SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLICATIONS ON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES

• US 20110136461A1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OL Security LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Osocad Remote LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Peterson, Robert W., Hauser, Robert R., Wheeler, Thomas T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/334
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

The functionality of smartphone applications may be extended to a basic phone, i.e., a phone lacking a particular smartphone capability, by providing a data synthesizer in the basic phone that synthesizers required data points. The data synthesizer may communicate with nearby smartphones to collect relevant data points such as location or motion data. Data points for the basic phone may be calculated from the collected data points. When an application on the basic phone requests data, a data provider proxy may retrieve a synthesized data point from the data synthesizer. In one example, a basic phone without a GPS or similar location module may execute a mapping application by averaging location data from nearby smartphones.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating data at an enhanced communications device responsive to sensing an event;

receiving a data request from a mobile device at the enhanced communications device; and

providing the data to the mobile device responsive to the data request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the data in a memory.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data request includes an identification of the mobile device and an identification of the request.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the request is a duplicate request responsive to the identification of the mobile device or the identification of the request.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising providing a discovery response configured to identify the enhanced communications device to the mobile device responsive to recognizing the identification of the mobile device in a recent responses list.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining a datapoints type in the request; and

adding at least one datapoint provider to the discovery response responsive to the datapoints type.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording the data provided to the mobile device in a memory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensing the event comprises using at least one of a global position system module or an accelerometer.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing an error in the data by applying a privacy policy.

10. An enhanced communications device, comprising:

at least one data sensor configured to generate data responsive to a sensing an event; and

a data responder configured to provide the data to the mobile device responsive to receiving a data request.

11. The enhanced communications device of claim 10, wherein the data responder is further configured to store the data in a memory.

12. The enhanced communications device of claim 10, wherein the data request includes an identification of the mobile device and an identification of the request.

13. The enhanced communications device of claim 12, wherein the data responder is further configured to:

determine the request is a duplicate request responsive to the identification of the mobile device or the identification of the request.

14. The enhanced communications device of claim 13, wherein the data responder is further configured to:

provide a discovery response configured to identify the enhanced communications device to the mobile device responsive to recognizing the identification of the mobile device in a recent responses list.

15. The enhanced communications device of claim 14, wherein the data responder is further configured to:

determine a datapoints type in the request; and

add at least one datapoint provider to the discovery response responsive to the datapoints type.

16. The enhanced communications device of claim 10, wherein the data responder is further configured to:

record the data provided to the mobile device in a memory.

17. The enhanced mobile communications device of claim 10, wherein the at least one data sensor further comprises at least one of a global position system module or an accelerometer.

18. The enhanced mobile communications device of claim 10, wherein the data responder is further configured to:

introduce an error in the data by applying a privacy policy.

19. An enhanced communications device, comprising:

means for generating data at the enhanced communications device responsive to means for sensing an event;

means for receiving a data request from a mobile device at the enhanced communications device; and

means for providing the data to the mobile device responsive to the data request.

20. The enhanced communications device of claim 19, further comprising means for storing the data in a memory.

21. The enhanced communications device of claim 19, wherein the data request includes an identification of the mobile device and an identification of the request.

22. The enhanced communications device of claim 21, further comprising means for determining the request is a duplicate request responsive to the identification of the mobile device or the identification of the request.

23. The enhanced communications device of claim 22, further comprising means for providing a discovery response configured to identify the enhanced communications device to the mobile device responsive to recognizing the identification of the mobile device in a recent responses list.

24. The enhanced communications device of claim 23, further comprising:

means for determining a datapoints type in the request; and

means for adding at least one datapoint provider to the discovery response responsive to the datapoints type.

25. The enhanced communications device of claim 19, further comprising means for recording the data provided to the mobile device in a memory means.

26. The enhanced communications device of claim 19, wherein the means for sensing the event comprises means for using at least one of a global position system module or an accelerometer.

27. The enhanced communications device of claim 19, further comprising means for introducing an error in the data by applying a privacy policy.

28. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that configure a processing system to:

generate data at an enhanced communications device responsive to sensing an event;

receive a data request from a mobile device at the enhanced communications device; and

provide the data to the mobile device responsive to the data request.

29. The article of claim 28, further configuring the processing system to store the data in a memory.

30. The article of claim 28, wherein the data request includes an identification of the mobile device and an identification of the request.

31. The article of claim 28, further configuring the processing system to determine the request is a duplicate request responsive to the identification of the mobile device or the identification of the request.

32. The article of claim 30, further configuring the processing system to provide a discovery response configured to identify the enhanced communications device to the mobile device responsive to recognizing the identification of the mobile device in a recent responses list.

33. The article of claim 32, further configuring the processing system to:

determine a datapoints type in the request; and

add at least one datapoint provider to the discovery response responsive to the datapoints type.

34. The article of claim 28, further configuring the processing system to record the data provided to the mobile device in a memory.

35. The article of claim 28, further configuring the processing system to sense the event using at least one of a global position system module or an accelerometer.

36. The article of claim 28, further configuring the processing system to introduce an error in the data by applying a privacy policy.