Apparatus and method for monitoring cellular telephone usage
First Claim
1. An apparatus for monitoring when a cellular telephone is used for mobile cellular telephone communication, comprising:
- detection means for detecting the presence of a telephone call from the cellular telephone;
programmable control means for tracking the duration and time of day associated with the telephone call wherein said control means is contained within a housing that is manually mounted on a mobile unit in close proximity to an antenna associated with the mobile unit, said detection means detects the presence of RF signals transmissions from the antenna associated with the mobile unit indicative of the telephone call, and said control means tracks the duration and timing of RF signals detected by said detection means that have a magnitude maintained at a level greater than or equal to a minimum threshold level for at least a predetermined time interval;
means for manually inputting data into said control means indicative of terms of a customer billing plan and current date and time, said control means maintaining and updating the data, and generating statistical information based upon the data and the duration and time of day of the telephone call;
a display means for selectively displaying statistical information and a function code representative of a particular function performed by said control means in generating the displayed statistical information; and
a power source for supplying power to said control means.
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Abstract
A small, wireless, battery operated monitoring apparatus is provided that is installed by a user on a cellular telephone in close proximity to a telephone antenna. The monitoring device monitors telephone usage by detecting and tracking radio frequency signal transmissions from the antenna to a base station. The monitoring device includes a microprocessor that performs functions on data indicative of cellular telephone usage and the customer billing plan. The microprocessor, under control of a call processing program, determines exactly when cellular mobile service is established and terminated at the cellular telephone. Under control of a time tracking program, the microprocessor monitors telephone usage, and generates statistical information indicative of telephone usage. The tracking program allows the user to set parameter values associated with statistical information indicative of a customer billing plan and the current date and time. The microprocessor maintains and updates the statistical information, as necessary. The current parameter values for the statistical information generated by the microprocessor are selectively displayed on a display unit associated with the monitoring device. The monitoring device can be used with any manufacturer'"'"'s cellular telephone, and works with any cellular telephone system standard in the United States or abroad. An alternative embodiment of the present invention allows for the monitoring device to be incorporated into the standard electrical circuitry associated with a cellular telephone such that at least a portion of the monitoring apparatus is contained within the housing of the mobile unit. A method for monitoring telephone usage is also disclosed.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. An apparatus for monitoring when a cellular telephone is used for mobile cellular telephone communication, comprising:
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detection means for detecting the presence of a telephone call from the cellular telephone; programmable control means for tracking the duration and time of day associated with the telephone call wherein said control means is contained within a housing that is manually mounted on a mobile unit in close proximity to an antenna associated with the mobile unit, said detection means detects the presence of RF signals transmissions from the antenna associated with the mobile unit indicative of the telephone call, and said control means tracks the duration and timing of RF signals detected by said detection means that have a magnitude maintained at a level greater than or equal to a minimum threshold level for at least a predetermined time interval; means for manually inputting data into said control means indicative of terms of a customer billing plan and current date and time, said control means maintaining and updating the data, and generating statistical information based upon the data and the duration and time of day of the telephone call; a display means for selectively displaying statistical information and a function code representative of a particular function performed by said control means in generating the displayed statistical information; and a power source for supplying power to said control means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An apparatus for monitoring usage of a cellular telephone based upon radio frequency (RF) signal transmissions from an antenna associated with the cellular telephone, comprising:
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detection means for detecting the presence of RF signal transmissions from the cellular telephone antenna, and generating an output signal representative of transmitted RF signals; data processing means operatively connected to said detection means, said data processing means generating a reference signal having a preselected magnitude, said data processing means tracking the duration and timing of the output signal generated by said detection means having a magnitude greater than or equal to the magnitude of the reference signal for a period of time exceeding a predetermined time interval, said data processing means performing input, processing, storage, output and control functions to accomplish a sequence of operations on data stored therein, and generating statistical information indicative of cellular telephone usage based upon RF signal transmissions from the cellular telephone; means for manually inputting data into said data processing means; display means for displaying one of a plurality of function codes representative of a particular function performed by said data processing means in generating the displayed statistical information and the statistical information associated with the displayed function code; means for selectively viewing any one of the plurality of function codes and associated statistical information displayed on the display means; and a power source for supplying power to said data processing means. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A wireless monitoring device for monitoring when a cellular telephone is used for mobile cellular telephone service, comprising:
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a radio frequency (RF) detection circuit including a broadband antenna coupled to an antenna associated with the cellular telephone for detecting RF signal transmission from the cellular telephone antenna, and generating an analog output voltage proportional to transmitted RF signals; a microprocessor for controlling the operation of said monitoring device and processing data indicative of the usage of the cellular telephone, said microprocessor including call processing means for determining whether the cellular telephone is in use and time tracking means for monitoring duration and timing of the telephone call, said microprocessor generating at least one digital output signal; a digital to analog (D/A) converter responsive to the digital output signal generated by said microprocessor, said D/A converter generating an analog reference voltage proportional to the digital output signal generated by the microprocessor having a threshold voltage level at or above which the voltage level of the output voltage generated by said RF detection circuit must be maintained for said monitoring device to consider the cellular telephone to be in use; an analog comparator having a first input coupled to the output voltage generated by said RF detection circuit and a second input coupled to the analog reference signal generated by said D/A converter, said comparator generating a digital output signal maintained in a first state when the first input is less than the second input and maintained in a second state when the first input is greater than or equal to the second input, the output signal generated by the comparator being supplied to said microprocessor; a clock coupled to said microprocessor for generating a clock pulse to provide for synchronization of functions performed by said microprocessor; a display unit for individually displaying a plurality of parameter values stored in the microprocessor corresponding to data processed by said microprocessor; first user actuated switching means connected to said microprocessor for incrementally varying displayed parameter values; second user actuated switching means connected to said microprocessor for advancing the displayed parameter values to the next parameter value stored in the microprocessor; and a power source for supplying power to said microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for monitoring the duration and timing of radio frequency (RF) signal transmissions from a cellular phone indicative of the presence of a cellular telephone call, comprising the steps of:
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manually setting a plurality of parameter values associated with statistical information indicative of a customer billing plan; detecting the presence of RF signal transmissions from a cellular telephone antenna; generating a first signal representative of RF signal transmissions; generating a variable reference signal having a minimum threshold voltage level; determining whether the first signal is maintained at a voltage level greater than or equal to the minimum threshold voltage level for a first predetermined time interval; triggering a second predetermined time interval when the first signal is maintained at the voltage level greater than or equal to the minimum threshold voltage level for the first predetermined time interval; establishing the presence of a telephone call from the cellular telephone when RF signal transmissions are detected after the expiration of the second time interval; monitoring the duration and timing of the cellular telephone call; generating statistical information indicative of usage of the cellular telephone based upon the manually set parameter values and the duration and timing of all telephone calls made from the cellular telephone during a predetermined time interval; displaying statistical information on a visual display; triggering a third predetermined time interval when RF signal transmissions are not detected after the expiration of the second time interval; continuing to monitor the duration and timing of the cellular telephone call when RF signal transmissions are detected after the expiration of the third time interval; and terminating the telephone call when RF signal transmissions are not detected after the expiration of the third time interval. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37)
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Specification