System for finding a missing mobile phone

• US 7,496,359 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Original Assignee: Inventec Corporation
• Inventors: Tsai, Pei-Ru
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peaches, Randy
• Application Number:
  US11/328,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20070159299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/418, 455/420
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a system for enabling a user to know whereabouts of his or her missing mobile phone, which comprises a mobile phone and a remote controller. The mobile phone comprises a control module including a wireless transceiver unit for receiving a wireless search signal transmitted from the remote controller and adapted to convert the received wireless search signal into an instruction for controlling an output unit of the mobile phone consisting of a light emitting unit, a drive unit, an audio unit, and/or a display unit to generate corresponding light, vibration, sound, and/or display characters for alerting the user. The remote controller comprises a button which, when pressed by the user, causes the remote controller to generate the wireless search signal and transmit the same to the mobile phone for executing the corresponding instruction.

Claims

1. A system for enabling a user to know the whereabouts of his or her missing mobile phone, the system comprising:

a remote controller, including;

at least one button adapted to be pressed to generate a control signal;

a control circuit electrically connected to the button for receiving the control signal and being adapted to generate a search signal in response to the control signal;

a first decoder electrically connected to the control circuit for receiving the search signal and being adapted to convert the search signal into a wireless search signal;

a wireless transceiver unit electrically connected to the first decoder for receiving the wireless search signal and transmitting the wireless search signal to an external; and

a first power supply electrically connected to the control circuit for supplying electric current thereto; and

a mobile phone, including;

a first control unit electrically connected to a plurality of output units thereof;

a control module electrically connected to the first control unit and comprising;

a wireless receiving unit adapted to wirelessly receive the wireless search signal generated by the remote controller;

a second decoder electrically connected to the wireless receiving unit for receiving the wireless search signal and converting the wireless search signal into a search signal; and

a second control unit electrically connected to the first control unit for receiving a power-on signal generated by the first control unit and generating a signal in response to the received power-on signal, wherein the second control unit is adapted to send a response signal representing the search signal to the first control unit, when the second control unit has received the search signal from the second decoder, so as to enable the second control unit to have a highest control priority than the first control unit for converting the search signal or response signal into a corresponding instruction signal and activating the output units connected thereto to generate a corresponding indication in response to the instruction signal; and

a second power supply electrically connected to the first control unit and control module for supplying electric current thereto.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote controller further comprises a light emitting member electrically connected to the control circuit, the light emitting member being adapted to emit light in response to a light emitting signal generated by the control circuit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit of the mobile phone is a speaker for receiving the instruction signal and generating sound in response to the instruction signal.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit of the mobile phone is a display for receiving the instruction signal and displaying alphabets, digits, or graphics in response to the instruction signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit of the mobile phone is a light emitting diode (LED) for receiving the instruction signal and emitting light in response to the instruction signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the output unit of the mobile phone is a vibration motor for receiving the instruction signal and rotating in vibration in response to the instruction signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electric current supplied by the second power supply of the mobile phone is a power-off current, and the power-off current is supplied to the control module for its normal operation when the mobile phone has been shut down.