Realtime, location-based cell phone enhancements, uses, and applications

• US 20070032225A1
• Filed: 08/30/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Resight Limited
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Konicek, Steven Lisa
• Inventors: Konicek, Jeffrey, Lisa, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/56 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2816 Controlling appliance services of a home automation network by calling their functionalities arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station; in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1016 Telecontrol
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 : Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• 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 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 : in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 : via wireless transmission

Abstract

Enhancements of and to cell phone operations are based in whole or in part on determining the location of the cell phone. Systems and methods select and determine locations or areas of importance or relevance, and based on that information and other programmed factors affect or alter the operations of the cell phone. While the systems and methods are illustrated by use of cell phone embodiments and applications, they are equally applicable to virtually any portable or mobile communication device, including for example, wireless laptop computers and PDAs.

Claims

1. A method of automatically forwarding calls between a user'"'"'s mobile communication device and an alternative communication device, comprising:

(a) configuring the user'"'"'s mobile communication device with a location determining device and operating the location determining device to periodically identify the location of the user'"'"'s mobile communication device;

(b) configuring the user'"'"'s mobile communication device with user-defined preferences that;

(1) define at least one location that, if approached by the user'"'"'s mobile communicate device, will initiate a call forwarding operation from the user'"'"'s mobile communication device to the user'"'"'s alternative communication device, (2) include an identifier for the user'"'"'s alternative communication device to which the call will be forwarded, and

(c) if the location determining device determines that the user'"'"'s mobile communication device is within range of the user-defined location, automatically forwarding incoming calls intended for the user'"'"'s mobile communication device to the alternative communication device identified in the user defined preferences.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user defines multiple locations and multiple alternative communication devices, and further, wherein selected alternative communication devices are associated with specific defined geographic locations.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s mobile communication device is a cell phone, and the alternative communication device are selected from among:

land-line phones, computers configured with VoIP, pda'"'"'s, and other cell phones.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the location determining device comprises a GPS receiver operable to determine the GPS position of the user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the location determining device comprises a wireless network interface operable to determine whether the user'"'"'s mobile communication device is within operating range of a defined wireless computer network.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the user'"'"'s mobile communication device is a cell phone, and the alternative communication devices comprises a computer with VoIP capabilities operating on the defined wireless network.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising automatically transferring an existing call from the user'"'"'s cell phone to the VoIP capable computer operating on the defined wireless network without terminating the existing call.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transferring operation includes buffering voice data communications occurring in the call and transferring the buffered voice data to the VoIP capable computer operating on the defined wireless network.

9. A method of automatically adjusting the operating parameters of a user'"'"'s cell phone, comprising:

(a) configuring the user'"'"'s cell phone with a location determining device;

(b) configuring the user'"'"'s cell phone with user-defined operating parameters that differ depending on the location of the cell phone;

(c) operating the location determining device to periodically identify the location of the user'"'"'s cell phone; and

(d) automatically switching the operating parameters of the cell phone depending on the currently identified location of the user'"'"'s cell phone and the user'"'"'s defined parameters associated with the currently identified location.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the user defined operating parameters include the identification of multiple locations and specific call preferences associated with each of the multiple locations.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the location determining device comprises a GPS receiver operable to determine the GPS position of the user'"'"'s cell phone.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the location determining device comprises a wireless network interface operable to determine whether the user'"'"'s cell phone is within operating range of a defined wireless computer network.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein one of the operating parameters that is adjusted is the ringing characteristics for the cell phone.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein one of the operating parameters that is adjusted is information about the user that is identified to the calling party when the user'"'"'s cell phone is called.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein an operating parameter of the user'"'"'s cell phone is adjusted based on the location determining device having determined that the cell phone has left the operating range of a defined wireless network.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein the user-defined preferences include the identity of an alternative communication device employed by the user and, when the location determining device determines that the user'"'"'s cell phone is outside of a preferred range of the alternative communication device, instructing the user'"'"'s alternative communication device to forward phone calls intended for it to the user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein the user-defined preferences include the identity of an alternative communication device employed by the user and, when the location determining device determines that the user'"'"'s cell phone is outside of a defined range from the alternative communication device, instructing the user'"'"'s alternative communication device to transfer an existing call from it to the user'"'"'s mobile communication device.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the user'"'"'s alternative communication device comprises a computer with VoIP capability.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the user'"'"'s alternative communication device comprises a land-line phone.

20. A method of switching a communication directed to a wireless communication device comprising:

(a) configuring the wireless communication device with a cellular interface and a wireless LAN interface;

(b) operating the wireless communication device to detect a wireless LAN that provides access to the internet;

(c) establishing a communication path between the wireless communication device and the detected wireless LAN;

(d) operating the wireless communication device to connect to the internet over the wireless LAN;

(e) informing a cellular service provider that the wireless communication device is now coupled to the internet via the wireless LAN; and

(f) switching the delivery of communications intended for the wireless communication device over the cellular airwaves so that they are instead directed to the wireless communication device over the wireless LAN.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the communication is either voice or data information.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising switching the communication while it is in progress.

23. The method of 22 further comprising buffering in a wireless communication device a portion of the communication prior to switching delivery of the communication path from cellular airwaves to the wireless LAN.