Computational Systems and Methods for Locating a Mobile Device

• US 20130165139A1
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: John D. Rinaldo Jr, Lowell L. Wood Jr
• Inventors: Bahl, Paramvir, Burger, Douglas C., Chandra, Ranveer, Dyor, Matthew G., Gates, William, Hyde, Roderick A., Holman, Pablos, Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Kare, Jordin T., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Paek, Tim, Rinaldo, John D. Jr., Tan, Desney S., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Zhong, Lin
• Granted Patent: US 9,161,310 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are described relating to accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device. Additionally, systems and methods are described relating to means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and

means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a location query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a battery level query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a silent mode signal from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting at least one of a silent mode query or an airplane mode query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting at least one of a theatre mode query or a meeting mode query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification reader associated with at least one mobile device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification reader associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a query from a mobile radio-frequency identification reader.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object to override a silent mode status.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing an active radio-frequency identification tag.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing a passive radio-frequency identification tag.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing a battery-assisted passive radio-frequency identification tag.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag that includes a radio-frequency transmitter and a receiver.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag that receives a radio signal.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag comprises:

means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag that functions as a radio mirror.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device comprises:

means for utilizing a radio-frequency identification tag that sends location information to a discriminating receiver.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a second device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a second device comprises:

means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a second mobile device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a second device comprises:

means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a dedicated device.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for transmitting location information associated with the mobile device.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting a sound that indicates location of the mobile device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein means for presenting a sound that indicates location of the mobile device comprises:

means for presenting a computer-created sound that indicates location of the mobile device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein means for presenting a computer-created sound that indicates location of the mobile device comprises:

means for presenting a computer-created voice that indicates location of the mobile device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting an indication for the mobile device to vibrate.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting a visible indication of the mobile device location.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein means for presenting a visible indication of the mobile device location comprises:

means for presenting at least a constant light, a blinking light, or a strobe light that indicates the mobile device location.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device to a remote location.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for presenting an indication of location of the mobile device including global positioning system coordinates.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein means for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device and means for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device comprises:

means for accepting a location information query associated with a smartphone from a radio-frequency transmitter, presenting an audible beep, and transmitting a set of global positioning coordinates to a website based on the location information query associated with the smartphone from the radio-frequency transmitter.

31. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and

presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

32-60. -60. (canceled)

61. A system, comprising:

circuitry for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and

circuitry for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

62. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory signal-bearing medium bearing

one or more instructions for accepting a query from a radio-frequency identification object associated with at least one mobile device; and

one or more instructions for presenting an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the query response from the radio-frequency identification object associated with the at least one mobile device.

63. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a computer-readable medium.

64. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a recordable medium.

65. The computer program product of claim 62, wherein the signal-bearing medium includes a communications medium.

66. A system comprising:

a computing device; and

instructions that when executed on the computing device cause the computing device to

detect an indication of a person within a specified proximity to at least one mobile device; and

present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the indication of a person within the specified proximity.

67. The system of claim 66 wherein the computing device comprises:

one or more of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal entertainment device, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet personal computer, a networked computer, a computing system comprised of a cluster of processors, a computing system comprised of a cluster of servers, a workstation computer, and/or a desktop computer.

68. The system of claim 66, wherein the computing device is operable to detect an indication of a person within a specified proximity to at least one mobile device;

and present an indication of location of the at least one mobile device at least partially based on the indication of a person within the specified proximity.