator and a phone type indicator.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit are selectively transmitted from the first mobile communications unit to the second mobile communications unit such that the conditions of only selected operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit are transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a communications network, wherein the communication network selects the operational parameters whose condition is transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the first mobile communications unit has a processor programmed to select the operational parameters whose condition is transmitted to the second mobile communications unit.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the user interface is at least one of a speaker, a display and a vibrator motor, wherein the second mobile communications unit informs the user of the second mobile communications unit of the conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit by displaying at least one icon on the display, by broadcasting on the speaker at least one audio tone and by generating a vibration through the vibrator motor, wherein the icons, the audio tones and the vibrations correspond to the transmitted conditions of the operational parameters of the first mobile communications unit.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the icons, the audio tones and the vibrations are distinguishable from any second icons, audio tones and vibrations that are used to display, broadcast and inform a user of a condition of operational parameters of the second mobile communications unit.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters are transmitted over a control channel.

21. The system according to claim 12, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters are transmitted at periodic intervals and only if the conditions of the operational parameters have changed from a previous transmission.

22. The system according to claim 12, wherein the conditions of the operational parameters are modified to enable the second mobile communications unit to process the conditions of the operational parameters.