Method and system for sending ring setting reminders to mobile devices within a predetermined area

• US 8,452,309 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 05/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Udani, Sanjay Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Application Number:
  US11/563,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125140A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4566, 455/418, 455/422.1, 455/194.1, 455/404.1, 370/312
• US Class Current: 455/456.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A method and a system for sending a ring setting reminder to one or more mobile devices within a predetermined area are provided. The ring setting reminder may be a reminder signal sent to cell phones and other mobile devices within a movie theater complex or other predetermined area to remind the users of the mobile devices to silence the ringers of the mobile devices before the start of the movie or other event. The identification of the mobile devices may occur at the predetermined area or through a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network may be configured to identify the predetermined area within the wireless communication network, identify one or more of the mobile devices located within the predetermined area, and send the reminder signal to correspond with the start of an event at the predetermined area.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

defining a plurality of predetermined areas in which to send a ring setting reminder signal;

receiving a request identifying a predetermined area of the plurality of predetermined areas, the request containing one or more location parameters associated with the identified predetermined area;

determining at least one transceiver element having a coverage area that includes the identified predetermined area, the determined at least one transceiver element associated with a plurality of active mobile devices operating on a wireless communication network;

identifying one or more of the active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area by querying each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area and receiving responses associated with the location of each respective active mobile device; and

sending, using the determined at least one transceiver element, the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area, wherein the ring setting reminder signal sent to each of the one or more active mobile devices is associated with the ring setting of the respective active mobile device.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving a request to send the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the sending of the ring setting reminder signal precedes an event at the identified predetermined area.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the one or more active mobile devices operate within at least one wireless communication network having a plurality of transceiver elements.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the querying of each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area of the at least one transceiver element is to solicit a location of each of the active mobile devices within the coverage area.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area includes a locating sensor for determining a location of the at least one active mobile device.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein identifying the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area further includes receiving responsive signals from at least one active mobile device of the one or more active mobile devices to at least two transceiver elements of the wireless communication network and determining the location for the at least one active mobile device that transmits said responsive signals based on a time of arrival of said responsive signals to the at least two transceiver elements.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein identifying the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area further includes receiving responsive signals from at least one active mobile device of the one or more active mobile devices to at least two transceiver elements of the wireless communication network and determining the location for the at least one active mobile device that transmits said responsive signals based on an angle of arrival of said responsive signals to the at least two transceiver elements.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending a request to at least one wireless communication network to send the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area and wherein the identifying of one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area is conducted before the sending of the request to the at least one wireless communication network.

10. A system comprising:

a plurality of transceiver elements, each transceiver element defining a coverage area, wherein each transceiver element is configured to send and receive one or more signals to and from one or more active mobile devices within the coverage area of the transceiver element;

at least one storage element configured to identify the one or more active mobile devices for each transceiver element; and

at least one controller element configured to;

receive a request to send a ring setting reminder signal to one or more mobile devices within a predetermined area of one or more of the coverage areas, wherein the request identifies the predetermined area of a plurality of predetermined areas,

define a plurality of predetermined areas in which to send a ring setting reminder signal,

determine a first transceiver element having a coverage area that includes the identified predetermined area, the first transceiver element associated with a plurality of active mobile devices operating on a wireless communication network,

identify one or more of the active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area by instructing the first transceiver element to send a query signal to each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area and receive responses associated with the location of each respective active mobile device, and

direct transmission of the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more mobile devices that have been identified, wherein the ring setting reminder signal transmitted to each of the one or more active mobile devices is associated with the ring setting of the respective active mobile device.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the controller element is further configured to instruct the first transceiver element to send the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more of the active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein sending the query signal is to solicit a location for each of the one or more active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first transceiver element is configured to receive a locating signal in response to the query signal from each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element, and wherein the locating signal includes a location for the active mobile device associated with the locating signal based on a determination made by the active mobile device.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first transceiver element and at least a second transceiver element are configured to receive a locating signal in response to the query signal from each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element, and wherein the controller element is configured to at least partially determine a location for each of the active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element based on a time of arrival of each locating signal to the first transceiver element and a time of arrival of each locating signal to the second transceiver element.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first transceiver element and at least a second transceiver element are configured to receive a locating signal in response to the query signal from each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element, and wherein the controller element is configured to at least partially determine a location for each of the active mobile devices within the coverage area of the first transceiver element based on an angle of arrival of each locating signal to the first transceiver element and an angle of arrival of each locating signal to the second transceiver element.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

one or more first executable portions configured to;

define a plurality of predetermined areas in which to send a ring setting reminder signal;

receive a request identifying a predetermined area of the plurality of predetermined areas, the request containing one or more location parameters associated with the identified predetermined area;

determine at least one transceiver element having a coverage area that includes the identified predetermined area, the transceiver element associated with a plurality of active mobile devices operating on a wireless communication network; and

identify one or more of the active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area by querying each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area and receiving responses associated with the location of each respective active mobile device; and

a second executable portion configured to send the ring setting reminder signal to the active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area, wherein the ring setting reminder signal sent to each of the one or more active mobile devices is associated with the ring setting of the respective active mobile device.

17. The computer program product according to claim 16 further comprising a third executable portion configured to receive a request to send the ring setting reminder signal to the one or more active mobile devices within the identified predetermined area.

18. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein the one or more active mobile devices operate within at least one wireless communication network having a plurality of transceiver elements.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the querying of each of the plurality of active mobile devices within the coverage area of the at least one transceiver element is to solicit a location of each of the one or more active mobile devices within the coverage area.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein the one or more first executable portions is further configured to determine a location for each of the one or more mobile devices within the coverage area of the least one transceiver element.