Apparatus and process for transmitting a deceitful signal to a mobile phone

• US 6,765,884 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2000
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sagem SA (Safran SA)
• Inventors: Pierre, Marchand, Pite, Eric, Desportes, Adrien
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzlo, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): ODLAND, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US09/626,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/315, 370/316, 370/319-321, 370/324, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/332, 370/335, 370/342, 455/7, 455/11-- 1, 455/13.4, 455/20
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

To eliminate the acoustic nuisance caused by a ringing of a mobile telephone (1) in a limited geographical zone (7), a device (8) for the transmission of a signal (9) is placed in this zone (7). The decoy signal (9) is obtained by identifying the radioelectric synchronization signal (10), received by a receiver (11), that is the most powerful signal transmitted in this zone (7) and by producing a replica of this synchronization signal (10). This replica is amplified and desynchronized with respect to the received signal (10). Thus a mobile telephone (1) present in this zone (7) considers this decoy signal (9) to be the most powerful one and will therefore get connected with the dummy transmitter (12) that transmits this dummy signal (9). Thus, the production of acoustic nuisance in this zone (7) is avoided.

Claims

1. A method for the transmission of a radioelectric mobile telephony decoy signal according to a CDMA type access protocol, in a limited geographical zone, wherein:

a measurement is made, by means of a dummy receiver, in the limited geographical zone, of the power of one or more synchronization signals received in this limited geographical zone and transmitted by base stations of a mobile telephony network,

a candidate signal is chosen from among the synchronization signals received for which the power value is the greatest in the limited geographical zone,

the receiver is temporally synchronized with the chosen signal,

a decoy signal that is the replica of the chosen signal is produced

the decoy signal is amplified up to a power value that is strictly greater than a power value of the chosen signal,

the decoy signal is sent inside the limited geographical zone by means of a dummy transmitter, the decoy signal being temporally desynchrorized with respect to the chosen signal and the other candidate radioelectric signals,

a mobile telephone is radioelectrically connected with the dummy transmitter, the mobile telephone being inside the limited geographical zone.

2. Method according to claim 1 wherein there is a call request from a mobile telephone located in the limited geographical zone, the call request being received by the dummy receiver:

the mobile telephone is sent a report message indicating a temporary impossibility of routing the call request.

3. Method according to claim 1 wherein:

the dummy transmitter and the dummy receiver are placed in a vehicle,

the dummy transmitter is activated when the vehicle is in motion and the dummy transmitter is deactivated when the vehicle is at a stop or if the mobile telephone is connected to a hands-free kit.

4. Device for the transmission of a mobile telephony radioelectric decoy signal in a limited geographical zone to be protected against acoustic nuisance from a mobile telephone, comprising a dummy receiver and a dummy transmitter sending said decoy signal that is desynchronized by temporal shift with respect to a received signal received by the dummy receiver and is more powerful than this received signal, said decoy signal preventing the mobile telephone from reacting to said received signal.

5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the limited geographical zone represents the volume of a body of a vehicle.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the volume represents a zone in which a driver of the vehicle is placed.

7. Device according to claim 4, comprising a detector of the movement of the vehicle.

8. Device according to claim 4, wherein the dummy transmitter comprises a sectorized and/or directional transmission antenna.

9. Device according to claim 4, wherein a volume of a limited geographical zone is demarcated by an electromagnetic shield and in that the dummy transmitter is inside this volume and the dummy receiver is outside this volume.