End user controlled temporary mobile phone service device swapping system and method

• US 8,583,112 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klone Mobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Klone Mobile LLC
• Inventors: Booth, Kenneth C., Keeler, Bryce Olson
• Primary Examiner(s): Zewdu, Meless N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jean
• Application Number:
  US13/585,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 455/433, 455/417, 455/418, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/435.1, 455/558
• US Class Current: 455/433
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

User controlled temporary mobile phone and/or data service device swapping systems and methods including particular implementations and embodiments comprising a plurality of mobile phone user control accounts at least a first telephone number or other registration number registered with each of the plurality of phone service or cellular service user control accounts, and at least two different phone devices registered with each of the plurality of user control accounts, and a mobile phone user interface configured to receive input from the mobile phone user to indicate which of the at least two different mobile phone or cellular devices associated with the mobile phone user control account is to be associated and to transmit data indicating the association to a phone number or other service access number registry.

Claims

1. A method of swapping a user controlled temporary cellular service between a plurality of cellular location tracking devices, the method comprising:

registering each of a plurality of cellular location tracking devices with a user control account;

associating, through a cellular service provider'"'"'s cellular access registration number registry, a cellular access registration number and its attendant cellular service with a first cellular location tracking device of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices;

receiving from the first cellular location tracking device and through the attendant cellular service data about a location of or environment near the first cellular location tracking device;

displaying the location of the first cellular location tracking device on a map;

dissociating the cellular service from its association with the first cellular location tracking device;

associating, through the cellular access registration number registry, the cellular access registration number and the attendant cellular service with a second cellular location tracking device remote from the first cellular location tracking device after the first cellular location tracking device is dissociated from the cellular service;

receiving from the second cellular location tracking device and through the attendant cellular service data about a location of or environment near the second cellular location tracking device; and

displaying the location of the second cellular location tracking device on the map while displaying the location of the first cellular location tracking device on the map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising temporarily associating each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices, one at a time, with the cellular access registration number through the cellular access registration number registry, receiving from each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices data about a location of or an environment near each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices when the cellular access registration number is associated with a respective one of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices, and subsequently dissociating the cellular service from its association with the one of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices before associating with a next cellular location tracking device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein associating each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices for receiving data from each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices is done automatically on a scheduled basis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the first cellular location tracking device for receiving data from the first cellular location tracking device is done automatically on a scheduled basis.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the data about the location of or environment near both the first cellular location tracking device and the second cellular location tracking device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying a user of the user control account if the data regarding the location of or the environment near the first or second cellular location tracking devices is outside of pre-established data boundaries.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving input from a user of the user control account to initiate the association of the second cellular location tracking device with the cellular service when the association is requested.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the first cellular location tracking device and the second cellular location tracking device are remote from the user of the user control account.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving from the first cellular location tracking device comprises receiving data about both the location of and the environment near the first cellular location tracking device.

10. A method of swapping a user controlled temporary cellular service between a plurality of cellular data gathering devices, the method comprising:

registering each of a plurality of data gathering devices with a user control account;

associating, through a cellular service provider'"'"'s cellular access registration number registry, a cellular access registration number and its attendant cellular service with a first data gathering device of the plurality of data gathering devices;

receiving from the first data gathering device and through the attendant cellular service data about an environment near the first data gathering device;

displaying the data gathered about the environment near the first data gathering device on a computer display;

dissociating the cellular service from its association with the first data gathering device;

associating, through the cellular access registration number registry, the cellular access registration number and the attendant cellular service with a second data gathering device remote from the first data gathering device after the first data gathering device is dissociated from the cellular access registration number;

receiving from the second data gathering device and through the attendant cellular service data about an environment near the second data gathering device; and

displaying the data gathered about the environment near the second data gathering device on the computer display while displaying the data gathered from the first data gathering device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising temporarily associating each of the plurality of data gathering devices, one at a time, with the cellular access registration number through the cellular access registration number registry, receiving from each of the plurality of data gathering devices data about an environment near each of the plurality of data gathering devices when the cellular access registration number is associated with a respective one of the plurality of data gathering devices, and subsequently dissociating the cellular service from its association with the one of the plurality of data gathering devices before associating with a next data gathering device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein associating each of the plurality of data gathering devices for receiving data from each of the plurality of data gathering devices is done automatically on a scheduled basis.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein associating the first data gathering device for receiving data from the first data gathering device is done automatically on a scheduled basis.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the data about the environment near both the first data gathering device and the second data gathering device.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising notifying a user of the user control account if the data regarding the environment near the first or second data gathering devices is outside of pre-established data boundaries.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving input from a user of the user control account to initiate the association of the second data gathering device with the cellular service when the association is requested by the user.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the first data gathering device and the second data gathering device are remote from the user of the user control account.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving from the first data gathering device further comprises receiving data about a location of the first data gathering device and displaying the location on a map.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the location of the first data gathering device on a map is done while displaying a location about the second data gathering device on the map.

20. A temporary cellular network based asset tracking system comprising:

a plurality of cellular location tracking devices each located remotely from each other and each registered with a user control account, accessible through the Internet;

a cellular access registration number and its attendant cellular service actively associated with only one of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices at a time; and

a user control account interface configured to allow a user to temporarily associate the cellular access registration number and its attendant cellular service to each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices one at a time and receive from each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices data about a location of or an environment near the respective cellular location tracking device when the cellular service is associated with the respective cellular location tracking device and display the location of or environment near the respective cellular location tracking device on a computer display simultaneously.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the computer display further comprises a map.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of cellular location tracking devices each located remotely from each other is each also associated with a different cellular tower of a cellular service network.

23. The system of claim 20, each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices comprises at least one of a SIM chip, a global positioning system locator and a cellular chip.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the user interface is further configured to allow the user to temporarily associate the cellular access registration number and its attendant cellular service to each of the plurality of cellular location tracking devices one at a time on a scheduled basis.